Visitor & Guest GuideMembership Team
Revised: V3 - 6/26/22 Welcome to Heartwood Cohousing! Our vision is to create and live in a community that fosters harmony with each other, the larger community and nature. In the interest of making your Heartwood visit as productive, enjoyable, and engaging as possible, the Heartwood Membership Team has created this Visitor & Guest Guide. Please review it before your arrival. If you have any questions, please contact your host. We look forward to your visit. Download and print a PDF version of the Visitor & Guest Guide. If printing, we suggest
“two-sided” and Layout/“short-edge binding” settings. 
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For all visitors and guests
QUIET HOURS: Community quiet hours are from 10pm to 8am, seven days a week.
COMMON HOUSE: Smoking, pets, and dirty street shoes are not allowed in the Common House (CH).
COMMON HOUSE INTERNET: You are welcome to use the Common House (CH) internet wi-fi.
NAME: Common House; PASSWORD: Check with your host for the CH wi-fi password.
HEARTWOOD CALENDAR: For the most up-to-date information about HW activities, visit the online events calendar (https://bit.ly/3bjIHIM).
CART USAGE: You’ll find two-wheeled carts and small wagons placed strategically around the cluster, especially near the various parking lots and carports. We encourage everyone to use these to reduce car traffic on the pathways.
COMMON MEALS and SUNDAY BRUNCHES: Plan to join us! Common Meals are held every Wednesday, starting at 6:30pm in the CH. A Sunday brunch is held on the third Sunday of each month from 11am – 12:30pm. The menu and cook(s) are posted at least two days prior to the meal on the Common Meals calendar (https://bit.ly/3bfPTVZ).
Please have your host or buddy sign you up at least two days prior to the meal so the cooks can shop accordingly and stay within their budgets, based on the number of attendees and any dietary restrictions (be sure to have your host indicate dietary preferences in the Notes section of the sign-up form on the Common Meals calendar). If you wish to attend after the meal closing, check with your host or the cooks to see if they are able to accommodate you.
Common Meal and Brunch costs for personal guests of HW members are $6.00 per adult and $4.00 per child. Costs for visitors are $7.00 for adults and $4.00 per child. At the meal, please give cash or a check made out to “Heartwood HOA” (memo “CH meals”) to one of the cooks or place in the “Visitors/Common Meals/Donations” box in the CH entry way by the front door. If you are making a donation for a guest room stay, you may include your meals and laundry fees in the final amount. Please indicate on the check if the total includes fees for meals and/or laundry charges.
HAPPY HOUR POTLUCKS: A happy hour (BYOB) and potluck is held every Friday at the CH, starting at either 5:30pm or 6:00pm, depending on the season, with the meal starting 30 minutes later. It is a great way to meet our members, so please come if you would like to attend—no RSVP needed. Check the online events calendar (https://bit.ly/3bjIHIM) during your stay.
BATHROOMS: CH bathrooms are for use by members, guests and visitors and may be used by others during your stay. Please only flush toilet paper down the commode; our septic system cannot accommodate other inputs, including “flushable” wipes, tampons, paper towels, etc. Thanks for your cooperation.
HOT TUB: The community hot tub is up the flagstone walkway leading west from the Village Green across from the CH. Clothing is optional. Quiet hours start at 10pm, so please talk softly as voices travel into the adjacent homes. Please shower prior to using the hot tub to decrease the collection of body oil and soil in the water. If you chose to wear a swimsuit, please rinse it thoroughly before entering the tub to remove residual laundry detergent. Children under 16 must be accompanied by adults.
LAUNDRY: You are welcome to use the laundry room on the ground floor of the CH for your own personal needs. If there is a guest in Guest Room #2, please refrain from using the machines after 9pm or before 9am. Fees are $0.50 per wash and $1.00 per drying cycle. Please add any laundry fees to your “tab” for guest room donations and/or common meal fees, if any, via cash or check and remit to your host or deposit in the “Visitors/Common Meals/Donations box in the CH entry way.
DOGS: We ask that all guests with dogs read the HW Pet Expectation Guidelines (https://bit.ly/3NbulHs) prior to their arrival. Heartwood has a “free roaming” policy for its members’ dogs that have passed certain behavioral requirements. As pack animals, free-roaming member dogs have staked out their territories and can become protective. Dogs are not allowed in the CH nor are they allowed on the CH patio when food is being served or consumed there.
All visiting dogs must be on a leash at all times within the vicinity of the cluster of homes, including adjacent roads, carports and parking areas, and under strict voice and sight command when elsewhere on the property. Please have a leash with you at all times. Pet owners must minimize the impact of domestic pets on wildlife, such as birds, rabbits, deer, turkeys, rodents, lizards, etc., and on all livestock.
Failure of any dog to come when called by its owners or to “back away” from people or other dogs (leashed or free-roaming) when asked will result in a loss of off-leash privileges during the visitor’s stay. Guest dog owners take responsibility for injuries sustained related to a dog fight if the conditions outlined in the Pet Expectation Guidelines for guest dogs are not met and it is determined that their dog created the situation through aggressive behavior.
We also ask that you clean up after your pet wherever you are at Heartwood. When walking your dog on the pathways or especially on the trails, please pick up the dog waste or flick it off the trail into the bushes with your foot or a stick.
To dispose of dog poop, place it in a plastic bag and put it in the dumpster in the parking lot northeast of the CH.
CH EXERCISE ROOM: Guests may use the CH Exercise Room on the main floor, assuming you are aware of how to use the equipment safely and with care. Ask your host for info on how to use the equipment, if needed. Children 12 years or younger must have adult supervision.
CH HEARTH ROOM: You are welcome to use our CH Hearth Room as long as it is not already reserved for HW meetings. It is for quiet and mellow activities.
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES: Guests are welcome to participate in additional HW activities during their stay. Visit the “Plan A Visit” page of the HW website (https://bit.ly/3QByPu3), for more information to help you best plan your visit. Ask your host for schedules, updates and additional activities and check the online events calendar (https://bit.ly/3bjIHIM).
GREENHOUSE: Guests are asked to not harvest produce from the Greenhouse unless they are accompanied by a community member or have completed an orientation with one of the Greenhouse Team members (https://bit.ly/3xIA8P0). Children should always be accompanied by an adult.
ALERT: During bear season, which can last from spring into December, you’ll find a "bear mat" outside the greenhouse door with protruding nails. Please pick it up and replace it as you enter and exit the greenhouse.
EXPLORING THE PROPERTY/TRAILS: We hope that you will have time to walk or bicycle around Heartwood’s 361 acres while you are here, but we ask that you avoid the trails if they are muddy. A map of the trails is available online
(https://bit.ly/3A6Rat9), at almost all trail junctions, below the mailroom bulletin board in the CH entry and also in both guest rooms.
For all visitors and guests
QUIET HOURS: Community quiet hours are from 10pm to 8am, seven days a week.
COMMON HOUSE: Smoking, pets, and dirty street shoes are not allowed in the Common House (CH).
COMMON HOUSE INTERNET: You are welcome to use the Common House (CH) internet wi-fi.
NAME: Common House; PASSWORD: Check with your host for the CH wi-fi password.
HEARTWOOD CALENDAR: For the most up-to-date information about HW activities, visit the online events calendar (https://bit.ly/3bjIHIM).
CART USAGE: You’ll find two-wheeled carts and small wagons placed strategically around the cluster, especially near the various parking lots and carports. We encourage everyone to use these to reduce car traffic on the pathways.
COMMON MEALS and SUNDAY BRUNCHES: Plan to join us! Common Meals are held every Wednesday, starting at 6:30pm in the CH. A Sunday brunch is held on the third Sunday of each month from 11am – 12:30pm. The menu and cook(s) are posted at least two days prior to the meal on the Common Meals calendar (https://bit.ly/3bfPTVZ).
Please have your host or buddy sign you up at least two days prior to the meal so the cooks can shop accordingly and stay within their budgets, based on the number of attendees and any dietary restrictions (be sure to have your host indicate dietary preferences in the Notes section of the sign-up form on the Common Meals calendar). If you wish to attend after the meal closing, check with your host or the cooks to see if they are able to accommodate you.
Common Meal and Brunch costs for personal guests of HW members are $6.00 per adult and $4.00 per child. Costs for visitors are $7.00 for adults and $4.00 per child. At the meal, please give cash or a check made out to “Heartwood HOA” (memo “CH meals”) to one of the cooks or place in the “Visitors/Common Meals/Donations” box in the CH entry way by the front door. If you are making a donation for a guest room stay, you may include your meals and laundry fees in the final amount. Please indicate on the check if the total includes fees for meals and/or laundry charges.
HAPPY HOUR POTLUCKS: A happy hour (BYOB) and potluck is held every Friday at the CH, starting at either 5:30pm or 6:00pm, depending on the season, with the meal starting 30 minutes later. It is a great way to meet our members, so please come if you would like to attend—no RSVP needed. Check the online events calendar (https://bit.ly/3bjIHIM) during your stay.
BATHROOMS: CH bathrooms are for use by members, guests and visitors and may be used by others during your stay. Please only flush toilet paper down the commode; our septic system cannot accommodate other inputs, including “flushable” wipes, tampons, paper towels, etc. Thanks for your cooperation.
HOT TUB: The community hot tub is up the flagstone walkway leading west from the Village Green across from the CH. Clothing is optional. Quiet hours start at 10pm, so please talk softly as voices travel into the adjacent homes. Please shower prior to using the hot tub to decrease the collection of body oil and soil in the water. If you chose to wear a swimsuit, please rinse it thoroughly before entering the tub to remove residual laundry detergent. Children under 16 must be accompanied by adults.
LAUNDRY: You are welcome to use the laundry room on the ground floor of the CH for your own personal needs. If there is a guest in Guest Room #2, please refrain from using the machines after 9pm or before 9am. Fees are $0.50 per wash and $1.00 per drying cycle. Please add any laundry fees to your “tab” for guest room donations and/or common meal fees, if any, via cash or check and remit to your host or deposit in the “Visitors/Common Meals/Donations box in the CH entry way.
DOGS: We ask that all guests with dogs read the HW Pet Expectation Guidelines (https://bit.ly/3NbulHs) prior to their arrival. Heartwood has a “free roaming” policy for its members’ dogs that have passed certain behavioral requirements. As pack animals, free-roaming member dogs have staked out their territories and can become protective. Dogs are not allowed in the CH nor are they allowed on the CH patio when food is being served or consumed there.
All visiting dogs must be on a leash at all times within the vicinity of the cluster of homes, including adjacent roads, carports and parking areas, and under strict voice and sight command when elsewhere on the property. Please have a leash with you at all times. Pet owners must minimize the impact of domestic pets on wildlife, such as birds, rabbits, deer, turkeys, rodents, lizards, etc., and on all livestock.
Failure of any dog to come when called by its owners or to “back away” from people or other dogs (leashed or free-roaming) when asked will result in a loss of off-leash privileges during the visitor’s stay. Guest dog owners take responsibility for injuries sustained related to a dog fight if the conditions outlined in the Pet Expectation Guidelines for guest dogs are not met and it is determined that their dog created the situation through aggressive behavior.
We also ask that you clean up after your pet wherever you are at Heartwood. When walking your dog on the pathways or especially on the trails, please pick up the dog waste or flick it off the trail into the bushes with your foot or a stick.
To dispose of dog poop, place it in a plastic bag and put it in the dumpster in the parking lot northeast of the CH.
CH EXERCISE ROOM: Guests may use the CH Exercise Room on the main floor, assuming you are aware of how to use the equipment safely and with care. Ask your host for info on how to use the equipment, if needed. Children 12 years or younger must have adult supervision.
CH HEARTH ROOM: You are welcome to use our CH Hearth Room as long as it is not already reserved for HW meetings. It is for quiet and mellow activities.
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES: Guests are welcome to participate in additional HW activities during their stay. Visit the “Plan A Visit” page of the HW website (https://bit.ly/3QByPu3), for more information to help you best plan your visit. Ask your host for schedules, updates and additional activities and check the online events calendar (https://bit.ly/3bjIHIM).
- Community Meetings: Scheduled as needed on the first and third Mondays of the month at 7pm.
- Hearts Gathering (formerly Meeting of the Hearts): Topic-based gatherings on the second Monday of the month at 7pm in the CH.
- Work Parties: Held on the third Saturday of the month, starting at 9am and focused on various community maintenance tasks.
- Wisdom Circle: Held every Saturday morning, starting at 7:30am in either the CH or the yurt.
GREENHOUSE: Guests are asked to not harvest produce from the Greenhouse unless they are accompanied by a community member or have completed an orientation with one of the Greenhouse Team members (https://bit.ly/3xIA8P0). Children should always be accompanied by an adult.
ALERT: During bear season, which can last from spring into December, you’ll find a "bear mat" outside the greenhouse door with protruding nails. Please pick it up and replace it as you enter and exit the greenhouse.
EXPLORING THE PROPERTY/TRAILS: We hope that you will have time to walk or bicycle around Heartwood’s 361 acres while you are here, but we ask that you avoid the trails if they are muddy. A map of the trails is available online
(https://bit.ly/3A6Rat9), at almost all trail junctions, below the mailroom bulletin board in the CH entry and also in both guest rooms.
Staying in the Common House?
FEES: We ask for a donation of $30 per room per night. Please deposit cash or check made out to “Heartwood HOA” in an envelope in the basket of the room you are staying. Please note the dates and your names on the envelope. If you use the laundry room, please indicate use on the envelope as well. There is also a donation box in the CH entry way by the front door.
Information and general expectations:
- Guest Room #1 is on the ground-level floor next to the bathroom.
- Guest Room #2 is adjacent to the laundry room.
- Smoking, pets, and dirty street shoes are not allowed in the CH.
- Community quiet hours are from 10pm to 8am, but guests may ask children and adults in the Rec Room (ground level) to be quiet earlier if needed.
- Please check out by 11am.
LINENS: Should the bed not be made, sheets and towels are in the closet in Guest Room #1 and in the closet in Guest Room #2. After your stay, please remove the dirty sheets and towels and place them in the laundry basket in your room. If you have time, please remake the bed with clean sheets and hang clean towels on the bars in your room. You are not requested to wash your used linens, but if you do, please do not use any bleach. Common House detergent is located on the detergent shelving, bottom left.
BATHROOMS: CH bathrooms are for use by members and guests and may be used by others during your stay. Please only flush toilet paper down the commode; our septic system cannot accommodate other inputs, including “flushable” wipes, tampons, etc. Thanks for your cooperation.
KITCHEN USE: You may use the CH refrigerator in the kitchen to store your personal items (lower two shelves), but please remove them prior to your departure. Always mark your items with your name. Be sure to clean up after yourselves. Washing, drying and putting away dishes will create a nice space for incoming cooks or other guests. Thank you for your care.
RECYCLING & COMPOST: Recycling bins for CH kitchen-use only can be found in the drawers to the left of the Hearth Room entrance. Compost pails are generally available near the trash bins in the kitchen. Please note what can be recycled and composted before depositing anything in either set of bins. All glass is to be recycled separately. Please clean plastic containers and crush them.
COFFEE AND TEA: There is a small 2-4 cup white coffee pot and filters for your use in the kitchen, located on a lower corner shelf in the kitchen. Coffee is found in the pantry, top left, tea in one of the drawers in the dining area just on the other side of the kitchen. Please help yourself.
Staying in a private residence?
HEARTWOOD CALENDAR: For the most up-to-date information about HW activities, visit the online events calendar (https://bit.ly/3bjIHIM).
GARBAGE, RECYCLING & COMPOST: Garbage and recycling are to be brought to the dumpster area in the east parking lot. Compost can be deposited in the bins to the left of the greenhouse — use bin #1 only. Please note what can be recycled (glass is recycled separately) and composted before depositing anything into either set of bins.
Resources
Please refer to the various pages of the HW website (heartwoodcohousing.com) for more information about any of the following: