What it’s really like to live with 14 friends (and their kids)

Real estate developer Phil Levin doesn’t just build friend compounds; he lives in one himself. Here’s what life is like, why even he was skeptical at first, and why the gang has decided to sell the property.

Q: How did this compound come to life? “When my wife and I talked about having kids, we made a deal: We’d do it only with a living situation that made it manageable. So we developed a property in Oakland, CA, called Radish.”

Q: How many people live there? “It started with a few existing buildings, then we added ADUs. Today it’s seven adjacent homes—a mix of one-bedrooms to four-bedrooms—with 14 adults and eight kids under age 5. Each household has their own private home. Step outside, and you’re in a shared courtyard with a cedar hot tub, sauna, and firepit: luxuries that none of us would have alone but are reasonable split between households.”

Q: What are the benefits? “Our friends watch our kids. We share nannies. There’s a cooking rotation where each household makes dinner about once every three weeks. The real benefit is that parenting doesn’t feel like a solo project. I feel like a jerk saying this, but having a kid was much easier than advertised, and we largely credit our living situation.”

Q: Why are you selling? “We love Radish, but we’ve outgrown it. It was our proof of concept, and it worked. Since it was hard to find comps, we priced at a range of $4 to $6 million, and over 1,000 parties have expressed interest. Now our friend group is building three new compounds, which can house more people and larger families. No one is choosing to live alone.”

Q: What advice do you have for others who want to try this? “Every group needs an instigator. One person needs to be beating the drum the whole time, sending listings, booking tours. Don’t wait for everyone to be perfectly aligned. Start with one other household that’s serious, build it, and they will come.”

Q: What would you say to skeptics who worry this would not end up well? “It’s usually the introverts who are skeptical. But introverts benefit the most. The social interaction is lightweight, opt-in, and easy to escape. The extroverts tend to burn themselves out. A pattern I see in almost every group is that the resistant partner ends up being the biggest advocate. My wife got me into this: I was the reluctant introvert. Now it’s my career.”

Check out photos and info about Radish and learn more about creating housing setups like this at Live Near Friends.