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A house that costs $20k

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Re: A house that costs $20k

#161

Post by toomuchtodo »

dwiel wrote: post #114
marincounty wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They left out current building codes. I have a general contractor's licence. To build anything involves so many rules/codes it's rediculious. Every year the building department in your town/city usually includes the latest codes, and prohibits so many things. It all sounds great until you are paying someone to build something. The various building code manuals take up at least two feet of space on my shelf. Where I l…

I tried to build a nice, cheap small house and ran into these exact same regulations. Almost all of the regulations we hit were from the 'International Building Code' which covers a large part of the US. I'd say building a to code house here costs at least $50k - $60k. This is just bare minimum meet the code. To add to your list: - composting toilets are allowed, but you still need a sewer hookup available, just in c…

This is why tiny houses on trailers took off; it sidesteps building code due to them being classified as RVs.

Re: A house that costs $20k

#162

Post by eblanshey »

Loughla wrote: post #112
SwellJoe wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

America is big. Things are spread out in most cities and towns. When living in the city, one gets value in exchange for giving up the privacy of owning your own home and land. And, it is not realistic for people who are poor, or even middle class, to own a home in a major metropolis, and so they often do live in an apartment or townhome (a mini-house that shares walls with one or more other townhomes...somewhere betw…

>Americans who grew up in rural areas have an even more extreme view of how much space is the right amount than I do (I grew up in the suburbs, and still hate apartments). Yep. To add to this. The right amount of space for me (raised rural) is so much that I can see neither see nor hear the neighbors unless I choose to. So, about 1/4 mile between us at a minimum. (Am currently working on purchasing property across th…

Somewhere in the midwest?

Re: A house that costs $20k

#163

Post by gravypod »

brianbreslin wrote: post #117

Slightly off topic, but what would a modern looking pre-fab house cost? I've always wanted to buy a piece of land somewhere rural and have a house built so I can take mini getaway vacations with my dog.

I have always wanted to toy with this idea. I'd love to save up a nice chunk of change and build something like this.

I'd like a small house out in the middle of the country.

A bathroom with shower, a kitchen with a stove, and a single living space.

Solar panels, backup batteries, well with pump and filter, and a internet hookup (satellite/landline).

I was hoping to find that this article would talk about the prospects of building something like that, but unfortunately this article is not exactly what is in my "dream".

Re: A house that costs $20k

#164

Post by refurb »

makomk wrote: post #72
gozur88 wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Rent does not build wealth. Rent is the act of transferring wealth from the poor to the rich. That's not a general rule. It really depends on rents, interest rates, and the cost to purchase housing. In a functioning market rents bring in just a tiny bit more than the monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and fees. There have been times in my area where you came out ahead renting, and times when you came out ahea…

> In a functioning market rents bring in just a tiny bit more than the monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and fees. Which means rent is still transferring money from the poor to the rich. If you have a mortgage, you're hopefully building up equity that can be released when you retire to somewhere smaller or in a cheaper location (which you can do, since you don't need to live near jobs and any kids will have m…

Which means rent is still transferring money from the poor to the rich. If you have a mortgage, you're hopefully building up equity

Have you seen what percentage of your mortgage payment is equity early on? You're lucky if it's 5%. The rest is interest that goes to the "rich".

Not sure I see much difference between owning and renting when it comes to who gets the money.

Re: A house that costs $20k

#165

Post by gozur88 »

makomk wrote: post #72
gozur88 wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Rent does not build wealth. Rent is the act of transferring wealth from the poor to the rich. That's not a general rule. It really depends on rents, interest rates, and the cost to purchase housing. In a functioning market rents bring in just a tiny bit more than the monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and fees. There have been times in my area where you came out ahead renting, and times when you came out ahea…

> In a functioning market rents bring in just a tiny bit more than the monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and fees. Which means rent is still transferring money from the poor to the rich. If you have a mortgage, you're hopefully building up equity that can be released when you retire to somewhere smaller or in a cheaper location (which you can do, since you don't need to live near jobs and any kids will have m…

>Which means rent is still transferring money from the poor to the rich.

Suppose I start with nothing, get a mortgage on a house and then rent it out. Am I rich?

Re: A house that costs $20k

#166

Post by logfromblammo »

sageabilly wrote: post #122
jonstewart wrote: post #115

The article doesn't mention this explicitly, but it sure seems as though this tiny house project is geared towards Appalachia and the rural South. Appalachia is generally the mountainous parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina (maybe some parts of Ohio, too). It has its own culture and dialect. It is also the poorest region of the United States; Appalachia is a huge com…

My first thought when reading the article and seeing the pictures is that there's no way this design (as depicted) would work in Appalachia without enclosing and insulating around the bottom of the house. Otherwise, your pipes would freeze and the house would be way, way too cold during the winter. I was also disappointed that the article didn't go into the R-value of the house itself as that's going to be extremely…

Auburn University is in Alabama. These houses are designed for the rural South. You don't have to dig down too far to reach the frost heave line (14" or less). The primary climate concerns are therefore summer cooling, storm drainage, and tornadoes. When there is a freeze warning, people let their faucets drip.

These designs could be used in Tennessee and North Carolina, but that's as far north as I'd be willing to try them.

But then again, it's a lot easier to dig deep holes for piers than a full basement, and you could insulate the underside of the house more thoroughly than is usually done.

Re: A house that costs $20k

#167

Post by logfromblammo »

alistairSH wrote: post #109
creshal wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, the US favours owning residences because renters have nigh zero legal protection?

Partly, yes. We also get to deduct interest paid on mortgages from our federal income taxes. This deduction can be used for primary and secondary homes. The tax deduction alone is a massive incentive to buy a home. Particularly given the housing options available in most cities... we have massive tracts of suburban development where a mortgage typically costs a similar amount monthly as renting a large apartment down…

On the other hand, the savings from the income tax deduction is easily nullified by local property tax, maintenance costs, and the differential between homeowners' and renters' insurance.

Re: A house that costs $20k

#168

Post by sotojuan »

jonstewart wrote: post #115

The article doesn't mention this explicitly, but it sure seems as though this tiny house project is geared towards Appalachia and the rural South. Appalachia is generally the mountainous parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina (maybe some parts of Ohio, too). It has its own culture and dialect. It is also the poorest region of the United States; Appalachia is a huge com…

Appalachia also is what I would call the "center" of traditional American folk culture. It's no mistake that a big portion of the artists featured in the Anthology of American Folk Music come from there. Very fascinating area.

Re: A house that costs $20k

#169

Post by tejohnso »

IkmoIkmo wrote: post #147

The $20k is an aspiration (read, total bs atm), the pictures you're seeing are for a house that cost $135k. http://www.artsatl.com/2016/01/serenbe-rural-studio-artist-r... It must be mentioned that houses carry a huge location premium, everyone knows this. You can buy a big beautiful home in the middle of nowhere for the cost of a studio in the middle of NY or SF. Living isn't all that expensive, living close to wher…

"pictures you're seeing are for a house that cost $135k"

yet

"Smith says they have priced materials for these homes, each under 550 square feet, at Home Depot, at about $13,000."

So it would be nice if they had detailed the real costs. As indicated, the material cost is relatively insignificant.

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