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Modular Homes for Under $50k

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Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#191

Post by monkeynotes »

chrisseaton wrote: post #171
gwbrooks wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since they're very up front about referring to them as Accessory Dwelling units, the primary market is likely people who want to quickly put an ADU in place alongside a traditional single-family home for extra living space or rental income. About one-third of the cost of new multifamily development is typically tied up in zoning/permitting/planning processes. Against that backdrop, ADUs -- particularly if the city pr…

'Accessory Dwelling Unit' is the most depressing way to talk about a home I've ever heard.

Welcome accessory citizens to your new neighbourhood. A dystopia like this is not just on the horizon it's all but here already. "Middle class" is not meaningful any more. Working class has slipped into actual poverty and the middle class are now accessory to the wealth hoarders.

Educated twenty-somethings don't have much of a future to look forward to. They can't even afford the land to put an Accessory Dwelling Unit on, they'll have to rent one from an existing home owner. They will be living on a salary that stalled in the 90s, dealing with ever rising food and environmental costs, and subsisting in a world where we have a perma-health watch reducing their freedom to socialize.

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#192

Post by mekkkkkk »

monkeynotes wrote: post #185
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Looking at this primarily on a cost per square foot basis seems like the famous slashdot mistake of 2 decades ago of dismissing the iPod because it had less memory than a shitty competitor. I mean, it's an ADU, designed to be small, but would basically have the same fixed costs (appliances, plumbing, electrical) of a house twice the size, and I'm sure the manufacturers could make a house twice the size with only a ma…

The headline touts cost, I think it's fair to look at the actual cost benefits. If Apple designed the iPod and promoted it based on cost Slashdot would have had a point. Apple never says 'hey look how affordable our product is'. This headline caught my eye as I'm interested in how the fuck people are going to afford homes in the near future. I am disappointed. The "home" is not somewhere young people can raise a fami…

I agree with your point, but you should s/cost/memory to make your comparison analogous. Slashdot was dismissing the iPod because it had less storage than a Creative Nomad and other popular players of the time.

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#193

Post by kderbyma »

thesausageking wrote: post #4

This house is 375 sq ft and uses low end materials, and it doesn't include setup, so it's going to cost ~$100k, or $266 / sq ft. Most new home construction is more like $150 / sq ft. And with this system, you're very limited in what you can build. Who's the target customer for this?

people who don't think about that, but rush to sign up probably.

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#194

Post by bluGill »

DVassallo wrote: post #163
lftl wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you quoting prices including the cost of the land? Around here there's plenty of new construction being sold at well under $200/sq. ft., and even a fair amount at or under $150 / sq. ft. This is even when you include the price of the land.

There’s a big difference between spec houses and custom houses. I’m building a custom home in King County, WA right now, and it’s almost impossible to build under $300/sqft. And no, doesn’t include cost of land or land preparation costs.

You can build a custom home for the price of a spec home. However it means sticking to the budget instead of upgrading. You can put a $15 light fixture in the bedroom, or a $50 one - spec homes do the former, custom homes all later - it doesn't seem like much but these all add up. The cost to build a custom home and a spec home is nearly the same if you are careful not to do any upgrades. Those upgrades cost money though - if you are planning to live in the house for many years I'd say they are worth it but be aware of what you are getting into.

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#195

Post by mekkkkkk »

monkeynotes wrote: post #191
chrisseaton wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

'Accessory Dwelling Unit' is the most depressing way to talk about a home I've ever heard.

Welcome accessory citizens to your new neighbourhood. A dystopia like this is not just on the horizon it's all but here already. "Middle class" is not meaningful any more. Working class has slipped into actual poverty and the middle class are now accessory to the wealth hoarders. Educated twenty-somethings don't have much of a future to look forward to. They can't even afford the land to put an Accessory Dwelling Uni…

What's a "perma-health watch", and how does it the reduce ability to socialize?

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#196

Post by [deleted] »

mekkkkkk wrote: post #195
monkeynotes wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Welcome accessory citizens to your new neighbourhood. A dystopia like this is not just on the horizon it's all but here already. "Middle class" is not meaningful any more. Working class has slipped into actual poverty and the middle class are now accessory to the wealth hoarders. Educated twenty-somethings don't have much of a future to look forward to. They can't even afford the land to put an Accessory Dwelling Uni…

What's a "perma-health watch", and how does it the reduce ability to socialize?

[deleted]

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#197

Post by mlindner »

Someone wrote: post #90
kumarvvr wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Snake oil salesmen do not send self landing rockets to the ISS. He may have a bit more hype and may be manipulative in some ways, but you have to admit that he has given a good amount of technological progress to the world. Would you think the big car companies would scramble for electric cars if not for Tesla?

“Would you think the big car companies would scramble for electric cars if not for Tesla?” Yes, I would. Technological progress gives lawgivers room to tighten emission rules, and that’s what drives car makers. Tesla sped up that process, but not by much, IMO. I also don’t think ‘scramble’ is the right word. Tesla was (maybe even is: they make a profit from selling emission rights, and a big buyer says they don’t nee…

I doubt it. The car companies have/had outsourced almost all of their manufacturing other than their core IP, engine production. If it didn't have an engine in it, it wouldn't have been built. They would have produced hybrids, but I doubt we would have seen any pure-EVs outside of hobbiest production or limited run hypercars by today.

Eventually maybe, but Tesla vastly accelerated that schedule.

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#198

Post by zimpenfish »

dkdbejwi383 wrote: post #182
zimpenfish wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are there any countries or communities that currently use "old English" as their native language?

No, that's why we call it "old" English, as opposed to "South-African", "New Zealand", etc.

> No, that's why we call it "old" English

Which surely means it has little relevance to a conversation about modern English then, no?

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#199

Post by jiggliemon »

hellbannedguy wrote: post #165
thesausageking wrote: post #4

This house is 375 sq ft and uses low end materials, and it doesn't include setup, so it's going to cost ~$100k, or $266 / sq ft. Most new home construction is more like $150 / sq ft. And with this system, you're very limited in what you can build. Who's the target customer for this?

If you can get this contraption on your property (foundation, plumbing hookup, electric, all permit fees.) for under 100k in a desirable area, like the Bay Area, it's a great deal. If I had a flat lot that was accesssble, I would look into this further. In my town, even with the protections Gov. Neusome provided, getting an ADU is still a hassle. In my town, rich people are using ADU's to add square footage to their…

I looked into building an adu a few years back, and I can backup most of what you said. At least in California, in an incorporated city.

We worked out that it would cost us $30k in fees, and required spending before we could even dig the footers. Things like a soil test, inspections, variance’s etc.

You can always build an ADU, but it’s a rich mans game. And not really accessible to most people. We calculated our unit to cost roughly $80-90k, and would be almost 2x $/sqft of our home. A remodel made more financial sense, but the above problems still persist.

Re: Modular Homes for Under $50k

#200

Post by bluGill »

gangstead wrote: post #85
harmmonica wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My friend and I were having a similar fantasy of putting places like that all over the western US so we started with a one-off project to build a tiny house so that it can just be “plopped” down (or rather rolled in). How big were you thinking? Something like 400 SF? Or a proper house? As I said in another comment on this thread I think it’s possible to build something totally custom for a similar budget (200-250 psf…

Possibly that small, but I'm a family of five so sleeping that many quickly becomes a problem. Bunk beds and squeezing in are fine but we're +1 over what almost every dwelling considers family-sized. I hadn't considered a trailer because that usually requires a commitment to owning a huge truck. But are these trailers you are referring to more semi-permanent?

Semi-permanent trailers are common. Most camper trailers are not designed to go cross country - they are for the family who does a couple in-state vacations every summer. (at the cost of fuel a mini-van + hotel room is the same price as a truck + camper if you drive for 10 hours every day - that is assuming you have the truck and camper anyway and so there is zero cost to buying it)
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