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Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

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Re: Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

#271

Post by natpalmer1776 »

ActorNightly wrote: post #269
natpalmer1776 wrote: post #71

I would devote my time to building high quality, durable, and energy efficient 3bd 2ba homes in the rural areas surrounding major metropolitan areas, which I would then sell at material cost. Buying my first home (mobile/manufactured) has been a combination of the best and worst thing I've ever done. The house cost nearly 3 times what my grandparents paid about ~30 years ago in the same neighborhood (on the same stre…

Ive actually did some market research into this. Turnkey container houses, built out on trailers (with enough facade to make it look good, but since its not a permanent dwelling you don't have to pay property tax on it). The big issue that I found is that people aren't actually interested in cheap houses, they just want something that is affordable at a discount but will grow in value, just like their parents did.

There is a lot of nuances to the issues I want to address, but you seem to be mistaking my fundamental goals. I don't want to "change" the housing market, or even build cheap houses.

If the market says the cheapest house in a market is $250k then that is my budget ceiling for equipment and materials, while all labor is provided by myself and any like-minded individuals in a similarly absurd situation. The 'difference' I would be making is the invisible-to-the-market value created by putting the cost of labor and any expected profits back into making the home a standing testament to human engineering.

There would be no marketing, no sales pitches, no brand or company associated with the construction of these homes. Simply going from place to place doing my best to make an insignificant difference at a societal scale and a silent but substantial difference to the families who eventually occupy those homes both now and in a hundred years.

Re: Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

#272

Post by natpalmer1776 »

gary_0 wrote: post #138
natpalmer1776 wrote: post #71

I would devote my time to building high quality, durable, and energy efficient 3bd 2ba homes in the rural areas surrounding major metropolitan areas, which I would then sell at material cost. Buying my first home (mobile/manufactured) has been a combination of the best and worst thing I've ever done. The house cost nearly 3 times what my grandparents paid about ~30 years ago in the same neighborhood (on the same stre…

Good answer! It's a massive societal failure that so few people are able to own a good house these days. It's 2024, we can build microchips virtually atom-by-atom, we can have plain English conversations with our computers about almost any topic, the number of billionaires has grown 20-fold since the 1980's, but the basic human need for shelter is a problem that is getting less solved by the day. It's perverse.

I completely agree. The incentives have aligned against the average home buyer receiving a good home, at multiple levels. Between the fundamental change in how homes are financed allowing for other market conditions to exaggerate the cost of homes and the decline of skilled labor interest / accessibility to young people such as myself... we have a state of affairs that makes a basic thing such as home ownership a significant problem for future generations.

Re: Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

#273

Post by jononomo »

frontman1988 wrote: post #260
jononomo wrote: post #80

Probably Christian apologetics. It is clear to me that science is incompatible with atheism and supports the Christian worldview, but this does not seem to be widely understood.

If you want to be a theist why stop at Christianity? Why prefer one religion over the other? Theism has existed thousands of years before Christ appeared and these theists had wildly different ideas about almost everything than what Christ taught. Makes you think, who is right?

Because Christianity is the theistic system that makes the most sense.

Re: Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

#275

Post by S_Bear »

defterGoose wrote: post #251
S_Bear wrote: post #49

I'd spend my days painting miniatures and reading. Don't really care enough about the rest of the world, to be honest; I'd turn inward.

And those books you're reading. They came from where?

From my collection of Soviet-era Russian fiction I've accrued over the decades. One of these days I'll get to reading it instead of dusting it off every few months.

Re: Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

#276

Post by mikestew »

aaronrobinson wrote: post #211
mikestew wrote: post #128

I guess I'll find out on Friday, which is my last day. Poking around on computers has been good enough to me that I can call it quits at 60. What comes after this? First, a summer of being a bum (if I last that long). After that, more volunteering at the animal shelter, more volunteering with the local running club, and I half-jokingly say I'm going to be a professional trail runner (where I'll be paid in socks and c…

Im in a similar boat but about 18 months further down the line than you. I figure that even if I choose (or have) to earn something I can do something I love doing for less or something I’m good at for less time. I’ve done the summmer bum thing I plan to do it every year by driving down to the alps in a van conversion and running the trails. I recommend it. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with all the things you want…

It’s easy to become overwhelmed with all the things you want to do with your time but it’s a ton of fun project managing them.

Well, it beats being one of those retirees that goes back to work because they're bored. :-) Thanks for the reply and the encouragement, and if you get to Washington in the U. S., email is in the profile and we'll go run some WA trails in the Cascades.

Re: Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

#277

Post by andrei_says_ »

natpalmer1776 wrote: post #71

I would devote my time to building high quality, durable, and energy efficient 3bd 2ba homes in the rural areas surrounding major metropolitan areas, which I would then sell at material cost. Buying my first home (mobile/manufactured) has been a combination of the best and worst thing I've ever done. The house cost nearly 3 times what my grandparents paid about ~30 years ago in the same neighborhood (on the same stre…

I am reading this and I hope you find ways to engage in building homes! I sense true care and from true care arise true actions and the great satisfaction of doing a job right.

I want more homes in the world built by people like you.

Re: Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

#278

Post by andrei_says_ »

ActorNightly wrote: post #269
natpalmer1776 wrote: post #71

I would devote my time to building high quality, durable, and energy efficient 3bd 2ba homes in the rural areas surrounding major metropolitan areas, which I would then sell at material cost. Buying my first home (mobile/manufactured) has been a combination of the best and worst thing I've ever done. The house cost nearly 3 times what my grandparents paid about ~30 years ago in the same neighborhood (on the same stre…

Ive actually did some market research into this. Turnkey container houses, built out on trailers (with enough facade to make it look good, but since its not a permanent dwelling you don't have to pay property tax on it). The big issue that I found is that people aren't actually interested in cheap houses, they just want something that is affordable at a discount but will grow in value, just like their parents did.

I am actually looking for such a solution. Would you care to share some of the players in this market?

Re: Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

#279

Post by cdelsolar »

Definitely full time on all of my open source scrabble tools - a new AI, a lichess-like app to play online, and a word study tool - probably turn it all into one big platform. My github has more info - github.com/domino14 if you’re interested in submitting some code :D

In the downtime I would go hard on learning a bunch of instruments well - piano, violin, and hopefully voice.

Re: Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

#280

Post by natpalmer1776 »

andrei_says_ wrote: post #278
ActorNightly wrote: post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ive actually did some market research into this. Turnkey container houses, built out on trailers (with enough facade to make it look good, but since its not a permanent dwelling you don't have to pay property tax on it). The big issue that I found is that people aren't actually interested in cheap houses, they just want something that is affordable at a discount but will grow in value, just like their parents did.

I am actually looking for such a solution. Would you care to share some of the players in this market?

Not the person you replied to, but given the logistics and local nature of relevant laws in construction there most likely isn't going to be a "recognized brand" that will give you a fair and reasonable price for anything except a traditional manufactured home that is governed under HUD manufactured housing program. (https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/housing/rmra/mhs)

Your best bet is to either find a company near you that specializes in tiny-homes and ask for a quote on a custom home that is built on a trailer (that you or the company sources) or simply buy an RV / Camper.

At the end of the day though if you're looking for something that is 'ultra affordable' then you will want to build it yourself. For that scenario I can point you at a number of resources that would help you along that path, just email or text me using the contact info in my profile.

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