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Melbourne man discovers extensive model train network underneath house

sbs.com.au

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Re: Melbourne man discovers extensive model train network underneath house

#101

Post by fnordpiglet »

alnwlsn wrote: post #41

Reminds me of an estate sale I went to one time. Unassuming place, one of those tiny postwar homes about the same size as the one in this article - but with at least double or triple the density of this train layout in the basement. The owner must have been a very thin person, as the narrow winding paths around the basement in places measured no more than 8 inches, and the widest parts were only about 2 foot wide. In…

“Mostly normal - you wouldn’t even know the guy liked trains.”

Probably not intended but pretty funny implication that train lovers are pathologically eccentric. Probably mostly true.

Re: Melbourne man discovers extensive model train network underneath house

#102

Post by sokoloff »

stavros wrote: post #63
perlgeek wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Is there anything particularly "neuro divergent" about having a hobby? No, but how obsessive the pursuit of that hobby is, that's the question. There are some model train enthusiasts that, over their life time, spend several millions of EUR on their hobby, so they basically work to finance their hobby.

I don't know why you're singling out model train enthusiasts. This describes many people I know, and an extremely large range of hobbies.

The "singling out" I read as because the topic of this article that we're discussing is model trains.

If this article was about $OTHER_HOBBY, there would be a citation of someone who spent a ton of money on $OTHER_HOBBY.

Re: Melbourne man discovers extensive model train network underneath house

#103

Post by gwbas1c »

When my daughter was 2, one day I saw a sign for a model train exhibit in a strip mall. We walked into a tiny-ish hobby shop, and were directed to a staircase in a corner.

At the top was a huge warehouse filled with model trains, tracks, and landscapes. She was obsessed with the largest Thomas the Tank Engine set I've ever seen, and all I wanted to do was to look at all the different landscapes.

Re: Melbourne man discovers extensive model train network underneath house

#104

Post by sokoloff »

bigstrat2003 wrote: post #54
sunnybeetroot wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whatever the inspector finds, whether it be $50k or $100k or $200k worth of repairs that you request as a price deduction, there’ll be someone else who won’t care about the inspection issues. It’s in your best interest to make the sellers life easier and execute the fastest sale.

Only to the extent that your best interest includes buying the house. But if the house needs tens of thousands (or more!) in repairs, then very likely buying the house is not in your best interest. That's kinda the point of an inspection.

I don't think there's a 10+ year old house in existence that doesn't need 1-2% or more of the building value in repairs. For the two properties I bought, I had an inspection report for over 10% and around 3% of the purchase price. Neither was a reason to not proceed.

Re: Melbourne man discovers extensive model train network underneath house

#105

Post by bombcar »

nsomaru wrote: post #56
emmelaich wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Home inspectors (at least in Australia) are next to useless and expensive. The one I bought a report from never looked under the house or in the attic.

Why don’t get sued into usefulness when issues inevitably arise in properties they’ve inspected? When you pay an expert and rely on their opinion, you have recourse

My home inspection report was two pages of useful information (here’s where the water shutoff is, the breaker panel is here), a page with two actual real issues (garage door opener didn’t work, kitchen foundation was settling) and then ten to twenty pages of “we don’t look at shit” legalese.

They specifically disclaim being experts in damn near everything.

If you want a real inspection you hire two or three building contractors to do it. I’d go with a general, a roofer, and an electrician. If I cared.

Re: Melbourne man discovers extensive model train network underneath house

#106

Post by bombcar »

bluGill wrote: post #97
viraptor wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, a completely new house. No access is sealed/blocked in any way. If you know the specific regulation, please post it.

Codes are very regional, and I'm no longer in construction where I have the code handy.applies in Minnesota anyway

https://structuretech.com/attic-inspections-sealed-access-pa... Is a MN inspector and they cover it.

Attic access has to be weatherstripped - cheap ass builders just seal it.

I ain’t buying’ no pig in a poke. If it’s new construction I can inspect before completion (and you should); if it’s used, I am breaking the seal and crossing the streams. Attics got way too much “fun” to discover.

Re: Melbourne man discovers extensive model train network underneath house

#107

Post by bombcar »

mcdeltat wrote: post #14
brunker2 wrote: post #3

How? It was accessible through a door. Nobody - not the seller, agent, himself or any other prospective buyers, or the building inspector he presumably engaged to check the place over before signing contracts - thought to look behind the door? How can you buy a house without checking out the foundations/basement yourself or by a pro?

It's really a shame too. If the realtor found that prime basement living space beforehand they could've tripled the sale price!! (A joke but also not really because housing prices here in Australia are absolutely insane)

What is insane? I’ve been staring at valuations so long that $1,000 a square foot in SoCal doesn’t seem “that unreasonable”.

Re: Melbourne man discovers extensive model train network underneath house

#108

Post by viraptor »

bluGill wrote: post #97
viraptor wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, a completely new house. No access is sealed/blocked in any way. If you know the specific regulation, please post it.

Codes are very regional, and I'm no longer in construction where I have the code handy.applies in Minnesota anyway

Cool... The thread is about Victoria, Australia.

Re: Melbourne man discovers extensive model train network underneath house

#109

Post by bombcar »

sokoloff wrote: post #104
bigstrat2003 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only to the extent that your best interest includes buying the house. But if the house needs tens of thousands (or more!) in repairs, then very likely buying the house is not in your best interest. That's kinda the point of an inspection.

I don't think there's a 10+ year old house in existence that doesn't need 1-2% or more of the building value in repairs. For the two properties I bought, I had an inspection report for over 10% and around 3% of the purchase price. Neither was a reason to not proceed.

The inspection is less to find and fix things (though sometimes you do) and more to just know what you’re getting into.

Anything that is so bad as to call off the sale was probably visible during a basic walkthrough or from the street, anyway.

Re: Melbourne man discovers extensive model train network underneath house

#110

Post by bombcar »

darkoob12 wrote: post #96

Funny some AI words are in the title and these days you expect every post on HN be related to AI. model train network

Now I’ve an idea for a Netflix comedy. Older gentleman with an extensive model train network and experience with Large Lionel Models gets hired as a CEO for a Silly Valley AI startup; hijinx ensue.
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