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The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

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Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#131

Post by [deleted] »

flovec wrote: post #113
monkeynotes wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is exactly my dilemma. I've come up with numerous novel ways to live cheaply but all of them require a plot of land which always ruins the budget. Further compounding the problem is few banks will loan money for unbuilt land. Strangely the land is worth more than houses but in the eyes of a bank the house is what you secure the loan against.

Not true! I purchased 5 acres in Southwestern CO (with mountain views!) for 2 grand in cash. I built a small cabin, and program out of it. But, it lacks luxuries for my many "projects", so now I'm building a house. http://frank.lovecch.io/projects/walden-ranch.html

[deleted]

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#132

Post by flovec »

molsongolden wrote: post #124
flovec wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not true! I purchased 5 acres in Southwestern CO (with mountain views!) for 2 grand in cash. I built a small cabin, and program out of it. But, it lacks luxuries for my many "projects", so now I'm building a house. http://frank.lovecch.io/projects/walden-ranch.html

The SLV! I am strongly considering buying a plot there but the lack of water is the trade off. Can you provide a ballpark for your construction costs? Are you drilling a well, burying a tank and hauling water, or something else? What's the nearest town? Have you had trouble with burglars/vandals while leaving your cabin unattended for long periods of time?

The finite numbers I have are thus:

Land:

I purchased 5 acres for $2,000 of Craigslist. It's worth about 5-6 getting it from a real-estate company.

Slab:

4" deep, 8" deep around a 1' perimeter..1100 sq ft total

- 18 yards concrete, $2200

- Bobcat rental (days w/ gas), $450

- Rented tools (concrete blankets for cold, et), $150

- Rebar/tongue-groove insulation: $1000

Solar:

Currently, I run off a generator, which was about $500. On the cheap end they seem to last a few years. Solar is cheap, though, and a decent setup from Arizona Wind Solar would cost about $2500 (4-5 panels, controllers, converters, wire, and extra batteries). You'd have to be careful with what appliances you used, though.

Heat:

I purchased a wood stove for $200 for the small cabin. Eventually, a nice Morso one will run me about $1500.

Framing:

- 16, 16' 13/12 gable trusses (building this by myself, so it's a modern pole barn), $1500

Windows:

- 15 3'x 5' picture windows (it's fucking dusty here), $2500

Well:

$8,000 50' out, piped 4' down to the house.

That's as far as I've gotten on the new build costs and well forecast. The costs are in the _slab_ (which will be stained for the floor) and the _well_.

Initially, I did not know about the "theft" problem. In 4 years owning this property (and having an unfinished cabin w/ easy entry for about 2 of those), nothing has been stolen. I'm not sure there is one, but I have heard stories. That said, I'm 3 miles off the highway, and you can't see me from the road.

I'm half-way in b/t San Luis and Fort Garland, which are each about 15 minutes either way. Currently, I bring in water. It sucks!

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#133

Post by tjic »

mpyne wrote: post #123
tjic wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> While the principle of occupant safety is fairly obvious and its susceptibility to liberatarian objections predicable As an extreme libertarian (an anarcho capitalist) and as a pretty experienced builder, I'd like to say that no libertarian I've met is against the concept of occupant safety. We are, however, fairly likely to be against the assertion that government regulations are the only way to achieve this, or t…

Regulatory stupidity is hardly limited to the government though. Have you never tried to implement a Microsoft "standard"? While UL is certainly nice enough, how many people know to look for it when they buy appliances? And how does this avoid in general the problem that if UL becomes too onerous, the affected appliance makers simply start their own voluntary licensing firm with better results? "Oh, but people would…

> Regulatory stupidity is hardly limited to the government though. Have you never tried to implement a Microsoft "standard"?

Indeed, regulations can suck no matter who creates them.

The great thing about the non-governmental world is that there are CHOICES. I vote with my feet (and my dollars, and my contributions). I switch from MSFT to Red Hat, from Red Hat to Debian, from Debian to Ubuntu.

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#134

Post by flovec »

agilebyte wrote: post #128
flovec wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But you're renting, right? Isn't part of the point not to be wasting capital on rent? (I'm a CO man myself)

Why is rent wasting money? I am not entirely sold on that idea. If you have a lot of cash that you do not need to access in a foreseeable future then maybe.

It's a waste in capital _relative_ to what this chap's doing. Now, in terms of _experiences_ or _ease_, it's not necessarily a waste. Plus, rent usually comes with deposits. I've had the experience of rarely getting back deposits. So, there's some overhead right there.

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#135

Post by samstave »

finnh wrote: post #67
brucehauman wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with your statement whole heartedly. There are trade-offs to everything. I hope that you don't think I am claiming to have solved the housing issue. I am simply offering an "alternative" alternative structure. But there is a place for them and it works for me. Please see the tiny housing / simplification movement for discussion about the trade offs of relocating and living simply. It's not for everyone.

I used to live in a pretty small house. I loved it. Then I had two kids =) EDIT: added smileyface.

Yeah, as a father to three... all I could think of when reading the article was "The bliss of ignorance a 20-something, single kid-less person has... if only I could live in a Dome with no restroom"!

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#136

Post by flatline »

agilebyte wrote: post #128
flovec wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But you're renting, right? Isn't part of the point not to be wasting capital on rent? (I'm a CO man myself)

Why is rent wasting money? I am not entirely sold on that idea. If you have a lot of cash that you do not need to access in a foreseeable future then maybe.

Rent is generally quite cheap in Colorado, at least it was when I lived around Boulder. I remember seeing this interactive map, but now I can't read it on my phone to justify my claim:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/business/buy-rent-calcula...

At some point, buying is definitely the best investment, often times if you rent, you are basically paying the mortgage without any of the incentives of owning.

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#137

Post by grannyg00se »

fusiongyro wrote: post #92
grannyg00se wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think plumbing was solved by not including it. Acoustics can be solved by not having a loud child living in there with you as can privacy. Ventilation, insulation, etc, all easy to deal with if you don't concern yourself with building codes.

You and the author are free to ignore these problems (at least, until the government evicts you from your own residence) but don't conflate ignoring a problem with solving it.

Does that happen with non permanent structures? I don't count the problems as ignored. They're actually not relevant for the intended use case.

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#138

Post by gefh »

flovec wrote: post #115
SomeCallMeTim wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I moved to Colorado from the SF Bay Area. I'm near Boulder and Denver, and can walk to a dozen restaurants, a grocery store, a bar, multiple cafes, and a big library with free Internet access (oddly enough, almost ALL of the above have free Internet access, now that I think of it -- even the grocery store). And if you like public transit, I'm really close to multiple bus lines, but the city I live in is also very bik…

But you're renting, right? Isn't part of the point not to be wasting capital on rent? (I'm a CO man myself)

I think the implication is it's paid off.

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#139

Post by onebaddude »

agilebyte wrote: post #128
flovec wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But you're renting, right? Isn't part of the point not to be wasting capital on rent? (I'm a CO man myself)

Why is rent wasting money? I am not entirely sold on that idea. If you have a lot of cash that you do not need to access in a foreseeable future then maybe.

>Why is rent wasting money?

It's isn't. The idea that it's wasting money, or that you're paying someone else's mortgage, or whatever other argument is thrown out there are part of one of the biggest financial misconceptions going.

Do the cost/benefit of renting vs ownership, accounting for maintenance, taxes, interest rates, macro-economic conditions and whatever else and the costs should be very similar. Of course, it ebbs and flows with the markets, but at the margins is where the decision should be made. Owning is never a clear winner in all circumstances.

That said, with the drastic drop in house prices since 2007 and historically low interest rates, buying has been (in the US at least) a financial gift from the heavens for the past few years. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed.

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#140

Post by gbog »

samstave wrote: post #135
finnh wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to live in a pretty small house. I loved it. Then I had two kids =) EDIT: added smileyface.

Yeah, as a father to three... all I could think of when reading the article was " The bliss of ignorance a 20-something, single kid-less person has... if only I could live in a Dome with no restroom "!

Well, ahem, you may be aware that in some places in the world some families have plenty of kids and no restrooms in their houses. Actually there is quite a lot of them.

Restrooms is not the problem here, the problem is this focus on frameless structure. Why not just doing a tent, like in so many traditional cultures? It must be easier to build and may even be more pleasing to the eyes.

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