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Grandpa’s Basement House

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Re: Grandpa’s Basement House

#181

Post by spacemanmatt »

rayiner wrote: post #164
spacemanmatt wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In ordinary usage Sounds like you are referring to a connotative value which is common to a subculture of English speakers. I learned to use the dictionary definition from sociology 101.

You definitely didn’t learn the “dictionary definition” in any sociology class, but rather a redefinition of the term developed in social sciences circles that’s used mainly there. https://www.google.com/search?q=racism&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=... > noun prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that…

That's nice that you think the dictionary definition is an newer academic construct

Re: Grandpa’s Basement House

#182

Post by bombcar »

ghaff wrote: post #138
rayiner wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Note that, the census considers many “small farm towns” to be “urban areas.” For example, Sibley, Iowa, where my wife grew up. It qualifies because it’s population is 3,000 people (over the 2,500 limit the census bureau uses). But it’s not what most people would consider to be an “urban area.”

I own a number of acres. One neighbor has an orchard and a horse pasture. Another has a Christmas tree farm. We're adjacent to a fairly large conservation property. We're urban according to the US Census. And we certainly have no practical way to shop by either walking or public transportation.

The census basically calls it urban if you have a sewer not a septic heh.

Most people consider “small town” to be rural though it’s technically not as it’s a city.

Re: Grandpa’s Basement House

#183

Post by bombcar »

chiph wrote: post #55

I have a friend who lives in a rural area. He'd like to build a house on some land he owns that is unsuitable for farming (too steep) but he is unable to get a construction loan from the bank as they will not write a loan that is secured only by the property. Incremental construction might be the only way to do it (assuming the county will issue him a building permit that would span 5+ years). Being debt-free within…

Often in those cases you build a minimal “setup” perhaps not even technically legal for habitation - thing barn with power and septic.

Then with that in place you modify it toward a house.

Or drag a mobile home onto the lot for temporary.

Re: Grandpa’s Basement House

#184

Post by rayiner »

samatman wrote: post #170
rayiner wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you give annual gifts to your building or office cleaning staff? Or just people who have unaccountable authority over you.

They're his neighbors, Ray.

They’re his HOA, which is a different power relationship. It’s like bringing gifts to your boss at work.

Re: Grandpa’s Basement House

#185

Post by cubix »

jimmydddd wrote: post #161
tomcam wrote: post #12

Felt like I read a wonderful book in 5 minutes. That was a (to my mind) politically neutral tour de force that captured the last 150 years of housing policy, grounding its thesis with fascinating images and writing.

Agreed. Great read. Thanks OP!

You might also enjoy The Geography of Nowhere by James Howard Kunstler.

Re: Grandpa’s Basement House

#186

Post by bombcar »

pintxo wrote: post #42

This style of incremental building seems to be still in existence in Southern Europe. It‘s not uncommon to see unfinished concrete structures. Basically the raw skeleton often with exposed rebar at the top or sides, indicating future work. They may stay in this state for years. As apparently everything is paid in cash and so building only advances whenever the owners have enough at hand.

It’s very common in Mexico.

Re: Grandpa’s Basement House

#187

Post by WalterBright »

nickjj wrote: post #152
WalterBright wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hay fever comes from grass. Less grass makes me more comfortable at home. Rats come from having edible garbage available and fruit trees dropping fruit. The most annoying things about neighbors are dogs that bark all day, and the leafblowers and lawnmowers.

> The most annoying things about neighbors are dogs that bark all day, and the leafblowers and lawnmowers. Do you not encounter leaf blowers and lawn mowers in a HOA community? I would have expected it to be much worse because there would be maintenance crews doing it for every house in the area vs maybe a few houses on a ~20 house block.

Absolutely you do. The HOA I used to be in had that problem in spades. Weekends on a warm day were unbearable with the windows open.

Re: Grandpa’s Basement House

#188

Post by rayiner »

spacemanmatt wrote: post #181
rayiner wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You definitely didn’t learn the “dictionary definition” in any sociology class, but rather a redefinition of the term developed in social sciences circles that’s used mainly there. https://www.google.com/search?q=racism&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=... > noun prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that…

That's nice that you think the dictionary definition is an newer academic construct

I’m not sure I understand your point. The dictionary definition, as I quoted above, refers to prejudice. Is that what you learned in sociology?

Re: Grandpa’s Basement House

#189

Post by fsagx »

geoffeg wrote: post #2

> Growing vegetables on what should be a lawn is verboten in many locations, if not by the government than by private association bylaws. I'm aware that some HOAs limit (sometimes to what seems like an extreme) what can be done with the yard and lawn, but I wasn't aware of any governments that ban growing vegetables. Is that more common in water-restricted municipalities? (I live in midwestern US, where backyard gard…

I remember this topic being a big news item several years ago:

Dear Modern Farmer: Can I Legally Grow Food in My Front Yard?

https://modernfarmer.com/2013/06/dear-modern-farmer-can-i-le...

oak park hates veggies- trying to make sense of oak park's war on vegetables:

https://oakparkhatesveggies.wordpress.com/about/

Homeowners Across the Country Face Citations for Illegal Gardening:

https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/right-to-g...

Re: Grandpa’s Basement House

#190

Post by gorgoiler »

guerrilla wrote: post #91
gorgoiler wrote: post #3

The idea of HOAs having any kind of say feels so undemocratic, but not in a standard way. We should not tolerate purely popular democracies. We allow representative democracies, and part of that public contract is for our leaders to represent all those in their constituency, not just those who voted for them. That means those in the minority. The crazy guy growing gourds instead of a lawn. The loon with the purple ho…

How is it undemocratic? They agreed to the terms of the HOA when they bought the place... They move to some place and then are upset when people don't like them doing certain things? This is a weirdly entitled view.

Is there a standards body for HOAs? Are they regulated? If they have equivalent legal status to a government or a police department, are there constitutional rights which they cannot violate? Can two competing HOAs exist in the same geographic area, and home owners are free to setup additional ones if the incumbents don’t meet their needs?
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