home buying...
So, everyone knows I want a house, but with the market as it is, it would probably be a poor time to buy (at least, it would be better to wait until I'm back from Iraq when things have gotten really bad for sellers, then I can capitalize on others' misfortune). However, I want a house. Renting sucks, I don't like carpet, I don't like vinyl and I don't like the crappy cheap ceramic and fiberglass bathrooms I'm stuck with. So, I've been thinking of ways I can accomplish my goal of having a house without losing everything. To do so, I had to consider what and why I want a house.
I was thinking about this as I went climbing yesterday. The gym was a pre-fabricated steel structure most often used as a warehouse or a barn, but as I climed, I suddenly realized that it could very easily be a residence. The register area = kitchen. There was already a bathroom
the "party areas"? bedrooms.
I like industrial looking design and, frankly, the outside of the building doesn't even have to be all that cool, it's the inside, fixtures and the like I'm most concerned about (I'd give up a fake brick facade so popular here for a decent stove and kitchen any day). I also like very open floor plans...this would allow me a completely open floor plan--a blank slate really. Also, at the price (8-15k), I could put one up and then, when I leave in a few years, if it doesn't sell, it's really worth it to me, plus, I could take all the guts (faucets, sinks, stove, fridge etc.) and either take them with me to start somewhere else or sell them all on the e-bay.
Sure, it sounds crazy, but hell, sometimes crazy is the way to go right?
posted by Adam at 7:16 AM
4 Comments:
Best of luck, but I'd urge that you consider two points:
(1) You have plans to do expensive things in the future such as traveling and more schoolin', right? If so, the best way not to screw over future-Adam is to pay the least amount of money for decent shelter. And that means renting.
(2) Renting is not as risking as homeownership. A cracked foundation, termites, zoning problems, busted pipe, etc. are unlikely but very expensive possibilities for homeowners. You are young and could be financially wiped out by that sort of thing. Better to play it safe and rent, I think.
-Lee
Also, having been both a homeowner and a renter, I can say that it really rocks to be able to call the landlord and say, "Hey plumbing just broke and the doorknob fell off. Do something."
ah, true...but what you can't call and say is, "Linoleum sucks in general and I hate having these shitty doors in my house. Do something." Because they wont take out the linoleum and you're stuck with the doors (and carpet and cabinets and doorknobs and tacky chandelieres--which I can't spell) that come w/ the apt.
A prefabricated fabric structure may work well too. They are relatively easy to set up. I found some heavy duty fabric camp buildings on the Alaska Structures website: http://alaskastructures.com/portfolio-view/tsx-series/.
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