Random questions to which you seek an answer
-
Thanks for the info guys! Keep it coming if you have input!
-
Thanks for the info guys! Keep it coming if you have input!
The set up I have with all the kids and teenagers running around is one we're satisfied with. Our plan (and experience shows it was a good one) was to prioritise room function over square meters.
All the kids have a bedroom to themselves. Some of them aren't that big. In addition we have an extra lounge/game room that is just for the kids (and me). It's not a huge room but plays an important role. Then we have a great room (50m2) which contains an open plan kitchen/dining room/adult lounge area. We have two bathrooms side by side, one small but exclusively for the only lady in the house. All these rooms are in a relatively small house with only one floor.
We made this happen with a big sledge hammer. That is to say we knocked down and rebuilt a load of walls, changing the floorplan of the entire house. One big bedroom became two. Two closets got opened up to make a new room, and I lowered ceilings to make loft space to move storage up from floor level and create new living areas. One big bathroom was made into two.
It sounds like a lot of work, and it was, but the gains made were huge. A small, relatively inexpensive house was bought, the work I put in kept the costs of renovation and our mortgage down, so we have money to spend on good stuff like holidays for the family (and IH). But the real result is we all have spaces to be together, but also be on our own. They're not always big spaces but the have clearly defined roles and serve their purposes. This is vital with two adults, four (soon to be five) kids, two of whom are now teenagers, and a dog.
So, square metres aren't everything. Room function is vital. Having a fuck off big mortgage that you have to pay an enormous amount to serve sucks.
-
Money answer neph - many thanks!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-
I'd lean more towards having a smaller functional space than merely square footage. After spending so much time looking at other houses and ideas when we were remodeling our small (1080 sq ft) home, I realized how much wasted space goes into most homes. To me, I'd much rather have a nicer, smaller home with a well planned floorplan, plenty of built in storage and as little wasted space as possible. Being that we're in Texas and pay property taxes, having a smaller home has saved us considerably on our tax evaluation and there's less space to heat and cool so we pay very little in utilities. This last summer the electric portion of our utility bill was never more than $75 and I typically keep the house at between 74F and 78F. Just figured I'd share my thoughts and experiences…
-
Also, this website is pretty amazing and shows plenty of examples of both well executed and poorly executed architecture:
-
-
Also, this website is pretty amazing and shows plenty of examples of both well executed and poorly executed architecture:
This blog is great! Admittedly, 95% of the homes in our market would constitute at least a 7 on the scale, where three of the 4 houses on our list would probably equate to a 10 haha.
Our area is weird… we live in a small area, so housing prices are all over the board. For us, our top three choices are all about the same cost, which means the biggest factor for me is HOA dues and how "efficient" it is in order to keep heating and cooling costs down. Our property taxes are pretty much non-existant, and the first and second house are in the best school district. Our biggest variable is insurance - the closer to water you are, the most wind insurance you have to have.
My choice:.
My Wife's top choice
The house we both can "deal" with. (it looks bigger than it is…)
Im sure I know which one you will all say to go with lol
-
I like your top choice, good spaces, good light and nicely decorated already.
-
Is it not at all feasible to live in Mobile, AL @Appfaff? Terrible schools? Commute? Crime? I've never been there and have little to no knowledge of the area but just a quick peek at the market there makes it look like you could get a lot of bang for your buck.
This place looks like a true diamond in the rough, I know it'd be a nightmare to most but it looks like it's got so much potential plus I love all of the little architectural details and craftsmanship:
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/204-Rapier-Ave-Mobile-AL-36604/51009363_zpid/
This one looks to be a rather nice remodel that maintains the character of the home:
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/207-S-Cedar-St-Mobile-AL-36602/51010981_zpid/
The burglar bars are probably a dead giveaway but this house anywhere in central Austin would be $500k minimum, I can't imagine how it's only $75k:
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/510-S-Jefferson-St-Mobile-AL-36603/51026153_zpid/
-
They're all beautiful @Clint_D ! 75K! damn! ???
Haunted? Poltergeist? Stream in basement ?
-
Also, this website is pretty amazing and shows plenty of examples of both well executed and poorly executed architecture:
This blog is great! Admittedly, 95% of the homes in our market would constitute at least a 7 on the scale, where three of the 4 houses on our list would probably equate to a 10 haha.
Our area is weird… we live in a small area, so housing prices are all over the board. For us, our top three choices are all about the same cost, which means the biggest factor for me is HOA dues and how "efficient" it is in order to keep heating and cooling costs down. Our property taxes are pretty much non-existant, and the first and second house are in the best school district. Our biggest variable is insurance - the closer to water you are, the most wind insurance you have to have.
My choice:.
Im sure I know which one you will all say to go with lol
Stick to your guns @Appfaff your choice looks best. Love the Mcmansion site thanks for the link.
-
Go with the best school, otherwise you may find yourself moving again….......
-
Thanks guys! Yes, Mobile is about 50 minutes from my business but my wife could work in her Mobile
Office is she wanted. Their is a revitalization of young home buyers moving into the area, which is great for remodels and boosting values in the future, but crime is crazy. Mainly petty crime, but the schools are beyond terrible. The rule of thumbs is A.live in mobile and send your kids to private school, or B. Live in Baldwin County (where we live) and send you kids to good public schools. Even the worst schools in BC are better than the best ones in Mobile.I lived in the highest end area of mobile for 4 years in college and you still didn't want to go for a run early in the morning. The housing market IS crazy cheap though - I saw this amazing custom house they just built listed for around 400, while it would be close to 1MIL in our neck of the woods.
Cool thing about the green house is that it is in an area called Fairhope - it's highly desirable, with very high resale values. Since I work for myself, my only retirement account is what I make for myself. Our plan is to buy something that will have high resale value in 15-17 years and use the funds to pay cash for the kids college. Of course, we never know what the market will do, but homes in Downtown Fairhope weren't really touched by the market crash because people fight to live there. Homes just 5 blocks
North sell for 3-4 times the cost of the home we are looking at and the new city government is trying to out a spot to new construction, which could ramp up current home values even more.Of course, we have to sell our current home first, which has been a pain, but I think the Green home is our safest investment while allowing us to enjoy the life we want in a community that draws us in. Plus, it's 2 blocks from my wife's work lol
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-
Happy wife, happy appfaff.
