Finally, they are working on the shop

[Firedome]

I got so far with dreaming of a live-in shop that I actually drew up plans on graph paper. IIRC it was a 40 x 80 building,
with a small living space walled off in one corner, and a dedicated small add-on external space providing for fuel storage and an outside furnace for wood heat, all to be located on a 7 to 10 acre woodlot. The entire building to be heated to comfortable shirtsleeve temperatures, with storage, woodshop, and auto repair to be accomodated in separate areas. I suspect that 40 x 80 would have turned out to be too small LOL. The alternative plan would be a new but smallish 2 BR trailer and a big honkin' shop building. None of this is gonna happen, but it's fun to imagine.

[electra225]

We had the choice of building a smaller shop in the backyard, or selling this paid-for place and going into debt for a larger place. We decided to go with less space and no debt. Housing out here is astronomical in price. The house next door is a carbon copy of ours and rents for $2100 a month. Why someone who could afford that kind of money a month for rent can't buy a house and gain equity is beyond me. I guess some people don't want the responsibility of home ownership. We sold most of our toys at the auction over a year ago. I'm down to the barest of essentials.....

I know a man in Missouri who built a 80 X 160 building and put his boat repair business on the lower floor and his home in a half- floor space upper story. He had to take the ceiling down in the lower level and put plastic sheeting in the ceiling to keep the dirt from the shop from migrating into his home. He has both a nice working arrangement and a really nice home. So your idea can work if you have the space and temperment.

[TC Chris]

We had the choice of building a smaller shop in the backyard, or selling this paid-for place and going into debt for a larger place. We decided to go with less space and no debt. Housing out here is astronomical in price. The house next door is a carbon copy of ours and rents for $2100 a month. Why someone who could afford that kind of money a month for rent can't buy a house and gain equity is beyond me.

What I've noticed is that everybody expects their first house to be the "dream house" these days. Not having quartz counters in the kitchen and at least one bathroom per occupant is deemed to be great hardship. There isn't much interest in buying a fixer-upper.

And beyond that, at least where I am, it's hard to find places to buy. Even the fixer-uppers. So many of the houses are snapped up to be rented out as short-term vacation rentals. It creates real hardship farther down the chain, for the poor people who are my clients. They can't even find elderly house trailers with leaking roofs and mushy floors to rent any more.

A little house on my block, slightly smaller than mine but a newer (1930s or 40s) build and renovated, just sold for 5 times what I paid for mine in 1994. Back then I called mine "the small house with the large price." The price seemed astronomical then. Now it seems like the world's biggest bargain. I'm not sure how young people can get into the housing market now, at least without heading way outside the city and driving an hour to work each day.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

You can't afford to buy a house and fix it up to flip with the price of materials right now. And the price of the house puts you upside down if you put much money into it. About the only way to come out ahead on a fixer-upper out here is to rent it. You can rent a cardboard box out here for a grand a month.....

[William]

Housing is crazy expensive everywhere in this country. What's selling in my little town are homes that are going for $500,000.00 plus, and, they are on the market for maybe 48 hours and are gone. Paying for an over inflated home will end up biting them if the economy takes a downward turn someday. I'm glad I'm old, and only require the simple things in life now days. It's the same with vintage cars, the simpler the better. I want to be able to take it for a ride, or go to a car show, and not worry about someone touching it.

Bill

[TC Chris]

Our newspaper had an economic outlook supplement today. The local Habitat for Humanity director had a piece pushing home ownership, noting that rentals are not good for long-term community development. In the article, she said that the average new home built in Michigan is now 2,600 sq. ft. 50 years ago the average new home here was 1,400 sq. ft. and "families of 4 or even 6 lived happily" in them. "They still can." Except that nobody is building them.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

They delivered the material for the shop this morning. The story is that the framing crew will be here at 6:30 am PST to begin work. It's only taken them eight months to find enough material to build a 400 square foot workshop. There has been tens of thousands of new homes built since we started this project in March. I hope I live long enough to see this shop completed......

On a brighter note, I have tentatively decided on making a corner bench. My plan is to use two 32" high cabinets, four feet long, on either side of the corner bench. I'll have a Formica counter top made, so I'll have the corner bench connected to two four foot cabinet tops. This will give me room to work on stereos and TV's. A typical 2' wide bench is too narrow for me to wallow a TV chassis on. I've always wanted a corner bench since I was working with Mr. Wells in his TV shop where he had a corner bench. I'll keep most of my test equipment in a cabinet, outside of VTVM's and signal generators, things I need on almost every job. The specialty stuff will be in a cabinet. I can stick my little 20-gallon Quincy compressor under the corner bench. I'll put the outlets for the bench on the switch with the light. When the light goes off, so does the power to the bench. I won't have to worry about leaving my soldering iron on and burning up the tip, something I'm prone to do. I was going to build a 4'X8' bench in the middle of the room like I had in MO, but there just won't be room for that. I'll have a 120 square foot cubby upstairs for tubes and things that are not heat sensitive. I need to go thru all my test equipment, replace leads, things like that. That might be a good first project. Then whatever strikes my fancy after that. I finally found a cabinet to hold my records agreeable with the wife. I got one made of solid wood cheaper than I could get one made of mystery wood and particle board. It's made in Mexico and matches our decor more suitably to the war department.....

[electra225]

I reckon they must have overdone it moving lumber from the street to the backyard yesterday. The boss gave them the day off our job today. Maybe Monday. Patience, Greg, patience........

[electra225]

The framing crew showed up this morning about 6:15. I had just left for work, and apparently, just missed them. They have it framed to the plate. They have a couple headers left, then they are ready for the trusses. That may cause another 6-week delay. IF they string two days work together, it will be the first since the project started in March. In eight months they have worked a total of four days. Today was their first full, eight-hour day. Contractors around here are so incredibly busy they work "small" jobs like this into their schedule. You pay full-time money for part-time work. Keeping our fingers crossed......

[TC Chris]

Are those 2x6 studs? If so, must the to keep the heat out instead of keeping it in....

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

2X6 studs are code, both for strength and so you can put R-30 insulation, also code, in the walls. Those metal straps hanging out from the frame go on after the sheething. Hurricane anchors. Not that we ever have a hurricane here, but it's code. There are little metal brackets that go on each truss to plate joint. More hurricane anchors.

[William]

Congrats, Greg. Finally, progress that you can really see. Here's hoping the trusses come quickly.

Bill

[electra225]

Still no trusses. They did work the second day in a row. The sheeting is on the frame. That's progress.

[electra225]

The trusses are scheduled to be delivered on Thursday, December 23. They are further scheduled to be installed on December 28. Construction schedules are still crazy around here. I gripe about paying storage while they build the shop, but I'm glad I'm not having to pay $2000 a month rent waiting for a house to be built....

[William]

That's good news, Greg. I hope progress really takes off now.

Bill

[electra225]

The trusses arrived about an hour ago. They are laying in the street, but they are here. Let's hope they get used pretty soon.

[19&41]

Better keep an eye on them, the way material costs are now.

[electra225]

I hope somebody doesn't run over them. There are no flares or anything like that to warn motorists they are there. The construction company is supposed to be on the case. The invoice was in the construction company's name, so technically they don't belong to me.

[19&41]

If they were here, the next time you went to look at them, they wouldn't be there.

[electra225]

That can happen here, too. Point well-taken.