20' 2 story house...Big plans for it?

[Spyke]

I wanted to get everyone's thoughts on this! Having built a 12x32 little house from Johns plans a few years ago (and learning from the mistakes I made) on a shoestring budget has me thinking. I really hate paying a mortgage and really feel that the stress of making this payment every month probably puts people in the grave early. Also I have lived in Chicago my whole life and HATE winters the cost of living is crazy here and my property taxes are $5500 per year and thats cheap!

I was down in Texas (east of Dallas and south of Dallas) a few months back and really fell in love with the area. No state income tax, low property tax, land is reasonable and I was told that the building depts are pretty easy to deal with.

So, if I was to sell my main house and my little house I would net around 160k. Land will be 35K.

I was thinking streatching the 20" 2 story house to 20x42. Then adding 2 wings to the 20" sides (basically 14x18 little houses) and a 16x20 little house wing to the back which will become the kitchen. I would actually love to go wider then 20" on the main body of the house, not sure if it can be done with these plans.

I would be acting as GC as well as doing my own plumbing, hvac, elec, finish, some framing, windows etc.

What do you guys think? Can I do this down there for like 100K? Also does anyone have a ballpark on the cost of a below ground pool? 15k sound reasonable? Feel free to point out problems I may have.

[glenn kangiser]

If you do it like Vojacek's did it seems possible.  They were very thrifty- didn't have the side additions but you are talking about spending a lot more.

They did all the labor themselves.  This  is just off the top of my head for what that is worth. :-/

You may need to combine two sets of plans, but that shouldn't be a problem.

[timby]

Glenn

I've some property in East Texas, 25 miles north of Tyler. The land out there is great. Sandy soil and cheaper living expenses (than Dallas). However, just like most places in the good-ole USA the county's are raising taxes and the cost of living is going up in leaps and bounds. I bought 5 acres in 99 and my taxes have gone up over 40% since. While taxes on un-emproved property are small the folks out there are starting to sell off their homes because of the greed of the local municipalities.

A couple of years back, I could have had a 1000 sq ft home built for $50,000. That was a finished house with septic. Now it's $70,000. While this may seem cheap compaired to other regions, you need to remember that the going wage in East Texas is less than $8 an hour. With taxes escallating every year, it will soon be hard for folks on a fixed income to be able to afford the taxes on their homes. Lumber has been a major role in the increase. So look carfully before you leap.

I'm still planning on retiring out there (Good Lord Willing).

Wish you the best and would be happy to call you neighbor......

Best of Luck

Tim

[glenn kangiser]

That would be for Spyke.

We have a lot of members in Texas.  Seems cheap labor from South of the border helps to keep wages down as here in California, but cost continues to escalate.

A manufacturer in this area phased out all of their old workers that were getting up to $12 to $14 per hour for welding and put the top rate at around $8 - - still the same quality and job positions are still filled.  So much for trying to get ahead by having a good trade.  

[timby]

Glenn

That's happening to a lot of the trades. Many companies have been able to outsource/offshore jobs however, the cost of everything doesn't reflect the decrease cost of production. Instead the cost of everything has escallated.

Wonder what will happen when we can no longer afford to eat at MCDonalds?  

Just my 2 cents (while I hace two cents)  :'(

Tim

[JRR]

timby,

I think we have ourselves to blame.  We can each look at our own wardrobe, shoes, tv's, cameras, tools, ... and then look in the driveway at our autos and motorcycles.... and ask the question:
"As a family, how well have we supported America(n made) with our buying habits?"

... of course, its now easy to say "Well, those items aren't made in America anymore" (Well, Duh!);  or "Oh, I'm a citizen of the World!".  There are a number of cop-outs we can use.

Some folks believe that if we make our money here, we should spend it here ... make an effort to keep the profits here.  (Autos, and other products manufactured here .... but where the profits are sent to some other country just don't count!).

Sure the manufacturers will go offshore.   .... its OK, we'll buy it anyway!

(OK ... end of rant!)

[glenn kangiser]

Well guys, I'm somewhere between the two of you---

Prices continue to escalate because of corporations lust for maximum profits while the rest of us pay the price.  Our jobs go away becauses that is where the maximum difference is between bottom line and selling price.  We are just meat to the corporations - an entity that is supposed to be considered the same as a person but one that has no heart.  Only the few at the top really benefit- share holders benefit marginally sometimes.

While our jobs go away when the corporations go overseas we many times see that we get more for our dollar-- slave labor has it's benefits -- and we take advantage of it.  It could be argued that the people in the third world countries wouldn't be able to make a living if we didn't buy the products they produce.  

They (the slaves) want to be up with our standard of living hence the bleeding hearts that go overseas to show us the sweatshop conditions they work under and plead that we help the poor souls.  Too bad they don't get as excited about us being taken down to a third world standard of living by the corporations.  --and who were the brain children who made the child labor laws that prevent us from teaching our children a useful trade.  You can teach them --if you skirt around the crap and consider that your child is more important than poorly thought out laws.  Better they stay in the cities and learn gang life and how to make grafitti.  (I think that was called sarcasm). :-/

[Billy Bob]

All too true.  I did my best for quite awhile; I wouldn't go to Wal-Mart after Sam died, and they started getting everything from China.  I bought from "American " companies; can you imagine my horror when I paid the premium price for a pair of Rockport shoes and found they, too, are now made in China?  Brooks Brother's and LL Bean have also, to some extent at least, sold out.

There have certainly been some inequities, (still are some), in our labor equation, but the blame is about equally split, in my opinion.  It's easy and satisfying to point a finger at the greedy corporate giants, but the average citizen has as much responsibility; those who go in hock to their eyebrows to have a huge house and several "nice" cars, then campaign for a higher wage, or go on strike, so they can pay for the neccessities of life.  My outrage began back in the '70's reccession.  A TV news article covered the plight of the auto workers..... they spotlighted a fellow whose then assignment was to bounce spare tires from a rack into the trunks of cars going by on the line.  He did not even secure the tires, just bounced 'em in.  His wage was 2 1/2 times the salary I received as warehouse/QC manager of a small aeronautical supply firm.  Although he lived in an area of ~ 20% lower cost, he had saved NOTHING in nearly 20 years of employment.

Anyway, back on track. I would think, Spyke, that your numbers are reasonable. Property costs are real variable... I not long ago picked up ten acres near El Paso for $150 per.  (Water is a big consideration.) You have an advantage, having already "done it" once, so you know some of where and how to save capital.  Same with an inground pool... do you need Olympic size for competitive practice, or just a little "soaker" for cooling off? [smiley=wink.gif]  You might even think about a DIY.

The plans sets I have from John have notes about incrementally extending the designs in length, but expanding the width is a no-no.  To do so would require recalculation of spans and loads... basically engineering a whole new design.

I think you should go for it, ( and maybe invite me over to check out your new pool [smiley=wink.gif])

[JRR]

Billy Bob,

I was equally disappointed by the Rockport and New Balance moves.  But, apparently there is some small American New Balance facility that is holding on.  My last NB's, the highest priced ones on the shelf, were marked to be made in the USA ... and there was a note inside the box from the plant employees ... the "thank-you's", etc.  

Of course there is still SAS and Red Wing Boots.  Any others?