patrick.net

How about a vertical city in which elevators are all you need to get around?

Diminishing returns Peter. THere’s a reason why increasingly higher buildings are approaching asymptotic limits.

interestingly, elevators turn out to be relatively energy efficient, in that it takes energy to raise them, but they return energy to the grid on the way down by using the electric motors for regenerative braking... apart from losses in the system and maintenance costs, they're not too environmentally unfriendly... or so i've been told...

interestingly, elevators turn out to be relatively energy efficient, in that it takes energy to raise them, but they return energy to the grid on the way down by using the electric motors for regenerative braking… apart from losses in the system and maintenance costs, they’re not too environmentally unfriendly… or so i’ve been told…

For really tall buildings, we probably need a whole new paradigm because the cables will be too long/heavy.

well, yeah, we don't want to build them to the moon...

you could have 'stepped' elevators that go to some number of storeys, then you have to change...

potentially, more people get sunlight and 'a view' with taller buildings rather than 4-5 storey buildings, but I'm presently fighting the state govt who want to put 100 m towers near my place to help their crony capitalist mates who are selling the land... the towers just won't be human scale and will be intimidating, which is admittedly a somewhat subjective architectural appraisal, but not without its adherents...

alien Says:
Concrete is DEFINITELY bad karma - beyond even a hummer! Check the carbon cycle figures out…

just on that, i'm actually quite interested in polystyrene mouldings with 5mm concrete render (despite what people say about them - this is not a joke! you haven't seen the dreary buildings here) and general rendering as a business idea going forward, in conjunction with some more 'green' ideas around water tank designs -- is there a greener material to do exterior mouldings and rendering than using cement? even firing bricks is pretty energy intensive. are there any other formable and smooth finish rapid cladding products out there that are low EE?

you could have ’stepped’ elevators that go to some number of storeys, then you have to change…

This is necessary. There can be express elevators that take people only to Lobby, 30, 60, 90, 120 while local elevators can take people to any floor within a 30-level block.

With the ongoing commodity crash following the ongoing housing bust we'll have Eutopia with low cost gasoline, copper, gold etc... This will allow for the finest finishes in your home at little to no cost. You can live in exurbia and drive your Hummer for hours to get to civilazation and it will cost next to nothing!

HARM,

The Marin Bubble Blog link was hysterical! Randy H and others have shared their stories of watching the canary perish and have been met with "I'm sure things will get better for you" etc. Mr. Realt-whore goes for the ultimate in low blows by implying that the blogger has "lost" his home and it's doubled in value since then!

So that particular blog is HOW old? What, maybe 2 years? So Assuming the Marin blogger lost his on Friday and had his blog up and running the following Monday Mr. Realt-whore thinks a doubling in price every two years is normal? Sure, why not? Makes perfect economic sense to me.

Lastly, the idea that they guy "doctored" or outright falsified data and in effect is "creating a crash" shows how ignorant and desperate these people are becoming. I don't blame the guy for remaining anon. As things heat up I'm adopting a lower profile my damn self!

Argghh! Why are we mistaking decent public conduct with a "police state"? In spite of what people might have heard about Singapore there are plenty of places where you can get as rude and ignorant as you wanna be! And for a reasonable fare the cabbie will take there. They just ask you conduct yourself in a presentable manner when in public view.

(it's not that big a deal)

Most people here aren't yet at an age where their children remember the dude urinating in an alley just off the main street. I've been through it and it's hell raising two daughters when it seems just about every public place you go it feels like you walked on to the set of "Jackass".

Please check out the link on Fox News of the reporter in San Diego and listen to "Rosa's" mouth. Now imagine your kids are old enough to know what just a handful of those words mean?

No one is saying we can't be nasty, just not in public. Can we at least give ONE generation the chance to be kids? No Dad, I DON'T want to get "high" with you!

Utopia - beatiful high end homes falling in price. Everyone can get what they want if they just wait.

Yesterday I had a call from a desperate realtor. This house I have been watching, a 3400 sqft beauty on a 2 acre lot, has already been marked down $70,000. The realtor called to say that if I was still interested I could name my price, and not by "just a few thousand off." I was polite, but told him there was plenty of competition in that price range and I'll call if interested.

Actually, this trend is a relief. For awhile, I was wondering if that damn "soft landing" was going to be real. It seems the downside momentum was long in coming, but is quickly picking up steam.

DinOr,

Enforcement of decent public conduct you say? Such as not throwing cigarette butts out the car window into yards, not blasting a radio, getting a real muffler for your harley, using a rake instead of a leaf blower louder than an afterburner, cleaning up after your mutt, not spray painting messages, taking that barking lab inside after midnight, etc. Try to enforce these and hear the cry of "police state"

But no outcry for the arrest of the girl who sunbathes topless on the beach or the big fat guy who goes nude from his house to the mailbox at the end of his driveway.

It's the stereotypical American public - obnoxious AND judgmental.

Headset,

Well yeah, something like that. All I know is I could be having a really good day and either I get in my car and drive or walk a few blocks and things "can" head south quickly.

It's like we're constantly trying to have some kind of "who can be the most rude, complacent or ignorant contest". If I'm at a bar at closing time, yeah, I expect it but going to check your mail?

Ha Ha,

If there is "no national real estate market" and no bubble how can we already be having Senate Hearings about a crash?

Is this the equivalent of drawing a chalk outline of a body on the sidewalk and THEN throwing a corpse into it?

I think the Marin RE blogger he was attacking was Marinite, who used to post here very regularly. I occasionally post on his blog; and I certainly did on this thread.

That realtor(sm) is very typical of South Marin mindset. The agents here are incredibly snobbish and often outright corrupt. But not corrupt in the normal way. Corrupt in the "we're special and the normal rules don't apply here" way.

It's bad enough up here with agent incest that I'd be willing to pay FAB a broker commission to secure a fair deal for us.

Headset,

That wasn't a realtor calling; that will opportunity knocking.....

If, after you've done ALL your homework, financing is prepped, you've run the numbers, and it's *the* house; here's a couple of things that will rachet up the pressure when you are ready to buy:

Invest in a RE attorney and have him approve something like this as legal and binding in your state:

"This offer is tendered as part of a Multiple Purchase Offer. The buyers named above are making simultaneous offers on one or more additional properties. This offer and all of the other offers tendered are conditioned upon and subject to the final approval of the buyers, which will be delivered in writing within 3 days of sellers' acceptance of this Purchase Offer, unless deadlines are extended by written agreement of the affected parties. Immediately upon transmittal of the buyers' final approval of one of the sellers' acceptance of the offer tendered to those sellers, all other offers in this Multiple Purchase Offer will be unilaterally withdrawn by the buyers."

Submit with the price YOU want to pay and with no contingencies of having to sell on your part; a nice clean QUICK deal for the seller.

Do so on the 1st Tues. of the month after another the seller has had another weekend with no offers and the ink is still wet on the mortgage payment he mailed within the past week and it's fresh on his mind.

Offer is valid for 24 hours which makes for a sleepless night for the seller. He's got to make a decision NOW and not have the time to try some silly counter; which you won't accept anyway. For him, it's time to "fish or cut bait".....

If he accepts, you've got the house you want at the price you are willing to pay. If not, wait a month and run it past him again or move on to the next one on your list. You could send out the same to two or three at the same time and, since you have the right to withdraw the others if you accept one; no downside.

Realize you will not get a Christmas card from either the seller or his agent; but you have probably worked as tough a offer as the listing agent has ever seen AND will probably be the topic of a few RealtorSpin Blogs.

Best Wishes

thanks alien. are you working in construction/development/drafting?

I have seen the polyblock construction technique - it is very fast to put a place up and it has excellent insulation (on a par with strawbale), but there is a lot of embodied energy in the materials, so its not on my list of favorites.

is this the stuff with 2" of polystyrene as sound and heat insulation? rendered after fixing to timber frame or similar.

can you do mouldings in cob? isn't it basically just clay, sand and straw? hmmm

randy, i wrote a disturbing answer in the 'quotes' thread 2 threads back...

The witness list has not been confirmed for the hearing on non-traditional mortgages tentatively scheduled to be held next Wednesday, September 20.

Sen. Allard said that hearing would help lawmakers who “want to get a better understanding of these (mortgage) products and what they mean for the homebuyer, the financial institutions and the economy.”

c'mon guys, who's flying to DC to testify for the american people? i think we should start with surfer as opening speaker to stress the nature of the problem... :P

Prefab is the future!

There is really no reason to build houses on site. Labor costs are just too high.

I think someone should open a prefab factory in Northern Mexico and ship modules to California by truck.

I read that in Japan, all high end housing are prefab. They think stick built is too imprecise.

Aren't most house frames already built in factories and shipped onsite?

They think stick built is too imprecise.

It is true. I will take laser-cut panels over 2x4s any day.

It seems that people appreciate quality in Japan. Just look at their beef.

OT, but relevant to the thread from a few days ago. Regarding Aus-UK and its comparison to US. Got this from Ben's blog, mentioned by GetStucco.

http://economist.com/finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7891311

Sorry if this was already pointed out.

Good questions and the sort of questions that Americans seem to avoid.
I suspect Hubbard prefers the 3rd alternative a la Singapore, though American morality tends to mess up that sweet arbitrage/exploit 3rd world women gig.

I personally think firefighter/policemen jobs are overcompensated. However, given the nature of policemen jobs, we probably want to keep their wages high - to minimize police corruption. So essentially, they're being paid for what they don't do every bit as much as for what do. (This is also true of lawyers, accountants and government officials, all of whom are paid relatively well considering their education costs and the level of work). But damn if you can get anyone with authority to admit to that.

Why don't we all live in some sort of high strength styrofoam housing? That would be light, provide good insulation and presumably involve comparatively little energy.

the contingency being that they may have to knowingly put themselves in danger? In the US, that particular danger is already covered by the generous death and disability benefits for harm incurred on the job. What ordinary policemen do is not very different from what security guards do for 1/3-1/2 the pay.

I've dropped by at the Hebel AAC distributors not long ago. They've backed away from making decorative mouldings in the end, altho they trialed some and they're certainly lightweight...

why is aluminium required in the manufacturing process?

Why don’t we all live in some sort of high strength styrofoam housing?

well, apart from proposed cardboard houses, these fibre cement boards have inches of EPS attached, which then get screwed to studs. you gyprock inside as usual, and cement render the outside. clearly someone could otherwise just cut their way in... but they offer superior thermal and sound insulation... need to look into a 'reverse masonry' concept with it as well...

hmm, i'm getting to be known as the robert coté of conspiracy theorists elsewhere
oh, sorry robert... :P

attaching the 2400x1800 EPS sheeting and rendering is all done on site, as tho it was a normal construction job... one interesting application i'm looking at is resheeting existing clad homes to improve appearance and increase sound and insulation properties -- removing asbestos fibre-cement ('fibro') or plastic/aluminium sidings...

they insourced some chinese workers on temporary work visas to build a tissue paper mill. why the hell can't they source local workers with 5% unemployment to do this sort of work? that's just bullshit...

'Australian workers on the site said none of the Chinese workers could speak English, read safety signs or follow emergency procedures. Many had to be trained to perform the most basic tasks.'

One guy was about to wash his hands with hydrochloric acid because he couldn't read the sign...

Foreigners found lacking in safety skills

the over-generous pension scheme encourages them to behave themselves while still on the job

yeah, i think it's something of a one-off that's drawn the wrath of the union and local subcontractors -- clear case of undercutting local labour prices. and howard carried on about the loss of jobs when 'baywatch' filming was rejected at avalon beach...

however, i know that 8 times out of 10, the 457s are dodgy, there is somebody local who can do the job, it's just employer preference...

what happens to the aluminium? it remains in the AAC as an aluminium oxide residue? that would be impossible to ever recycle, unlike aluminium frames etc...

oh, yeah, most plentiful metal in the earth's crust, etc, i remember now. i did a year 8(!) paper on aluminium, it was a while ago... still, it's better to recycle refined aluminium where possible, i guess, rather than starting with bauxite...

Will you guys have a south-of-the-equator blog party?

Will you guys have a south-of-the-equator blog party?

hmm, i would do it as a political stunt for the press and starving TV media. especially given that at least the US has congressional hearings about the problem, whereas other countries' govts are completely laissez-faire...

we will order the t-shirts from HARM. there could well be a revolution once the guns, i mean, t-shirts get here...

heh

We watched an interesting show on the History channel last night about plumbing.

hmm, fascinating... ;)

Because obviously if they build a 100 story skyscraper in Oz, the terrorists may show up in your hood, DS.

i haven't dared mention that one in meetings as a minus, but i had thought of it... (100m, only 33 storeys...) there WAS a grollo tower proposed in melbourne at 680m to be the world's tallest building (about 230 storeys) - now proposed in dubai???
Grollo tower to go ahead, in Dubai (includes picture)

Doug H,

Obviously hardball is your game!

I have the cash to buy the house with (because I "stupidly" put all my efforts into paying off the mortgage on my first house) so I have financing lined up as you say. I do not think the fruit is quite ripe yet, next summer may be the time to try your ideas. It will be a more target rich environment.

Headset,

Yeah buddy! I like Doug H's approach. It's totally professional and he's nailed down many of the things we "flirted" with earlier. (I kind of wonder though if it wouldn't be better to make your offer just before the next payment is due?).

Without having to think about it a whole lot I'd have to say this type of offer should become the standard for all bubble-sitters. I'm not big on getting attorneys involved but given the straightforward nature of the document this sounds do-able. I agree though, I'll look forward to a more "target rich" environment!

newsfreak,

I for one would love to think that such an "educational tool" could be developed. The sad truth is that when people have lost money, they want to make it back.....and fast!

Folks that bought in 2004 (expecting huge gains) are finding they no longer have the commanding position the had imagined! They listed for X (and had to accept Y) just to get the deal done. They just now realize that YOU ALWAYS MAKE YOUR MONEY ON THE BUY! They were willing to take the hit just so they could get back into the buyer role/mode!

Shopping is FUN. (selling is HELL).

Anyone can BUY something (especially when it's done on credit!) now selling? That's a different matter. These people bought at a time when ANYONE could sell! Now that they have finally realized (through personal experience) that it's better to be a buyer they want over to that side of the transaction in the WORST way.

in this city, they still conceptualise planning as brown paper envelopes under the minister's door... forget smart growth, it's random growth and 100m towers for land owned by party donors...