patrick.net

Just yesterday while hosting our daughter's grad. party it became kind of obvious that as much as I like our "rented" condo it will not be a permanent solution. Too hard to have lots of people over and for folks with little kids the second story railing can look a little scary. I like the layout fine but if friends or clients come over my says she feels like she's been told to "go to her room". I would never again subject myself to a huge mortgage (and tax bill to boot) but a single level 3/2 on a 5,000 sq. ft. lot would be just fine. Since it's your "downsize home" you've got the rest of your life to figure out how want it laid out. "Re-sale value" will not influence our decision making so we have the opportunity to make it as quirky or eccentric as we want. After my "rant-a-thon" it should be pretty obvious I would like to be secluded from the prying eyes of neighbors. Not that I'm "anti-social" it's just that I think I've earned the right to not have to battle with neighbors over things that SHOULD be common sense.

I want to get ahold of the company in NC that sells used DC10 Jetliners, gut out all the seats, cut several holes and install stairs to the belly, keep both wings and use one side for a garage, and the other for a glassed in triangular shaped deck with a hot tub and lap pool. I'd also have a workshop somewhere in there in the belly with a few large windows punched out of the side. On the top I would build a massive sun deck.
Of course this might not work out. So a backup would be a retired cruise ship that I simply move into and hook up to some power grid. I really like the plane idea though. they cost 250k.

I don't know if this has been brought up before but we have a company out here that builds something called a "yurt". Has anyone heard of them? I've seen the "installation video" and it looks like 3 people can do it in 2 days. I think they borrowed the idea from th nomads of the Gobi Desert. Of course these are quite modern and can be fitted w/plumbing elec. etc. I think they're called Pacific Yurts. I saw one set up at the state fair and they were very comfortable. I guess at the end of the summer you could just take it down (or if a fire were coming your way). I've wondered why more people didn't consider them for a summer/2nd home? I think they are only about 10-15K and come as big as 1,000 sq. ft.

Dinor,
I saw one of those at Yosemite Natl Park last summer. Theirs was a more permanant kind of construction using some sort of heavily treated canvas. When I was a kid, the 1982 World's fair came to Knoxville. The amphitheater was made out of tubular steel and some sort of space age canvas material used by NASA. 24 years later, the ampitheater is still there and in great condition. I wondered what a tent made out of the stuff would cost since the canvas on the ampitheater has outlasted most roofs.

NEED:
-no carpeting, hardwood flooring preferred
-bike-able distance to work
-big enough yard for gardening
-no 1960's crappy ranch stucco boxes
-no McMansions

PREFER:
-view of no other houses, very few houses okay
-lots of Cal oaks on the property
-solar panels
-at least 1 acre property

Basements are nice, but I wouldn't list it as a top priority.

I would enclose my entire backyard in glass, making it a giant greenhouse. That way I could air-condition it and ensure that the temperature remained constant at 72 degrees F.

This would also eliminate bugs, bird droppings, and pests of all kinds.

Those in colder climates could heat the greenhouse so they'd have an "endless summer."

I wonder why more people don't do this?

Joe Schmoe Says:

I would enclose my entire backyard in glass, making it a giant greenhouse...I wonder why more people don’t do this?

Because most people don't want to live in a fishtank.

That would be expensive. Ever priced structural, insulated glass? It's be over $500 a pane. An entire yard would probably be well over 150-200k just for the glass. Then again, it'd be kinda cool to be able to wonder around in the yard in shorts when the weather outside was snowy.

I would also try to ensure that I never have to set foot in the outside world. The garage would be air-conditioned, so I could setp from the comfort of my McMansion into my Hummer without dealing with heat or humidity. Our office garage has a/c, so that's no problem, and there is a grocery store in Pasadena which also has it.

The trick woud be getting gasoline. Even with the Mobil SpeedPass, you still have to get out of the car. I guess I'd need to install a gas pump inside the garage as well.

Joe,
Sounds like your dream world is "Logan's Run", except without the killing off anyone over age 30, or whatever.

Joe,

Try moving to places like [Oregon?] where full-service gas stations are mandatory.

I could go for a nice tower. I think, a large basement, and a small Carmel-style cottage above ground, a separate tower, and some sort of hanging bridge structure from house to tower that has a midpoint stop at a treehouse in a tree of Appropriate Size.

Almost like some kind of warren, I guess. Different style structures connected by passageways.

Joe,
Have you seen the Simpsons episode where Homer gets a hold of a teleporter and decides the best use of it is to be able to sit in the living room on one end and take a crap at the same time by having his butt in the bathroom on the other end? I bet you'd be into that.

Joe,
ya! how about we motorize toilets too! I imagine a new company: "Crapper on wheels", where by GPS, you can call a remote controlled 4 Wheel Drive crapper to come to you, no matter where you are; in the woods, in the back yard, or at Wal-Mart. life would be so much better!

ww2, It would be easier and cheaper to just wear adult diapers.

Skibum,
probably true, but I don't know anyone that likes the sensation of crap that diapers would cause. What about a pill that has all your daily dietary needs and is so perfect that you don't produce any waste? you'd NEVER have to use the bathroom ever again.

I like how the thread of "dream houses" has morphed into discussing the finer points of crap in your diapers. Sort of emblamatic of the bubble, I'd say.

Wait 'till the crap really does hit the fan.

Maybe HARM or Randy H can do a graphic with Benanke wearing a couple pairs of Depends strapped to his ears held on with duct tape, and call the thread something like Benanke's pooper scooper, where we can all argue about all the dirt descending from the latest housing hiccups, burps and trends.

Yeah, adult diapers, cooolllllll.....;)

On a serious note, I really like skylights. I have no idea how practical they are -- probably an insulation nighmare -- but I like them. It would be great to have one in the kitchen. A living room skylight is probably impratical, a bedroom skylight is an intriguing thought.

I would also like my own sauna. If it's expensive or too much of a pain to install it's not worth it, but if it's a cheap and easy addition, I want one. An indoor Jacuzzi tub is another good thing. No one ever seems to use the outdoor ones, but I bet the indoor versions get some use.

Gotta like those French doors that open out into the backyard. Bay windows are also a good thing, especially if you put one of those benches on them so that you can sit and read in the window.

From an impress-the-neighbors standpoint, I'm all for a circular driveway. Those things are so awesome! I'd put one in even if I had a generic POS ranch house. You can't really play basketball in them, though, so maybe the circular driveway is out.

A front porch would be cool too. I don't know that I'd actually use it, but they look cool.

The one other thing I have always wanted is a library. If I am ever super rich I will get a house with a two-story library in it, and one of those ladders that is attached to a wheeled track.

Of course, all of the books in the library would be lowbrow paperback thrillers, instead of the Great Books of Western Civilization in their original Latin, but that's okay. It'd still be a library.

Joe,
Unless your indoor jacuzzi is in a vast indoor swimming pool complex or the like, the indoor jacuzzi's I've been in tend to be too loud when the bubbles are going to be really all that enjoyable. The sauna idea is not bad, though I'd prefer a steam room. I've had the same dream of a two-storied library with rolling ladder. Then I could sit there in my smoking jacket, slippers and pipe as Jeeves gets me my scotch.

O.T., but the Dow is down another 100 pts. today on the expectation of BB making a "tough" inflation-fighting speech tonight (indicating Fed funds rate to go up another .25 on June 29th). It (and S&P) are off by 12% since last November, and Nasdaq's off by 15%.

http://tinyurl.com/hjnap

Mmmm... I can taste the panic. Yummy.
God, I wish Heli-Ben would raise it a full .50, but I think this is as likely as me getting appointed NAR spokesman.

HARM,
I agree w/ you on the hope for a 50bp hike, not to "stick it" to the masses, but because I really think this economy has a lot of shaping up to do yet. It still amazes me that Lereah and the NAR have the chutzpah to "strongly ask" the Fed to hold of on rate hikes because it could effect certain "rate sensitive" markets. I wonder if a serious stock market correction would further dampen the housing market by drying up easy money even more.

Oh man... dream home? The first thing that comes to mind is true audio/visual room. Not a living room converted into a Best Buy style "home theater". I'm talking 4 foot thick post tensioned slab under a 30x40 room with slightly rounded walls to reduce/eliminate standing waves. The room would be at least 15 feet high and facing North. Why facing North? In the Bay Area, rooms facing North don't get very hot. The sun comes from the South East and ends in the South West most of the year. I wouldn't want to air condition the room, the fan and condenser would bring unwanted noise into the environment. There would be 5 floor to ceiling windows across the side facing North so that there is plenty of light in the room. Of course I would like at least 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a nice yard. A small lawn to cool your feet on warm summer days and a deck for BBQs.

I do like Tadao Ando Architecture, but there's too much concrete in the structures to "feel" any warmth. I don't know much about architects, so, I'd have to do research for which current architect to go with to design my ideal living space.

DinOR, there was an article about "yurts" in the sfgate.com. Here's the link. They sound facinating, but I don't think I could live in one.

http://tinyurl.com/n9t4t

On topic:

I want a stately manor befitting someone of my unsurpassed brilliance and financial acumen. Nothing short of a custom-built 50,000 sft. mansion made from the skulls of disgraced NAAVLP peddlers, flippers, Realtwhores and federal regulators (lynched by the public). My driveway can be made of solid gold paving stones pried from Marina streets, while my 20-car garage will be filled with Italian sports cars, Hummers and Escalades repossessed from above gallery of RE rogues. My manse will be staffed 24/7 by recovering f@cked borrowers, who will be required to take my 26-week "Debt does not = Wealth" deprogramming course (at their own expense, naturally).

Architectural style? I haven't given it much thought, but given that the main building component will be human skulls, I'm guessing a thick-walled adobe finish will be in order. Mediterranean, Spanish or Sante Fe would probably be most appropriate.

Is it just me, or does this bring to mind some intriguing possibilities?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13284249/from/RS.3/

Hmmm... imagine you're a delinquent FB coming home from (another) double-shift at Wal-Mart. Your key won't open the lock! Oh, that's right... you missed your last reset payment. Too bad --no house for you tonight! How much is the blood bank paying per pint these days?

HARM,
Is this what you'd like in your dream home?

http://croad.net/images/Europe/wall%20of%20skulls.jpg

My problem is that my preference changes all the time. Remember that I used to like ultra-modern houses with lots of glass? Now I dream about an updated Victorian. Perhaps a Victorian with a glass wing? :)

Do you think I’d qualify for a loan to buy the Pacific Ocean ?

You already did, HaHa co-signed for you, he makes $160K/YR total compensation. He is a very wealthy man, but he cannot afford a house.

Fuck the house, I just want a tee shirt thats says "eat your fucking house fucker", or "how's your equity" or "ask me how to make 450 out of 750"

Oh how quickly it has turned. Who's taking bets on how long before maggotassfuckermotherwhosuckscockforcrack posts the bullshit SFMLS listing for _______ over asking.

My bet is withing the next 20 posts.

I would just like to go on record saying to those fucks who thought they were super savvy because they signed loan papers FUCK YOU

HaHa, don't worry i fo not either.

SFWoman, generally i enjoy your posts, and often have thought how nice it would have been to meet you at the Top of the Mark for drinks, but madam you have descended so far into trolldom it is not even remotely humorous.

SF PRIME RE only goes up, our troll will post proof soon.

Why do you hate Amerika?

_______
Sarcasm off.

Peter P, I had a very cool model railway once... Hornby HO/OO

i knew a carpenter who bought an old concrete reservoir on a block of land from council for $4,000, then jackhammered doors and windows in it and did all the carpentry and wiring and put in a 2nd storey loft etc. turned out alright...

The one other thing I have always wanted is a library. If I am ever super rich I will get a house with a two-story library in it, and one of those ladders that is attached to a wheeled track.

Of course, all of the books in the library would be lowbrow paperback thrillers, instead of the Great Books of Western Civilization in their original Latin, but that’s okay. It’d still be a library.

I was going to say that, except mine will be filled with expositions on politics, history, and memoirs. Perhaps a few more on arts and letters. The library/study doubles as my pleasure liar to seduce my maids and friends' wives and daughters.

#1) Raised floor .. (Basement, crawl space with a rat slab, ect)

almost all new places here are slab floor for some reason. even timber floored older places usually only have a minimal crawl space of 2' or so... only 'queenslanders' in ultra hot areas are on stilts and then mostly enclosed mainly to facilitate cooling.

#2) An attic fan that blows out when attic temp reaches 100 deg.

you forgot #17) solar-powered fan -- solar panels on roof. if it's 100 deg, presumably the sun is shining mightily...

and maybe
#18) solar hot water
#19) rainwater storage tank

UNSW here developed solar cells inside clear roof tile replacements... which seemed to sink without trace - then a guy from UWS incorporated hot water & solar in 1 tile:
http://sites.uws.edu.au/uws/conferences/widevision/sebastian_braat/seb_body.htm

One thing I will not have is a media room equiped hi-fi audio and a super-duper projection TV. I understand that one can entertain guests in a media room. But, fuck it, I don't entertain that kind of guests. I doubt if I want to diddle with the women who marry the guys who enjoy a media room. But, after a few drinks, perhaps.

I need a room that has some sort of synthetic material coating the walls, impervious to astroglide, a center drain with a hose that sprays whole milk at a constant 82F, and self coiling restraints that go zipppppp back into the wall when i release my 'ho. Cuz I just cashed out and man nothing goes better with a bunch of free money than hookers and blow.

Boomer on my friend. indeed.

Oh not that I need to mention it as it is implied, a series of hidden cameras, under the bowl etc.