[Dijridoo]

I will never again be able to fly my Cars R Coffins flag quite as proudly. We have been searching for a new house for quite some time, to no avail. We looked at a cool home that had been moved into the rural area (about 5 miles south of our sister town across the river in Minnesota), but the finishes are literally from 1975. Pink shag carpet, wall-o-mirrors in the master bath, glitter-infused counters, alternating silver reflactive and fuzzy wallpaper. You get the picture, a literal porno palace. I guess you can always change finishes and fixtures though....

However, the property is huge (2.5 acres for the house and another 8.3 of farmland), the house is wonderful (4200 sf total), and there is enough room for a BMX track, full hockey rink, and a half pipe (my wife has given the blessing for all these things). Solitude, room for entertaining, a special soundproof room for the drums and guitar. Nice south facing deck. Two fireplaces. Wood boiler to keep heating costs way low. 1/2 mile from the river.

AND...when the new bridge comes in and the road gets paved, it will be a direct link only one mile from the ND-side country club and the additional 8.3 acres will be worth big bucks as development land in about 8-10 years.

Here's my problem. Right now I live 12 blocks from my office. My children go to daycare and school literally one block each off the street between my house and the office. So in decent weather I can leave my vehicle parked for weeks on end and we can commute by bike. I can get gas, groceries, videos, coffee, beer, and pizza within 7 blocks maximum. Moving out there means I can commute by bike but none of the other things can happen without driving. Sure, I could use the BOB to get some of those things, but it would be a 2 hour trip to do so.

I made my decision after weeks of going back and forth. I had been holding out due to my resistance to being forced to use a vehicle for everything, but in the end I think the overall benefits for my family outweigh that. Plus who wouldn't want a BMX track and halfpipe in their yard!!

 

[zenorb]

Sounds like a sweet place to live. Grats on the find.

Dark lord? pfft... The faster we destroy this planet the sooner we will get to go to the next one (which will likely have much larger and totally untapped oil deposits). Burn a tree for the cause.

 

[Potential Roadkill]

Leave the car at work

Get a bob, leave the car at the office just for emergencies.. I commute about 8 miles daily, and take my bob trailer when I know I need to run errands after work. Works like a champ.

 

[dir-T]

I hear ya.

With some luck and careful $aving I'll be in the same boat as you in about a year - sort of. Right now we rent a place with a nice yard (which is completely maintained by the landlord) and a veggie garden. It's at the end of a dead-end road and is very private. Best of all it's only a 4 mile ride to my office and everywhere else that I need to go.

But alas, it's been 6 years of paying rent while house prices appreciate through the roof. The wife and I figure it's about time we buy our own place and the landlord don't want to sell theirs (not that we could afford it anyway). Problem is that it's nearly impossible to find something in our price range that's close to town, let alone with a yard or covenants that allow such extravagent and outlandish things like vegetable gardens. So we'll probably move to the next town over which is about 15 miles away (still rideable except that it's a 2 lane 75mph road with almost no shoulder - so I'll be driving).

At least you'll have a BMX track. We'll most likely still be looking at a 1/4 acre.

 

[skeeter]

my last house was decorated the same. huge walls of mirrors, tin foil style wallpaper, with fuzzy patterns on top of the foil. i had the hardest time getting that stuff off. steamer didn't work, special sprays that were supposed to dissolve the adhesive .... waste of money.

the place sounds like my dream home fantasy, minus the bad decor. i'd be on it.

 

[YuriB]

With all that land you could have a mini farm and reduce trips to the store.
Heck you could even have an on-site daycare/bmx/skate school

 

[Fast Eddy]

Make up for it

by getting some uber-fuel-efficient vehicle. Even just a vanilla 4-cyl civic for the main driving chores. Extra cRc points for a hybrid. You could be a cRc hero by converting something (vehicle) to electric and devoting some of your acreage to solar panels.

Oh, and all those Ahmish people couldn't be wrong...

 

[Padre]

by getting some uber-fuel-efficient vehicle. Even just a vanilla 4-cyl civic for the main driving chores. Extra cRc points for a hybrid. You could be a cRc hero by converting something (vehicle) to electric and devoting some of your acreage to solar panels.

Oh, and all those Ahmish people couldn't be wrong...

Good call Eddy.
Or a Vdub Jetta TDI.
We had to sell ours since it was a pain with bikes/dogs, etc... but that baby got 35mpg around town and 45+ on the freeway....

Our Element is okay on the gas at 20mpg around town...

 

[Mighty Drop Off]

Just remember, we will be the generation to see oil become utterly unaffordable.

 

[Dijridoo]

Bingo

Good call Eddy.
Or a Vdub Jetta TDI.
We had to sell ours since it was a pain with bikes/dogs, etc... but that baby got 35mpg around town and 45+ on the freeway....

Our Element is okay on the gas at 20mpg around town...

Bingo on the Element. Right now I drive a Jeep Cherokee and get about 22mpg average (dunno how but I do). The next vehicle will be an Element. The pros-cons are too much in favor of SUV-type vehicle for me (three kids, active dog, hauling 3 people and gear for any bike excursion, BMX, two ice hockey goalies at the same time, horrid winter conditions, etc., etc. etc.) There is no way I could do it in a car. So until now I have made up for it by not driving that SUV much.

We made the offer this afternoon and lowballed him enough to pay for the new finishes and appliances. I think he's gonna take it.

Fingers crossed.

 

[P-Funk]

It sounds like you made the right decision. I wish I had a yard like that. Wait a minute, I wish I had a yard....period! Ahh condo life. Someday I'll probably do the same thing you're doing. Build up a lot of equity in the city then cash in by moving to the outskirts but having virtually no mortgage. I'm tempted every once in a while to move to Portland or Eugene or anywhere cheaper than Orange County.

 

[Dijridoo]

Classic bargaining

We made the offer this afternoon and lowballed him enough to pay for the new finishes and appliances. I think he's gonna take it.

Fingers crossed.

He met us halfway and we are getting the extra acreage for a little cheaper than market value. I guess I have a new house this summer...in the space of one day we went from our same old house to buying a big new one. Weird.

 

[Old Dog]

biodiesel

First off, congrads on the new place. I live out here in Cali and bareley have enough room to ride a circle in my yard. A BMX track? Wow!

If you get a diesel vehicle (car or truck) you can run biodiesel (check out www.biodiesel.org or google biodiesel). No modification to the vehicle is required, just burn it like regular #2 diesel. Biodiesel is made from vegtable oil - so all the carbon you emit is taken back out of the atmosphere when the next crop cycle is grown. Cool.

Your power and milage will remain the same, your exhaust will smell better and your engine will last longer (better lubrication). Oh, and if you don't want to buy it you can make it yourself for about $0.50/gal!

Good luck and let us know when the first BMX moto is so we can all come out!

 

[BuddhaRoadkill]

Yes, quite the score. Congrates. Too add to all the other great points ... think of the kids.
Sure, you may have to drive for supplies, but your children will grow up on land. Real dirt.
Nothing can substitute for that. Good choice.

 

[JimC.]

good move

He met us halfway and we are getting the extra acreage for a little cheaper than market value. I guess I have a new house this summer...in the space of one day we went from our same old house to buying a big new one. Weird.

Last summer moved out of Vancouver offshore to a small island...had all the same concerns. Short story...you will wonder why you didn't do it sooner. The benefits for your mental state and the "yard" for your kids and your family to play in, outweighs any other concerns.

Just keep a list by the door to import stuff like beer and food, and we now make our own pizza that is way better than the pizza parlour stuff. just not quite as fast.

My old Saturn coupe may soon give way to a Smart car, 80 mpg. but for now, it mostly just sits. Ride my bike or walk everywhere.

Jim