I'm not some HMO Karen,, but whats going on in Rural Lane County Oregon just seems crazy.

[ning]

Park Models; not really sure if they are treated as an RV that looks like a manufactured home, or if they are just small/light/narrow manufactured homes. Don't know if they are designed to be easily relocated, if they have jacks or piers, ect. Most places, a building permit would be needed to inspect tie downs on a manufactured; but if they are an RV, they wouldn't need inspection (of the set up) anywhere I'm aware of.

Looks to me like they're definitely RV's, though they're not intended to be moved a lot. They do have a fresh, gray and black water tanks, so they're full-on RVs.

Basically they're like the "tiny houses" that they're clearly modeled after - definitely cheaper (less expensive - assuming you're not building the tiny house yourself) and most likely also cheaper (interior walls look paper thin and there's nothing particularly "nice" about them, very utilitarian); though I don't know of anyone making a tiny house that has fresh & waste water tanks, so they're actually ahead that way. Gives you a few days to hook things up when you start in one I suppose.

I could see picking one up for place to live on a piece of land while building.. though hopefully someone else has already done that once and has one to sell at a discount by the time I'm ready for that.

 

[JasperFrank]

One neighbor, down the hill from us and not on F2, just added another "RV." This brings the total to 5 RVs, plus the house. A 40's era, two bedroom, one bath house. They are running romex 120v and garden water hoses to each of the trailers. I've been in the area long enough to know that every 6 or 7 years, this property experiences flooding, 6 to 8 inches deep for several days. There is no porta-pot. I know the widower that still lives there. Her husband died last year. I know it isn't any of my business, but every time I see her, while collecting the mail, I want the ask "what the hell is going on?" Other folks down the road, graveled over 4 acres of pasture land. Out door storage area for heavy equipment and boats. This too is turning in to a RV Park. People are living in these as the lights are on at night as I drive by.

 

[etpm]

I wouldn't trade this house for a freaking modern stick-built

I completely understand your point of view regarding your old house. I wanted to live in an old house but couldn't find one where we wanted to live. I also looked into buying an old house that was slated to be torn down and having it moved to our property. I couldn't do it because of state and county road regulations. My eventual solution was to have a home build to a high quality standard. hardwood floors, insulation in all the interior walls, high ceilings, bronze hardware on all the doors, etc. This cost me extra but the house looks great and has great bones. Hopefully it will last at least 100 years, it is built well enough to last 400 years. I hate, I mean really hate, to see old buildings with all sorts of history torn down. It breaks my heart. I really hope that a couple hundred years from now there are kids running through my woods and their parents are enjoying all the dents in the maple floors and thinking about the history of the house they are living in.
Eric

 

[ultrarunner]

Older homes here can be money pits due to lead paint/lead soil plus asbestos.

Many have asbestos siding over the original siding which is another issue.

For years insurance companies didn't deal with screw in fuses but the new frontier is simply banning any home over 30 years or 40 years...

It can be no small task to overcome... and this isn't addressing galvanized and cast iron pipes and seismic upgrades and insulation...

My current oldest is circa 1910 and newest 1993 with a lot from the 1920's boom years here...

 

[paulsharvey]

A friend of my wife bought a park model, in a park for like $6k. That really is a cheap and good way for a single or couple to get a house.

 

[paulsharvey]

There has been a real trend within a few miles of me; a Home Depot handi house, and old travel trailer, and a Honda whisper style small generator. I assume they bring home jugs of water, and probably have. $10/month gym membership for showers. I dont honestly know if they pick up a $9k lot, or if they are squating? But, within 3 or 5 miles as the crow flies, I can probably find 8 setups like this; if not more. I think it's a statement of the home prices/credit/ect more than anything.

We also had a tiny house (Styrofoam igloo) built down the road.

Throw this in with the "stealth camping" trends, and all; we are looking at a huge class of people who are half a set above homeless, trying to make things work.

I try not to judge, as I've lived in worse. As a kid we lived in a couple places with outhouses, bucket wells, and no power ect; including a 1 room tin shack.

 

[paulsharvey]

Older homes here can be money pits due to lead paint/lead soil plus asbestos.

Many have asbestos siding over the original siding which is another issue.

For years insurance companies didn't deal with screw in fuses but the new frontier is simply banning any home over 30 years or 40 years...

It can be no small task to overcome... and this isn't addressing galvanized and cast iron pipes and seismic upgrades and insulation...

My current oldest is circa 1910 and newest 1993 with a lot from the 1920's boom years here...

Retrofitting a pre 1950 home to modern insulation, plumbing, electrical, even in great condition is a very expensive operation; all that assuming the structure is good. You still aren't going to have modern hurricane strapping, or a modern lay out. You also can be in a catch-22; does making a structural upgrade trigger other needed modernization for permits? Those old homes are a real pain and money pit. You also often have buried fuel oil tanks, block septic tanks, clay tile drain lines, lathe and plaster walls, ect. All not fun to piece back together. Even the difference in nominal lumber sizes is a pain.

 

[ultrarunner]

There has been a real trend within a few miles of me; a Home Depot handi house, and old travel trailer, and a Honda whisper style small generator. I assume they bring home jugs of water, and probably have. $10/month gym membership for showers. I dont honestly know if they pick up a $9k lot, or if they are squating? But, within 3 or 5 miles as the crow flies, I can probably find 8 setups like this; if not more. I think it's a statement of the home prices/credit/ect more than anything.

We also had a tiny house (Styrofoam igloo) built down the road.

Throw this in with the "stealth camping" trends, and all; we are looking at a huge class of people who are half a set above homeless, trying to make things work.

I try not to judge, as I've lived in worse. As a kid we lived in a couple places with outhouses, bucket wells, and no power ect; including a 1 room tin shack.

What I will never understand is the mountains of trash that typically quickly accumulate.

I was in scouts and first rule is leave every campsite BETTER than you found it.

Cities are providing dumpsters and porta-potty and showers and even mobile laundry facilities but in many instances you would never know.

Fires that destroy thousands of homes or obliterate businesses traced to homeless camps...

 

[Oaktree]

We built our house with 100% 12AWG or larger wire. Every plug is on a 20A circuit.

Every outlet has its own 20A breaker? Does your breaker panel take up an entire wall? A tad overkill don't you think?

Retrofitting a pre 1950 home to modern insulation, plumbing, electrical, even in great condition is a very expensive operation; all that assuming the structure is good. You still aren't going to have modern hurricane strapping, or a modern lay out. You also can be in a catch-22; does making a structural upgrade trigger other needed modernization for permits? Those old homes are a real pain and money pit. You also often have buried fuel oil tanks, block septic tanks, clay tile drain lines, lathe and plaster walls, ect. All not fun to piece back together. Even the difference in nominal lumber sizes is a pain.

OK. We get it. You don't like older houses and think they should all be bulldozed and replaced with modern cookie cutter tract homes. Not everyone agrees with you.
Most of us here are DIYers, and can do a lot of that work ourselves. It doesn't have to be done all at once either. They're hardly a "real pain and money pit". Some are, but most aren't.

Maybe it's different in Fla, but there are plenty of well built century+ year old houses here in the northeast that we still be standing long after we're gone.

 

[paulsharvey]

Every outlet has its own 20A breaker? Does your breaker panel take up an entire wall? A tad overkill don't you think?

OK. We get it. You don't like older houses and think they should all be bulldozed and replaced with modern cookie cutter tract homes. Not everyone agrees with you.
Most of us here are DIYers, and can do a lot of that work ourselves. It doesn't have to be done all at once either. They're hardly a "real pain and money pit". Some are, but most aren't.

Maybe it's different in Fla, but there are plenty of well built century+ year old houses here in the northeast that we still be standing long after we're gone.

You do you, I'm just saying that it doesn't often make financial sense. If you buy a $300k old (we are talking OLD) and spend $200k in retrofitting, you don't necessarily have a $500k home (although you might), you very well could have a $400k home. Yes, you can do a lot of the stuff yourself, if you have the skills, but the truth is; not many people are framers/trim carpenters/drywall hangers/drywall finishers/plumbers/electricians/AC guys/insulators/masons/concrete guys. If you are a journeyman skill level in 2 or 3 of those, that's fantastic, few people are in more than 1 or 2; let alone 5 or 6 trades.

Also, I do agree that in many cases, you can get 80% towards a modern home, with 20% of the effort; but to get to that equal level, it's a lot of expense. Not all old homes are worth retrofitting. My mom's house is a 1949, but was very high end/forward thinking for 1949; with large rooms, many large closets, and 3 bathrooms. Many old homes aren't. Even still, to install central AC would be enormously expensive, not just for the HVAC, but the need to add dropped cielings to fit duct work, wall repairs, ect. The walls are all wire lathe and plaster. After decades of window units, she did have several mini splits installed; but you still have annoying old home problems/design issues; like ungrounded outlets, only 1 outlet or maybe 2 per room, plumbing fixtures that parts are no longer made for, something like a R-5 in the cieling; maybe R-3.5 in walls; and non-standard window/door openings.

Many of the old farm houses have like 24" doors, Itty bitty rooms, 1 bathroom, 100 amp electric services, ect. I'm not beating them up, you just have to know what you're up against; and make a decision that is smart for You. Frankly the 1950s/60s homes are generally better than the 1970s; and all of them, even brand new construction have issues.