Houston area (along with DB's not from Houston) BS thread

If he is building just make the upfront investment for solar crap, extra insulation, tankless water heater and all that energy efficient stuff. Then build the house to self sufficient. Just like that you are not paying utilities. That would save me several hundred dollars a month and would re coop the investment quickly.

 

Even still, smaller area would require less money upfront.

These microhouses I'm seeing nowadays are sounding better and better everyday.

 

Build a modest sized house and a mansion sized shop.

 

This!
Im actually watching a tiny house show as I type this. Give me about 750 square feet and a 60x40 shop. Build a loft in it for a game room/man cave and the rest is garage/storage space.

 

Or build a 60x60 shop and frame in an upstairs apartment in half of it.

 

Exactly. If I had all of my extracurricular crap stored in the shop I'd have more room than I'd know what to do with.

 

I've toyed with that idea. The ladies will love coming home to a metal building.

 

That works too. Also seen some cool apartment builds inside of airplane hangers.

 

I saw a normal metal building the other day on FB. Step inside and it was an ultra high end finished house. Looked bad ass.

 

I'm seriously considering buying about 5-10 acres then building a 30x60 three bay shop and framing half of upstairs as an apartment. Gives me a 900sqft apartment to live in which is more than enough for me. Then someday when I get married and she refuses to live in a metal building I can just build a house on the property. And still have somewhere to go when she decides I don't get to sleep in the bed.

 

There's one around the corner from my parents that's like that. Well it was super modern and badass 10 years ago when it was built at least.

 

I want this
http://www.metal-building-homes.com/60x110-metal-building-w-jaw-dropping-interior-hq-pictures/#

 

I'm sick of these motherfucking mice in this motherfucking house!

 

Cat works pretty good. Try rat traps baited with peanut butter. Get a corn or rat snake as a pet. Im sure no one would mind it slithering around as long as it earns its keep.

 

Peanut butter is catching them slowly. Gotta figure out where they're getting in though. No cats will be alive on this property. And neither will snakes as long as I can help it. My beagle was a fucking badass mouser. I've been wanting another and my mom is against it. She's warming up to the idea though.

 

Good info! I've never heard of anything other than a water well before so this self sufficient idea is news to me.

Any idea how much solar and all that stuff cost up front vs the savings over X amount of time?

To each their own. I grew up in a house that ended up being a very comfortable size for me. My sister has a very open layout in her house and its 1,000sq. Ft and I hate it. Way too small for me. It only cost her $30k to build too..
But yea I'm set on my size.

 

I have a ton of lizards at my house. They do make their way into the house here and there. My basset hound is awesome at catching them. My vote is for a mousing dog.

 

Depending on weather and what temp you keep your house at, just electricity cost could be $80-$300 a month comfortable times of the year it will be cheaper. Hotter and colder times will cause the bill to be higher. Windows are nice but kill the efficiency of the house. Solar set up will probably be $25K and a diesel generator as back up is almost a must. That is probably another $10K.
For a rain catch that will depend on how far away the tank is. For 5000 gallon tank would be about $5K delivered. Add in the gutters, downspouts and underground pipe at about $5 a foot. Also you have to use a metal roof for a rain catch. Filtration system could be anywhere from $2000-$20000. Let just say $5000 for numbers purposes.
I would guess about 12-15 years to pay yourself back for the up front cost but that is quick and crude figures. Take into account the cost for a well and running electric lines from the nearest power pole.

 

Where were you interning at???