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Well, my grandfather had emphysema in his later years. They lived in a big ole Victorian home w/ the wrap around porch. Trying to put A/C in it was a nightmare. So grandfather ended up confined to one room. As his condition worsened, that house was just too much to deal with.
Solution? He bought a mobile home and put it in the backyard. It was airconditoned, easy to keep warm in the winter, cheaper to heat, as well . . . easy to keep clean. Anyone who thinks that is trashy - OH WELL!! I just thank God he had the acreage and lack of zoning that he could have done it. Otherwise, he would have had to go to a nursing home.
So yeah, I get it. I am just very hurt that others are so judgmental.
Not to mention that zoning requirements typically refer to a broad category - you can put industrial buildings on this land, you can put stores on this land, you can put houses on this land - they don't usually get into telling you what KIND of house you can put on that land.
IMO, the reason that New York doesn't have a mix like that is because everything is so close together they didn't get the normal "development evolution" - a farmer owns 500 acres with a farm house. He splits it into 5 100 acre parcels, and 4 more farm houses get built. Those get split again, into 5 acre parcels, and Joe and Sue get to realize their dream of living in the country on 5 acres with a mobile home. Then the 5 acres next to them gets sold to a developer - oh CRAP!! We've got a mobile home next to the nice houses. But wait, the mobile home was there first....
Not to mention that zoning requirements typically refer to a broad category - you can put industrial buildings on this land, you can put stores on this land, you can put houses on this land - they don't usually get into telling you what KIND of house you can put on that land.
IMO, the reason that New York doesn't have a mix like that is because everything is so close together they didn't get the normal "development evolution" - a farmer owns 500 acres with a farm house. He splits it into 5 100 acre parcels, and 4 more farm houses get built. Those get split again, into 5 acre parcels, and Joe and Sue get to realize their dream of living in the country on 5 acres with a mobile home. Then the 5 acres next to them gets sold to a developer - oh CRAP!! We've got a mobile home next to the nice houses. But wait, the mobile home was there first....
Of course!! Especially on the island of Manhattan . . . where every square inch must be developed to its "highest and best use."
And what you describe is exactly how things have evolved here. Not only that - but I know many people I grew up with who were deeded off land for their homes - but bought mobile homes to start out with . . . then built their houses (and paid cash for them!!!) later on. And sometimes, those mobile homes get moved to the side or back of the property for the next generation to "get started" in.
Of course!! Especially on the island of Manhattan . . . where every square inch must be developed to its "highest and best use."
And what you describe is exactly how things have evolved here. Not only that - but I know many people I grew up with who were deeded off land for their homes - but bought mobile homes to start out with . . . then built their houses (and paid cash for them!!!) later on. And sometimes, those mobile homes get moved to the side or back of the property for the next generation to "get started" in.
What is so ironic about this (mobile homes) is that the trendest thing going on right now is how people are using 40' containers for extra space, artist studios, etc. They stacked them, join them, aircondition them, the works. Now,let me ask you...prettier or uglier than a mobile home?
What is so ironic about this (mobile homes) is that the trendest thing going on right now is how people are using 40' containers for extra space, artist studios, etc. They stacked them, join them, aircondition them, the works. Now,let me ask you...prettier or uglier than a mobile home?
Oh. How interesting. I would do that. I think recycling those containers is a terrific idea.
I would live in a mobile home, too, if that was the best solution to my living requirements.
I think we all need to get a new understanding of what it means to have space where we "live." It is gonna take a while for people to absorb how our way of life has changed in the last few months. Things will never be the same again.
Gen X'ers are the last generation to ever know what it is like to go out and buy a STARTER house as big as - or bigger- than their parents.
The homes people will be building/buying 20 years from now will be smaller, more energy efficient and much less "tricked out." People are gonna have to come up w/ 20 % down on loans. Oh sure. Everyone says - first time home loans and Fannie will allow for homes to be bought w/ less money down. But all that will change, too. The rest of the world doesn't live like we do. We are not going to be able to continue living like we do, LOL.
But back to your statement. I think owning a plot of land and putting ANY type of structure on it is a fundamental right. All people want to own a place where they can live. Zoning is a good thing when it helps municipalities plan growth. Telling someone who owns acreage outside city limits that he/she can't put any type of structure on that land that he/she desires is a restriction that will only fly when there is prosperity. When people have limited resources, a mobile home may be the only thing a person can afford to own. If times get tougher in this country, the next generation may have to find all sorts of cost-effective ways to create their own living space. A mobile home could become a highly prized possession under those circumstances.
woah reading this thread, i feel like i entered back into the 1800s during the civil war with this north/south fight.
Ya' think? Tongue-in-cheek or not, I've had enough.
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