Cost of Living + Good School District (Babylon, Stony Brook: renting, condo, credit)

[NewOnSite]

Dear all
We have made the big jump and are ready to move to LI from France.
Now comes the time where we need more input. We of course get a lot of info from this Forum but we need still more clarification about the cost of Living and try to find a good spot to settle for the 1st year (rent a house or a condo)
We are a family couple + 3 kids (9 -5 -5 yrs old). We will try to find a place let say 30 minutes driving around BNL.
From our previous research good spots to settle are :
Mt Sinai - Port Jeff -Stony Brook - East Setauket.
We would like to be pretty close to living area (meaning shops-restaurant etc ..) and school district of 3Villages or Port Jeff.

We are of course ready to explore other places like Babylon or ????


The other important question is what will be the cost for all necessary items to settle correctly
-- Renting house or condo 3 bedrooms minimum
-- heating
-- electrivity
-- Telephone -Internet- TV
-- + ???

Thanks ofr your help
Regards

[FrmlyBklyn]

Originally Posted by NewOnSite

Dear all
We have made the big jump and are ready to move to LI from France.
Now comes the time where we need more input. We of course get a lot of info from this Forum but we need still more clarification about the cost of Living and try to find a good spot to settle for the 1st year (rent a house or a condo)
We are a family couple + 3 kids (9 -5 -5 yrs old). We will try to find a place let say 30 minutes driving around BNL.
From our previous research good spots to settle are :
Mt Sinai - Port Jeff -Stony Brook - East Setauket.
We would like to be pretty close to living area (meaning shops-restaurant etc ..) and school district of 3Villages or Port Jeff.

We are of course ready to explore other places like Babylon or ????


The other important question is what will be the cost for all necessary items to settle correctly
-- Renting house or condo 3 bedrooms minimum
-- heating
-- electrivity
-- Telephone -Internet- TV
-- + ???

Thanks ofr your help
Regards

On cost of living - refer you to another thread called "cost of living on LI" - for some pointers. Although, I question whether one really needs 100K in after-tax money to live on the island, most likely will need 60-75k in annual after-tax income to live a normal (read: not extravagant) lifestyle, depending on who will watch kids. Heating oil right now costs about $2.90 a gallon - depending on size of house, figure about $1500-$2,500 in heating and hot water annually. Telephone-internet-Tv - monthly cable costs of $150. Cell phone - $90 a month. A car - can get a reliable used one for around $10,000 to $15,000. Renting house or condo with 3 bedroom minimum - bare minimum of $2,500 and up, depending on locale and amenities. Monthly gas for car - $100 and up per month. Monthly car maintenance - add in $50 - $75 a month.

[amoret68]

Originally Posted by FrmlyBklyn

... Heating oil right now costs about $2.90 a gallon - depending on size of house, figure about $1500-$2,500 in heating and hot water annually. ...

I think my house is either energy inefficient or I'm paying too much for oil and service. I get a fill-up about 6 times per year at just under $300 a pop and my house is 1300 square feet.

[FrmlyBklyn]

Originally Posted by amoret68

I think my house is either energy inefficient or I'm paying too much for oil and service. I get a fill-up about 6 times per year at just under $300 a pop and my house is 1300 square feet.

Caulk the windows, put insulation in the attic (you can claim a credit on your tax return up to $1,500). How efficient is your boiler? Do you get an annual tune-up on the boiler? Is your thermostat - digital?

[amoret68]

Originally Posted by FrmlyBklyn

Caulk the windows, put insulation in the attic (you can claim a credit on your tax return up to $1,500). How efficient is your boiler? Do you get an annual tune-up on the boiler? Is your thermostat - digital?

My boiler is old, but more than one service guy has told me that it is the "cadillac" of boilers. I get the annual tune-up, but my thermostats are not digital and I have no attic to speak of (I have no idea what style the "1 1/2" story house was before it was converted by the drunken monkeys/do-it-yourselfers who did all of the own home repairs and renovations before we were duped into buying this place).

I don't have a separate hot water heater. How would have a separate hot water heater affect my bills?

[LongIslandCitizen]

Originally Posted by NewOnSite

Dear all
We have made the big jump and are ready to move to LI from France.

Not much of a difference. You'll like Long Islands politicians.

[FrmlyBklyn]

Originally Posted by amoret68

My boiler is old, but more than one service guy has told me that it is the "cadillac" of boilers. I get the annual tune-up, but my thermostats are not digital and I have no attic to speak of (I have no idea what style the "1 1/2" story house was before it was converted by the drunken monkeys/do-it-yourselfers who did all of the own home repairs and renovations before we were duped into buying this place).

I don't have a separate hot water heater. How would have a separate hot water heater affect my bills?

A digital thermostat is more efficient in regulating the temperature to the approximate number you want - typically costs like $30-$40 at Home Depot/Loews, made by Honeywell.

Cadillac of Boilers - well Caddy's burn a lot of fuel. Is it a Well-McLain? Usually they state the level of efficiency on the boiler. A good number would be between 83 and 89. The higher the number the more efficient it is. A separate water heater is not necessarily more cost-efficient.

Your house either has an attic or a crawl space above the top floor. Assuming its a crawl space, you may be able to get in there and see what level of insulation, if any is on the floor of the crawl space. Typically you want a minimum of R-49 in an attic ceiling of a house in the NY/NJ region - - it will keep the heat in during the winter/ and will prevent the cold air in the summer from leaking through to the outside. Insulation is usually the cheapest fix you can do to make the house more energy efficient, after caulking windows and the seams around doors.

[amoret68]

Originally Posted by FrmlyBklyn

...Cadillac of Boilers - well Caddy's burn a lot of fuel.

Thanks for the tips, FB.

[Walter Greenspan]

NewOnSite, in case you are unfamiliar with the local geography, I've sent you an explanation of the very, very confusing geography of "Lawn Guyland" as a DM (Direct Message).