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Your biggest savings is living on as little as possible, to save or invest into your own income and that of your posterity. Minimum wage, easily, supports a healthy lifestyle based in NO debt. Reliance on outside income, as little as possible, makes for a good life. Freedom in a living (not only for an aspiration) is a good base for just about anything. No matter whom you offend, in speaking your opinion or decisions, you will live well.
If anyone on here buys this home on here, I'll do the job for $10K - in no less than 30 days (and likely shorter) - and make at least a $5K profit for my trouble, should you hire me for it... you'll have a proper and efficient country home for the price; one that you'll not be ashamed of, if you'd like a proper country home.
It's easy to switch the oil for propane. Dennis Coal is right down the street, is cheap, and delivers. Lots of homes there heat with coal or a combination of coal and wood. My parents' home is 3000sq.ft, with a coal stove (they're nice stoves, btw) in the basement and wood upstairs... they rarely need to kick on the coal stove though; that's for super windy cold spells. There's no duct system necessary, just open registers in the right places. If you'd rather have wood, it's an easy switch. $1000 would take care of both, easily.
The interior needs a lot of ripping out... but drywall and mud are cheap and only the top half would need to be done and only downstairs. All that carpet could come out and have wood floors underneath, to sand and stain or just bleach them. The kitchen is the worst, by far, but simple to fix. $5K, easily, for the whole house to look homey and non-embarrassing, as it definitely is now. lol. But I rarely pay for labor, which would be a HUGE expense. I get more satisfaction from ripping things out myself... and then maybe beating it to death for its ugliness.
I may be spoiled by natural gas heat and city sewer/water. I like flipping a switch and getting heat or central air. Just the idea of constantly watching and adjusting a stove for heat is not for me. Plus, storing a ton of coal or wood and keeping it dry or as some people do, keep it in the basement, is definitely 1800's. Some people take pride in this, I guess. I see people reveling in keeping their house at 58 degrees, its just not for me. Oil is nearly $4 a gallon and that's a guaranteed drafty house.
I'm sure you can MacGyver some things together to look decent, but some services you really need a professional for. Granite or quartz countertops can't be really be cut by typical tools, electrical work can be dicey for a novice, not to mention will need inspections. I guess you could go wood block or granite tiles, though and hope for a 200 amp system already in place. Wood floors *might* be underneath, who knows, and who knows how old that septic system is or if it could handle another bathroom. It all depends how cheap you want to be, or what stuff you can scavenge locally, etc. A "This Old House" upgrade to that house would cost $50k, easily.
2.25+ rural acres, fireplace, central air, $831 a year in taxes, even the paint I'd be good with. I just don't care to worry about septic systems, no insulation, feeding a coal stove, or old electrical wiring. I hope these homes are still available at this price when it comes time to buy, along with these interest rates! Prices are increasing here rapidly.
I may be spoiled by natural gas heat and city sewer/water. I like flipping a switch and getting heat or central air. Just the idea of constantly watching and adjusting a stove for heat is not for me. Plus, storing a ton of coal or wood and keeping it dry or as some people do, keep it in the basement, is definitely 1800's. Some people take pride in this, I guess. I see people reveling in keeping their house at 58 degrees, its just not for me.
I think you should take another look at coal stoves... they're not all that 1800's. A wood stove is much more so. With coal, you fill up the hopper, or can even get it going on an automatic feed, and just let it burn. There's an ash bin to take out once a day, and they go on the driveway for melting/traction. The coal supply is just kept in a large box outside the door. 3-4 tons would get through a winter. Some stoves can burn for a few days without needing to be refilled.
2.25+ rural acres, fireplace, central air, $831 a year in taxes, even the paint I'd be good with. I just don't care to worry about septic systems, no insulation, feeding a coal stove, or old electrical wiring. I hope these homes are still available at this price when it comes time to buy, along with these interest rates! Prices are increasing here rapidly.
That Sullivan house is pretty nice. Needs a little updating and a fireplace (for me, at least), but those hardwood floors are mint. Definitely liveable as is, though.
I think you should take another look at coal stoves... they're not all that 1800's. A wood stove is much more so. With coal, you fill up the hopper, or can even get it going on an automatic feed, and just let it burn. There's an ash bin to take out once a day, and they go on the driveway for melting/traction. The coal supply is just kept in a large box outside the door. 3-4 tons would get through a winter. Some stoves can burn for a few days without needing to be refilled.
Ehh, somehow you gotta get that 3-4 tons into the hopper. I've seen them online, they're decent enough looking, but nothing beats natural gas to me. Just like oil, soot even in tiny amounts is unavoidable. And leaving the house with any kind of fire burning I could never do. I used to be anti-crock pot! Till I learned that they don't get hot enough to burn anything down. Maybe its more 1930's then
There are no solar panels here on houses. I don't get it. NJ and cloudy PA are covered in them. Not one house I've seen so far. Electric must also be pretty cheap because that big ball in the sky is friggin strong here.
Ehh, somehow you gotta get that 3-4 tons into the hopper. I've seen them online, they're decent enough looking, but nothing beats natural gas to me. Just like oil, soot even in tiny amounts is unavoidable. And leaving the house with any kind of fire burning I could never do. I used to be anti-crock pot! Till I learned that they don't get hot enough to burn anything down. Maybe its more 1930's then
There are no solar panels here on houses. I don't get it. NJ and cloudy PA are covered in them. Not one house I've seen so far. Electric must also be pretty cheap because that big ball in the sky is friggin strong here.
Out in Fabius-Pompey, there are more windmills than solar panels. It's just slower there, really... something I enjoy. There are quite a few properties that aren't grid tied at all. One of the biggest farmers just recently went to non-generator power, through an array of solar, windmills and hydro-power. With big families - people who stay because they want to - there's little concern about who will haul in anything. Many hands make for light work. Coal is a lot less work than a woodstove, that's for sure. A pellet stove would be even easier.
It's not for everyone but... I'm not saying it is either. It *could* be for most but I'm thinking most wouldn't be thrilled with it. For us, it's ideal. I don't like paying for or using natural gas or oil, when there are both easier and cheaper alternatives. And hello? Built-in workout! I actually prefer wood because it's more work... but it also costs no money at all.
Last edited by proulxfamily; 05-12-2013 at 10:45 AM..
NG is always at the top of BTU's per dollar. And nothing can ever come close to NG for ease.
I personally don't care for coal stoves and can't see ever having another house with one. A wood stove I would have but only it I had a large ammount of very cheap wooded land. And then I'd only do it for fun cause unless tractors and chainsaws have gotten cheaper I never seen any savings. But it is fun.
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A wood stove is much more so. With coal, you fill up the hopper, or can even get it going on an automatic feed, and just let it burn. There's an ash bin to take out once a day, and they go on the driveway for melting/traction. The coal supply is just kept in a large box outside the door. 3-4 tons would get through a winter. Some stoves can burn for a few days without needing to be refilled.
