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I need some help here and was wondering if anyone here could help me. I currently live in Long Island, NY and I am in a desperate need of a change in my life. Ive recently looked into "tiny house" building and also "Shipping Container" building (which is my personal favorite). Im pretty new to these ideas so I dont know if this sort of building is allowed in certain towns/counties, and not in others.
I would really like to buy a small property in a town/county that is reasonably close to NYC (within 2 hours if thats not too nuts to ask); I dont need a lot of acres, just enough for a small home and a bit of yard for the dog to run around while Im grilling outside. I would love some sort of a view and be close to a town like setting! My sister lives in Oneonta and if it wasnt so far, Id be there in a heartbeat!!! The mountain/lake view is amazing.
I'm aware of the fact that I may be asking for too much but I am a novice so any advice would be much appreciated.
I need some help here and was wondering if anyone here could help me. I currently live in Long Island, NY and I am in a desperate need of a change in my life. Ive recently looked into "tiny house" building and also "Shipping Container" building (which is my personal favorite). Im pretty new to these ideas so I dont know if this sort of building is allowed in certain towns/counties, and not in others.
I would really like to buy a small property in a town/county that is reasonably close to NYC (within 2 hours if thats not too nuts to ask); I dont need a lot of acres, just enough for a small home and a bit of yard for the dog to run around while Im grilling outside. I would love some sort of a view and be close to a town like setting! My sister lives in Oneonta and if it wasnt so far, Id be there in a heartbeat!!! The mountain/lake view is amazing.
I'm aware of the fact that I may be asking for too much but I am a novice so any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks!!
Its all about money. the closer to NYC you are, the more it will cost. Of course other factors will influence property buying, but anything close to NYC is going to be expensive.
Lake Wacubuc in nothern westhcester is stunning, but a small piece of property there is several hundreds of thousands before you do any building. Thats a solid hour from NYC as well. The western side of the hudson river is cheaper, but still very expensive. But the best advise I can give is to use Zillow and search for the attributes you want.
You are NOT going to be able to buy one of those "tiny houses on wheels" and just plunk it down on a tiny lot and live in it happily ever after in NYS like they show on those HGTV shows, especially "close" to NYC in Westchester County. Those shows are totally unrealistic for NYS.
Every county in the state requires that all dwellings that are not connected to public water and/or sewer have an approved well and/or an approved septic. Even the Amish who have outhouses and use hand pumps have to conform to the state and county regs about sewage disposal. Seasonal cabins with running water are required to have septics, too. A well might cost just a few thousand dollars to put in but a septic system, depending upon what you've got under the surface, might cost in the five figures.
That's in addition to the cost of the land. If you need both a well and a septic, you need at least an acre, but most rural land is sold in multi-acre parcels. Out here in Redneck Heaven in the western Southern Tier, a parcel of 20 acres or more might go for $1500/acre but the smaller exurban-sized lots that are
around 5 acres, go for anywhere from $3 to 10K an acre. A land parcel with a well and approved septic in place will probably a whole lot more. So will any lot that has water and sewer at the street. You'll pay extra for lake or mountain views, and lake front lots, depending upon size and suitability, often run to six figures. Land in Westchester or the other Hudson Valley counties close to NY will cost you much more.
Oh, yeah, most towns in most counties have some kind of rudimentary zoning. There are minimal dwelling sizes. There may be severe restrictions on putting a trailer on any property, and that's what these "tiny houses on wheels" are -- overpriced trailers.
My suggestion is that if you want to live in a rural area in NYS "close" to NYC that you purchase an existing house. Buying and developing rural land is full of all kinds of issues that an inexperienced newbie can't even conceive of.
IMO, acquiring either suitable land or a house "on the cheap" in Westchester County is simply not possible.
You are NOT going to be able to buy one of those "tiny houses on wheels" and just plunk it down on a tiny lot and live in it happily ever after in NYS like they show on those HGTV shows, especially "close" to NYC in Westchester County. Those shows are totally unrealistic for NYS.
Every county in the state requires that all dwellings that are not connected to public water and/or sewer have an approved well and/or an approved septic. Even the Amish who have outhouses and use hand pumps have to conform to the state and county regs about sewage disposal. Seasonal cabins with running water are required to have septics, too. A well might cost just a few thousand dollars to put in but a septic system, depending upon what you've got under the surface, might cost in the five figures.
That's in addition to the cost of the land. If you need both a well and a septic, you need at least an acre, but most rural land is sold in multi-acre parcels. Out here in Redneck Heaven in the western Southern Tier, a parcel of 20 acres or more might go for $1500/acre but the smaller exurban-sized lots that are
around 5 acres, go for anywhere from $3 to 10K an acre. A land parcel with a well and approved septic in place will probably a whole lot more. So will any lot that has water and sewer at the street. You'll pay extra for lake or mountain views, and lake front lots, depending upon size and suitability, often run to six figures. Land in Westchester or the other Hudson Valley counties close to NY will cost you much more.
Oh, yeah, most towns in most counties have some kind of rudimentary zoning. There are minimal dwelling sizes. There may be severe restrictions on putting a trailer on any property, and that's what these "tiny houses on wheels" are -- overpriced trailers.
My suggestion is that if you want to live in a rural area in NYS "close" to NYC that you purchase an existing house. Buying and developing rural land is full of all kinds of issues that an inexperienced newbie can't even conceive of.
IMO, acquiring either suitable land or a house "on the cheap" in Westchester County is simply not possible.
^^This. and the septic cost isn't a 'might.' It's a 'certain.' The engineering/planning/surveying will cost you $10k before you pay a dime for the septic system itself.
I don't know if you'd be able to build a tiny house...but I think I get the spirit of what you are asking.
For the type of lifestyle you are looking for, Putnam county seems to be your best bet. I'd think you can find a mountain view up there. If I recall correctly, you can drive to the North White Plains train station in ~40 minutes if you are reasonably close to the Taconic parkway. Then from NWP to Grand Central is ~35 minutes. With waiting and walking that will bring you in at around 2 hours to NYC. You'd have to figure out how parking will work once you get to NWP. Not saying that this is an easy commute, but seems like the closest you'll get to what your looking for within 2 hours of NYC
I need some help here and was wondering if anyone here could help me. I currently live in Long Island, NY and I am in a desperate need of a change in my life. Ive recently looked into "tiny house" building and also "Shipping Container" building (which is my personal favorite). Im pretty new to these ideas so I dont know if this sort of building is allowed in certain towns/counties, and not in others.
I would really like to buy a small property in a town/county that is reasonably close to NYC (within 2 hours if thats not too nuts to ask); I dont need a lot of acres, just enough for a small home and a bit of yard for the dog to run around while Im grilling outside. I would love some sort of a view and be close to a town like setting! My sister lives in Oneonta and if it wasnt so far, Id be there in a heartbeat!!! The mountain/lake view is amazing.
I'm aware of the fact that I may be asking for too much but I am a novice so any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks!!
I would suggest Putnam Lake NY. It's on the border of Connecticut in the town of Patterson. Google Putnam Lake Homes for sale.
There was a piece of property there for as low as 10K (which I am guessing does not have a lake view) to 40K. The houses are fairly small many with two bedrooms, some more.
Homes there are about 120-175. Tiny Houses are not less than this.
I would suggest Putnam Lake NY. It's on the border of Connecticut in the town of Patterson. Google Putnam Lake Homes for sale.
There was a piece of property there for as low as 10K (which I am guessing does not have a lake view) to 40K. The houses are fairly small many with two bedrooms, some more.
Homes there are about 120-175. Tiny Houses are not less than this.
Just a warning about small lots on lakes, many of them are not buildable anymore. they were buildable 30 years ago, but septic regulations have changed a great deal. Houses near waterfronts have stricter rules than houses outside a shallow water table. Sometimes on a small lot with a steed drop into a lake, its impossible to build a residence of any type and its just usefull for day recreations or camping, but not construction. Look carefully and use a good realtor before you buy a small lot on a lake.
As said, a septic system is a must. I don't get the tone on here that this is some kind of ultra-restrictive New York requirement since virtually everywhere in the country a property with a permanent residence requires a septic system. Maybe some very unregulated rural areas in the west and Alaska are excepted, but it is the norm in the vast majority of the country.
And for what it's worth, there are many small container houses in New York State already. Most trailer-borne tiny houses in NYS are on properties that already have a developed structure such as a house or trailer/mobile home.
In range of NYC there are some towns that are very restrictive about anything that isn't gilt in gold and pearls, though so make sure you check ordinances carefully. A two hour range from NYC does include some beautiful natural areas with relatively permissive towns regulation-wise. I'd check Orange, Dutchess, and Ulster.
Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland are closer to the city, but way more expensive and far more intensively regulated. Many towns in these counties have architectural review boards that will put the kibosh on a project if they find the color of the roof tile distasteful.
My advice in a nutshell is to research the type of housing you like (trailer tiny home, container home) and reference them to New York State to see where they have already been built. Also research towns in the relevant counties that allow/have trailers and/or prefab homes. Finally, I would suggest buying a property that already has a trailer or little fixer-upper house on it since you can patch into the existing utilities.
Also, there are literally hundereds of little one bedroom houses around 100 years old, little more than glorified hunting cabins, in downstate that sit on the market because they don't appeal to the McMansion crowd. You may even find that one of these 'original tiny houses' is worth fixing up and living in. Then you have a nice home base to build the cntainer house of your dreams.
As said, a septic system is a must. I don't get the tone on here that this is some kind of ultra-restrictive New York requirement since virtually everywhere in the country a property with a permanent residence requires a septic system. Maybe some very unregulated rural areas in the west and Alaska are excepted, but it is the norm in the vast majority of the country.
And for what it's worth, there are many small container houses in New York State already. Most trailer-borne tiny houses in NYS are on properties that already have a developed structure such as a house or trailer/mobile home.
In range of NYC there are some towns that are very restrictive about anything that isn't gilt in gold and pearls, though so make sure you check ordinances carefully. A two hour range from NYC does include some beautiful natural areas with relatively permissive towns regulation-wise. I'd check Orange, Dutchess, and Ulster.
Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland are closer to the city, but way more expensive and far more intensively regulated. Many towns in these counties have architectural review boards that will put the kibosh on a project if they find the color of the roof tile distasteful.
My advice in a nutshell is to research the type of housing you like (trailer tiny home, container home) and reference them to New York State to see where they have already been built. Also research towns in the relevant counties that allow/have trailers and/or prefab homes. Finally, I would suggest buying a property that already has a trailer or little fixer-upper house on it since you can patch into the existing utilities.
Also, there are literally hundereds of little one bedroom houses around 100 years old, little more than glorified hunting cabins, in downstate that sit on the market because they don't appeal to the McMansion crowd. You may even find that one of these 'original tiny houses' is worth fixing up and living in. Then you have a nice home base to build the cntainer house of your dreams.
Waste treatment is possible in many ways. Septic are the most common because they are the cheapest, all you need is land, a tank and physics. They also treat human waste and waste water the same way, so its only a single system. Others usually require two systems, which is expensive and they usually require electricity or some other fuel. In mnay areas, you can install a private sewage treatment plant on your own property (ATU). In urban areas this is usually forbidden, but in rural areas, its usually allowed, its just expensive. Many lake communities have formed mini-districts, treating their own sewage as a group, to control costs. Other options to septic are waterless composting toilets, incinerating toilets, both of which are often not allowed, and both of which require a wastewater filtration and treatment system for bathing water before it is returned to the environment, but if allowed they are expensive too. I would check out all the options and have a contractor look at the location to see what is allowed and the costs. But it is certainly possible to do this.
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