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Except for perhaps a lot more laziness today and more red tape Government Regulations. And although I know some similar companies do such kits they are designed mostly for people with money instead of the bare bones most Craftsman Homes were designed to be.
The federal part of those regulations is HUD code for manufactured homes, which in its 2010 or so onward version actually has pretty tight energy efficiency and windstorm/durability rules and home manufacturers are actually pretty good at managing to encorporate those rules into affordable housing. The problem comes at the local level where people don’t want zoning to allow for ‘trailers’.
One hard part you’d get with reproducing those modern craftsman homes is that they were often built with really nice old growth trees and even with well-managed timber lands coming into play these days, you aren’t going to get the same wood quality these days at anything resembling an affordable price. The trees just aren’t there yet- a 4x4 isn’t even really a 4x4 anymore.
My sister is a younger Boomer (born in 1960) and I am Gen X. We are both married and have adult/almost adult children, but we've talked about this. If it ever so happens that we are both widowed, she will probably move in with me. I have always enjoyed her company and would much rather live with a sister than with one of my children--for their sake. I have taken care of elderly relatives and it was no fun; I don't want to put that burden on my kids. And sister would like to relocate from where she is now to my area, anyway.
My house is only 1300 square feet, so it's not too huge even if I end up alone here. It's within walking distance of many shops, parks, library, and other amenities, so even if unable to drive, I would not feel confined here as long as I was still walking. The weather is mild and it's a good place for the elderly to live.
As for needing special care, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Just, again, hoping to avoid having to depend on my kids for every little thing.
At least most of the boomers have children. Gen Z married at half the rate that boomers did. Even when Gen Z do marry it's much later in life, which means the woman is less fertile to begin with, and couples today have much smaller families than their parents did.
Just think about all of these Gen Z who are either confused about their own sexuality or shun the opposite sex. Many of them will go into old age childless, and many without a marriage partner. FWIW, Medicare does not cover assisted living.
Medicare generally does not cover assisted living. Original Medicare includes Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance). The other two “parts” of Medicare, Part C (Medicare Advantage) and Part D (prescription drug coverage), also don’t cover assisted living costs.
I know many, many boomers who don't have children, myself included. Aging alone is definitely a growing issue. Some of my friends talk about a Golden Girls type of arrangement down the road.
The federal part of those regulations is HUD code for manufactured homes, which in its 2010 or so onward version actually has pretty tight energy efficiency and windstorm/durability rules and home manufacturers are actually pretty good at managing to encorporate those rules into affordable housing. The problem comes at the local level where people don’t want zoning to allow for ‘trailers’.
One hard part you’d get with reproducing those modern craftsman homes is that they were often built with really nice old growth trees and even with well-managed timber lands coming into play these days, you aren’t going to get the same wood quality these days at anything resembling an affordable price. The trees just aren’t there yet- a 4x4 isn’t even really a 4x4 anymore.
Well you would have to make modern day approximations. You aren't going to get the old growth paneling and whatever. With materials now you can get a house that is as strong and a tighter seal and more efficient. Dimensional lumber isn't hard to get at all. Big posts and beams are harder to find and these days synthetics are becoming the norm for those.
I agree. Please share the book or documentary that created this perspective. It is true, beautiful, and sad. I want to read or hear this perspective to explain it just like you.
The problem with downsizing is that in some places the cost of selling a home is so high that you'll never recover the savings of moving into a smaller home. Furthermore, I don't think it costs too much more to run a larger home than a smaller one. Condos/townhomes in my area are as pricey as some much larger single family homes.
My home is fairly modest, so downsizing probably won't save me anything. The only compelling reason I can find to move is to find a home with a 1st floor master suite. While climbing up stairs is currently not an issue, I can see how my 2 story home could be problematic to navigate in the future.
I will be building a second home (smaller) on my land (10 acres) for the future and one of my sons who's a paramedic (lucky for my wife and I), will take over the big house. I'm gonna say probably in 5-10 years, I'm 70 and my wife is 64. Once the wanderlust subsides along with the boating, fishing, hunting... we'll settle down. I still think I'm gonna buy a Class C RV before it's all said and done. I do have to get rid of some toys... I've been told.
Right now we split our time between the beach condo (Hutchinson Island Florida https://www.google.com/search?q=hutc...zgKk0avABg)and living in the country. However... We rent the condo during the winter to people up north. I find the weather to be too cool for the beach, although boating is still an option. We spend our time there (near the ocean) in the warmer months. It's nice to have a Marina for my boat.
One thing I do not understand is the elderly holding on to two homes. I understand renting it and making money, but to keep them and spend money to keep them up. Ridiculous waste to me. I know many widowed ladies that do just that for years.
I have family close by, these folks are totally alone here.
Yeah, once we hit retirement age, the plan is to sell our primary home and take some of that money and turn our rural lakefront cottage into the primary residence.
As far as being alone at the end...well, it is what it is. Life isn't a Hallmark movie.
Hey, I fall into that group. I am GenX, divorced, and don't intend to ever marry again. I am only a little younger than my mom was when she became a widow (my dad died of cancer)... same with her mother who was also a widow in her 50s (my grandfather had a heart attack at work). And even my great grandmother who was a widow in her late 40s. These women all live into their 90s (almost to 100). They did just fine. So I really don't see how my situation is any different than being a widow. I don't expect my daughter to take care of me (although she jokes that she will move me into an in-law suite when I am too old to live alone).
Yeah, this is my dream home too (picture below). I found a plan for a cute one story, just under 1200 sq ft home (because it includes a garage) that I would love to build on some plot of land, maybe just outside a small town. It has one common room for kitchen, living room, and dining room, two bedrooms (I want a guest room), two baths, and porch to sit on out back in the summers. I've been looking for land to build it on but it's going to be a while before I move again.
Cool looking home. I'd need to bump that garage up to at least a 3 car, with the ability for a hoist, and up the square footage to 1800 or so.
Rather than concentrating on building McMansions through the years, we should have been concentrating on building reasonably sized small homes (and also NOT townhouses, apartments, and condos--i.e. "people warehouses") in small pocket neighborhoods for urban dwellers. There are such neighborhoods in various cities throughout the nation. They inevitably sell out very fast and go for a premium. The homes range from around 500 sq ft to around 1200 sq ft.
As an older single person who has no plans to ever get married again, anything larger is just too much house for me and makes no sense, logically. Once I am financially able (as in able to leave my job and move my butt out of here), I will be in around a 600 to 800 sq ft home in either a rural area or very small town.
actually, we need lots MORE "people warehouses".
In the US, homeownership peaks at ~ 2/3. That means 1 out of 3 people don't own a home they can retire in, die in, or even sell and use the proceeds to buy a small home. And the vast majority of "urban" land is already developed and can't handle additional (# of units) single family capacity. I suppose we could find sub-urban neighborhoods with transportation, shopping, and care options close by and take a 60+ year old "modest" home on a 1/2 acre lot and convert it to 10 small 1,000 sqft cottages (no garages) with minimal space for a road, driveways, etc...you're talking a ~2,000 sqft total lot size including all of that.
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