[arel]

I've been thinking of buying a condo, since I deislike maintenence chores.

But I really prefer a house. I don't need a big one, though. A small house is easier to clean and cheaper to heat. Also, with a small house, there is a lower real estate tax to pay.

I wonder if you can get natural gas heating in Brattleboro. The houses I've looked at online seem to have oil or propane heating, if I remember correctly. But I didn't really study the listings for the type of heat.

I would love to have a house with solar heat and/or geothermal heat. I really want to be as green as possible. I read a post last night about geothermal energy and checked out some sites on the web. There's a guy in Illinois who builds underbround houses, using the earth as insulation. He had some nice designs. I didn't leave my name with him to get a price quote for a house in the northeast, though.

[Lilybeans]

Propane and natural gas are virtually the same thing. Natural gas is piped to your home through underground utilities. This is found in big cities. There are no underground utilities piping natural gas in VT, as far as I know.

Liquified petroleum gas, known as propane, is delivered to tanks at your home. That is what is used in VT, and most rural areas. Propane is distilled from natural gas.

[arel]

Thanks for the information. I didn't know that.

[flu189]

Actually we do have piped natural gas in Vermont, but limited in location and scope. Where I work in Colchester we use gas. Just look up the area utilities for the area you are interested in and confirm with them what their service boundaries are. As far as underground homes go there was a local article recently about someone that just had one built up in Milton I think. Again, through research you can find builders that can do the work, however, specialty work will carry a specialty price tag. For the vast majority of the working masses the tried and true insulate, caulk, replace old windows, keep the thermastat down is the only economically viable way to manage energy costs. My house has excellent southern exposure with ample roof space but there is no way I can afford to install a solar operating system at present. I assume this in the years to come could be an incentive for the next owner and if trends continue it could actually increase the value of the home.

[Brian26]

I believe there is a big difference between propane and natural gas. Propane I think is derived from petroleum while natural gas comes from the ground in natural gas fields. Propane prices seem to follow oil prices closely. A good portion of Franklin and Chittenden counties have natural gas service by Vermont Gas. I would guess that 80% of Burlington uses natural gas for heat. Vermont Gas gets their natural gas from Canada through a pipeline that comes down from Highgate. When I first moved into Burlington I couldnt believe how much cheaper my heating costs were in the winter from having used propane and oil in the past. I could not imagine what people must be paying right now with fuel oil at 3$ a gallon. I read our natural gas is 20% cheaper than the rest of New England and on my most recent bill the price actually went down per ccf. The most I have ever payed to heat my 2 bedroom 800sf apartment in Burlington was maybe 100$ for last Feb and I split that with my roomate. Electricity is also much cheaper in Burlington as its generated from woodchips.

[arel]

Wow. That sounds like some energy savings. I wonder what it is like down in Brattleboro. Gotta do some research.

Maybe I'll make my way up to the Burlington area eventually.....

[vtmetsfan]

Arel,

Have you done some detailed research of the Brattleboro and Burlington areas? What are the key reasons and selling points for choosing Brattleboro over Burlington? If you plan to commute frequently from Brattleboro to NYC, I can fully understand the time and cost savings.

As a NYer myself, I'm glad I chose the Burlington area. It made the transition to Vermont life quite seemless.

[arel]

Originally Posted by vtmetsfan

Arel,

Have you done some detailed research of the Brattleboro and Burlington areas? What are the key reasons and selling points for choosing Brattleboro over Burlington? If you plan to commute frequently from Brattleboro to NYC, I can fully understand the time and cost savings.

As a NYer myself, I'm glad I chose the Burlington area. It made the transition to Vermont life quite seemless.

I know that in many ways Burlington is a more appropriate place for a New Yorker than Brattleboro. It is also true that, although you are physically further away from New York in Burlington than you are in Brattleboro, you can take a 45 minute plane ride from Burlington right into any NYC airport. Of course, you need to add to that 45 minutes the trip to the airport, security, waiting, etc.

Several people on this forum have urged me to consider Burlington rather than Brattleboro. But I have my reasons right now for focusing on Brattleboro. For one thing, it is near the Pioneer Valley in western Massacusetts. It is also a small town with a more intimate community than I think I would find in Burlington. It is not a tiny hamlet, though; it is a regional hub. There are lots of educational institutions nearby, but Brattleboro is not a "college town" with rowdy, drunk teens and early twenty-somethngs to steer clear of. Also, there are lots of vibrant older people there. It is bohemian, but it is not a youth culture. Yes, there are aging hippies there. But these are people who held to their principles, and whose counterculture values are seeping into the mainstream.

But Brattleboro is a small town, with small town pleasures and small town issues. And then there is the small matter of that nuke plant upwind in Vernon. I read somewhere that if there were an accident there, the whole Brattleboro area would be uninhabitable for thousands of years. Although an accident is unlikely (or so I hope), there have been serious safety and infrastructure issues at the plant.

[vtmetsfan]

I gather from your response that you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. That's the same reason why I chose to flee NYC as well. It's good to know that you can take a break from all the hectic surroundings and slow things down if need be.

I have been to Brattleboro once for my wife's citizenship ceremony (sigh). We strolled around the downtown area, and thought it was cute. Has somewhat of a different feel compared to the Burlington area.

Bear in mind, there are suburbs of Burlington which do give you the small town feel. As for the rowdy hecklers, you do not have to go very far from UVM to get away from that scene.

[GypsySoul22]

Don't overlook the Upper Valley, Arel. (sorry to make your decision harder). We have several (three at least) good hospitals. Places in Claremont, NH seem to be always hiring for mental health professionals.

Of course if you lived in the Lebanon & WRJ & Hanover hub there is a free bus. This does ME no good because I am just over the river but it's something to consider (especially for winter). The bus does several runs to various towns and up to Dartmouth. (Still kicking myself it doesn't come here).

Shopping (if that concerns you) is very good in West Lebanon. People come from all over, so if you avoid Saturdays (or go early) it's nothing like NY shopping...(as far as crowds).

You could live on 'this side' of Vermont and be in Lebanon in 15 minutes, 25 to Hanover (because of traffic).

There are a lot of condos in this area for rent. You could get an apartment (like we did) to try it out. The other day we ventured to the country store for the first time. We're boycotting the local deli but there are several other alternatives for our weekly newspaper. (Moral to local shop keeps...don't be surly and DON'T try to rip off people).