House hunting, what's acceptable for a DU Dem to buy?

[bigbrother05]

Is it ok to buy here in a red SW state where our current home and job is?

Is it ok to buy what we can afford or should we tithe to the candidate of choice?

Is it ok to build new ("green" or spec) or should we restore existing with salvaged materials?

Is it ok to buy with an eye on resale (location, schools, services, taxes) or only enough sq ft (how much is enough per person?) and land to accommodate our minimal needs?

These are all things we need help with because we value our place in this community.

Thanks in advance for your advice and concern.

[Liberal Veteran]

1. Buy whatever suits you and your own conscience and values.

And to hell with people who want to thumb their noses at you because they don't approve because your house isn't "green enough" or "recycled enough" or "in the wrong neighborhood" or such.

If you live your life trying to please everyone else and live up to their values you'll just end up pleasing nobody.

[A HERETIC I AM]

2. In my opinion, what's acceptable is buying what YOU want.

Buy what you are comfortable with. Buy what you want. From a purely personal economic point of view, buy what you can afford.

You don't ask others opinions on what groceries or appliances or cars to buy, do you?

I understand the question and i appreciate the sentiment but at the end of the day, why would you care what a group of people who you (mostly) know only as screen names thinks is an acceptable abode?

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

3. Anything You Want. n/t

[noahmijo]

4. You shouldn't care what DU thinks it's your house

No offense to DU but I wouldn't let even God (if he/she exists) decide ANY matter for me let alone a group of other human beings.

[lectrobyte]

5. Only you can decide on how to live your life. But since you asked for

some advice, http://www.energybulletin.net/24399.html

Good luck with your decision.

[nevergiveup]

6. Some of the most progressive,

and tolerant folks I know have wealth. I think this is all silly.

[geomon666]

7. The people bitching are not the majority here.

I don't know why they're getting attention but it really should stop.

[lectrobyte]

10. Agreed. All this divide and conquer. We need to unite. Somehow. Soon.

[hashibabba]

8. Deleted post. I've already made my comments on other threads.

[notadmblnd]

9. buy one with a hot tub like this

[uppityperson]

11. Oh that is a wonderful picture. Thank you.

I would use supports a bit more sturdy, but that's just me.

[jmowreader]

43. That's like the picture that surfaces here occasionally

of the guy's fishin' boat.

He made it all by himself out of two sheets of styrofoam insulation taped (and presumably glued) into long pontoons, a piece of plywood on top of the pontoons, a folding aluminum lawn chair on top of the plywood, and an electric trolling motor he probably got at a flea market to push it. People post that picture and go "look at the stupid freeper." (Okay, the dude looks like one of the extras from Deliverance. That doesn't help matters any.)

I think he's one of the smarter freepers around. That foam sells for ten dollars a sheet, the motor probably cost $20, the battery that runs it $30 if he got a new one, the rest of the stuff he already had...sixty bucks and he can have fun fishin' where the fish actually are for a long, long time.

[notadmblnd]

45. I haven't seen that one

Can't remember where I got this photo. But what makes it funny to me is that I've actually done things like this and haven't had the smarts to take the picture. I just like it and it makes me smile.

[Seabiscuit]

12. Maybe you should just learn to think for yourself. You don't need DU's approval.

[havocmom]

14. Thinkin that is exactly what the OP is doing - thinking for themself

And pokin a stick in some pretty judgemental eyes in other threads around here ;)

[Seabiscuit]

23. That's not the impression I got -

The OP was begging for DU's *approval* before making any choices on his own.

[BlooInBloo]

40. Sheesh.

[bigbrother05]

26. Figured that a "thinker" would get it.

And thanks to Will Pitt, et al for a good laugh. Thought some of us could use a break.

[leftofthedial]

13. buy in accordance with your values

don't, for example, preach environmental responsibility and then buy a house that exorbitantly wastes energy and resources. Don't preach economic justice and then buy the home of an economic elitist.

You are either of the earth or you are not. You are either of the people or you are not.

[WilliamPitt]

15. There is only one appropriate answer to this question.

Anything else and you're an elitist, greedy, earth-killing bag of pus.

Or so I hear.

[A Simple Game]

17. Oh my God, how many trees did you kill for that box? n/t

[frylock]

19. where was that box manufactured?

Union shop or China? Is it made from recycled material?

[WilliamPitt]

20. Slow-roasted tofu-generated poo from my own body

No butt-hairs were harmed in the making of this box.

[leftofthedial]

21. that damned well better be recycled biodegradable soy fiber in that box

you greed-head

[mondo joe]

16. What do you mean BUY? If you are not constructing it yourself with recycled poop

and Nation magazines, you have already lost yourself to the corporate overseers.

[kestrel91316]

18. Judging from your name I suspect you don't care one whit about

environmental impact OR impact on society OR what anyone else thinks.

Just remember it's YOUR conscience you will have to live with if in the future you realize any selfish decisions in this regard that you make could come back to destroy your future or that of your descendants.

Let your own conscience be your guide.

[Crabby Appleton]

22. depends, are you running for president?

[trashcanistanista]

24. Yes, if you don't plan on

being a presidential candidate, you can get whatever your little heart desires.

[jmowreader]

25. This is the house that's acceptable for a DU Dem to buy

It should be large enough for your PROJECTED family needs. If you have one child and want three, get a house large enough for three children now so you don't have to "trade up."

It needs to be in a neighborhood you like that's reasonably close to schools, work and shopping. Don't buy a house 45 miles from your job unless your job's in Beverly Hills or someplace similarly expensive--then, obviously, you're going to have to commute since Will Pitt's refrigerator box is worth $900,000 in Beverly Hills.

It needs to be energy efficient. Your minimum DU-recommended insulation levels are:

Ceiling: R-60
Walls: R-22 (high-performance insulation for 2x6 stud walls)
Floor: R-30 in a warm climate, R-49 in a cold climate
Windows: Low-E glass in warm climates, Low-E with Argon fill in cold climates. Frames should be either vinyl or wood--they have the same thermal performance.
Doors: Only accept fiberglass doors.

Make sure the siding is fiber-cement. This is fireproof siding (it's made out of concrete, it damn well BETTER be fireproof!) that will not rot and only needs to be painted once every fifteen years.

The roof system needs one square foot of vent area for each 150 square feet of attic floor space. Use synthetic slate roofing if you can afford it. It is made from ground-up car tires and no one's really sure how long it will last--most accelerated-wear tests stop after 50 simulated years, and the roofing is still good at the end of the test. Besides, it looks seriously cool. Your roof deck has to be thicker than 1/2" to handle this stuff--I recommend 23/32" CDX plywood.

Paint the house with Sears Weatherbeater Ultra paint, which contains polyurethane. It has a very long life.

Trees along the southern exposure. Lots of trees.

Most DUers would recommend some sort of solar collector. If you can swing it, great.

The only acceptable drywall is Georgia-Pacific DensArmor, which is mold-resistant, even-more-fireproof fiberglass-faced paperless drywall Great stuff.

You REALLY want to build new so you can be sure the house is built with high-quality materials and there's nothing weird hidden in there, like dead bodies or shitty materials.

[petronius]

27. Wow! The DU rules have gotten a lot more detailed since the last time I looked...

:rofl:

I think I'll bookmark this post for future home-buying reference...

[Rosemary2205]

28. Excuse me but it's irresponsible to have kids.

Humans just mess up the planet. At the maximum you are permitted ONE child and if you happen to have twins then you just have to spend the rest of your life apologizing to the world.

:sarcasm:

[Neshanic]

29. Good list, and again, it is doing what you can manage. Every bit helps.

The instant hot water at the sinks saves hundreds of gallons, and water heater use if solar is too expensive for you.

[Wcross]

32. I bought 40 miles from my job.

Houses near my job are on 1/4 or 1/8th of an acre and are 1800- 3000sqft. They have them priced from 140k to 300k.
I bought a home that is 680sqft on 15 acres for 54,000 dollars 40 miles from work. I will not live in a "people farm" as I call subdivisions. I will not live somewhere because it is "close to work", work is just something I have to do to eat.

[depakid]

30. How about just being responsible

and living modestly, doing a little research and taking steps to reduce your ecological footprint.

Is that too much to ask?

Personally, when I chose a place to live, I made sure it was near public transportation- but there are tons of other little things like that which will suit anyone's community.

[Neshanic]

31. Exactly. So you can see the inanity of changing bulbs in a house of gargantuan size.

This is lost on the Edwards gang.

[DainBramaged]

33. Why must we live in cardboard boxes and wear sack cloth to be worthy?

This whole premise is bullshit. If I hit the lottery, I'll have a huge ass house and no one is going to tell me I'm not fucking pure enough to deserve it. And it would be green too. Solar, geo-thermal, made from composites.

Of course I'd give most of my money away to worthy causes, but I'll be damned if a few will determine my future.

Read my signature line. It says it all.

[Neshanic]

35. "And it would be green too. Solar, geo-thermal, made from composites."

Just on the geothermal you would be ahead of the Edwards house.

[WillyT]

34. Apparently, You Have To Live In A Yurt

A 500 square foot yurt.

:evilgrin:

[Harper_is_Bush]

36. If you're planning on running for President, just be smart about it...

don't go to huge, for example, because today more than ever Global Warming has become a litmus issue that you need to pass.

[Neshanic]

39. You can go huge, just be smart on how it's designed. That's all.

and back it up by showing it.

Not brain surgery.

[mondo joe]

53. Global Warming has become a litmus test for what % of voters?

Seriously?

[JVS]

37. I think that as long as you are going for the most grotesque display of wealth you can find you'll..

be approved of by most of the DU community.

Remember that there are two Americas and it is very important that you eliminate any doubt in people's minds that you belong in the "better" one.

[BlooInBloo]

38. I'll be fucking damned the day DUers get a say in anything I purchase. Fucking nebby WATBs.

[Crabby Appleton]

41. this

or take your pick from here:

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses.htm

and don't forget to have it built by union labor

[jmowreader]

48. That guy's prices are WAY jacked up

If you want to do THAT...we at The Home Depot sell installed sheds. One of them is a two-story shed that can be purchased in many sizes, from 16'x 16' to 16' x pretty much as long as you want it; the 16' x 16' version is less than $8000. Many of the people who buy this shed don't use it as a shed--they get it built with house windows (we use storm windows on the standard model) and a regular entry door for about $8500, then insulate it, wire and plumb it, and wind up with a real nice little mother-in-law cottage for around $16,000.

Four hundred square feet of floor space for $16,000 sounds a lot better to me than 200 sf for $36,000.

[RiverStone]

42. How about in what ever you buy...

You do so paying attention to building energy-wise and eco-friendly as possible - being mindful of conserving along the way :)

As far as the rest of the "rules" - well, I'm sure you know what to do with those (i.e. throw em in the recycling bin).


http://www.gocarbonzero.com/


Cheers~

[rpgamerd00d]

44. Buy whatever the fuck you want, and tell everyone who gets upset about it to fuck off.

Nuff said.

[depakid]

46. Nuff said indeed

Prototypical American attitudes that will one day come back to haunt us.

Or more likely, our children.

Not that it would matter to a certain set of people for whom the unsustainable "American way of life is non-negotiable."

[rustydog]

47. I'll buy what I want, what I can afford, where ever I damn well please

I'll also sell my house to who ever qualifies. I don't care about tehir religion, color or politics.

[Clark2008]

49. Buy what you can afford - it's none of my business.

However, if you start to run for president and saber-rattle in favor of a war with Iran, or run on a platform of helping the poor without ever introducing any similar legislation when you were a senator for six years, then don't expect me to support you.

:hi:

[DuaneBidoux]

50. "should" you say? Whatever an individual can afford and desires. Liberty still counts.

[ileus]

51. Buy what and where you want...

[mondo joe]

52. Personally, I think whatever you can afford that meets your desires, provided

you break no laws in doing so. :-)

[kineneb]

54. Dudes, I got my doublewide and 1/4 acre, out in the boonies

I am happy. We live on $14K/yr. (SSDI). Next question?

Live simply, that others may simply live.

[WI_DEM]

55. don't worry about the busy bodies

yeah, Edwards builds this big house but doesn't have any social conscience, that is pure bunk. He's the only one talking about poverty in any real way. He can do what he wants and you can do what you want.

[Nye Bevan]

56. That depends

Are you planning on running for office, with a main theme of your campaign being the divide between rich and poor Americans?

If so, then you should exercise simple common sense. It might be prudent, for example, not to buy the biggest house in the state.

If not, then buy whatever you like.

[SammyWinstonJack]

57. House hunting and car buying. No McMansion, unless you are Edwards and absolutely No

SUVs! :evilgrin: The hypocrisy staggers the imagination!