Housing update

I went back to FineLine homes yesterday and talked to the salesman I had been working with.  The two finalists that remain I am now looking at the customizations that they can do.  For the 24401 (the one with the hook), I am getting it quoted at the full 28' width for example.  I am mostly concerned with wall space in the living room to be honest, though having some extra space in the bedrooms and kitchen/dining area would be nice as well.  Just as a reminder this is the 24401:

They actually had the other finalist (the 24407, the blue one) mostly set up and I got to walk around in it.  The kitchen looks smaller in real life than it did in the floorplan.  The corner cuts out more of it than I thought.  The one they had was the full 48' long, which adds a few thousand to it, but seems worth it, the other two bedrooms didn't feel tiny.  I still need to figure out how exactly I am going to fit 48' long on my property, but I liked the space.  I didn't have a way to open the paneling for the water heater though (my drill has my 1/4 driver in it and was at home not in my toolbox that stays in the truck), so I didn't get a good look at whether or not the water filter would fit. 

The access panel

The second bath.

Their install crew did a poor job with the carpeting (or it wasn't complete yet, not sure which, the house wasn't 100% assembled).  Also of note, the closets for the other two rooms are not extended, but I would have space to either put a closet or something between the two rooms in the extended floorplan.

The master bath.

I thought the optional window (this is in the master bedroom) was an actual full size window.  I was on the fence about it since it would likely mean I have to put something in front of a window because of a lack of wallspace, but this is something I would definitely get.  

Master Bedroom.

This unit had the door in the utility room removed, and they added a sliding glass door in the dining area.  I really like that upgrade, I am not sure how much that costs though.

The kitchen.  I was told it comes with a fridge, but there isn't one there.  I would clarify that.  I like the almost excessive number of outlets too.

This is the corner that is cut out for the water heater and whatnot.  It looks big on this side.

Just as a reminder, this is the floorplan (albeit for the 44' long version, not the 48').  The 48' adds 2' to every BR and the dining area.

The one I looked at wasn't blue though.

I also got a few more answers: their lead time is currently about three months.  The islands and master bath showers come standard (those were options I would have wanted).  Everything is confirmed propane; the furnace and stove come set up for natural gas but everything comes with a propane conversion kit.

Small stuff update

This week has been pretty busy.  Monday I went to Tim's retirement party; he is moving to RI pretty soon.  The other two nights I went and picked up some AC's.  This time of year is great since they were free.  I got a bigger one for the living room and a smaller one for the bedroom.  I still have my old window unit in the shed too, assuming the mice haven't molested it too much.  Even they would have a tough time fitting through the plastic grille though, so hopefully it is fine.  That should hopefully be sufficient for next summer.  I intend to eventually get central air, but that probably won't be this summer.

Over the course of the week, parts have started trickling in for the camper/cap.  The hinges for the windows are here, the big hinge for the front, and the handles for the windows.  I ordered a gasket to use instead of the aluminum flashing tape, which is due in at the end of the week or early next week.  I still need some grommets and spacers, but those I can get at Home Depot.  

I have one of the guys coming out next to look at the power situation, so I should have the quote for that and a quote for the trailer set up early next week.  I still haven't heard back from the excavation company, I might call them to remind them to check their email.  We are getting 6-10" of snow this afternoon and tomorrow and more next week, so he won't be able to see much if he comes to look at the place, just snow.  If their GC fee at FineLine homes isn't too much, I might also just make it their problem.

One nice thing about this time of year is that I am driving in during sunrise.  The sunrise this morning was gorgeous, and I got to drive in watching the sky constantly changing color. 

Winter projects:

• Knock down the dead knotweed. 
• Winterize equipment.  Fire up the generator

• Get the building permit.
• Complete detailed house plans.
• Work with La Valley to get a concrete contractor.  Get the plan/schedule in place. 
  
• Design future method of travel.  Consider building the prototype.
  
• Shed floor.
• Shed windows.
• Fix generator box.  Decide/do something about power center.
  
• Clear/mark walking trails.

Chilly weekend. I really need a heated garage.

Friday I went and picked up the flashing pieces that I ordered.  Saturday morning I went out and installed them.  

It was pretty chilly on Saturday, only barely making it into the 20s with a stout north wind.  I read the instructions on the flashing tape though, and you are only supposed to use it when it is over 40.  Considering that it is shiny and I will want to paint it so it isn't obnoxious, The cap might be getting into stalled territory until we get some warmer weather.  It is supposed to be in the mid 40s later this week, maybe I will paint and install it then.  I guess worst case I could just run my kerosene heater blowing at it for a few hours while the paint dries and adhesives cure or something.  Less than ideal, but I won't have to wait for spring for it.  It would be nice if I had a heated garage

I didn't really do much else on Saturday, but convinced myself to do more on Sunday.  Sunday was still chilly, but less windy and more sunny.  I actually opened up skirting for a bit so I could measure the offsets for the utilities, since I wanted to push the slab further back when I get it redone.  I will have plenty of space to do that.  The the septic drain is behind the axle, and the axles are more than I would push it back anyways.  I was thinking of pushing it back 12', which should be more than enough to allow me to turn the truck around.  Looks like I could go 14'-16' before I had to get serious about measuring.

I would have to keep an eye on the electric as well.  That might be the determining factor actually.  Although I guess there is nothing preventing me from moving the exterior panel onto a post and then running new wires inside.  This is all the spare wire that there is.

I just took a quick look while I was under there.  It is still remarkably clean underneath, no pools of water or anything which is good.  

The wheels look rough.  Really rough.  They were dryrotted when I brought the trailer home 7 years ago.  They were still inflated though, even after all these years.  I will still replace them though.

After that, I went and walked along my stream for a bit.  

I also checked my propane.  I will need to get a hold of the propane company at some point to get the tanks moved, though I have plenty until then.

Since it was too cold to do any more work on the cap, I decided to go out and work on knocking down the knotweed.  Here is what it looked like.  

The whole area is now cleared though.  I also chopped the bigger stalks up a bit.

I did have a casualty though.  Fortunately I was almost done when this happened.  

I also put some salt down since it was originally supposed to be nice the next couple of days, and I was hoping it would melt everything down.

Naturally though, since I did that, we got another few inches of snow last night.  Ugh.  We have had some pretty sunsets the last couple of days though.  

I will be sending out requests for quotes at some point today for the water system and the site work, to get those rolling.  I completed the knotweed task though, so that is done.  I contemplated starting on the shed windows, but then I got lazy.  

Winter projects:

• Knock down the dead knotweed. 
• Winterize equipment.  Fire up the generator

• Get the building permit.
• Complete detailed house plans.
• Work with La Valley to get a concrete contractor.  Get the plan/schedule in place. 
  
• Design future method of travel.  Consider building the prototype.
  
• Shed floor.
• Shed windows.
• Fix generator box.  Decide/do something about power center.
  
• Clear/mark walking trails.

Short house update.

I visited FineLine homes today primarily to make sure that mobile home prices hadn't gone insane since I last visited over the summer, and actually got a pleasant surprise; they have decreased since my last look.  On average, the prices I got this time were around $8k less.  The ones I was primarily looking at though (the finalists) were only about $7k less though, primarily since I am looking at smaller ones I would guess.  

Some other answers I got:

• How much is their GC fee?

• The guy was hesitant to sign up for this, but I didn’t talk to the sales guy, I talked to the owner.

• Lead time?

• He didn’t have an answer, but didn’t seem worried about my May timeframe

• How much is it going to cost to get the circuit added for the well, get the water filter installed?

• He gave me a contractor to get a quote from

• Are they willing to coordinate with the electric company to get the service upgraded to 200A?

• I will have to ask the electrical contractor.

• Any rough estimates for concrete work? Keep in mind they will have to demo the existing slab.

• He gave me an excavation guy I will need to call.

• Appliance package cost?  Does it include everything? (DW, fridge, washer/dryer?)

• It includes a small (14 cubic foot) fridge, DW, and stove.  This is included, and doesn’t cost extra.

• Is the hot water heater and stove electric?

• The hot water is electric.  The stove is gas.

• Is the furnace fuel oil?  If so, does it come with a tank or anything?  

• He said gas but was unclear if it was propane or fuel oil.  He implied propane.

• Can I get the house without the furnace?  Do I still have the ducting if I do that?

• Didn’t ask, and to be honest, not really considering.

• Do the houses come wired for cable/ethernet?

• It comes with a single cable line to the living room, so I will have to wire the place.

The main surprises were that it comes with basic appliances (all but the washer and dryer), and that the furnace and stove were propane, so the place is already plumbed for gas. While I may eventually move to all electric if I make the place go completely off-grid, gas is preferred until then. He implied that the furnace is propane, so I won't need to buy a fuel oil tank and whatnot for a furnace I will be yanking out in another year or two. Propane is a bit more expensive than fuel oil though.

This is the one I am currently thinking of going with:

The 40' one is not available.  The other one, the one with the really big kitchen, is still an option, though without a place to put the water filter, it would require sizable modifications before I could live in it, so even though I really like (and prefer) the large kitchen and the island to the hook kitchen here, this one is more practical.  I can probably add a rolling island or something to this, it just won't have power. 

The finalist packet can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-L7avRMk4yTmoizv_NYon1_JEuu1iQscxp0H7G5IR2s/edit?usp=sharing

I picked up some flashing tape from Home Depot for the cap, but haven't done anything with it during the week.  The current plan is to put flashing tape down on the outside of the framing first, then put the acrylic on top of that.  I also ordered all the hinges and stuff for the windows, but they won't be here until next week.  I need to submit for quotes and stuff for the excavation and other stuff this weekend though, so I have stuff to do in case I run out of materials again.  I also need to start shopping around for mortgages.  

Cap can now live outside.

I spent most of the weekend working on the cap and mulling/researching for the home front. After doing my shopping on Friday, which included running to Home Depot to get the roofing materials, I also shoveled off the slab.  Since the tractor is buried underneath the cap, I had to shovel it by hand.  

Saturday morning I did a little more clearing.  The snow was still quite pretty on Saturday as the sun rose over the hill.  

While I waited for everything to thaw (it was nice but a bit chilly this weekend), I went and finished putting the brackets in.  I have all the L braces installed now, minus one set for the windows which is probably not necessary, but I have completely cleaned Home Depot out of L braces at this point.

Once the ice had melted, I dragged the cap back out and dry fitted the roofing to make sure there were no egregious errors in my materials selection.  I found out that I apparently had forgotten that I brought all my spare parts to KY, since I thought I had a spare half pack of the plastic supports which I couldn't find.  

I tried cutting the flashing (which isn't actually flashing, but I am using it that ways anyways) with the miter saw.  It did it without breaking/shattering, but it wasn't clean.  I think the blade on my miter saw is too coarse, since I cut the rest of it with my circular saw without issue.  

I discovered one flaw in my plan.  I had bought enough linear feet of side flashing to come down over the sides with complete coverage, but it involved cutting one of the pieces in half (the cap is 10' long and they come in 4' sections).  The problem with that is that the last piece, the one cut in half, ends up only being attached in one spot, which means it will vibrate and tear off when driving down the road.  I ordered two more pieces and will fix that when they come in.  

But other than those pieces, I spent most of Sunday everything on the roof is attached.  I unfortunately am about 5 roofing screws short, but I couldn't find any of my spares.  I am guessing I brought them down with the support strips and all that stuff.  I will pick up another box when the flashing pieces come in.

I also started to cut the polycarb for the windows, but quickly realized that I haven't actually finished that part of the design.  I got the front window cut out, but I need to figure out how I am going to flash it before I install it; do I just install it on top of a gasket, should I put aluminum flashing down first, and so on.  I didn't use PT lumber to build it, so I will want to protect the lumber as much as possible.  I also have more spare roofing material if anyone needs it.  I don't think Dad ever put up the last batch I brought down, but there is more here if you want it.  

The roofing is on, so the cap can live outside now, which is good.  I need to order the hinges and stuff, I am rapidly running out of materials, but most of the rest of the parts will need to be ordered online, they aren't parts that Home Depot carries.  

The update for the house is that I am leaning towards a mobile home.  Looking through the mobile home options packet I made, I think I have narrowed it down to three homes: the Northwood A24407

Advantage A34025 (if it is available)

Northwood B24401.  This one is the leader.  I think they had one of these set up last time I visited.  I am a little unsure about the hook but at least on paper it looks like one of the better layouts.  

 

I could only find three other places that would put up a prefabricated shell in NH.  I don't understand why NH is often excluded by these places; I found more than one that delivered to every state around NH but not NH.  One of those three said they wouldn't put up a structure on a slab with utilities in it.  I inquired as to why and if they would flex on that given my plans but haven't gotten an answer.  The other two were just as expensive as La Valley.  Dad also recommended I look into log home kits.  In general they are quite a bit more expensive on the materials end, but I would be assembling the kit myself.  I watched a couple of videos of them being assembled though, and I am not sure that it is something that I could do in a couple of weekends, at least not without renting a lot of equipment.  They assembled one down the road from me, and it took a full crew most of the summer, though that one is bigger than what I would buy.  I might go talk to them if I can find them there.  Given that single floor ones are still the same cost as a mobile home though, I am not leaning that way though.  Most of them aren't just shells as well, so I would have to be careful.

Bed is once again solid.

Last night's task was mostly getting the futon fixed.  Annoyingly, they did only send me the absolute minimum required to fix it.  The back decking wasn't even complete (it was missing the end boards), so I had to disassemble the old one and take parts and put them on the new one.  It is especially annoying when there is no space.  The box and the mattress and my deacon's chair were blocking the other side of the house, and the parts were blocking the door, and I still had no room to work.  Imagine that, tiny homes are tiny...

It is fixed though, and it feels solid again.  Since I never stand it up (it requires two people when the mattress is on it), I am considering taking some spare 1x3 and clamping it in the middle to make the two pieces more rigid and attached to help prevent it from breaking again in the future.

I also noticed last night that there is a beeping from my space heater occasionally when it is running, and I have started smelling the cooking electronics.  It is the exact same model (and same age) as the one that already failed.  I might look at getting a spare just in case.  I can heat the place with only one space heater (I haven't turned on the other one in over a week) except when it is really cold.  It isn't a bad idea to have a spare though.  Since if it fails, it will do it when it is below 0 outside and one can't keep up.

We are getting more snow today.  It had started when I got up this morning, but it is only supposed to be a couple inches.  Our snow coverage was down to ~10%, most of which was where the snowblower threw  it.  I will probably clear the slab so I can work on the cap this weekend, but I don't expect I will clear anything else.  Only maybe the bank at the end of the road.  

On the home front, I have been mulling things over.  I am beginning to warm up to the mobile home idea.  I have never been a huge fan of another 5 year construction commitment, and it isn't like I can't put an extension or porch on or build the garage myself if I get the itch to build things next year.  

Winter projects:

• Knock down the dead knotweed. 
• Winterize equipment.  Fire up the generator

• Get the building permit.
• Complete detailed house plans.
• Work with La Valley to get a concrete contractor.  Get the plan/schedule in place. 
  
• Design future method of travel.  Consider building the prototype.
  
• Shed floor.
• Shed windows.
• Fix generator box.  Decide/do something about power center.
  
• Clear/mark walking trails.

Bad news on the new house front.

I went and did a bunch of errands during/after work yesterday.  The first of which was to and get the final answers from La Valley.  The bad news is that the set up cost, which I had assumed was only a few grand (all my spreadsheets had it listed at $5k) is about $78k.  Some other things I learned: additional windows (it comes with 7) are $250 apiece.  Additional doors (it only comes with 1) are $500 apiece.  It takes 2 weeks to set up the shell.  There is currently an 8-10 week lead time.  I am currently looking into a couple of alternatives to La Valley as well, though there aren't many that serve NH.

That setup cost throws a huge wrench into the plans.  So yesterday afternoon I revisited my mobile homes document, and I think I will be making another trip down to FineLine Homes (the dealer) and making sure their prices haven't done anything stupid.  Just as a refresher, that document is available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dJYcN3IxmtNkjRoJp90_w1lmRJyozsoqfOYdaoYQGkw/edit?usp=sharing

I also spent a little time this morning re-running the numbers.  I don't really know how to assess the value after it is completed, but I poked around on Zillow and found something that seemed reasonable.  The higher setup cost is a bigger deal than it sounds since it has ripple effects.  It nearly doubles the mortgage that I would have to get, which means that I won't have a couple thousand spare in my budget every month, which means that finishing the house could end up being funds limited instead of time limited.  The fact that mortgage rates have more than doubled in the last two years doesn't help either.  This is the rundown of those numbers (which are in the house cost spreadsheet found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1of4w616ubED7IKwuVprNup7BjnlXKA95wPjGLvukh84/edit?usp=sharing).  You should be able to blow it up to read it

I also did a pros/cons of the two approaches (this is in the same spreadsheet as the prior chart).  The short version is that the highs for building my own were very high, but the cons to it are pretty major.  The mobile home is the inferior house albeit not bad, but is far far easier and is cheaper.

On a more positive note: it took a month, but the replacement parts for my futon came in.  I went and picked them up at lunch today.  You may recall from earlier posts that currently the futon frame is held together with clamps and tape.  This box looks like the box the whole frame came in, so I am wondering if they just sent me a whole new frame.  The fact that all the straps and stuff have been removed makes me wonder if the store just ordered a replacement frame and took the rest of the parts out of it though.

I also stopped at Home Depot and picked up the brackets, so I should be able to make some progress on the truck cap this week.  I am waiting for a nice day to go pick up all the roofing and plexiglass (they got it back in stock).  Those things stick to each other real bad if they get wet.  It is supposed to be really nice this weekend though so hopefully I can complete the skeleton of the cap so I can leave it outside.  Right now it is basically hanging on the tractor in the carport so it doesn't get wet.  So basically just continuing to work on things that were already listed as in progress.

Winter projects:

• Knock down the dead knotweed. 
• Winterize equipment.  Fire up the generator

• Get the building permit.
• Complete detailed house plans.
• Work with La Valley to get a concrete contractor.  Get the plan/schedule in place. 
  
• Design future method of travel.  Consider building the prototype.
  
• Shed floor.
• Shed windows.
• Fix generator box.  Decide/do something about power center.
  
• Clear/mark walking trails.