What's your living preference - Urban, Suburban or Rural?

[RootBeerMan]

I'd love a larger garage. Designers and builders seem to not understand the concept of having a large garage to accompany a large house.

Well, you could always contract with a builder to add on to the existing one. They do things like that, ya know. And, if you decide to build your next house, rather than buy pre-built, you can specify for a larger garage. I'd like a bigger one, too frankly, but my lot won't allow for it. I'd have to tear out the whole house and start from scratch.

 

[0388631]

-go figure; your preferences will and should change. 4example; there is a stubborn long lasting drought in the western US. Difficult supplying water to your mountain home. Home owners insurance is high because of the fire danger.

Depends on the county. Some counties require you to connect to the main water system. But, I agree with your assessment on mountain homes in general. Sure, they're very pretty, but I'm not a fan. There are so many issues you need to take into consideration and you risk fire and slide damage. I think people have figured this much out here and now would rather buy flatland homes. The tables have turned. So, now, a flatland house will fetch 3-6M over a 1-3M mountain home of the same size and style. Add more to that value if it's got a full basement, finished or not. Otherwise, crawl space. Homes with neither cost less but cost more in the future if you need to do work that would otherwise not require you to tear everything apart.
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Well, you could always contract with a builder to add on to the existing one. They do things like that, ya know. And, if you decide to build your next house, rather than buy pre-built, you can specify for a larger garage. I'd like a bigger one, too frankly, but my lot won't allow for it. I'd have to tear out the whole house and start from scratch.

Already checked. City will only zone going back, and that would mean tearing a portion of the yard with stuff I can't easily move. Even new builds have this problem. I don't think a lot of people then when most of these homes were built or right now can connect the dots. Specifically, if the average home has, say, six bedrooms, then you might want more than 2-3 car spaces in the garage. They just presume you'd park right outside the garage. Which some people do, but anyone with a brain knows that messes with the car's finish and exterior bits.

The second home we bought in the area has the same issue, and it's a bit newer than our first house. Let me put it into perspective for you. There are homes 3-4x larger than ours, on huge estates, and the garages are either 2-3 car spaces or no garage at all. It's even more amusing when you consider the type of vehicles the owners of those homes own and drive.

 

[Clix Pix]

A friend lives in a condominium apartment complex where for extra money, a prospective owner can also purchase a garage, too. Interestingly enough, both she and I have noticed that most of the people --at least right around her section of the complex -- seem to use their garages for extra storage and still park their cars out in the main parking lot!

 

[0388631]

A friend lives in a condominium apartment complex where for extra money, a prospective owner can also purchase a garage, too. Interestingly enough, both she and I have noticed that most of the people --at least right around her section of the complex -- seem to use their garages for extra storage and still park their cars out in the main parking lot!

That's standard practice for any condo that offers such amenities. Though I've seen it in the form of long term storage with a solid rolling door. Usually situated in walls.

 

[Clix Pix]

This same friend doesn't have a garage for storage, but her brother, who lives in another state, seems to have a fixation with renting storage units and I think he's got three or four now. Not sure what all he's got in them, but apparently he feels that the stuff is important enough to retain and store as opposed to selling or giving away..... Whatever. We all have different priorities.....

At the time I bought and was preparing to move into my current condo unit from a townhouse, I rented a storage unit temporarily to hold stuff so that I could more comfortably unpack in here and get things organized before bringing in more stuff or deciding that I didn't need that stuff after all. Over the next several months as I was ready, I brought stuff over from the storage unit and assimilated it into the condo or decided that I wasn't going to need to keep or use xyz item after all, and either sold or gave it away. Once I was done, that was it and I no longer needed to rent a storage unit at all. My theory is that if you think you need a storage unit to keep stuff that you're not even using, stashing it in there for a long time, sometimes years, how likely is that that you are ever going to use it again at all? Why pay out good money to just store stuff you don't even see and use any more?

 

[0388631]

I see what you mean. I share a similar view. I simply don't see a point. The worst is how those storage shows glorified what could be lurking in there. No, never. I've happened across more high-value first edition books and paintings through garage sales than anywhere else. Even with the internet, no one really bothers looking anything up.

 

[Tech198]

always wanted to be in the open road, away from everything... Perhaps that will come eventually.

 

[twietee]

Preferably urban for 2/3 of the year and rural for the rest of the time.

Never sub-urban. Have already a hard enough time to enjoy visiting friends 'out there'..

 

[lowendlinux]

I posted these in the alternatives section for a different subject but...the cat is a picture off the balcony of my home in Germany..the pond is the front yard of my parents house in SW Michigan, both are perfect

 

[WinkWink726]

I'd love a larger garage. Designers and builders seem to not understand the concept of having a large garage to accompany a large house.

Agree!
I guess they figure that if you can buy a nice, new, big house, then you're probably paying someone to wrench on your car/truck when needed, and don't require the extra space

 

[0388631]

Agree!
I guess they figure that if you can buy a nice, new, big house, then you're probably paying someone to wrench on your car/truck when needed, and don't require the extra space

It has more to do with a land premium and grading. Most counties are anal when it comes to building out a garage because it has to be heavily graded, leveled, etc and a deep foundation to prevent any contamination, blah blah blah. My perfect idea of a solid garage is somewhere between 1600-2000 sq. feet. Cabinetry and a separate room. It's enough for six cars and a lot of other non vehicle goods.

Throw in two lift systems for fun.

 

[WinkWink726]

the only people I ever knew that built a new house with a spec garage was my aunt and uncle...
Massive amounts of storage for lots of toys.
It didn't hurt that he is a developer and could play god with his build

Someday, lol

I'm still waiting on my land purchase; I just want a modest home with a bunch of land!

 

[jeyf]

big house and or a lot of land; you have made your self slave to your home. You will need a quite active career to maintain all the junk.

Just saying things are flying high these days but when will the economy crash next. 4exampel we have a disabled republican w/ lo approval ratings. They are talking another get re elected war.

 

[smallcoffee]

Rural or Urban. The suburbs are the worst of both worlds.

 

[waternymph]

I prefer rural areas

 

[BarracksSi]

For now, I'm going to say Urban, or, at least, Within Reasonable Walking Distance To The Necessities.

Lived for fifteen years in a Capitol Hill condo (which is for sale!) in Washington, DC, with a grocery store on the next corner, at least a half-dozen restaurants on the next block, and Union Station three blocks way. I was able to walk to work, too, so I left my car in the work garage while my wife's car remained parked in our condo garage.

We're in the suburbs now. Target and Shoppers (grocery) are walkable, thank goodness, but there's barely any public transit nearby, at least not at the scale enjoyed inside DC. There's a decent walk/run trail through a residential loop on the other side of the highway, but some nearby neighborhoods don't even have sidewalks. BWI Airport isn't too far away, but we'll need to either drive ourselves there and leave the car in the lot, or get a Lyft or SuperShuttle -- neither of which is as convenient as riding Metro or hailing a cab.

My personal question for how desirable a location might be is, "How easily can I walk to get milk and eggs?" If the answer is, "It's a twenty-minute drive," I wouldn't like to live there.

Since writing the above post, we've moved even further into the suburbs. Groceries are no longer walkable, there really isn't a nice walk/run trail that I've been able to find, and I don't know where to find a bus if I wanted one.

It's quiet here, the neighbors are well-behaved, but... dang. I miss the days when we could walk from Capitol Hill to Georgetown for half the day. Now we have to drive to get anywhere.

At least I enjoy driving my car.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I live in a small town in the Welsh Valleys. It’s urban enough but on the edge of the Brecon Becon national park so also nice and close to rural life. The capital city of Wales is only 35 miles away and we are close enough to an easy route into England to see my family etc.

My current town is pretty run down. It’s a legacy product of the 1980’s where the pits and steelworks were closed leaving thousands unemployed. Unemployment is still high and the town centre is full of charity shops, pound shops and boarded windows.

I’m glad I have a car and live in the nicest area of the town lol.

 

[GSDLVR123]

My vote is RURAL but I can see the benefits of all. I was raised in the suburbs mainly and have had a lot of houses...I'm in my mid 50s - my wife (mid 40s) and I moved around (with my career) throughout our marriage. We have bought 7 homes in our 25 years of marriage (Miami to Ft Lauderdale (lived on the inter-coastal) to Alabama (2 diff places, one suburban/city one rural) to VA (suburban - we had 3 kids here) to NC (suburban) then to our current home in TN. Here we bought a 13 Acre Horse farm (bordered on 2 sides by small river) - I am 35 miles from a good sized city. When we moved here our kids were: 3,4 and 6 years old. We have been here for 11 years. As I was younger my wife and I enjoyed the bright lights and excitement of south beach and hoping on a water taxi and going to a club or dinner. On our 3rd home - my wife suggested we try a rural home. We did - I loved it, but unfortunately my company moved us 13 months after being there and the next house was a city one - we were there a few years. When I was moved here - my wife asked if we could raise our kids in a more 'country setting' - I must say it has been a pleasure waking up to a rooster's voice and seeing the horses in the field. My family and I kayak a lot on our river and enjoy target shooting, hiking, riding motorcycles and 4 wheelers all the time. I had a massive heart attack several years ago, so life reflection has been top of mind for me ever since. I was often hurried and stressed in the city - I was hurried and stressed in suburbia and the same emotions found me here in my beautiful setting in the mountains of TN. I enjoyed reading these posts, and understand that opinions are strong on where the house is...I tell my kids what my wife always told me - home is where the heart is and just appreciate where you are right now.

 

[USAFA2008]

I'd love a larger garage. Designers and builders seem to not understand the concept of having a large garage to accompany a large house.

One can always dream!

Rural or Urban. The suburbs are the worst of both worlds.

That would be a true statement.

Since writing the above post, we've moved even further into the suburbs. Groceries are no longer walkable, there really isn't a nice walk/run trail that I've been able to find, and I don't know where to find a bus if I wanted one.

It's quiet here, the neighbors are well-behaved, but... dang. I miss the days when we could walk from Capitol Hill to Georgetown for half the day. Now we have to drive to get anywhere.

At least I enjoy driving my car.

If you're still in the DC area which suburbs are you in?

My vote was rural. I like the peace and quiet and the lack of traffic for the most part. I grew up in urban and suburban areas and hated it. Luckily when my parents retired from the military they bought a former horse farm in Texas and converted the barn into a garage for cars. The older I get the more I can't stand people or ****** drivers and it seems like the closer you go to rural areas the worse the drivers are. A year or so ago I was in the DC area visiting family and it took two hours to drive from the airport to their house and that was because of the ****** drivers.

 

[BarracksSi]

If you're still in the DC area which suburbs are you in?
....
The older I get the more I can't stand people or ****** drivers and it seems like the closer you go to rural areas the worse the drivers are. A year or so ago I was in the DC area visiting family and it took two hours to drive from the airport to their house and that was because of the ****** drivers.

I'm in the Ellicott City/Columbia area now. The traffic out here is less dense than in DC, but I think the drivers are a little more aggressive, too. There just isn't enough room in downtown DC to be aggressive.

This afternoon, I walked to the mailbox to drop off a couple Christmas cards and noticed that people here (at least in the cold) were walking for exactly two reasons: to work out, and to walk their dogs. In DC, you can walk to work out, walk the dog, take packages to the main post office, get groceries, have dinner, see a movie, go to the baseball game, attend meetups, go to school, watch the fireworks, stage protests, buy furniture, get married, get divorced... you name it, you can probably do it without using your car.

 

[Strelok]

Suburban. Rural usually has no good access to utilities, specifically high speed Internet while Urban you’re stuck surrounded by a bunch of people and it’s generally loud. Plus prices suck in most cities. I always thought surburban was where you got the most bang for your buck. I really like driving, so having to drive to get groceries or send a package is a plus for me.

 

[Clix Pix]

Yep, BarracksSI, in reading your earlier posts I guessed you were in Maryland -- in Russett, perhaps, initially? Further out from there would indeed be Ellicott City/Columbia..... Traffic in the entire DC region is getting more and more congested, even further out. I'm on the other side of the river in VA, but have friends in Maryland, which is why I'm familiar with your area. My part of this region isn't particularly walkable, either, although we do have public transportation not too far away, both via bus and Metro. Cars still rule around here, though!

 

[BarracksSi]

Yep, BarracksSI, in reading your earlier posts I guessed you were in Maryland -- in Russett, perhaps, initially? Further out from there would indeed be Ellicott City/Columbia.....

Yup, pretty much.

If I were still single, I'd still be in my efficiency condo on the Hill.

But, out here, the wife is happier. Closer to the Korean grocery stores, closer to other shopping in general (Columbia Mall and Arundel Mills don't require a half-day trip anymore), driving is simpler, hardly any late-night sirens nearby, no alcohol-fueled couple breakups at 1 AM from the bars down the block, and we can afford a two-bed, two-bath condo nearly four times the size of the old efficiency.

Yeah, she's happier, and that's what counts.

 

[0388631]

What is an efficiency condo?

 

[BarracksSi]

What is an efficiency condo?

“Efficiency”, aka “studio” —

One room with a kitchen area and a walk-thru closet to the bathroom. 472 square feet, supposedly. Still surprised that the two of us lived there for six years.