Habitat for Humanity

rtm3039 said:
I was looking at some interesting statistics: The average family income in NZ is listed at $107,196. For the US, it is $79.900. The average home in NZ is listed at $406,974 (USD). For the US, it is listed at $293,349.

Looks like you all make pretty good money, but everything is more expensive.

Rtm
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That's the way it goes...as soon as our wages are raised, the cost of living/housing rises as well. But there has been a serious housing shortage (or rather, crisis) for years now, and we all knew it would happen because if you open up to immigration the people coming in to work all need accomodation, even if they don't decide to stay on as residents. But the govt didn't provide any new housing at all..it just somehow expected everyone to fit into what was already here...?!

Anyone with a basic grasp of maths knows that that isn't going to work!

then what happened was one govt decided only rich people would be allowed in and they had to invest in land and property, and so what ended up happening was overseas people buying up land or landbanking, and they didn't even have to live here. Then THEY became landlords. Plus it was easy for them to buy because when their currency got converted they could afford a whole lot more than anyone in NZ could afford.
 
Lanolin said:
That's the way it goes...as soon as our wages are raised, the cost of living/housing rises as well. But there has been a serious housing shortage (or rather, crisis) for years now, and we all knew it would happen because if you open up to immigration the people coming in to work all need accomodation, even if they don't decide to stay on as residents. But the govt didn't provide any new housing at all..it just somehow expected everyone to fit into what was already here...?!

Anyone with a basic grasp of maths knows that that isn't going to work!

then what happened was one govt decided only rich people would be allowed in and they had to invest in land and property, and so what ended up happening was overseas people buying up land or landbanking, and they didn't even have to live here. Then THEY became landlords. Plus it was easy for them to buy because when their currency got converted they could afford a whole lot more than anyone in NZ could afford.
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You all have to think outside the box. Miami Beach is around 15 square miles and a population of 90.000. It also has round 23 million visitors a year.

There is no shortage of housing, because they build up. Sometimes I am unsure of how the island does not sink.

Ray

highrise.JPG
 
They had to change the zoning and building regulations to allow people to build up (and totally demolish any exisiting properties) But families still live in their one-story houses where are THEY going to go? They don't really want to live in a shoebox apartment.

Unless they are old and have downsized and ALL their children have left.

The radio station I broadcast from was going to move premises (it's an old villa) and it will be demolished because the campus its on is going to have housing on it.

20 years ago, there was practically NO high rise accomodation in Auckland. If it was a highrise, it was all office blocks. Everyone lived in houses on a section, it was only if you were from out of town and staying in a hotel or backpackers that you'd live anywhere above the ground floor.
 
I reckon everyone should live in hobbit holes somewhere out near Matamata. It's very charming, I've been. But you sort have to be under 4 feet tall to live in a hobbit hole.
 
Read in the paper that higher concentration of virus cases around suburbs where there are 'shoebox apartments'. Of course, hard to keep 2m apart when there's not even 2 metres between you and your next door neighbour.
 
My brother once rented a flat that looked literally like a shoebox. It was black, rectangle, and honestly looked like a shoebox with some windows cut into it.

Not like the old woman who lived in a shoe, but close.
 
It seems God had some housing problems too. He was happy with the tent at first but then King Solomon built a big house/temple for Him to live in permanently. Problem was Solomon over did it - Solomon's palace was even bigger than the temple. And the upkeep of it was horrendous and taxing to everyone else.
 
Lanolin said:
I'm wondering if anyone on here has built a house and how do you go about it.
I'm seeing lots of new houses go up around the city but I'm not certain they will even last five years because they don't seem to be made of proper materials or have good roofs. I know people need housing and it needs to be affordable but cardboard houses on shaky ground or flood prone land...really?

Is there any solution to the housing shortage?
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Yes I have.

You must produce your income and verify it.

There is a web site to register on.

There will be a low % loan to be paid.

You will have to do a lot of the work.

The wait time after approval is about 1 to 2 years here in Florida.
 
I wonder if anyone here has lived in a 'housing project' and what that was like.
How different is living in one of those from apartment living?
I have lived in hostels, but not a housing project. I don't think they are ideal but I suppose it's better than on the streets.

In nz there used to be lots of state houses, many in Auckland were built in the 1930s- 1960s and were quite solid stand alone houses. You paid the rent to the govt. Nowadays there are very new ones left and a very long waiting list.

nzhistory.govt.nz

State housing in New Zealand

New Zealand's first state house was formally opened on 18 September 1937. But the government has provided rental housing for New Zealanders for more than a century. Explore the history of this country's various state housing schemes and their contribution to the New Zealand way of life.
nzhistory.govt.nz nzhistory.govt.nz
 
there are homes being built every day in my area . the real problem is getting the right contractor . the dependable ones are booked up. hard get people to work
 
forgiven61 said:
there are homes being built every day in my area . the real problem is getting the right contractor . the dependable ones are booked up. hard get people to work
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If you offer them enough money then they'll be dependable.
But then with contractors they can also be a bit cowboyish because with contractors you got to be careful. You want to pay them to do a good job but not pay everything right at the beginning cos some will take off with the money and not do the job. But you can't NOT pay them either as some people get their contractors to do a job, then fail to pay them and that contractor is out of pocket --and they have done all the work.

I'm not sure what the answer is as when I was a (sub)-contractor all the money was handled by the higher ups. Building a house is a BIG project and requires a team. I was doing gardening, but my view is that the garden needs to be put in FIRST before the house lol.
 
Lanolin said:
If you offer them enough money then they'll be dependable. But then with contractors they can also be a bit cowboyish because with contractors you got to be careful. You want to pay them to do a good job but not pay everything right at the beginning cos some will take off with the money and not do the job. But you can't NOT pay them either as some people get their contractors to do a job, then fail to pay them and that contractor is out of pocket --and they have done all the work. I'm not sure what the answer is as when I was a (sub)-contractor all the money was handled by the higher ups. Building a house is a BIG project and requires a team. I was doing gardening, but my view is that the garden needs to be put in FIRST before the house lol.
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Amen to that.

1. Read the quote very carefully. Get a second opinion from someone experienced with contract work. We received a quote from a contractor and he charged a percentage on labor. So we immediately turned them down.

2. Take the time to get at least 3 quotes. Compare price, after all, it's your home and money.

3. I agree we should not pay everything from the beginning. Hold back 10% retention or retainage at the end of the job to ensure the work was done correctly.
 
bobinfaith said:
Amen to that.

1. Read the quote very carefully. Get a second opinion from someone experienced with contract work. We received a quote from a contractor and he charged a percentage on labor. So we immediately turned them down.

2. Take the time to get at least 3 quotes. Compare price, after all, it's your home and money.

3. I agree we should not pay everything from the beginning. Hold back 10% retention or retainage at the end of the job to ensure the work was done correctly.
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exactly never pay till job is complete
 
Am reading this book called 'Land' by Simon Winchester. How land ownership shaped the modern world.

It's very interesting. There's a chapter about the Holy Land in it. Lot of conflict there.
Also I didn't know about the crofters in Scotland and the clearances.
He mentioned the US. They had these 'land runs' in the 1800s where the govt was giving away (Indian) land practically for free to the white people. The first person to put their flag on a piece of ground could claim it as theirs.

I wondered..does that mean the USA think the moon is theirs? Since they landed on it first and stuck a flag there. ?! But who would want to live on the moon?
 
Lanolin said:
I wondered..does that mean the USA think the moon is theirs? Since they landed on it first and stuck a flag there. ?! But who would want to live on the moon?
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lol! Lanolin;

The only reason we jabbed our flag on the moon was a gesture of national pride back on July 20, 1969. Not the pride of sin but the pride of accomplishment. Afterall, it was a big deal.

Realistically, we cannot live on the moon. There are too many factors to consider so we're not there yet. It would take too many resources to live on the moon and we aren't prepared for the worst in human illness. We can't even manage the virus here on earth.

I also cringe at the thought of moving to the moon and then right when I get there remember that I forgot something valuable behind on Earth. Yikes!
 
bobinfaith said:
lol! Lanolin;

The only reason we jabbed our flag on the moon was a gesture of national pride back on July 20, 1969. Not the pride of sin but the pride of accomplishment. Afterall, it was a big deal.

Realistically, we cannot live on the moon. There are too many factors to consider so we're not there yet. It would take too many resources to live on the moon and we aren't prepared for the worst in human illness. We can't even manage the virus here on earth.

I also cringe at the thought of moving to the moon and then right when I get there remember that I forgot something valuable behind on Earth. Yikes!
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yea. Like Kevin.
(Home Alone)

Though I thought the Home in Home Alone was HUGE. Plus do many families still have 12 kids?
 
Lanolin said:
Am reading this book called 'Land' by Simon Winchester. How land ownership shaped the modern world.

It's very interesting. There's a chapter about the Holy Land in it. Lot of conflict there.
Also I didn't know about the crofters in Scotland and the clearances.
He mentioned the US. They had these 'land runs' in the 1800s where the govt was giving away (Indian) land practically for free to the white people. The first person to put their flag on a piece of ground could claim it as theirs.

I wondered..does that mean the USA think the moon is theirs? Since they landed on it first and stuck a flag there. ?! But who would want to live on the moon?
Click to expand...
Yes, I believe the moon belongs to the U.S. I suspect there is some law somewhere that states he who gets to unclaimed land first owns it.

Rtm
 
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