Vancouver BC was an awesome place.... I always wanted to get a house on the West Side, by the University.
But, that has all changed tremendously. with those old nice homes being replaced by over sized monstrosities.
Then you got the prices... more expensive than Coastal SoCal. Seriously?
We used to go spend some time in June or July... buying Cuban cigars and smoking them strolling through Robson street while the ladies went shopping. Eating late dinners with those spectacular late evenings. Summers are fantastic... winters.. oh well... the beer is great. Eh?
Speaking of audio.... one day we were strolling on Robson street, surrounded by a mixture of East Asians and Whites... lots of nice Bimmers, Benzes, Lexus, etc.. clogging the street, when we heard some music... a car blasting what sounded like Rush. Sure enough, a little bit later, a T-top Camaro drove by, slowly in the heavy traffic... with a white guy in his late 20, nice mullet and Saskatchewan plates. We thought to ourselves... Ah, a real Canadian there! ;-)
The one thing we got in Calimexistan is Prop 13. If it weren't for that, we couldn't afford the taxes on our home.
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There are very few cities in the middle of Australia. Which one? Alice Springs?
I wouldn't have thought any city in Australia would be considered high density on a world scale.
Brisbane, Canberra and Sidney... that's where I've been.
Have you been to Oz? The sun is North at noon. Toilets and sinks go down the wrong way.
Even BB King sang "The Thrill is Back" when down South.
Still is Tony, just an awfully expensive awesome place.
Traffic is still a beetch.
If you get on the left lane, you gotta deal with people making lefts... if you get on the right lane then you gotta deal with people parking.
My luck was getting rear ended by a Quebecois in an old pick up truck on Boxer Day '81. I had gone up to get some good beer for our New Year's Party (*), I had no clue what "Boxer Day" was. Anyhow... liquor stores were closed and this yahoo rear ended my Vega as I had to stop for some car making a left.
Not a big thump, just a little love tap. And my Vega was not a modern jewel even then.
Excuse moi, je ne parlez anglais... says Monsier Quebec.
C'est tres bien, je parle un peu de Français... says the guy with the US plates.
Merde! He thinks.
Where upon I spotted three cases of fine Canadian on his front seat.
Tell ya what... I'll take all that beer and I won't make a fuss.... you can keep a six pack. Gotta be nice.
Then, the bartender at the bar was nice to me and sold me a few more cases for the same price as the liquor stores... No hassles in Blaine coming back.
We had a great party.
(*) WA beer at the time was 3.2 swill.
I live in Sydney.
Brisbane and Sydney are on the coast. Canberra is a little inland, but far from the middle from the middle of Australia.
Sydney house prices are a little high. Ordinary houses in ordinary suburb A$1.6M. In the next suburb, nice little house in a quite street A$2M. Beach suburbs, median house price A$4.5M, Harbour suburbs, median house price A$5.5M. Then there are the exclusive areas $$$$.
TonyEE,
you keep using the word masonry, I don't, I'm talking about aercrete, obviously you didn't bother to look at the xella site because if you had you would have seen that aercrete is 1/3rd the weight of dense concrete or stone and can be built to withstand quakes which can be huge in both Turkey and Japan, probably because it didn't suit your argument and of course it's fire and insect proof as well.
Also in France, if EDF say they cannot/will not supply you then planning permission will be denied. So you have to be connected and pay the standing charges but it maybe possible to make an arrangement with EDF to only take electricity at the time when no one else is using it - midnight - 6AM stored in batteries. The north of France has had some big storms and in places without power for up to 3 weeks. It makes perfect sense to have a diesel generator, a pure sine wave inverter, the cost is a fraction of the value of the property. Residential wind turbines also make sense if the location of the property is suitable.
France produces 82% of it's electricity from nuclear. What EDF don't want the French to know is just how much it costs to de-activate a single nuclear power station, it can and will be ITRO €100 billion + and then there's the matter of what to do with the half life material. South of Tours there is an awful lot of hectares already full of nuclear waste - and growing.
The craic is to construct homes using the right kind of materials, not materials that need nasty toxic chemicals to keep the termites at bay, whose exterior walls are an effective barrier with the exterior environment. That has internal privacy between rooms and most importantly an effective air change system and needs very little heating or cooling. Whenever I see a/c units outside a house I know the design and materials used are a failure. If you had bothered to read the blurb you would have found that properly constructed aercrete homes have a year round internal temperature of 19C without any form of heating or cooling.
As to Spain - the two tectonic plates actually collide to produce the Sierra Nevada/Snowy mountains, which is Andalucia the active end of this fault line is the southern end, Cataluyna is at the northern end. You don't think the death toll in Agadir of between 12-15000 is significant?. The Sierras experience virtually every day minor tremors. The Snowy mountains will get higher in the same way that all mountains do with tectonic action. Like the san Andreas fault it's only a question of when not if.
you keep using the word masonry, I don't, I'm talking about aercrete, obviously you didn't bother to look at the xella site because if you had you would have seen that aercrete is 1/3rd the weight of dense concrete or stone and can be built to withstand quakes which can be huge in both Turkey and Japan, probably because it didn't suit your argument and of course it's fire and insect proof as well.
Also in France, if EDF say they cannot/will not supply you then planning permission will be denied. So you have to be connected and pay the standing charges but it maybe possible to make an arrangement with EDF to only take electricity at the time when no one else is using it - midnight - 6AM stored in batteries. The north of France has had some big storms and in places without power for up to 3 weeks. It makes perfect sense to have a diesel generator, a pure sine wave inverter, the cost is a fraction of the value of the property. Residential wind turbines also make sense if the location of the property is suitable.
France produces 82% of it's electricity from nuclear. What EDF don't want the French to know is just how much it costs to de-activate a single nuclear power station, it can and will be ITRO €100 billion + and then there's the matter of what to do with the half life material. South of Tours there is an awful lot of hectares already full of nuclear waste - and growing.
The craic is to construct homes using the right kind of materials, not materials that need nasty toxic chemicals to keep the termites at bay, whose exterior walls are an effective barrier with the exterior environment. That has internal privacy between rooms and most importantly an effective air change system and needs very little heating or cooling. Whenever I see a/c units outside a house I know the design and materials used are a failure. If you had bothered to read the blurb you would have found that properly constructed aercrete homes have a year round internal temperature of 19C without any form of heating or cooling.
As to Spain - the two tectonic plates actually collide to produce the Sierra Nevada/Snowy mountains, which is Andalucia the active end of this fault line is the southern end, Cataluyna is at the northern end. You don't think the death toll in Agadir of between 12-15000 is significant?. The Sierras experience virtually every day minor tremors. The Snowy mountains will get higher in the same way that all mountains do with tectonic action. Like the san Andreas fault it's only a question of when not if.
Hey guys, you are scary
HAPPY to live in the Pampas, a "boring flat" alluvial plain, made out of millions years rivers depositing sediment so in practical terms I am living on top of the largest sandbag of the Planet , ZERO possibilities of quakes, tsunamis, etc. for at least 1500 km one way, over 2500 km on the others.
Weakest edge is Chile, 1500 km to the West, on the other side of the Andes mountains, which is shaken regularly, as much as California (or Ecuador, Central America, Mexico) for the very good reason all of them are along the volcano "fire ring" around the Pacific.
But none of that reaches here, only the most sensitive Lab meters catch them.
The point is we can build any way we like, no fears.
If anything, my large 2-4 floor 19 room house built in 1912, "I" or "Double T" iron structure riveted together plus bricks "filling the voids" does show some cracks .... because a cargo transport railroad runs along it, 20 meters away, typically 70 wagon trains pulled or push-pulled by 2 locomotives , carrying huge rolled steel bobbins each or bulk sand, crushed stone or Portland cement.
The floor (and walls) shake.
HAPPY to live in the Pampas, a "boring flat" alluvial plain, made out of millions years rivers depositing sediment so in practical terms I am living on top of the largest sandbag of the Planet
, ZERO possibilities of quakes, tsunamis, etc. for at least 1500 km one way, over 2500 km on the others.Weakest edge is Chile, 1500 km to the West, on the other side of the Andes mountains, which is shaken regularly, as much as California (or Ecuador, Central America, Mexico) for the very good reason all of them are along the volcano "fire ring" around the Pacific.
But none of that reaches here, only the most sensitive Lab meters catch them.
The point is we can build any way we like, no fears.
If anything, my large 2-4 floor 19 room house built in 1912, "I" or "Double T" iron structure riveted together plus bricks "filling the voids" does show some cracks .... because a cargo transport railroad runs along it, 20 meters away, typically 70 wagon trains pulled or push-pulled by 2 locomotives , carrying huge rolled steel bobbins each or bulk sand, crushed stone or Portland cement.
The floor (and walls) shake.
So Mr. Fahey gets a minor earthquake sample every time a train passes by...
48" wide by 96" deep sand filled trench, extending 10 feet more than your house on both sides of its length, parallel to the rail track, might act as a damper for vibration, ask somebody with more experience.
Mr. Stuart, why don't you move to a place more to your tastes?
If your current location is not to your satisfaction...
Ireland, perhaps?
Or Scandinavia?
We had a community of 'Anglo-Indians', mostly descendants of English fathers and local girls, and during my days in Bangalore (1983 to 90), I saw most of them migrate, some to the UK, but many went to Australia and NZ, they were welcomed there as their paternal lineage was mostly military.
Hardly any Anglo Indians left in India now, they found better places.
Maybe you could think about that.
48" wide by 96" deep sand filled trench, extending 10 feet more than your house on both sides of its length, parallel to the rail track, might act as a damper for vibration, ask somebody with more experience.
Mr. Stuart, why don't you move to a place more to your tastes?
If your current location is not to your satisfaction...
Ireland, perhaps?
Or Scandinavia?
We had a community of 'Anglo-Indians', mostly descendants of English fathers and local girls, and during my days in Bangalore (1983 to 90), I saw most of them migrate, some to the UK, but many went to Australia and NZ, they were welcomed there as their paternal lineage was mostly military.
Hardly any Anglo Indians left in India now, they found better places.
Maybe you could think about that.
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I take it you don't live in a place with 60°C temperature swings like Canada? No way in hell you could keep a home 19°C inside without heat when it's -20°C outside... Same goes for when it's 40°C in the shade in the summer.
Speaking of real estate prices... How's 1.35M$ for this little crap bungalo in my fathers neighborhood? This house would have sold for about 135,000$ in 1986.
"Opportunities For Investors, Builders & First Time Buyers! Great Location, Large Lot, Surrounded By Million Dollar+ Custom Built Homes In Neighborhood, 3 Bedroom With Nice Sun Room With 2 Double Sliding Door. Basement Tenants Can Stay Or Leave . 5 Mins Drive To Hwy401/404. Close To Seneca College, Bridlewood Mall, Fairview Mall, Parks, Supermarkets, Restaurants And All Amenities!** EXTRAS ** Incl: All Elf, All Stove, Fridge, Microwave (All Appliances As Is). Hot Water Tank (Rental). Property Being Sold ""As Is"" With No Rep./Warranty."
https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/24287449/6-cross-hill-rd-toronto-lamoreaux
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I think you made my point... the only 'new' city in Oz is Canberra, and that was a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne. Otherwise everyone is packed like sardines along the coast ( I guess it was the easiest place to place the prison and the army garrison and keep them supplied and reinforced...).
Real Estate prices.... really nuts... those real estate prices are nuts when you consider how much empty land that place is on.
Now, those must be Oz dollars... but for USD$1.6M you can get one nice little home within a few miles of the Pacific in SoCal. For $5.5M you can find a place in Newport Beach or anywhere with a direct view of the ocean, and sunsets... or in a marina with a small dock... ( Not in Lido Island...).
If you go inland, in Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio, the Carolinas, Florida, you can still get a LOT of house and land for half a mil USD. This is because, IMHO, the US was fully developed, people moved inland and developed the place, built dams, brought water, power, telephone, etc... into the middle of the country.
Australia, OTOH, is like you folks gave up on the middle of the place and decided to live all along narrow strips of land along the Coast. Almost like you were afraid of leaving the city... and then you had to put cow catchers on your UTEs in case you decided to leave the safety of the metropolitan areas. (Cool looking UTEs though).
It's a weird way to adopt a new country, IMHO. Even if you have the best beer I've ever tasted.
Real Estate prices in the US have always been far more reasonable than in the rest of the World. Our beer is quite good too.
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The USA also has a lot of inland water in the form of rivers... Australia not so much...
Also, there are tonnes of places with way less expensive real estate than the USA. Eastern Europe, the Carribean, Asia, former Eastern Bloc etc. Even Northern Ireland has some good value.
Meanwhile in Canada, the prices have gone up substantially and the fact is no one can afford a house anymore. The last time I checked, you needed an income of 120,000$/year just to quality for a mortgage on a shoebox.
There's a new condo being built near Yonge and Bloor that will start in the 950's... A "nice" one will cost almost 3M$
Also, there are tonnes of places with way less expensive real estate than the USA. Eastern Europe, the Carribean, Asia, former Eastern Bloc etc. Even Northern Ireland has some good value.
Meanwhile in Canada, the prices have gone up substantially and the fact is no one can afford a house anymore. The last time I checked, you needed an income of 120,000$/year just to quality for a mortgage on a shoebox.
There's a new condo being built near Yonge and Bloor that will start in the 950's... A "nice" one will cost almost 3M$
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$120K USD is low middle class in SoCal nowadays. The State will give you a free education at the UC and CS if your family makes less than $85K.
It's pretty much nuts. I don't want to waddle into politics here... but the politics are the fundamental problem with the cost of living. I can see expensive land near the ocean, my house was already quite expensive 35++ years ago when we bought it, but it makes no sense that people can not have a job and a house. And now they're making the price of energy very expensive... for no reason other than political desire.
Imagine if the Bose Company got to dictate the designs of Mark Levinson, Pass Labs and Emotiva! We'd be ready for a Civil War, n'est pas? It's bad enough that we can't get Russkie tubes!
120k/year is upper middle class here... The mean income here is 98k. The problem is most people don't make 98k. My other half makes 17$/hour in a kitchen == 34k/year - this is normal among my friends. I couldn't even live in this city if I had to move out and in (rent cap and electric isn't included anymore).
I take it then that you don't have a turntable huh? You must be digital... and with Sorbothane pucks under everything in the house.
Reminds me of that hotel scene in My Cousin Vinny
.... My cousin Vinnie, EXCELLENT picture, both smart and funny. Not THAT much shaking here ,,, but say 10-20% of it.
No turntables for some 40 years now, but still hurt by vibration: I am a Photographer with an in-house Lab and my Durst enlarger vibrates enough while a train passes that prints become fuzzy.
Thanks God since this is an Urban area, train blows its horn all the time because it crosses regular City streets so I have 6-10 minutes advance warning.
Even so, it has had its fair share of crashing into cars and buses
Guess-who-wins.
Ultra idiot drivers of course, given that train here runs at man walking speed, so they "think" they can "just" beat it.
Or maybe it´s some Toreador/Matador mentality built into their genes?
Mate, you are missing the point that unlike the US the middle of Australia is desert. Thousands of kilometres of desert. Some farms out there are as bigger than some of the states of USA, and the Australian population is very small, less than 30 million. People tend to live where there is water.
Canberra/Australian Capital Territory was fully designed and built as the location of the Federal Government. It was considered improper that the country be run from a state capital (Sydney or Melbourne). Hence Canberra is approximately half way between Sydney or Melbourne.
Afraid there are no sardines here. Our population densities don't rate even compared to the US.