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TheSource on 09 April 2013

Housing prices vary, essentially as a normal distribution of income multiplied by x3 to x5.

Where I live, $250,000+ gets you a palace, and you can get a charming if simple home for $100,000 - and it's not like we bubbled up, alpha libertarian Gary Johnson imposed tough borrowing laws in NM, so our "crash" was only about 25%, compared to 50-100% in most large American cities.

This is for $300,000 - a loft condo in the heart of downtown. Beautiful views, large, modern design and ammenities:

 



People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge.

When there are more laws, there are more criminals.

- Lao Tzu

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Mazty on 09 April 2013
Netyaroze said:
Mazty said:

olwut? Double glazing hasn't been standard in Europe until the 90's, and triple glazing is unheard of even today. Stop trying to sugar coat things. The more I hear about US housing, the more it really seems that Europeans simply get ripped off at every turn. Oh my, we can withstand an earthquake....in one of the most tectonically stable places in the world (let's ignore greece & turkey). As for hurricanes and tornados, hate to break it to you but they are certainly not common place in Europe, and for the cash you save with a US house, you could easily put a bit aside and take extra precautions where needed.
Simply put there is fuck all that I've come across in this thread that would convince me that european homes are in any way superior. They are small, cramped, prone to damp and dust and generally a bit shit. And that's before looking at the price. 

 

Our Taxes are higher so are property prices still  i could build a shack the size of the one posted here for 500k in rural Germany. Or I could pour all of it in a much smaller more energy efficent house.

The two building styles between Europe and USA are fundamently different. Thats where most of the price difference comes from and you can buy american style houses for much much less here too They build you one in a day a huge house if you really want. Property prises in UK add an extra I admit that but you can not compare old houses vs new ones just new ones vs new ones. I saw a whole settlement being raised 80% of the houses were my parents build were still oldschool some were build in a day. Explain to me if those houses are superior why 80% decided to build a more expensive stone/brick house over months instead of a house in a week for much less cost?

I am talking pure material cost difference a real house the size that was linked cost 4.5 Million. If I want to build it in the USA a house of that qualiry  I still pay Millions for it not 450k.

 

Good for you but I'm talking about the UK, not Germany.

The price difference comes with the cost of land actually and the obvious supply-demand nature of housing. In the UK, there are not enough homes. In the US, there is so much spare space that housing won't be an issue for another 50 million. 

I understand what you are saying but it simply isn't right. The building materials would cost only about £20,000 difference, not £200,000. As I said, the issue comes with the lack of space over here, as well as a completely broken industry with no regulations. 


BTW your quote boxes are messed up - it may have caused the page to poop out but it may be unreleated?



Mazty on 09 April 2013
TheSource said:

Housing prices vary, essentially as a normal distribution of income multiplied by x3 to x5.

Where I live, $250,000+ gets you a palace, and you can get a charming if simple home for $100,000 - and it's not like we bubbled up, alpha libertarian Gary Johnson imposed tough borrowing laws in NM, so our "crash" was only about 25%, compared to 50-100% in most large American cities.

This is for $300,000 - a loft condo in the heart of downtown. Beautiful views, large, modern design and ammenities:

 


Holy crap that's amazing. Is that a property for someone who is seen as quite successful, or a middle-class young couples apartment?



TheSource on 09 April 2013
Mazty said:
TheSource said:

Housing prices vary, essentially as a normal distribution of income multiplied by x3 to x5.

Where I live, $250,000+ gets you a palace, and you can get a charming if simple home for $100,000 - and it's not like we bubbled up, alpha libertarian Gary Johnson imposed tough borrowing laws in NM, so our "crash" was only about 25%, compared to 50-100% in most large American cities.

This is for $300,000 - a loft condo in the heart of downtown. Beautiful views, large, modern design and ammenities:

 


Holy crap that's amazing. Is that a property for someone who is seen as quite successful, or a middle-class young couples apartment?

I would say that's a place for a college educated professional couple, i.e. a man making $45,000 in his early 30s, married to a woman making $30,000 in her early thirties. 

The places I'm looking at buying are all under $175,000, but some are still beautiful:



People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge.

When there are more laws, there are more criminals.

- Lao Tzu

HesAPooka on 09 April 2013
PullusPardus said:

I canada, you get bigger houses and newer ones for third of the price...

no one wants to live in canada though , I don't know why.


You clearly don't live in Vancouver.



I was walking down along the street and I heard this voice saying, "Good evening, Mr. Dowd." Well, I turned around and here was this big six-foot rabbit leaning up against a lamp-post. Well, I thought nothing of that because when you've lived in a town as long as I've lived in this one, you get used to the fact that everybody knows your name.

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Mazty on 09 April 2013
TheSource said:
Mazty said:

Holy crap that's amazing. Is that a property for someone who is seen as quite successful, or a middle-class young couples apartment?

I would say that's a place for a college educated professional couple, i.e. a man making $45,000 in his early 30s, married to a woman making $30,000 in her early thirties. 

The places I'm looking at buying are all under $175,000, but some are still beautiful:


Nice - beats this shit:

http://www.romans.co.uk/Property/53318/



TheSource on 09 April 2013

This is probably the best thing you can get for $250,000 where I live (downtown, loft, large, beautiful)



People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge.

When there are more laws, there are more criminals.

- Lao Tzu

Netyaroze on 09 April 2013

@Mazty

 

 I think the difference can be 200k or 20000k it all comes down to what materials you are using. Lets say I would magically beam just a US house without land just the structure, to Europe. It costs 250k in the US. And maybe 400k around here. Its still the same house made out of cheap materials.

 

 If you see a much smaller house for 1.5 Mil you can be sure its better quality than a much much larger house for 25% of the cost. Even if you would get the 1.5 Mil house for 1mil in the US . A tite can cost 40 Dollar or 600 Dollar. Size is not a good way to determin the real worth of a house. And pictures too.

 

 We just have to agree to disagree. I think much of the price difference comes from different design philosophies, you think its a negligable amount, well without a detailed breakdown of house building cost in US and Europe from a large enough sample size we won't get anywhere.



thranx on 09 April 2013
Netyaroze said:

@Mazty

 

 I think the difference can be 200k or 20000k it all comes down to what materials you are using. Lets say I would magically beam just a US house without land just the structure, to Europe. It costs 250k in the US. And maybe 400k around here. Its still the same house made out of cheap materials.

 

 If you see a much smaller house for 1.5 Mil you can be sure its better quality than a much much larger house for 25% of the cost. Even if you would get the 1.5 Mil house for 1mil in the US . A tite can cost 40 Dollar or 600 Dollar. Size is not a good way to determin the real worth of a house. And pictures too.

 

 We just have to agree to disagree. I think much of the price difference comes from different design philosophies, you think its a negligable amount, well without a detailed breakdown of house building cost in US and Europe from a large enough sample size we won't get anywhere.

"

  • Masonry – is the most popular, traditional house building method in the UK. According to research by Build It magazine, it will cost around £152,000 to build a three-bed masonry house.
  • Timber – timber framed houses are becoming a popular, eco-friendly alternative to traditional masonry homes. Build It say that a three-bed timber framed house would cost around £140,000 to construct."

http://www.servicemagic.co.uk/tips-and-advice/how-much-does-it-cost-to-build-a-house.html

 

Doesn't seem like much of a difference between stone/brick or wood. The big cost difference is mainly due to the cost and availibity of land, and cost of labor. Not materials.

 

Edit some more info with other construction methods:

Brick And Block: £900 to £1,100 per sq metre
This method is used for around 60% of self builds, especially by those who are looking to keep costs down and do some of the work themselves. It's a quick construction method, but work must stop in bad weather and bricks be allowed to dry out after seven courses, so plan carefully.

Timber Frame: £900 to £1,100 per sq metre
This is the second most popular construction method, used by around 30% of self builders. There are a number of suppliers in the UK and the benefits are that it is relatively quick to build on site, and is a sustainable product.

Steel Frame: £1,000 to £1,100 per sq metre
There are few companies currently deal with one-off houses.

Insulated Concrete Formwork: £1,000 to £1,200 per sq metre
Hollow polystyrene blocks filled with concrete. Quick to assemble, and well suited to self-builders.

Structural Insulated Panel System (SIPS): £1,000 to £1,200 per sq metre
Wooden insulated panels are made off site, meaning they're quick to erect. No room for adjustment on site, and access needed for a crane.

Pre-cast Concrete Panels: £1,200 to £1,500 per sq metre (quotes can be much higher)
Best suited to volume house building, as heavy plant is needed which takes up space, and so provides economies of scale.

http://www.channel4.com/4homes/build-renovate/self-build/planning/a-z-of-self-build-guides/self-build-costs-how-much-does-it-cost-to-build-a-house-10-05-13

 

regardless of method or material, they all seem to cost about the same, give or ake 10%



Mazty on 09 April 2013
Netyaroze said:

@Mazty

 

 I think the difference can be 200k or 20000k it all comes down to what materials you are using. Lets say I would magically beam just a US house without land just the structure, to Europe. It costs 250k in the US. And maybe 400k around here. Its still the same house made out of cheap materials.

 

 If you see a much smaller house for 1.5 Mil you can be sure its better quality than a much much larger house for 25% of the cost. Even if you would get the 1.5 Mil house for 1mil in the US . A tite can cost 40 Dollar or 600 Dollar. Size is not a good way to determin the real worth of a house. And pictures too.

 

 We just have to agree to disagree. I think much of the price difference comes from different design philosophies, you think its a negligable amount, well without a detailed breakdown of house building cost in US and Europe from a large enough sample size we won't get anywhere.

 It's clear that you are just wildly presuming that is the case without researching it. See the epic post above.