The definition of reclaimed wood cited by Craftmark, Inc. states: “rustic (nail and bolt holes, large knots and cracks, weathered patina, circle sawn, rough cut, wormwood, etc.) to clear vertical grain wood (CVG) almost perfect that’s almost impossible to find. Yes, it’s old. But it’s appealing to a new generation of homeowners, builders, designers and architects who are interested in taking care of today’s environment”, therefore, it is considered architectural and artistic.
I found a small reclaimed wood house for the price of $75,000 in Luling, Tx. Too expensive for our budget and not nice at all. So we decided to visit a model company in Park. Here we went into several of Park’s models and the best designs for our needs were the smaller ones with 400 square feet similar to small houses. A couple that we loved, one was $59,000 and the other was $64,000, plus shipping.
But honestly, looking back at all the places we’ve been doing our homework for when the time comes, we lean toward living in a small apartment or RV. In a small apartment, with 1 bedroom, we would get the same square meters that we need as a small house. We don’t have to make a big investment, just pay rent and utilities. No trash or yard maintenance, no building maintenance, plus we can move in after the lease is up.
Another option, if we were to buy an RV, the investment would be much less than getting into a tiny house. Why? We wouldn’t have to buy a lot or land, we wouldn’t have to have a septic tank installed, which we know is optional, but we would want one. A septic tank, electrical and water installations would make it a better resale value if we wanted to move, as well as make life easier for the tiny house.
Always keeping in mind that one of the best advantages of having a small house on wheels is that you can move when you need it. But we can do this with the RV too and much easier because all you do is rent the place.
Another way to look at it is that if we own a house, a tiny house, a shipping container, or a model park, we would always have to arrange for additional expenses. On the other hand, the additional expenses for an RV would be just where it is parked plus electricity. I know there are off-grid tiny homes, solar panels, composite toilets, and many more options for lower expenses, but we’d rather have all the same conveniences of big living with the touch of a tiny home.
Currently, monthly expenses are approximately $600 for a 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom house (Wi-Fi, landline phone, cable TV, water, electricity, yard maintenance, taxes, insurance, garbage disposal), plus the mortgage. On the other hand, if we decide to live in a long-term trailer park resort area, the monthly rent for parking would be about $640 with a lake view, plus electricity. But think about it… Someone who lived in the trailer park told us that his monthly electric bill was $40 and that he had air conditioning 24/7.
Not bad long term RV park is a resort and has hot tub, pool area, fire pits, 2 BBQ and outdoor kitchen areas, gazebos, free dog wash area, walking area pet friendly, concrete parking areas, fenced, security, mailboxes, trash removal area, laundry facility, fitness center, recreation area, business office, free cable, free wifi, extra parking and all shopping nearby convenience. For us it would be like being on vacation every day! We would just have to buy the RV with the square footage we need. Do you have to move or want to move? Take it away!
One more small alternative life has not been ruled out. How about a houseboat? We still have to do some searching for this one. This is a thought that we cannot get rid of. We want to consider visiting some real estate houseboats and find out what the prices are, the monthly fees for being on the water, and the pros and cons of living on a body of water. I guess it all depends on where you are. Does anyone reading this article have a houseboat and can give us some feedback? We sure would appreciate it!