Choosing a new home

Piri

🏠 🌲 🌍 🌿

Most of us want to have eco friendly, human and nature friendly, sustainable housing or at least like the idea.

Depending on the area to choose the green energy recourses, heating system, bathroom facilities, ect. Use the great eco friendly materials to build it.

But how it would be the most friendly to choose your housing? To build new or to renovate old?

For example in Lithuania the population is decreasing, but new housing is growing like mushrooms after the rain…. As well a massive number of empty houses is increasing…. Some within couple of years becomes abandoned.

There are basically to opinions one is that is better to renovate old houses and the other to build new.

I personally stand for renovation, because simply there are already many recourses used and of course you will need new, but less. If we all talk about the circle economy and sustainability it is just making sense.

Well it might be not cheaper… and maybe more difficult, but still…

What do you think about it?

Julie Brooks-Girskiene

Piri For example in Lithuania the population is decreasing, but new housing is growing like mushrooms after the rain…. As well a massive number of empty houses is increasing…. Some within couple of years becomes abandoned.

In that case for sure it is better to take something already existing and renovate or extend it, instead of building something completely new.

It might be that the original materials used to build it were not the most sustainable but it still makes sense to continue to use them and add updates with sustainable materials, than to throw it all away and start again, consuming much more, sustainable or not.

Ash

Getting on the property ladder is extremely hard for most people in the UK unfortunately. So it's a case of getting anything that is decent just to have a house. I guess once you own it, it's easier to renovate it and help make it greener.

Piri

Ash You can find around 10k houses in the middle of nowhere in Lithuania, some are in really bad condition, some are quite good shape of course forget water system or WC, but with a time it is possible to make some good spaces, just investment is quite big anyway you can live do many things by yourself.

Ash

For about £10K over here, you can have a very small, not very well taken care of, garage that probably wouldn't even fit your car. Even the houses in bad conditions are absurdly priced unfortunately 😢

Piri

Ash that is a pity, but of cause the salary difference is existing as well.

Hopefully we will find some old house and will share some renovation journey with you here.

John

Ash For about £10K over here, you can have a very small, not very well taken care of, garage that probably wouldn't even fit your car. Even the houses in bad conditions are absurdly priced unfortunately 😢

London is insane, and the relationship between property prices and salaries is completely divorced from reality for a lot of people.

You actually can still find houses for under about £20k in the UK though, if you are willing to live in the middle of nowhere in rural Wales or Scotland.

Piri

John £20k in the UK though, if you are willing to live in the middle of nowhere in rural Wales or Scotland.

It is the same with the most of countries. You can't expect cheap in a good location or in a good condition.

Abigail

John Here in France it is the same, in the rural places you can find old and unwanted homes for very small prices.

Ash

John Yeah, although that seems to be slowly disappearing because of how popular working from home is. A few people are starting to move out to the rural areas which is starting to push up the prices.

Mushroom-King

Julie Brooks-Girskiene It might be that the original materials used to build it were not the most sustainable but it still makes sense to continue to use them and add updates with sustainable materials, than to throw it all away and start again, consuming much more, sustainable or not.

In some cases it is actually worse to update old materials. Things that have been in place for a long time and that are enclosed within other materials and doing no harm, can become dangerous and toxic while they are being removed and then have to be disposed of properly.

Replace things with the most sustainable alternative when it is the time to replace them but do not just replace something that has no problems with a new version just to be more sustainable on paper.

John

Ash Yeah, although that seems to be slowly disappearing because of how popular working from home is. A few people are starting to move out to the rural areas which is starting to push up the prices.

True, so… do get low property prices you probably have to look for the rural areas with the worst broadband coverage 😃

Piri

Mushroom-King In some cases it is actually worse to update old materials. Things that have been in place for a long time and that are enclosed within other materials and doing no harm, can become dangerous and toxic while they are being removed and then have to be disposed of properly.

Replace things with the most sustainable alternative when it is the time to replace them but do not just replace something that has no problems with a new version just to be more sustainable on paper.

This is so true. But if it is going to be your own home I am not sure you will intend to 'cheat' about eco friendly solutions.

As well if the house if already with a great age in most of cases it is quite environmental friendly as the materials used to be more natural. Maybe the roof is an exception in this.

Maybe the bricks are not so environmental friendly, but if they are good and doesn't need to be replaced it is more friendly to keep it, than to get a new eco friendly material.

So I agree with you that materials should be replaced when they need not just for the sake of changing.

Julie Brooks-Girskiene

Piri o I agree with you that materials should be replaced when they need not just for the sake of changing.

Probably counts for most things in life, not just building materials 😉

Piri

Julie Brooks-Girskiene Of course. Anyway you don't need to choose fancy expensive eco friendly materials for housing, there are very wide range of materials with the same functions and most of them can be locally made, at least within the country.

I am Ashlynn

All of the media says that "tiny houses" are becoming more popular, and I guess that they are more eco-friendly, but I don't know where they are popular because I haven't seen them anywhere!

Piri

I am Ashlynn more and more people choose it, because it is cheaper as well. But I prefer to have a bit more space.

In a way small space makes you think before buying any of item just because simple you don't have space to store it. As well heating a tiny space you need less energy, and obviously tiny house means tiny amount of materials.

Ash

I think I would prefer a bit more space as well. The last thing you want to do is to come home after a hard days work and feel cramped in your place of comfort.

Piri

Ash And it is nice to have people over for dinner or for longer and be able to accommodate them…. Not to be afraid if you will smash into them with a hot pan…

Julie Brooks-Girskiene

Piri Not to be afraid if you will smash into them with a hot pan…

I don't know, there are some people that I would like to smash with a hot pan.

Piri

Julie Brooks-Girskiene We all might have those!

Hosted sustainably by S4