Micro-houses are cool. The minimal cost and maintenance is really appealing. Having to do it because everything else is unaffordable is not.
It’s even worse now that boutique builders are making tiny homes with aged cheddar wood and once in a century nails and crap. Houses in general should have never been made financial investments. It’s shelter.
Serious question: What ought to be a financial investment? Nothing? Points that are otherwise worthless?
Anything that is meant to be consumed should not be an investment, anything that in an ideal society should be cheaper to purchase for the betterment of that society, should not be an investment.
Companies that produce those things, ideally better or more efficient every year for various reasons, those should be investments.
We should invest in banana farmers, not bananas. Likewise we should invest in construction companies, not houses.
Nothing sounds pretty good to me
Why should you be able to take your extra money to generate more extra money for later? Maybe if that wasn’t an option, more people would spend that money on themselves or their community
It’s normal to me, I’ve been living in a van for 3 years, I love everything about it, in fact I read your comment which reminded me this is a novel atypical lifestyle, which then reminds me that many people take exception to it, are uncomfortable that we exist, which is the only thing I don’t like about this lifestyle, that mainstream society stigmatizes us.
But for those of us who get a thrill out of living tiny, and living anywhere/everywhere, and freedom from rent/mortgage, aaah this is FREEDOM
I would totally live in a van except for the lack of wired internet. :(
Why is wired internet necessary?
I have unlimited data, and a hotspot that up to fifteen devices can connect to, including my laptop.
And solar panels charge all my electronics.
How reliable is the mobile service, and how much are you paying for it? I’ve found Tmo shoddy at best for anything more than my phone…
How reliable is the mobile service
I have a full strong 5G signal right now but a few minutes ago I was parked in a canyon in a shadow and only had one bar 4G so I had to move up here to the top of a hill where my signal is stronger. In cities I usually get a great signal. Out in the middle of nowhere It depends on how near I am to a cell tower. I rarely have no signal at all and if that happens I just move somewhere else.
how much are you paying for it?
When I was younger and dumber a few years ago I got locked into a Verizon contract that is extortionate so I am paying more than I need to be paying. $124 a month. July 2024 I will be free of this contract then I’m going to find a more economical plan like T-Mobile or Mint or something.
But ultimately my goal is Starlink, which has an upfront cost of a few thousand dollars and then every month probably the same as I’m paying right now. The benefit of starlink in this nomadic lifestyle is wherever you go, even if you’re in the middle of nowhere, as long as you have open sky above you, you get a strong signal.
And a strong signal is invaluable because often Vans and schoolies and RVs have meetups out on BLM land in the middle of nowhere and there is no signal, and I go crazy without the internet because I just want to be on Reddit/Lemmy all the time.
And also of course in survival situations when you’re out alone and get stuck in the snow in the middle of nowhere, you’re going to want to have a strong signal.
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Mostly just to download videogames, tbh.
I’m glad you’re happy. However, virtually no one else would be. I mean a statistical blip of humanity would be happy living in a van.
The reason I’m uncomfortable that you exist is that people I know who live out of their cars are mentally ill individuals who have convinced themselves that they enjoy something which is, very clearly, sad and terrible.
That may not be you, but I’d be willing to bet it’s a majority of van-dwellers. It’s just not a healthy lifestyle for most.
You’re not wrong. ideally we van/RV people would love to have a house AND a travel option, but realistically money prevents most people from having everything they want,
so when it comes to choosing a lifestyle whether in a static location or freedom to travel, most people have to choose one or the other.
Life is difficult and full of challenges no matter what you do, so you might as well go all in on the one thing you’d prefer most, and just deal with all the pros & cons just like everything else in life.
And hey there are tons of sad confused mentally ill people who live in houses too.
This has so much more context needed. Like the dude is getting the land for free as a sorta art piece and doesn’t, or didn’t plan to do it long.
Kinda dystopian and depressing, but honestly some parts of it seem nicer than the houses he’s neighbours with. I like how it’s designed to not interfere with the skip lorry’s cab.
E: How much is the porta potty rental?
How much is the porta potty rental?
I watched the video through and he says he gets it free and they empty it every week or so. I suppose it’s good advertising for the company.
Why am I worried that some asshole developer is going to buy that little triangle of land out from under him, kick him off, and then just leave it unused for years. Maybe that sort of thing doesn’t happen in the UK, but it sure AF would happen in the states.
From the article
“The land was granted to him by an arts charity called Antepavilion”
He owns the land. Doesn’t stop the government from doing an eminent domain claim I guess but if they do he’s going to get more than it’s worth
No, the art charity owns the land. They just let him use it.
My electricity bill is so small that it is included in my land sponsorship,
Ah ok. I misinterpreted what “granted” meant
That’s good. Thanks!
I never thought watching Sesame Street when I grew up that Oscar the Grouch is the future.
Everything about this is a nightmare.
Good for him, I guess, but … I wouldn’t want to live in that POS even if you paid me. These stories are so frustrating because they start to normalize that living in a shoebox is normal. It isn’t. It’s terrible.
So cool. I’m worried my house will be burgled. Surely he worries his house will be stolen? 😁
You just need to make it slightly harder to steal your house, when compared to the house next door.
If he really wants to help out, he should build 3 more of those with 3 more portable toilets and find a better source for water. That plot of land is more than enough to hold more density.
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He’s got a nice sized lot there - could fit any number of more conventional options, including multi-family
he’s incredibly intelligent & handy to think this up, get all the bureaucratic approval, and build it from raw materials, INCREDIBLY CLEVER, so I sincerely hope he finds companionship with a kindred like-minded activist, because at the end of the day, nights get lonely.
I wonder what kind of woman would be attracted to a man who lives in a dumpster, would want to be his companion living in there with him, and fucking each other in a literal dumpster.
Because hear me out, I understand he’s incredibly intelligent & handy to think this up, get all the bureaucratic approval, and build it from raw materials, INCREDIBLY CLEVER, so I sincerely hope he finds companionship with a kindred like-minded activist, because at the end of the day, nights get lonely.
🤨
sure you scowl or whatever but I’m a woman and I live in a van and this is a very real concern. not throwing shade at him. empathizing with him, in fact he’s doing much better in life than I am. Because he has a great mind and great skills and a great job, He’s industrious, he’s going to do great in life.
every day there’s this underlying angst in my mind replaying over and over again, “I would not be attracted to the kind of person who might be attracted to me living this way.”
You know what I mean?
every day there’s this underlying angst in my mind replaying over and over again, “I would not be attracted to the kind of person who might be attracted to me living this way.”
I guess what you’re looking for is someone who likes you enough not to care then rather than someone actively attracted to you living that way if that makes sense.
My wife was a single mum living in a pretty shitty apartment when we met initially. We’re married 19 years now. I adopted that lovely boy and we have a heap more kids together. She’s a beautiful soul and that’s what I was looking for in life. Many people just look past things like your current living arrangement if you’re right for them is what I’m saying I suppose.
Very well said.
Congrats on your happiness.
Thank you. :) It’s not all sunshine and roses all the time. That’s life, but you know… It’s good.
I hope you find the right person for snuggles.
You really went into detail fantasising about someone having sex with him… Like I get saying “Oh I hope he finds love” but you like… Really went into detail???
He’s living in a literal dumpster. We’re in a discussion forum here and we’re free to explore everything that comes to our minds. So someone needs to point out the elephant in the room. If he takes someone to his bed, they’d be literally fucking in a dumpster. Everyone’s thinking it, but no one saying it, so let’s talk about it.
Oh come on, why did you say “fantasizing?” Do you “fantasize” when you think for a moment about Grandma and Grandpa, they’ve produced at least one child who produced you, right? You don’t want to picture it but you do for a second. It’s just human nature then you move on. We don’t “fantasize” about any of that, that’s the wrong word here.
Why didn’t he build a house instead?
Where can you build a house for $5,000?
Just poking fun at the headline. He didn’t build a dumpster. He built a house out of a dumpster.
If you were in the building industry/trades already I bet you could scavenge enough materials and borrow the equipment to do it.
He’s deliberately built it in a skip because that’s the loop-hole. Houses come with all kinds of regs/costs involved - these costs are magnified in London.
There’s literally no way you could legally build a house on the land for anything remotely close to that - maybe even at all.
Conversely, you’re allowed to put whatever you want in a skip, as long as it fits. And you can put a skip pretty much anywhere on your own property.
The obvious downside is that his house doesn’t technically exist. However, the upside is that his house doesn’t technically exist also.
Imagine collecting and counting those $62 each month. The sense of accomplishment and contribution to society that must confer.
The society that put him there in the first place? Yeah, what a debt he owes to that benevolent system. Truly.
Americans pretending other countries don’t have their own currency.
.com is a US commercial web domain. It makes sense for currencies to be converted to USD for a primarily US intended audience.
No, .com is an international tld and you can convert prices while still listing the original like any other countries news source would do.
You’re right about their first argument, but it is indeed a primarily American audience.
