House on Blocks

[Horse]

I will tell you we built a house and basement about 25 yer ago and the basement cost app 1/3 of the cost but we would have to pour a grade beam if not a basement but I swear if I was to build again I would not put in a basement,all it does is colect junk and you are up and down all the time and as you age you realy start to notice the stairs.

[WoolyBear]

Watch out for mobile homes. Some of the manufacturers out there sure know how to build crap. Look good on the outside, but when it comes time to repairing things you sure find where they cut corners. Our friends have one where the gyproc is less than 1/2", the interior walls are not soundproofed, and are really only about 1x3" studs. The cupboards are put together with staples, and the countertops are pressboard. Guess what happens around a kitchen sink when water gets into that stuff! The appliances and fixtures are not built to last. In my opinion........ stay away from a mobile home.

Those homes that the Yorkton mayor was talking about would be ones in small towns that people would normally be able to buy (or rent) for peanuts compared to the city developments where the lot alone would be $10000 or more. And the neighbors are building $150,000 plus dollar homes. Wheres the sense in that if you can get a great used house in a town of less than 300 people (for example)for < $10,000 complete with water, sewer and plowed streets. You might have to drive 3 or 4 miles to the farm, but you can always put up a heated room to snooze in during calving season if you want.

[WoolyBear]

woolybear, I would hate to scare roly away from a manufactured home. There are a lot of good ones, and certainly there are poorer ones, but an older one would certainly suffice for a few years until roly decides if he want to build a house with a basement or not.

Driving back and forth to the farm may work for a short time but in calving time it certainly isn't feasible. You lose enough sleep in calving time without losing more driving up and down the road.

[FRENCHMAN]

Roly ..Did you buy a farm in Sask or Manitoba.?

[FRENCHMAN]

horse, are you trying to tell us you are an old boy ???? Kind of gave that one away when you mentioned the STAIRS !! ( Geez, don't get mad I am just kidding !!)

[cowman]

Roly: I doubt you would want to live in town and commute if you intend to keep sheep? There used to be a bumper sticker around a few years ago that read "Eat lamb, 50,000 coyotes can't be wrong!" Don't know if you have considered our little furry friends when you contemplate raising sheep?
I would think Emeralds suggestion of a mobile home is a good one? A good quick solution that you can change somewhere down the road when you make your fortune farming in Canada!
Don't be discouraged by my sarcasm! Despite all the problems here in agriculture, if you keep your nose to the grindstone and take care of business you can do okay. We all came here from somewhere else sometime and despite guys like Horse(who believes he is the landed gentry!) complaining, very few of us are starving!
I believe grassfarmer has a pretty good plan for an ag-venture...although I hesitate to say that here as it might go to his head! He is from the UK and might be helpful with some advice?

[cowman]

good suggestion cowman. Grassfarmer has an excellent understanding of the type of agriculture roly is used to, plus has certainly adapted to the type of agriculture found here on the prairies.

[grassfarmer]

Thanks guys, it is probably easier for me to understand where roly is coming from on a lot of issues but I still don't have the experience of Canada that others on here do. I've never been east of Strome either! Roly does correspond by email with me as well as here on Agriville.

[grassfarmer]

glad to hear that grassfarmer. Relocating to a new community is a challenge when faced with different type of farming methods, growing seasons etc., but starting out in a new country is not for the faint hearted. I am pleased that roly has someone to chat with about things, and certainly with your experiences in both countries you are an ideal source of information, and it doesn't matter whether you have been east of Strome or not !!

I know that roly has received a large cross section of ideas from all of us here, so I hope we haven't totally confused you roly, we are all trying to offer some good advice based on our own experiences or firsthand knowledge !!

[kato]

If you are in the Yorkton area ... my cousin bought a RTM home (Ready to Move) from a company in Yorkton. I don't know the name of the builders, but it is sure a nice house. It's not a trailer either, it's a full fledged house. They've been in it for a few years now, and are very happy with it. I don't think it would take much checking around to find them.

[WoolyBear]

Going through Yorkton last fall there were atleast 5 builders (plus another in town) on the east side. All were within shouting distance of each other. There are lots of family run outfits too. Mostly Mennonite families that have craftsmanship that is very outstanding in my opinion. In fact when the lottery comes in, theres an order going in to one of them near Roblin.

[WoolyBear]

a family member moved into their new manufactured home last fall, and it is one of the best built manufactured homes I have seen. They chose to go with more expensive items such as a fireplace, large oval bathtub on their ensuite and a walk in closet at the back entry as well as off their bedroom.
They also had a large sink and vanity installed in the utility room at the back entry.

They had a choice of several price ranges for cabinets, floor coverings etc. I think their home came from somewhere in Sask.