Is a hangar worth the cost?

[Piloto]

 New home sales were way down last week when they reported, much lower than what was anticipated. I heard it was because new home builders were building homes that were beyond the affordability of most of the prospective buyers. Now make an all concrete home, or better yet, an all concrete, earth home to LEED specs. Now we are talking energy efficiency, safety, durability and proven ROI., but getting it so a Mortgage could be afforded by the average home buyer might be a bit of a challenge.

Mike Elliott

LEED AP

 

In PR mass produced houses are made of prefabricated concrete slabs that are assembled on site. I takes about a week to assemble a house. As for safety I would rather be in a concrete house with a concrete roof when the tornado alarm sounds. Haven't you noticed that the only thing standing on destroyed frame houses is the chimney and the fireplace. Just imagine if sidewalks were made of plywood instead of concrete. How long they would last. As for thermal insulation never seen an issue with that in PR. Some of the concrete slab roof have an integrated solar water heater to save you on the electric bill. There is no need for massive housing destruction due to a tornado or forest fire. Just look at history and see which one has survived over the centuries. Just imagine if the european castles and the pyramids were made out of wood.

 

José  

[jetdriven]

I saw a show ten years ago they made tornado proof houses in Kansas. They were made of 3x2x2 ft blue foam blocks they poured cement inside after they stacked them up. Concrete walls with R-30 insulation all in one.

[aviatoreb]

The Story of the Three Little Pigs

Click to enlarge

Once upon a time when pigs spoke rhyme

And monkeys chewed tobacco,

And hens took snuff to make them tough,

And ducks went quack, quack, quack, O!

THERE was an old sow with three little pigs, and as she had not enough to keep them, she sent them out to seek their fortune. The first that went off met a man with a bundle of straw, and said to him:

'Please, man, give me that straw to build a house.'

Which the man did, and the little pig built a house with it. Presently came along a wolf, and knocked at the door, and said:

'Little pig, little pig, let me come in.' To which the pig answered:

'No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin.' The wolf then answered to that:

'Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in.'

So he huffed, and he puffed, and he blew his house in, and ate up the little pig.

The second little pig met a man with a bundle of furze and said:

'Please, man, give me that furze to build a house.'

Which the man did, and the pig built his house. Then along came the wolf, and said:

'Little pig, little pig, let me come in.'

'No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin.'

"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in.'

So he huffed, and he puffed, and he puffed, and he huffed, and at last he blew the house down, and he ate up the little pig.

The third little pig met a man with a load of bricks, and said:

'Please, man, give me those bricks to build a house with.'

So the man gave him the bricks, and he built his house with them. So the wolf came, as he did to the other little pigs, and said:

'Little pig, little pig, let me come in.'

'No, no, by the hair of my chiny chin chin.'

'Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in.'

Well, he huffed, and he puffed, and he huffed and he puffed, and he puffed and huffed; but he could not get the house down. When he found that he could not, with all his huffing and puffing, blow the house down, he said:

'Little pig, I know where there is a nice field of turnips.'

'Where?' said the little pig.

'Oh, in Mr Smith's Home-field, and if you will be ready tomorrow morning I will call for you, and we will go together, and get some for dinner.'

'Very well,' said the little pig, 'I will be ready. What time do you mean to go?'

'Oh, at six o'clock.'

Well, the little pig got up at five, and got the turnips before the wolf came (which he did about six), who said:

'Little pig, are you ready?'

The little pig said: 'Ready! I have been and come back again, and got a nice potful for dinner.'

The wolf felt very angry at this, but thought that he would be up to the little pig somehow or other, so he said:

'Little pig, I know where there is a nice apple tree.'

'Where?' said the pig.

'Down at Merry-garden,' replied the wolf, 'and if you will not deceive me I will come for you at five o'clock tomorrow. and get some apples.'

Well, the little pig bustled up the next morning at four o'clock, and went off for the apples, hoping to get back before the wolf came; but he had further to go, and had to climb the tree, so that just as he was coming down from it, he saw the wolf coming, which, as you may suppose, frightened him very much. When the wolf came up he said:

'Little pig, what! are you here before me? Are they nice apples?'

'Yes, very,' said the little pig. 'I will throw you down one.'

And he threw it so far, that, while the wolf was gone to pick it up, the little pig jumped down and ran home. The next day the wolf came again, and said to the little pig:

'Little pig, there is a fair at Shanklin this afternoon, will you go?'

'Oh yes,' said the pig, 'I will go; what time shall you be ready?'

'At three,' said the wolf. So the little pig went off before the time as usual, and got to the fair, and bought a butter-churn, which he was going home with, when he saw the wolf coming. Then he could not tell what to do. So he got into the churn to hide, and by so doing turned it round, and it rolled down the hill with the pig in it, which frightened the wolf so much, that he ran home without going to the fair. He went to the little pig's house, and told him how frightened he had been by a great round thing which came down the hill past him. Then the little pig said:

'Hah, I frightened you, then. I had been to the fair and bought a butter-churn, and when I saw you, I got into it, and rolled down the hill.'

Then the wolf was very angry indeed, and declared he would eat up the little pig, and that he would get down the chimney after him. When the little pig saw what he was about, he hung on the pot full of water, and made up a blazing fire, and, just as the wolf was coming down, took off the cover, and in fell the wolf; so the little pig put on the cover again in an instant, boiled him up, and ate him for supper, and lived happy ever afterwards.

 

[Hank]

Not a good comparison, Erik. The piggy got his bricks for free.

[aviatoreb]

Not a good comparison, Erik. The piggy got his bricks for free.

 

True - but in the story the piggy takes more time and effort to build his stronger house, so in economic terms, that time and effort is a metaphor for the economic costs of building the stronger house.

[Piloto]

Just think about the houses that we could all afford here in the U.S. mainland if we didn't have to pay federal income tax either.

Jim

 

Yeah but if you don't pay your federal taxes you don't get to vote for Obama or Palin. But you pocket enough for your flying expenses. I wonder how many in the US will go for No Taxes - No Vote law. Politics, I am still waiting for the promissed juicy stimulus check. Has anyone got theirs?

 

José 

[Hank]

What "check"? I got some KFC coupons, a pack of watermelon seeds and some instructions written in Spanish.

My plane has been in a hangar since before I bought it; being in mid-move, she's tied down and I'm on two hangar lists. At least I have good company.

[DrBill]

When my former partner and I bought our Sundowner (2003) , the airport had a 2-4 year backlog on their shadeports at $120/mo. Tiedown was $45/mo.  We were able to put up a "portable" (Shelterlogic) for $5K plus $3K in concrete.  We had that plane 7 years paying only $45/mo for the hangar.  We sold the plane and I bought out the partner from the hangar and airport golf cart.  The Mooney just fits in (4 in / side clearance) but it's still a dry area.  The front door needs replacement and I probably will replace the roof in a year or 2. (c$5k at todays prices for the fabric for both Door and Roof).  Since we put mine up, two more went up but these are the US STEEL quonset hut hangars an a LOT more pricey. 

I could "sell" it when I'm done if there are any buyers.

BILL

[m20cDoug]

I Tied down outside when I bought my "C" but after the first good snow decided that the expense of a hangar was justified. Sweeping off the snow just to work on it outside was enough anyway.

[marks]

My hangar is equipped with power for preheating the engine.  I also have a nice sound system with my ipod music.  It's also equipped with a mini-fridge so I can have my favorite beer while I polish and clean the airplane.  Who could stand to clean and polish the airplane and then leave it outside in the rain and elements.  What a morale-buster!  Attached is my clean and polished J-model in front of my hangar.

[aviatoreb]

My hangar is equipped with power for preheating the engine.  I also have a nice sound system with my ipod music.  It's also equipped with a mini-fridge so I can have my favorite beer while I polish and clean the airplane.  Who could stand to clean and polish the airplane and then leave it outside in the rain and elements.  What a morale-buster!  Attached is my clean and polished J-model in front of my hangar. 030.JPG

 

Cool paint job!

[marks]

It may be a cool paint job, but when I planned it my thought was that if there was any choice of colors or pattern that ever stood a chance to save my life, that I ought to paint it that way.  You saw the result.  - Thanks. 

[triple8s]

I'm not a skinflint, I'm truly not, but ponder this.......tax when you earn it, tax when it is in the bank earning interest, taxed when you spend it, taxed when you give what's left to your heirs. Federal income tax, state income tax (for some) alternative minimum tax, personal property tax, horizontal property tax (tax on sh-t ya don't really own) road use tax, corporate tax, fuel tax, IFTA tax, wheel tax, capital gains tax, estate tax,etc. Also, we have a portion of our earned income taken away for social security because we are too stupid to save for retirement plus we'll never see an of that, and Medicaid or Medicare which if a person was responsible that would be planned for by insurance or saving for it, plus we will probably never see that money only a portion of it. So basically we are being extorted to just exist in the world. Just like my chickens there is always some critter trying to steal their water, feed eggs, or even their life, coons, possums, sknks, foxes, dogs, stray cats, always something and it that way with your personal stuff, money and property, you have city, state, county and federal, somebody somewhere is always after your sh-t!

[triple8s]

Oh yes and a very cool paint job on he J. As bad as things are in the good old US of A we still have it better than lots, we should still be thankful for our freedoms we still have left.

[pinerunner]

I managed to get into an unheated hangar up here in Maine for $150/mo.  I've got two electric outlets so I can get power to my engine preheater and also give a little gentle heating to keep the dew off in the morning. I would have been more cautious buying it if it hadn't been always hangared. If I could afford a heated hangar I'd upgrade to that but without a hangar I think I'd have skipped owning. Paint deteriorates in the sun and I think the expense of repainting delayed may make up for the monthly cost.

[fantom]

.....So basically we are being extorted to just exist in the world......somebody somewhere is always after your sh-t!

 

...and your point is?

[Hector]

My parents live in an older neighborhood in Miami where most of homes were constructed in the early 60's. They are all concrete block construction with low pitch roofs. Just 5 block south starts a newer section of the city build in the 70's, all wood frame construction. When Andrew went by it literally LEVELED the new neighborhoods. My parents house is about 1 mile from the hurricane center and they lost their anemometer at 152 MPH. My parents lost all the trees in the yard (two of them were just gone!), but negligible damage to the house (a few shingles missing). Yeap, I'll take concrete anytime. Unfortunately, my home in north Florida is wood frame construction, which means I'll be getting the hell out of town in my Mooney if a hurricane comes this way

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Piloto]

Hector, I agree with you 100%. Your experience shows how well concrete homes handle storms. I am surprised that they still build frame houses here in the US in areas prone to tornadoes and wild fires. With prefabricated concrete slabs you can build a house in two weeks at same cost or less than wood frame houses. And no need to worry about termites. In Puerto Rico and Latin America most houses are built with concrete including the roof. History has shown that stone buildings such as palaces, castles, pyramids outlast wood buildings by thousands of years. Just look at San Agustin, FL Spanish Morro Castle. It has survived all the hurricanes during the last 500 years.

 

José 

[Hector]

Hector, I agree with you 100%. Your experience shows how well concrete homes handle storms. I am surprised that they still build frame houses here in the US in areas prone to tornadoes and wild fires. With prefabricated concrete slabs you can build a house in two weeks at same cost or less than wood frame houses. And no need to worry about termites. In Puerto Rico and Latin America most houses are built with concrete including the roof. History has shown that stone buildings such as palaces, castles, pyramids outlast wood buildings by thousands of years. Just look at San Agustin, FL Spanish Morro Castle. It has survived all the hurricanes during the last 500 years.

José

In the middle of the night at the peak of the storm I was hearing and feeling some pretty significant impacts on the house. I was sure glad to be in that old house and not a wood framed house. Next morning I walked to the corner gas station and it's roof was gone and the gas pumps had buckled and were now leaning at a 45 degree angle. I got some great pictures of that.