Over the past year I've become increasingly
agitated with apartment life, wishing there
were space to properly garden and that
improvements made would add to my own
property value instead of someone else's. I
figured almost 30 was a pretty good age to
stop paying rent and start building equity.
At first I tackled this idea the way most
people do, by perusing real estate ads and
daydreaming. I looked at about a dozen
houses somehow assuming that when I found
the right place I would skip on down to the
bank and secure a mortgage. I have a job
after all, what could go wrong?
Well, as some of you already know I have
not graduated college yet. Student loans
were piling up so I finished all my
required classes then applied for a job in
the Sustainable Living Department and
crossed my fingers. Job secured, I swore I
would finish up the remaining degree
requirements (a paper, an online class, and
a few other bothersome things) in "a little
while". Almost a year later, life has taken
over and I still have not earned my
diploma. Oops. Although I have the clear
intention of finishing up, that is not
enough to secure a mortgage. The bank wants
either two years of impeccably paid bills
and employer references, or two years in
school with a degree to show for it.
Sooo.... no loan for me. I had a day or so
of offended dignity ("I pay my bills, I'm a
responsible person!") before realizing I
had really dodged a bullet.
What does home ownership really mean? 30
years of debt, constant repair and
maintenance, insurance, taxes... good Lord
what was I thinking? How about doing
something fun and adventurous instead? What
would that look like? Where would I build
it? Who would help me? Once I asked these
questions the answers rolled in quickly. I
needed something portable, since there
wasn’t enough money for land and a house.
If I could come up with the right kind of
structure I could live in it for a few
years while saving for land, then move the
house onto the new property. Mobile home?
No, that just didn’t feel like my kind of
thing. What else would work? I remembered a
friend who has been dreaming about creating
a village of yurts here in Fairfield, could
a yurt be the right thing for me?
Everything seemed ideal, at least as far as
the promotional materials described. The
components weren’t all natural, though, and
that was a big problem. Could we live with
it for a few years, would it be that big of
a deal? Ultimately it came down to price,
at around $12,000 we could afford a yurt
and it would go up quickly. Sold. A work
trade was arranged with the members of the
Sustainable Living Coalition, I could live
rent and utility free out at their land,
two miles outside of town. Off the grid
rent free? Seriously!? But it was true, and
it would be so easy, although of course
thoughts are usually a bit easier than
action...
Tags: yurt, affordable housing,
natural building, off the grid