Living Car Free - Car-free Homeowners

I get the impression most of us that are car-free are either young or not very mainstream. Do any of you own your own home?

I know my life is fairly nonstandard and I don't really have plans for homeownership. As much as I dislike many mainstream aspects of society, and group think, I can't say that I wouldn't mind seeing more "normal" folk live car-free lives. The closest I can recall is a fellow mathematics student, now a PhD candidate in New Mexico who live with his wife in a small adobe house about 10 miles from campus, who rode every day. But unfortunately we mathematics students are not normal in other ways!

I'm not car free. Just car lite. The wife drives the family car.

Exactly how would I go car free? Hauling 2X4s and drywall via bike is a bit silly. It's hard enough using our camry. Personally, I do not think car free is practical for owning a home, fixing it up, and raising a toddler.

Anyhow, I'm curious to see what the responses are.

Own a co-op apartment in Brooklyn NY. Delivery...

I own my own place, but don't own a car. Got the PhD thing going, too. Maybe what makes it so attractive is that pedaling about gets blood to the brain... ???

I own 8 acres... and am going to build. Car-free right now, but with building? Maybe we'll buy a truck, build and then sell it. Haven't worked out the details yet.

I get the impression most of us that are car-free are either young or not very mainstream. Do any of you own your own home?
................


No, I own my home and qualify for senior discounts. But maybe, the car free life is what makes us feel young, that young feeling seeps into our posts and you get the impression that we ARE young?

I see this miracle happen on my block. A woman with hair about half gray looks older than me when she walks out on the sidewalk. When she gets on her bike and pedals away she looks younger than me. The years melt away from her.

[QUOTE=Satyr]I get the impression most of us that are car-free are either young or not very mainstream. Do any of you own your own home?

/QUOTE]

One impression I get about most of the posters in this forum is that they are largely single. This was born out in a recent thread where that was a poll question. When you are single you are much freer to make life impacting decisions such as not owning a private automobile. I am not young (nor old) so I guess that makes me middle aged. I do own a home - a condo which is centrally located as to make car free living ridicously easy.

Owning a car where I live would be more trouble than it possibly could be worth. I rent my garage spot out to those who haven't figured that out.

I'd be interested to hear people from NY city reply to this thread. It's my understanding that having a car in NY is pointless for most residents, regardless of whether you own or rent. The subway is much more efficient than driving, and parking is a complete nightmare.

i dont own but i had to make a few trips to home depot for some large items. in cambridge mass you can ride to the nearest home depot, and rent a truck for like 30 dollars an hour and just toss the goods and the bike in the back

car free, own home, doctorate/professional degree, single and working; pretty much describes me.

Exactly how would I go car free? Hauling 2X4s and drywall via bike is a bit silly. It's hard enough using our camry. Personally, I do not think car free is practical for owning a home, fixing it up, and raising a toddler.

you've described our silly life. we bought a fixer, hauled lumber and paint and compressors and so on with an xtracycle, fixed it, had a baby, sold the place for a bundle, and moved to a cheaper, more bike friendly city where we now have no mortgage on a sweet home and are looking into adopting a baby. all car-free, now with toddler. 11 years ago we were $50K in debt, too, and haven't inherited anything or won lotteries in the interim.

I'm carfree, wife is car-lite and working on her carfree comfort level. We own a house and have 2 doberman pinschers.

you've described our silly life. we bought a fixer, hauled lumber and paint and compressors and so on with an xtracycle, fixed it, had a baby, sold the place for a bundle, and moved to a cheaper, more bike friendly city where we now have no mortgage on a sweet home and are looking into adopting a baby. all car-free, now with toddler. 11 years ago we were $50K in debt, too, and haven't inherited anything or won lotteries in the interim.

Hey now. I didn't call your life silly. :p
See, now you've answered my question if it was possible. However, my wife has not interest in not owning a car. It takes two to make that work.

you've described our silly life. we bought a fixer, hauled lumber and paint and compressors and so on with an xtracycle, fixed it, had a baby, sold the place for a bundle, and moved to a cheaper, more bike friendly city where we now have no mortgage on a sweet home and are looking into adopting a baby. all car-free, now with toddler. 11 years ago we were $50K in debt, too, and haven't inherited anything or won lotteries in the interim.
It sounds like a great life, not silly at all!

I bought a townhouse two years ago, downtown Denver. Excellent experience with great realtor, and I've done some heavy cosmetic improvements, (floors, tiling, new patio door), and have been very happy, learned a lot, and also gained equity.

I am car free, but my sig other has car, so share when I need, but use friend's truck for big things like drywall, etc.

No big projects planned for future. We enjoy owning our home, and it's been worth it. but like other's have said you are responsible for things, (even in condo), like appliance breaking, furnace, etc. But - I find being proactive helps a lot. I check for leaks on my faucets every few weeks, replace my furnace filters, keep things clean and orderly, and it's been quite simple, but I enjoy doing little things like tinkering around, and most information about "how to" do something can be found on the internet. I'm planning to do some built in bookcases this spring.

Also I managed to find a hot tub on Craigslist for a great price, (someone getting a newer/better one). And even though I'm not in favor of adding things to my life that require maintenence and and extra work, it was worth the price and is a nice treat to have in the back patio in the winter -- couldn't have done that renting :)

We have friends who are baffled at why we would buy a place without a garage, (and one parking spot). But to me location is much more important. I can walk to grocery stores, coffee shops, near bus lines, huge park, great bikable, walkable neighborhood - and it's funny how much priority people place on having a "two car garage", and will live in a "car required" neighborhood, in place of a nice semi urban location like mine. (it's just east of downtown, lots of single family homes, townhomes, and some high rises scattered about)

My grandmother owns her own home, and she has never driven a car. The shops are close enough for her to walk to, and she gets a taxi to take her to church.

BTW, I am car free, but don't own a home (but I hope to do so in the future though).

I
I am car free, but my sig other has car, so share when I need, but use friend's truck for big things like drywall, etc.


That's odd.

You claim to be car-free, but you borrow your SO's car and a truck when you need it.

You aren't anything of the kind.

No more than someone with a company car.

Yup, we own. Row-house actually, part of a condo. I like to meddle and modify things... I get in trouble with rentals.

That's odd.

You claim to be car-free, but you borrow your SO's car and a truck when you need it.

You aren't anything of the kind.

No more than someone with a company car.
This is what's known on this subforum as "Turn off, Tune In, Drop out of the Petrol Cycle"; car-free subforum style that is. Borrowing vehicles from others is downright righteous and even saves greatly on environmental wear and tear, or so it is claimed.

http://z.about.com/d/collectdolls/1/0/l/G/troll.jpg

Somebody should start a new thread about purism and carfree. So we can get back on topic here.

Renting out a parking spot to someone else because you're car free has got to be the coolest thing I've heard in a long time. Awesome !

i dont own but i had to make a few trips to home depot for some large items. in cambridge mass you can ride to the nearest home depot, and rent a truck for like 30 dollars an hour and just toss the goods and the bike in the back
That's an excellent idea. A lot of places, not just home depot, have delivery. I even know of a guy who used it to move, he just bought stuff, rented it, and used it to move his apartment, then returned the stuff.

This is what's known on this subforum as "Turn off, Tune In, Drop out of the Petrol Cycle"; car-free subforum style that is. Borrowing vehicles from others is downright righteous and even saves greatly on environmental wear and tear, or so it is claimed.

Thanks I Like. John Boo hoo. Moving from a 2 car, 2 adult household to a 2 adult ONE car household is a brilliant economical and environmental decision, whether your married, roomates, neigbhors, etc.

With some simple planning ahead you've removed one car from the equation, yet you keep the convenience of a car for, well as discussed, road trips to remote areas, long drives, thunderstorms, driving Grandma to the doctor- everything a car should logically be used for.

If I'm chastised for occasionally using my S.O.'s car and not being officially "car free", then people that use cabs, rent cars when needed, or even use the bus should be chastised too. (and in addition to biking, I do use cabs, and occasionally rent a car when needed).

I'm proud of my car free (or car sharing) status, and so is my bank account.

So maybe another topic should be "completely free of oil/motor use", in which case one should not fly on aircraft ride the bus, etc etc - and be completely free of oil.

Maybe car-free should be considerend "car-dependent free", as most in this group support SMART use of ALL transportation options - (hey everyone loves flex car, and umm, that's CAR)

Exactly how would I go car free? Hauling 2X4s and drywall via bike is a bit silly. It's hard enough using our camry. Personally, I do not think car free is practical for owning a home, fixing it up, and raising a toddler...

Just like yourself, my wife has a car. I do drive it sometimes. But to do things around the house I use third parties. I've put up my own fence and built my own slate patio with brick facia stairs. The wood for the fence was delivered by Home Depot: several times because they kept on bringing me crap wood, until I went down there, chose my own wood, and they gave me a rental truck for free. Ditto for the cement for the brick stairs. The auger for the fence I brought by bike: this was more of a "can I do it". A friend of mine and I strapped two bikes together and pedalled the thing home and back. The stone was delivered by the stone people, as was the chip and dust. I guess you get the gist of what I'm saying :). I don't think being car free means you have to forego all the benefits of delivery trucks/taxis/busses etc.

I'm proud of my car free (or car sharing) status, and so is my bank account.

So maybe another topic should be "completely free of oil/motor use", in which case one should not fly on aircraft ride the bus, etc etc - and be completely free of oil.

Maybe car-free should be considerend "car-dependent free", as most in this group support SMART use of ALL transportation options - (hey everyone loves flex car, and umm, that's CAR)


Hey, that was pretty coherent..LOL
Maybe you could move into your paret's basement and be bill-free too.
Look out Mr Rockefeller! At least i know what car free really means now.:rolleyes:

The only person I know of that's completely oil-free is Bigfoot, and he seems to be doing pretty well for himself in the forests of the Pacific Northwest!

I'd be interested to hear people from NY city reply to this thread. It's my understanding that having a car in NY is pointless for most residents, regardless of whether you own or rent. The subway is much more efficient than driving, and parking is a complete nightmare.

Having a car in NYC is just silly, but so many people do. The subway gets you where you need to go and by bike it is even faster.

I'm looking to become a homeowner this year. I have the money and while looking actually found an affordable single family home! Here's the problem.

1. It will mean a longer commute about an extra 1/2 hour making it a full 1 1/2 hour commute to work each day! That's long but I will be a homeowner.

2. There is a train that goes to the ferry (every 1/2 hour) but it's not like my lightrail that comes every 15 minutes. A disadvantage but it will enable me to continue my car free lifestyle as I will not be able to afford the house with the overhead of a motorcar.

The area has less stores and I'll probably have to bike more than I used to.

What do you think? Should I look into this or continue searching for a one bed room condo where I'm currently at? I really want two bedrooms but my area is pricy and getting worse all the time.

I'm looking to become a homeowner this year. I have the money and while looking actually found an affordable single family home! Here's the problem.

1. It will mean a longer commute about an extra 1/2 hour making it a full 1 1/2 hour commute to work each day! That's long but I will be a homeowner.

That is a LONG commute. Few would have the discipline to continue on with that. There is more to life than biking / working / biking / sleeping.



What do you think? Should I look into this or continue searching for a one bed room condo where I'm currently at? I really want two bedrooms but my area is pricey and getting worse all the time.

I think you are going to have to weigh how important it is for you to own a single family home versus a lifestyle with biking as a core component but not only activity.

What shape is the house in? If you are having trouble springing for a condo now I wonder if that house might be the proverbial money pit (and time pit).

... my area is pricy and getting worse all the time.
So doesn't that mean buying a condo there would be a good investment? If you own in an area that's getting pricier, that's a good thing! Plus you like the area and it's closer to work ...

1. It will mean a longer commute about an extra 1/2 hour making it a full 1 1/2 hour commute to work each day! That's long but I will be a homeowner.

There is no way I could ever justify spending three hours of my day commuting! Think about it - your workday will be 11 hours, but you'll get paid for 8. Good deal? I don't think so.

"There is no way I could ever justify spending three hours of my day commuting!"

More time on the bike, baby... what could be better?

I'll blow a couple hours of the day getting around by bike, sure... heck, the main reason I ride is I like it... there's plenty o' good secondary reasons... but none better than the primary one...

Seriously, I'm not sure I could spend the extra time on the train, tho...

There is no way I could ever justify spending three hours of my day commuting! Think about it - your workday will be 11 hours, but you'll get paid for 8. Good deal? I don't think so.

You have a point. Understand that New Yorkers have a longer commute due than the national average even though it involves public transportation. I think the average commute was a little over 50 minutes. I've done this commute before and my commute into New York City is about an hour and 10 minutes so adding an additional 20 isn't so bad. I still see your point.

What shape is the house in? If you are having trouble springing for a condo now I wonder if that house might be the proverbial money pit (and time pit).

It's in very good shape. Condo's are going for the price of single family homes in my area. That's pretty scary but the new luxury developments want 400K for 2 bedrooms! You can afford a house with that kind of money. Seriously.

Bottom line. I want to own something this year instead of paying rent.

There is no way I could ever justify spending three hours of my day commuting! Think about it - your workday will be 11 hours, but you'll get paid for 8. Good deal? I don't think so.

Ha!
I leave at 5:00 am and arrive at work at 6:45-7:00am. Then I leave at 3:00 and arrive home at 4:30am. Other days I leave even earlier to ride the entire 70 miles RT. Those I average 4-5 hrs commuting.
My hrs on a bike are the best of the day, except maybe seeing my son in the evening.
I still manage something like 3 hrs of free time each night after I finish dinner and my chores.
It's all in the time management.

You have a point. Understand that New Yorkers have a longer commute due than the national average even though it involves public transportation. I think the average commute was a little over 50 minutes. I've done this commute before and my commute into New York City is about an hour and 10 minutes so adding an additional 20 isn't so bad. I still see your point.

Hmm, sheer size has something to do with that. I'm in Canada's fourth largest city, with a population of under one million (depending on what you count as "Ottawa", the NCR is well over one million). The longest commute I've had was 45 minutes, and that was as a student in my second year of college. The only reason I found that acceptable was for college, I wouldn't have done that for a job.

I guess it all depends on how much you value your time, and the local market for your employment. I've always valued my time more than money, all else being equal (which, of course, it seldom is!). Back when I was an office temp I refused jobs with commutes of more than 30 mins. If the temp agency insisted, I asked for a raise.

I still manage something like 3 hrs of free time each night after I finish dinner and my chores. It's all in the time management.

To me its not really about time management or free time, but about time wasted and work hours. My workday (back before I was self-employed) took time: that time started when I left the house, and ended when I got back home. Give or take a few, "Hon, can you pick up some cat food on the way home?" days. Its amazing how much your take-home salary decreases when you factor in the real length of your workday, the cost of commuting, and the cost of lunch, coffee, and snacks!

I remember amusing myself one day, back when I was a grossly underpaid darkroom tech making $12.50/hour. My effective pay, before taxes, was closer to $7.00/hour. While it would have been a bad career move, I would have been better off financially working at the convenience store down the block from home! Hard to beat a 5 mins. commute (although you know you'll be the first one they call whenever someone calls in sick!)

I'd rather not factor in my commute since my pay would be rather pathetic. However, I am working in a field and position that I love. Besides, if it was that big of an issue I would purchase a car. 90 minutes a day is a significant decrease in time spent commuting. The problem being that I enjoy biking and find driving a car rather annoying.

I once was a salaried store manager for a national fast food chain. I sat down and calculated my hourly pay with the hours I was working. Then end result was that if I was an hourly manager and worked a second job I would have made more money and worked less.

Yup, car-free homeowner as of about a month ago (car-free that is). My home is in the suburbs, leaving me a 15km (10mi) commute each way. No problemo!

I want to own something this year instead of paying rent.

I think it's important to examine your reasons for wanting to own. If it's a matter of having control of your own living space, there are things you can do about it. I live in a small apartment building (was a large house) owned by a guy who says that if we want to do stuff like painting, he'll reimburse us for the paint, etc. Since it's one person that's totally in charge, he can give permission for anything he wants.

If you're thinking about the financial benefits of homeownership, it can cut either way because you may (or may not) be able to find a place where rent is low enough to let you put away as much money as you would be gaining in home equity with a mortgage.



Understand that New Yorkers have a longer commute due than the national average even though it involves public transportation.

or maybe partly because it involves public transit? "walk to bus/train stop, wait for a bit, walk to destination" is often slower than "bike/drive straight to destination".

Home owner and I've bought less than 10 tanks of gas in the last two years. Rentals and the occasional borrow the wheels. (hey sometimes it's gotta happen)

My wife and I share one car. I bike commute year round, she bike commutes about 6 months of the year. The car is over 10 years old and was bought new for cash (no loans). We own a condo. I by no means consider myself car-free. I have been totally car free in the past and it's a lot different from having a car that you can drive when you need it or when you just are being lazy. We've used the savings from having only one car and using it so infrequently to purchase a fixer upper out in the woods with 4 acres of land that I hope to have off the grid in 5 years.

We've used the savings from having only one car and using it so infrequently to purchase a fixer upper out in the woods with 4 acres of land that I hope to have off the grid in 5 years.

How far is your fixer upper from work, or from the nearest amenities like food and groceries?? My longterm plan is to have a cabin in the woods that is, "off the grid". My dilema is that living on a decent amount of property could mean a longer commute to and from town..i.e. 10 miles or more....meaning I'd have to have rely on a car..which would sort of defeat the purpose of being off the grid....

...I'd have to have rely on a car..which would sort of defeat the purpose of being off the grid....

this house is a good 10 miles from the nearest full grocery store. Though I see the house being "off the grid" and "relying on a car" as two separate things. Since I'm someone who is not reluctant to occasionally use an automobile- I'm fine with owning one car and using it as seldom as possible. So, I'm not sure I understand your reference to using the car to grocery shop as defeating the purpose of the house being off the grid electrically. The area where the house is, though relatively remote, has a real sense of community and sharing cars and carpooling to the market is something that many people in the area do on a regular basis so, it would certainly be feasible to live car free if one chose in that area or to at least to share a car or truck with several neighbors. As far as work, my wife and I are artists and currently affiliated with a college and a university but intend to go back to freelance and will be building a studio space and rooms for students so that we can run workshops on our property.

the house currently has a composting toilet and some solar electric but eventually I hope to have a hybrid electric system that uses wind (we are on a ridge line that offers a minimum of class 4 wind) and some solar panels. It should produce more than enough electricity to power the home and studio space if all appliances and lighting is energy efficient.

Seriously - do any of the "car free purists" out there live in houses that were produced with ZERO petroleum use for transportation (not to mention for materials - which I think is a defensible use for petroleum - try typing on a computer made of wood and metal:-)???

The only people I know of who approximate that kind of "ICE independence" are some of the Mennonite communities of southern Ontario (maybe the amish are the same??) they grow their food, cut their timber, and move around using only human, animal, water, and wind power. However, even they buy metal (particularly Iron, Steel, and Copper) which were presumably brought to them by fossil fuel powered trucks.

Getting back to the original post tho - Own a house (about 10 years now), married, still no car. At one point I had six roommates only two of which (including myself) had a valid drivers licence. Location - downtown Toronto. Are we mainstream?? Not sure, but I'm not shunned by anyone I know.

If/when I NEED (as opposed to occasionally drive) a car, I'll let you know...

Rajman

I own a home, or I should say 2/3s of it. I'm currently looking into installing a PV roof, and taking advantage of Net Metering.