<
https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/homes-on-wheels-are-filling-a-big-gap-in-portland>
"The Maine family needed a cheaper place for one of them to live. And quickly.
It was 2024. Synia Maine, 56, had just developed a back injury so severe that
she had to retire from her career as a hairstylist a decade earlier than
planned. Suddenly, she had increased medical bills and no income.
Her daughter-in-law, Ember DeVaul, recounted that they’d explored multiple
options to try to keep Synia in Arizona, where she lived. Even the lowest-cost
housing option, manufactured homes, required a permanent foundation and tens of
thousands of dollars in permitting costs.
Ember and her husband, who live in East Portland, looked into converting their
own garage into housing. Only one contractor bothered to reply to them after
they stated their budget was just $100,000. The verdict? It would take $150,000
minimum to convert the garage, but the resale value of the property would only
increase by half that amount. Another issue was the estimated six months to get
through design and permitting. “We didn’t have time to wait,” Ember said.
Because Synia was an independent contractor, she didn’t have health insurance,
and she had used up her savings just to keep up with the bills. “It’s crazy how
fast everything can change,” Ember said.
Kol Peterson, the sole contractor who showed up at Ember’s home, proposed
another idea: a tiny home on wheels."
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-olympics-skiing-snowboarding-forever-chemicals-ban/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
