Buying/Building a house/Imported Houses

[Catoneinutica]

[quote="pheyton"]Actually all modern chimneys are wood framed. The interior of the chimney is a prefab steel flue and the box itself is steel. I have worked on hundreds of new houses and have yet to see one without a steel flue, wood frame. I did work on a raised foundation house where the idiots used solid river rock just on the surround of the fireplace. The floor started sagging big time and we had to go in, jack up the floor and reinforce it with some serious posts and beams. Then we forced him to remove the river rock. It wasn't his fault. The builder probably never accounted for that much weight being stacked up on the floor. Over time it just crushed the floor joists. It was actually pretty frightening to work on because it seemed the chimney might come down on us at any time.

As taro pointed out the stone nowadays is all veneer and most of the time is faux. Even on the higher end homes I work on the stone is faux.

Your current house is very beautiful Canton. Do you have a tatami room? That is my one demand when I build my house, is to have my tatami room so when I'm an oji-san I can drink my sake/shochu and ponder life. That and a place to ponder my Sabra. ]


Thanks for the kind words, Pheyten. I was all gung-ho for tatami mats and shoji screens back in Seattle and when we first got here, but now I can take them or leave them. Since Mrs. Cantone didn't really want one, we didn't build one, though we're thinking about putting together some modular tatami units on the third floor for the mom-in-law to use. I read my SABRA out on the porch over the front entrance and throw my empty beer cans at passing pedestrians.

I wish we had our 300-tsubo Karuizawa lot to go with our Chiba house. Then I'd get greji to mow the lawn for 20 bucks. Hey, you're not done 'til the edging's done there, mister!

-catone
-still have all the plans, if you're interested, pheyton

[Mulboyne]

There's a new blog on this subject:

http://buyhousejapan.com/

"A story about buying and bulding a house in Japan"

[Bucky]

[Catoneinutica]

Ahh, Danny has stumbled upon the option of "uri-tate" (AKA "tateuri") houses. If you admire the aesthetics of a grey or beige vinyl garbage bin, this is just the housing solution for you! Plus, you'll be so close to the next family's identical tateuri house (we're talking millimeters), you'll be able to smell their obaachan's dirty diapers.

[james]

Ahh, Danny has stumbled upon the option of "uri-tate" (AKA "tateuri") houses. If you admire the aesthetics of a grey or beige vinyl garbage bin, this is just the housing solution for you! Plus, you'll be so close to the next family's identical tateuri house (we're talking millimeters), you'll be able to smell their obaachan's dirty diapers.

personally, i've always felt that the corrugated aluminium that some people use to make additions to their house after it's been built always give it that nice "third world" feel to it.

[Mock Cockpit]

Bump for a great thread. FG really needs a "The Fuckedest of the Fucked- the Best of FG" section with threads like this in it.

[Behan]

personally, i've always felt that the corrugated aluminium that some people use to make additions to their house after it's been built always give it that nice "third world" feel to it.

I used to live in a single-unit apartment like that, with aluminum siding and roof. It looked like a shack.

[farmerjohn]

Hi my first post here,

Good thread with lots of great information. Great pics of the houses there.

We had a house imported and built by a local carpenter. It was a stressful time but in the end it all worked out.

I was really interested in buying an existing newly renovated farmhouse, but for a little more you can get a more solid home.

All is well and good so long as the economy holds up, meaning I keep my job forever.

Anyone else out there living in the inaka doing your own thing?

John

[Mike Oxlong]

[Bucky]

I came across this today. I will have to follow this guy to see how his project goes:



website

[matsuki]

[Russell]

[Coligny]

"It's called galvanium," the salesman told us. It felt like plastic thanks to the coating, which he said was similar to the finish of an automobile, but it reminded us more of lacquer. He said it was inexpensive but long-lasting. Even the roof was made of galvanium. It would never rust, he explained, nor would it need re-coating.

Not something associated with long lasting, or strong...

or good idea...

[TennoChinko]

Not something associated with long lasting, or strong...

or good idea...

I agree.

[Russell]

But somehow it looks picturesque...

[dimwit]

I agree.

Hell, I could show you a few place in the neighborhood that look just about as good.

As for modern housing and aluminium siding, I am not sure which is the driving force behind using such ass look materials, the lack of any aestetic sense amoungst the Japanese, or a total lack of professional pride in Japanese architects.

[Coligny]

Hell, I could show you a few place in the neighborhood that look just about as good.

As for modern housing and aluminium siding, I am not sure which is the driving force behind using such ass look materials, the lack of any aestetic sense amoungst the Japanese, or a total lack of professional pride in Japanese architects.

D00d... if it wuz aluminium It wouldn't look that bad, last longer, won't rust...

AND BE HELLISHLY EXPENSIVE...

[Greji]

Just moved to my new place by the river....

[matsuki]

As for modern housing and aluminium siding, I am not sure which is the driving force behind using such ass look materials, the lack of any aestetic sense amoungst the Japanese, or a total lack of professional pride in Japanese architects.

It's option C, they can buy it on the super cheap and still get suckerrrr ehm Japanese to drink the "bargain" kool-aid and pay premium prices for it. Cheap, ugly, shitty siding, more profits.

[Coligny]

Just moved to my new place by the river....

So, when is the house warming party ?

[dimwit]

D00d... if it wuz aluminium It wouldn't look that bad, last longer, won't rust...

AND BE HELLISHLY EXPENSIVE...

'Aluminium siding' is generalized term as opposed to calling it 'corragated whatsit'.

[james]

So, when is the house warming party ?

with a get-up like that he's probably got a dutch oven ready to warm things up

[matsuki]

'Aluminium siding' is generalized term as opposed to calling it 'corragated whatsit'.

I still prefer to call it India style slumdog siding...



....if they have a "Japanese garden" they even complete the look

[Coligny]

I still prefer to call it India style slumdog siding...

....if they have a "Japanese garden" they even complete the look

Just missing a Mercobenz in the parking and it would look like every luxury mansions in Nagoya...

[Greji]

So, when is the house warming party ?

As soon as the basement and game room are finished......

[IparryU]

As soon as the basement and game room are finished......

poker table?

[yanpa]

Clearing out my bookmarks as no longer needed... some vaguely interesting links on the general subject:

- Tales of experience from foreign homeowners (Japan Times article, not much content)
- Buying & Building a House in Japan (blog)
- Buying a Home in Japan (Very Long Post) (blog post)
- Kichijoji Life (blog)
- Tokyo Home (blog)
- Designing and Building a Carbon-Neutral Eco-House in Japan (blog)

[Coligny]

- Designing and Building a Carbon-Neutral Eco-House in Japan (blog)

By shipping all construction material from the UK... I SENSE FAIL...

[matsuki]

I'm still on a log home kick and know of a dude building a few in Mie (I think he plans to rent them out) but even the J-people seem to appreciate the look of log homes and they're a bazillion times stronger, more insulated, and cheaper to build than the india slumdog style rabbit hutches and most of the materials can be sources locally (meaning cheaply..as Coligny just pointed out, importing everything from overseas, you'll end up building your home from the shipping containers when you have no $$ left to build)

[yanpa]

That reminds me, how about purchasing the house that will be (or probably has already been) built on this attractive plot of land in Koganeishi? According to the plans, the living room windows will be almost directly next to the ventilation outlet of the neighbouring printing factory, and as an added bonus there's a small chemical factory doing things with aluminium just up the road.

400px-pistol-shaped-plot.jpg

I laughed derisively at the real estate agent who showed us this and told him we were only interested in places fit for humans to live.