ddsrph

When I was in Dental school in Milwaukee a older neighbor sold me a Delta contractor special table saw for $175. One of the older ones built like they used to build things heavy cast iron with external motor. That saw which I still have had saved me thousands of dollars. It and my mig welder are two of the best things I have ever bought.
Check out the raw door site. With the cost of lumber and those expensive router bits you may find you can buy cheaper. Mine were hickory and arrived sanded as smooth as glass requiring nothing before finishing.
If you are in need of hardwood lumber there is a wholesaler in Huntland, TN which is very close to you. I bought the hickory to make the cabinet door frames from them.

SpoogleDrummer

I've adopted the "Buy once, cry once" mantra so although the investment in the tools and lumber will be more expensive than buying the doors pre-made I'll still have them once the job is done and be ready for the bathrooms, garage etc etc. Plus the more woodworking I do the better I get so eventually I might have a useful skill to teach my kids.

scrubbedexpat091

I got curious and looked at Zillow, Nashville seems to have a wide range of prices, not sure of the quality of the areas however. And they have some really nice mansions, oh my a little over 1 million gets you a huge mansion. Both of those houses have an estimated payment below typical apartment rent here.



300K

320k

ddsrph

[QUOTE=Jsmth321;12910297]I got curious and looked at Zillow, Nashville seems to have a wide range of prices, not sure of the quality of the areas however. And they have some really nice mansions, oh my a little over 1 million gets you a huge mansion. Both of those houses have an estimated payment below typical apartment rent here.



Jim
If I was in your situation I would try to find a way to move to a low cost of living part of the US. Any job that offers good health insurance should make it possible. In many small towns you can buy a modest house/ fixer upper that could leave you over $1000 per month saving over your current rent. At what point in Canada will rent simply become unaffordable? You are right there is a lot of satisfaction in owning your own place that far outweighs the negatives. Almost any affordable retirement scenario for the average person requires a paid for home.

SpoogleDrummer

All their estimates are based on at least a 20% deposit though, the cost increases significantly when you reduce that. That said I'm fairly sure you're probably paying close to double for rent than I'm paying for my mortgage on a 4 bedroom ranch but I'm certainly taking a hit by earning lower wages than I could if I lived elsewhere in the country.

scrubbedexpat091

Down payment varies in Canada depending on the sale price, can be anywhere from 5% to 20% minimum and if your a first time home buyer.

https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-c...n-payment.html

SpoogleDrummer

I was talking about Zillow specifically. I actually bought my house with zero down as I was flat broke and had only been in the country a few months but that was 13 years ago so would be more difficult to pull off now.

scrubbedexpat091

I don't think 0% was ever really doable here at least in recent times, some banks would lend the down payment but I think that has largely been stopped. There is a financial stress test to pass as well, so even if you have the down payment, and the income, and the credit, if you have too much debt, may not pass the stress test to qualify for a mortgage.

US seems more lax, my sister through some program only put down like 2.5% down on her house.

Steerpike

Well I have to say, I'm impressed by your enthusiasm! When I was younger, I bought a Delta Contractors Table Saw, a router, router table, biscuit joiner, dozens of clamps, feeder bars, and other accessories, had 240V installed in the garage, etc and built several items - bookcases, TV stands, etc ... but I drew the line at cabinet doors. I did look into it; the type I wanted to do back then were the 'floating/raised panel' type, where the inner-panel sits within a groove in the outer frame, and with typical 'ogee' patterns - very traditional. I wish you the best of luck! Ironically, my tastes have now moved from that more ornate stuff to the more contemporary 'shaker' style, and also from 'natural' wood finishes to painted surfaces ... which means it would be a whole lot easier to make!

Steerpike

Remember - 2008 was the time of the meltdown, where you didn't even have to verify your income sources (in the US, at least). You could lie through your teeth and still borrow the money. Appraisals were a joke. Perhaps one of the better examples of why regulations are not a bad thing. IF you survived, as presumably your sister, and SpoogleDrummer did, then you can look back with pride on making it. But many people were one paycheck away from disaster. I bought my first condo in 1984, in SF. Everyone warned me not to do it. I borrowed 95% total (80% conventional, 15% 'second') and interest rates were stupid - in the teens. And my loan was adjustable, with really scary negative equity consequences. I was probably 2-3 paychecks from disaster, but I had a great job that I loved, and didn't even contemplate 'what might happen'. Luckily, I survived! After that, I was more careful

tom169

Currently at over 4% interest on a mortgage from a few years ago. Considered a refi, but the break even was too many years to bother with. A few of my friends refied and never even bothered to check the break even date, all they cared for was a lower monthly payment right now. Can't say I was surprised.

scrubbedexpat091

Canada does regulate its banks and mortgages a little stricter than the US tends to, no doubt and its been linked to why Canada sailed through the 2008 era without too much damage done.

There hasn't been a major correction in the housing market in Canada since like 1990 and its led to what is happening now, and one of the most overvalued markets in the world now.

Steerpike

I never would have guessed!
https://www.businessinsider.com/canadian-housing-prices-compared-to-us-2016-11

"One of the most shocking things Americans find is that Canadian real estate is really pricey. ... The average benchmark home in the Canada is CA$474,000 (US$352,076), while the average home in the US is CA$315,303 (US$234,200). That's 50% more expensive, for your average home across the country"

Some interesting charts and facts/figures here
https://www.point2homes.com/news/can...ket-worse.html

I assume healthcare is the big incentive to be in Canada? It's not the weather ...

scrubbedexpat091

It's the healthcare keeping us here really..ha ha

I am not entirely confident I could make enough to cover all our healthcare costs in the US.

The cash price for my wife's medication in the US runs $1,200 to $1,500 per 30 day supply, of course that is the cash price, but it's really hard to estimate what healthcare costs would end up costing in the US per month.

Same drug in BC cash price $142 CAD$ to $164 and this is considered an expensive drug since there is no generic available, our out of pocket cost is $0 with the prescription coverage we have. Most will have some level of RX coverage so wont be paying full cash price.

username.exe

Weird question for the brain trust: how do you get the rust off of a T-rex?

About nine months ago I was idly surfing online, thinking about landscaping the front yard, and looking for fun ideas. I found a couple of metal yard art things that looked fun, and eventually found a chap in Mexico who could fabricate me a T-rex. Then the pandemic happened and I'd all but forgotten about it until a delivery truck showed up a couple of months ago and dropped it off.

It looks great, except for I wasn't accounting for the rust finish. If possible, I'd like to remove as much as possible and seal it up a bit (I realize this will require ongoing maintenance, but I don't want to lose it to rust).

Already tried a sandblaster attachment to a water pressure hose unit. I'm thinking chemicals and a scrubbing pad attachment might be in order - any tips or suggestions welcome.