Steerpike

Two things; the high heat / sun radiation / very low humidity apparently causes problems with exposed (external) wood. My condo has exposed exterior wood 'design elements' and they are apparently a maintenance nightmare for the association. As long as you keep all such wood well painted, you are fine but it does apparently require more attention than expected.

My condo seems to stabilize at around 95 inside during the summer; I set the thermostat at 94 when I'm gone and see hardly any usage (I'm now monitoring all this with 'smart' thermostats and various other monitors). But I've been told that could be a problem for my furniture and perhaps other interior elements (cabinets, etc) as they may dry out beyond expected levels. But since there is no humidity, I doubt having a 20 degree difference from 'normal' (75) should be any worse than a corresponding 'cool' extreme - that is, in colder climates the inside could get down to near freezing and that's a bigger delta. I do notice my toilet bowl will dry out if I'm not there for a couple of months - the air is so dry, standing water in the bowl evaporates. This ultimately causes the sewer gasses to be 'exposed' to the inside. I've been told to cover the toilet with saranwrap to keep the moisture in. Not a big deal as I tend to be there every month.

My condo is about 1400 sq ft, and I like it warm, so I have the thermostat set at 78 during summer when I'm there. When I lived there 'full time', my electricity bills would run about $120/mo in summer. The bills for the rest of the year were in the $40s, and that's roughly where they are in summer if I just hold it at 94F (so the baseline of $40 is covering water heater, fridge, electronics, etc). I should also point out this is a top floor condo with a LOT of windows (20 - I replaced them all when I moved in!) on three sides, so it gets a lot of sun, and it's not the most well-insulated place on the planet (built in 88-ish, so older standards).

malch

Hey, thanks.

I'm not convinced the temperature per se will do a lot of harm to furniture and the like. However, I never thought about the toilets drying out. Maybe the "U" traps under the sinks too?

Externally, the UV light is a killer. Even high quality modern paints designed specifically with UV protection in mind will only hold up for a few years.

I suspect the UV is responsible for a lot more damage than pure temperature.

UV will also damage furniture and fabrics inside, so keeping the blinds/curtains/shutters closed is prudent, although you probably know this.

Steerpike

If you just want raw house for the money with sunshine and a pool (and newer construction), then the western side of Phoenix Metro has cheap options (half price): https://www.zillow.com/homes/16243-W...,-AZ-85338_rb/ - $217k for 3 bed / 2 bath /1700 sqft. Or, the south east area - https://www.zillow.com/homes/21019-E...,-AZ-85142_rb/ But we want hills, views, nearby hiking trails, good restaurants, shopping, etc. I've attached a screenshot from Google Maps 3D rendering, showing one of the areas we are interested in, in Fountain Hills. As you can see, lots of uneven terrain, good separation of houses, and good mountain views in the distance. I've also 'snapped' a similar 'view' of a more typical phoenix metro area, where you can get the cheaper houses mentioned above. As you can see, the houses are all close together, there's no terrain to speak of, and not much in the way of views in the distance. Not everyone wants/needs the terrain and views, or at least, aren't willing to pay double for the privilege, but it's important to us.

Pulaski

It's very similar, both prices and house spacing, in NC, except there are also "lakes" and "trees" as alternatives to "views", but you may pay 2x-4x as much for any of those three, as well as for spacing.

Octang Frye

No offense, Steerpike, but that looks soulless. Cookie cutter mansions in the 'burbs. I know it's horses for courses. I need trees. A creek. To be downtown (or close to). Houses with character.
I suppose if you've got a couple of crotch goblins, the pool might be attractive. But who wants to live in a homogenized white people gated community. There's a place near me dubbed Vanillaton (Littleton) because it's Wonderbread as can be. White people (smh)

Nutmegger

If that is considered "good separation of houses," it's pretty scary! Aren't the houses all lined up, along the road? My idea of "good separation" is only being able to see the neighbor, in the distance, when the trees are bare in the winter.

Steerpike

I was referring to front-to-back separation - nothing in front of the house, essentially. If you want all-round separation, you go up in price. The picture below is a Google 3D map of a few houses in Troon (an upscale section of Scottsdale). Those houses are going for $1-4M ... https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...77_rect/14_zm/

Steerpike

Remember the context of this thread is 'holiday home', and as I mentioned, 75% of these houses are not even occupied half the year. People come here to relax and enjoy the warm weather, not have a social event (at least, not at home). Personally, when I'm 'at home', I don't care who my neighbors are (as long as they are quiet), but I care very much about the view out the window. The views from those homes happens to be really awesome, but that is not captured in the google 3d map .

I just sold my (former) home in the Bay Area; it was VERY unique, overflowing with character, very close to town, surrounded by trees and wild animals. It was also a maintenance nightmare in large part due to it's unique characteristics. I'm looking forward to a maintenance free lifestyle ...

Nutmegger

As this is a development, is your view guaranteed to remain untouched? No danger of a new sector being initiated?

Octang Frye

Ah, good to know. Like I say though, one man's breadkin is another man's lumpkin.

Steerpike

The 'Look' in Scottsdale (and most of the Phoenix Metro) is something of an acquired taste, to be sure. Every single house is pretty much the same color (beige), and that is by design - the houses are intended to blend into the background. You are not allowed to paint with any other color. I happen to love it, because the houses are not a distraction when looking at the hills.

This is actually how towns are in, say Italy and Spain - places like Tuscany with their red roofs, or Andalucia with their whitewashed walls. So it is not without precedent to have a consistent color scheme

Andalucia, Spain

Octang Frye

Colours are gorgeous. There's just something about the little alleyways and the scattered placement on the buildings in the first photo.

Pulaski

We are not quite that far from neighbouring houses, .... but then we didn't pay "quite" as much as those houses are apparently selling for!

Like Nutmegger, our neighbours are largely hidden by trees for eight months of the year.

malch

Nah!

If that's what you need, better be prepared to buy up all of the land you want protected.

A good friend of mine moved to Scottsdale and purchased a home. But he also purchased some additional land to protect his view. There were some shenanigans with the seller of the extra land but it worked out fine in the end.

Pulaski

When Cornelius Vanderbilt built Biltmore (in the Appalachian mountains in NC), he also bought up all the land between Biltmore and the horizon.

William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire and former owner of Chatsworth house, which has many similarities in size, layout and location (but not architectural style) to Biltmore, had the entire village of Edensor, except for one cottage, relocated over a ridge, out of site of the Chatsworth House.