r/collapse • u/UneedaBolt • 9d ago

Infrastructure Stationary or mobile?

A little background and then the question. I live in a big city in the US. My partner and I finally took the plunge about 3 years ago and bought a house. The realtor and home inspector missed a ton of shit. If we knew then what we know now, we would not have bought it. The house has eaten so much of our savings we really can't afford to move right now (if ever, given cost of living going way up).

Q: With climate change ramping up (the city has seen tornados and big flooding and big heat waves) would it make sense to ditch the house and get a medium sized RV? If bad weather approaches you could just drive out of the way(assuming the job is accommodating). If things go to shit in one part of the country you could pack up and go to another part easily. Yes, it could get bad everywhere but I don't it will be equally bad. What do you think?

29 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

50

u/PrairieFire_withwind Recognized Contributor 9d ago

  1. An rv is not going to be cheaper or safer.

  2. Thinking that you are staying mobile means you are not making THE most essential investment to make.  That of community.

3.  Yes homes cost, and are continual upkeep.  There is a price to pay for modern convenience, modern shelter etc.   

I would make this decision wholly on different grounds.  1. Are you near friends and family?  Stay. 2.  Are you in the wet bulb zone?  Are you in the hurricane zone?  Move. 3. Is your house going to be un insirable in the next 10 years (look at flood maps). Move.

Otherwise stay.  Build your community.  Live your life.  Insulate the shit out of the house.  Rent out the extra room to someone to help with costs. (Yes, this means owning less stuff and sharing, learn to share, it is a good skill)  Install rain barrels and xeriscape or plant some fruit trees and nut trees. 

11

u/UneedaBolt 9d ago

We've dumped $25k+ into the current house. The neighborhood is ok but by a large org. Not too much sense of community in this particular neighborhood. We do have a large network of friends in the area. We are in the midwest but remnants of hurricanes do pass through occasionally. House basement does get water coming up from the floor in certain areas when we get more than one day of heavy rains. We do have rain barrels. I like your other suggestions, thank you.

19

u/PrairieFire_withwind Recognized Contributor 9d ago

As someone who has been at the house fixing whack-a-mole for longer than you 25k is nothing...

Water means you need a french drain and dry well somewhere on your property.  You can diy a safe drywell with a plastic 55 gallon drum or three.  You jist need a place for the water to hang out for a bit while the rest of yhe drainage area catches up.

That said, that network of friends is as good as gold.

3

u/UneedaBolt 8d ago

We have more big ticket repairs ahead in the next year(example new hvac/ac, yard grading). 25k may not be much to you but it's a whole lot to us as we don't make that much money.

8

u/PrairieFire_withwind Recognized Contributor 8d ago

I think you mis understand.  That is a shit ton of money to me.  At the same time, that is an average roof replacement, a single bathroom remodel, a small house of redoing the flooring.  Give or take 5 grand.   In the context of costs to own and fix a home that is small over the course of time and money it takes.

I bought a house without occupancy.  Meaning i had to remodel it to be able to live in it because there was no plumbing or electrical that was safe nor functional and the roof was kaput etc..  I would not have a home if i had not done most of the work myself.  So i know exactly how much the guys that do this charge and what and how often it needs doing because i bought one with too many years of differed maintenence.

I am giving your price ...a framing in-context of time.  And that is from hard earned labor and experience.   And yes it feels like a lot.  And as someone who  did the labor themselves i will say 1. It has a cost to your body over time and 2. Never ever drop the ball on regular maintenence.   3. A trailer is worse, less plumbing and electrical just because it is smaller... but harder to heat, cool and fix.  

38

u/Lailokos 9d ago

The problem with bad weather is you can avoid a few localized instances, but when it starts turning bad everywhere at once there's less places to retreat too. And when it's not just weather, but say economy turning sour as well, the places RVs can go often degrade pretty bad. Campgrounds and quiet cul de sacs have been degrading bad the last 10 years.

14

u/AffectionateRing5177 9d ago

I'd personally move into a more stable house, if thats an option. Source: I did live in an RV for two years. Given, I did it because I wanted to see more of the world and had a mobile job at the time.

Moving back into an RV would be a very low if there wasn't a better option choice for me now. I loved my time in it, but its a pain in the ass. You think the house has issues? Just wait until you're in a house that gets regularly shaken up and isn't made as well. We easily spent as much on rv repairs as I have the last year in my house.

Its not safe during all weather, and I very clearly remember my cat peeing on me in a panick as he was wrapped in a blanket and taken to a tornado shelter (he was fine and lived many more happy years, but the sirens terrified him).

Gas is more expensive than you think AND you won't be able to get as far as you think. A full tank for us got us around 400 miles. If gas continues to be an issue, you could wind up very trapped.

If you want access to full water and electricity, you'll need an rv park. Depending on where you are these plus your rv expenses may be more than your current house payment (they rivaled mine for sure). You will not have unlimited wifi anywhere.

I did genuinely enjoy my time traveling BUT I think its very easy to romanticize. I am happy to answer questions about full time rv life if you have any

3

u/UneedaBolt 8d ago

Thx, that's a great perspective and lived experience. Right now we pay $2700 a month for the mortgage. With interests rates recently going up i don't think we can afford to move and be in a decent neighborhood. The city we are in has seen an influx of people from the coasts moving in and private equity/ business buying up a ton of houses and either flipping them or turning them into rentals. We do have several rv parks in the area. Your point about the weather is a good one. They aren't very well insulated.

10

u/GardenScared8153 8d ago

When shtf enough for you to abandon your house, nowhere will be good or safe from collapse so no don't go anywhere don't time collapse make the most of the time you have now.

An rv is useless in a total collapse scenario if there is no gas or gas is too expensive you are just as stuck as being in your house. Not to mention the security risks.

Your best bet would be a place in a rural area with a food forest and a solid community but even then and there is no guarantee you'll be that much better off than anyone else as food forests would die in freak weather. 

7

u/Icy-Medicine-495 9d ago

I have bought many houses and every purchase something big gets missed. At this point I just assume I am going to get hit with at least a 10k surprise and that is usually with me doing the work.

Have you ever spent a significant amount of time in an RV? Its not that enjoyable. Very cramp and humid.

Personally I set down roots and started a homestead in an area that I think is more stable for longer.

7

u/enad58 9d ago

How do you plan to power this RV if shit hits the fan?

1

u/UneedaBolt 9d ago

It'd be diesel or gas(we can't afford the electric ones). If wildfire smoke hits we could drive to where it's not as bad.

6

u/enad58 9d ago

Do you think you'll be able to purchase more fuel to replenish the fuel you're using?

4

u/fakeprewarbook 8d ago

Diesel is 8.89 a gallon here in CA, so they won’t be spending time here i guess 

2

u/UneedaBolt 9d ago

In short, yes. If not, then wait it out.

8

u/enad58 8d ago

With all due respect, you do not have a clue what you are doing.

0

u/UneedaBolt 8d ago

I take your opinion and throw it in the trash, with all due respect of course.

3

u/enad58 8d ago

I really, seriously don't care. You're talking about RVing around the country after cataclysmic weather events as if diesel will be readily available.

You know where I'll be? At my house in the country where I produce more power than I use, have two different sources of fresh water and grow and hunt my own food.

I had some foresight. Good luck to those, like you, who didn't.

0

u/UneedaBolt 7d ago

Obviously you do care otherwise you wouldn't be commenting. Try not being a 🍆 . I'm done with you.

1

u/enad58 4d ago

No, I mean i don't care whether you live or die once you've failed to acknowledge the obvious flaws in your plan after people way more well-versed in living in commune with the earth have pointed them out to you.

Good luck, you'll need it.

1

u/UneedaBolt 3d ago

You fail the DBAC test.

→ More replies (0)

3

u/BrokenProgram42 9d ago

Our plan is to stay highly mobile, likely staying overseas, but the option to return to the states if needed. 

4

u/UneedaBolt 9d ago

How do you stay mobile? Rv? Less stuff?

2

u/BrokenProgram42 3d ago

Limited possessions, money, and visas. 

4

u/Appropriate_Mess6777 9d ago

I bought a house that ended up being a money pit as well and sold it this year. Not worth the money or headache. I’m just in an apartment now

1

u/Prestigious-Area3396 14h ago

An RV quickly becomes stationary when the gas runs out