As for me, I do think going Geo is the right thing to do, so I have been looking into it seriously. I just get very annoyed and frustrated by the ridiculously high prices of the estimates in my area, versus estimates for the same thing that others are getting in theirs. A five ton Envision Water Furnace unit - no wells, manifolds or electric - ought to cost the same anywhere. If it costs roughly $7,600 in other parts of the country, I don't appreciate being told that the least I can get it for in mine is $22,000. And, please don't anyone give me that stale argument about shipping cost, it can not triple the price. If it did, I'd go pick a unit up myself - which on thinking about it is not a bad idea. Then, that brings me to well diggers. They're a fun bunch, but perhaps I am being a bit hard on them because I just had to go without water in our house for 30 hours because I had to have my well clorinated for the coliform bacteria introduced into it by the guy who replaced our well pump a while ago. He neglected to treat it at the time. Oh, well, what's a bit of bacteria between friends. But, it sure is nice to have running water again! Anyway, I have been getting estimates for a closed loop well system for a geo install. So far they range from $18,000 to $58,000 for exactly the same specs. Then, they ask if I wanted manifolds to be included also... that will be extra. Bottom line, I'd love to be able to get geo for as low as $6K a ton, but that's not going to happen in my neck of the woods. Yet, I see people posting in other areas of the country who are able to get exactly what I need for between $18 and 28K, soup to nuts - top of the line 5 ton unit, three 300' closed loops, piping and manifolds, electric, new ducting for the same sized house as mine, thermostats, etc. I can not help thinking that something's wrong with the picture around here. I think if there was more competition, the local picture would improve.

Hello everyone! Thanks so much for posting. I am living the nightmare right now! I live in Brooklyn, NY in an over 100 YO brownstone. I bought my house awhile ago and have been really happy, doing little things and then it happened. I went in the basement in Oct. and found a small leak. I called a GC friend who came by and said no problem I'll fix over the weekend. Well that one little leak has grown to...... 1. All the hot and cold water pipes in the house are original and had to be changed. 2. Hot water heater died had to buy a new one. 3. While installing hot water heater found out that gas furnace had a leak and was corruded. Had to buy an new one 4. Changing pipes in the bathroom led to two air vents that were connected to nothing, walls are rotting, hense bathroom gutted. 5. Changing pipes in kitchen, find out the kitchen (an addon) is built on dirt. Thats why my tiles cracked so. And it had 3 vents hooked to nothing. The original brick wall caved in. Thus a brand new kitchen. Vents in both the bathroom and the kitchen was behind walls so never knew they were there. 6. Dining room is right at kitchen and the radiator has a small leak. Ok lets fix, he pulls up a little of the hardword and fines that the beam is dry rotted. Not one, not two but 3. 7. Electrical is all from the thirtys and some boxes were just opened and not connected. It's a wonder I never had a fire 8. Living room has big picture window. But when it was installed who knows when, they didn't put in a steel beam to hold the front of the house. So two beams had to be put in. My house is a mess, my stuff is a mess, things happened so fast I wasn't able to pact everything. I am just shocked, I'm not sure where to go or what to do. I count my blessings that my GC is a family friend and he is working with me and doing everything that needs to be done. Money...what is that....where is it coming from. I just say God is good. So with fingers crossed things should be finished by April and I will have a brand new first floor. GC says in a couple of years he will be back (it'll take that long to pay him) to do the 2nd floor and then the 3rd and lastly the basement. I know in my heart it will get better but the last few months I've done nothing but cry. MadamG2U

Autum it can be staggering on the cost of lots in some areas. We are really low end here from about 12K for a city lot which are 50 by 150 ish. They vary. We bought half an acre for 19K. Wish it was smaller but to get what we wanted on the lot we needed this much because it is a triangle. So we ended up with more dreaded lawn than I wanted. My friend has two houses one huge at 6 bedrooms two story.Daylight basement being one of the stories. Barns out buildings and a second smaller two bedroom house all on almost 10 acres for 160K. So on the other end of the scale there are places going pretty darn cheep. Certainly more than we want to deal with no matter how inexpensive. As far as DIY it is so much harder as you say the older you get. Some thing that I could easily do in an hour and not even batting an eye takes me so much longer now and I some times have to think if it is even worth it. And with my DH 10 years older then I am I can not always ask for his help now as I need to consider if it will cause him as much pain if not more than me. I was just thinking today to get it all done as fast as I can now or seriously consider hiring some one to help me. I just hired a guy the other day to lay some pavers in the dogs yard to lower the mud level in the house this winter. There was just one little corner needing to be finished filled in.He lifted and carried four pavers at a time when I would struggle with carrying ONE. And my knee does not work=bend like it should any more. Needs surgery I have to wait on. My ankle is still healing from a fall a year ago.I struggled to carry an end table this morning to move it from one room to another. A few years ago it was not hard to move.And I still have not finished painting the inside of our house and usually I have a house painted inside and out in the first year. This was a new house but builders paint is crappy. NOW the outside needs painting too. Next year and we all will get to decide what colors. So glad this is a small house. The cost of paint is staggering now and where I buy it in Oregon they added two dollars a gallon fee for?? some thing about the environment.GGGRRRRRRRR

My son is an OTR truck driver. These guys live quite well in their cabin areas for 2 mos or more. He was talking to me about a micro home for the 2 or 3 days when off the road. He mentioned the 10 X 12 log cabin in my back yard as an example and also a small houseboat. There are probably a lot of people with jobs like his that take them away from home for months at a time, who would consider micro living. Son is single which makes this more possible and his down time is reading, high tech, etc. Doesn't take much room or amenities for him to get comfortable and feel he has a home. They definitely have their place in our society, the problem is what many have mentioned...city codes. Most would probably have to consider county rather than city. There are still tons of cottages as small as a micro in the mountain towns around me that people use for summer. And still many neighborhoods in the central part of my city with such that are being brought back to life. Those that have always been well kept are pricey and still holding value even with the housing slump. As much as the economy is hurting people who are on retirement incomes like me (and other situations), I'm hoping some reality kicks in with the huge homes being built by buying up the land around me. They wait for us to move or die and grab the land. My insurance company told me my home was not worth as much as the land. Small becoming the norm would put those of us in a very good position. I volunteer with habitat and the "Katrena Cottages" are built on donated land in county locations here. City code would never approve building the samll foot marks. It seems a push for families to live in these small, small homes. But are relished and well taken care of. The neighborhoods look better than many tract areas where large homes were shoved into small spaces. Habitat owners are required to help build them and pay on a mortgage, a personal commitment is made to their home early on. For me 1000 ft is as small as I can imagine, but think of the many older people living in retirement apts. which are micro small. They do well and are quite content. I need my garden, outdoor space, and would have a difficult time giving this up if having to live in small apt. at a later point in my life. But a village concept of micro homes for older people to live would make sense to me. If they could keep the price affordable for such.