How Much Would YOU Pay to Live in a TESLA Home, in THAILAND?

patman30 · July 2, 2023

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

Comes on a steel frame (a guess), so just like a trailer/mobile home, you could load it up and move it if need be, wanting. But cost here/TH, would be silly of course.

฿2 mill should give anyone a decent home to live in, own if having partner, or going condo.

Depending on age, or simply rent, as cheap enough, giving option to move around, if needed/wanting to do.

If coming here/TH, at 65 ish yrs old, how long do you plan on living, to get any ROI by building/buying a home ?

i just had a 2 storey house built, 100% solar (15kw + 60kw SOC), well with tower, landscaping all for just over 2m (excluding land)
i cannot see it being any different from a nicely designed knock down or modern trailer/caravan
seems there are many similar options here at a much cheaper cost

GammaGlobulin · July 2, 2023

10 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Apparently some good business is being done by converting shipping containers into residences.

Hey, Man!

Thank you for another great comment, and I do appreciate them.

Still, I would NEVER live in a shipping container. Even a 48-foot shipping container would be too claustrophobic, in my view.

So, I ask you: Have you ever investigated the potential of Enameled STEEL houses?

Because, basically, this is what I was thinking of when I began this OP.

Steel Houses have many advantages, and there is at least one steel house, originally manufactured in the late 1940s, still being occupied today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lustron_house

If I were the manufacturer of steel houses for use in Thailand, I would design one that was easily transportable using a single giant construction crane.

I would have a large HOOK concealed in the peak of the roof.

Then, any time my neighbors got noisy, I would just call a company offering a big crane and a large flatbed truck.

I could have my house picked up and then delivered to any new site, a process which would be almost as simple as moving a medium-size refrigerator.

I first began dreaming of this concept soon after I finished my first Buckminster Fuller book.

(I would NEVER, however, wish to live in a geodesic dome due to its spherical shape, and the way noise easily propagates from one side of the hemisphere to the other side. If one is taking a leak in a bathroom on one side of the dome, the sound would be easily detectable in a kitchen located on the opposite side of the hemisphere. So, living in geodesic domes is, for me at least, impractical. Plenty of volume inside a sphere, but, still, a sphere is impractical for long-term living.)

ALSO: As you know, steel roofs are among the best for insulation from heat generated by solar radiation, if one uses the proper insulation below them. A copper roof is even nicer. But copper is more expensive.

Obviously, for stability during relocation, my house would incorporate THREE hooks, and not just one large hook.

And, people transport yachts along our highways, and on container ships, all the time. There is nothing odd about this concept.

Edited July 2, 2023 by GammaGlobulin

GammaGlobulin · July 2, 2023

A bit more clarification about the title of this Original Post:

Initially, although I did my best to learn if Mr. Musk might be planning to manufacture houses, and there have been hints to this effect, I was unable to learn much more than the fact that Musk had chosen a prefab house to be used at one of his facilities located at his Starbase compound, and may even have lived in it.

I could find no pricing for such a TESLA house, but I am still searching.

Be this as it may, if TESLA will soon offer, or is planning to offer manufactured houses, there might be many advantages for prospective buyers. And, TESLA, due to battery expertise, manufacturing expertise, and even from a cultural perspective, might be ideally suited to the mass production of perfect homes for the Masses:

Everybody here complains about the quality of work done by local electricians. A TESLA house would be designed and built so that the constant need for local electricians to visit your house, to gum up the works, would be a thing of the past. Manufacturing a house up to this standard would be easy. And…no more constantly tripping, overloaded circuit breakers. I am talking about being able to deliver 50 amps to every electrical outlet in your home. And, I am talking about having sufficient outlets in every room! No more of that “one outlet per room thinking”.

The house must be made of steel. Steel is easily recyclable. And, the recycling process uses comparatively less energy. Therefore, one should be able to buy a TESLA home, and then either sell it, or recycle it. The house should be designed to retain its value, or even increase in value, over a reasonable length of time, maybe, say, 50 years.

Most unfortunately, the reality of our present predicament is that we all are now living smack-dab in the middle of times of Global Warming, Flash Flooding, Sea-level rising, bad Airbnb neighbors, and constant uncertainty, which causes too much stress for all homeowners, and even property rentees. Therefore, it is crucial and imperative that we create quality housing which is easily transportable, and simply-installable at low cost, and in short order.

I will soon continue with this comment so that I can continue listing key requirements for the TESLA home of the future which will meet the changing social and cultural needs of the younger generation as we forge our way towards the uncertain times which lie ahead.

By the way, I guess you know that Leon is an alumnus of mine. And, once my ideas for the TESLA house have been fully crystalized, I will email Leon to explain why, for the future of Mankind, efficient housing is at least three times more important than any self-driving electric car.

In my opinion, Musk, while an undergrad, became sidetracked and distracted by his dream of electric cars. Electric cars, certainly, are important. However, they are nowhere near as important as extremely efficient, ultimately comfortable, and easily transportable housing.

You know, often when one is young, one becomes enamored with what seems exciting and glamorous, such as self-drive vehicles, and spaceships to Mars. Therefore, I can perfectly understand why Musk first focussed his efforts on super-fast electric cars and rockets to the stars, instead of the best ways to manufacture recyclable, easily transportable, and highly efficient homes which almost anyone can afford.

As I stated just a moment ago: Yes! I do intend to reach out to Elon, just as soon as my thinking and planning is fully crystallized in my mind.

OK, enough said, for the moment. I am always leery of making any overly long comment. It is always better to separate a long comment into many shorter comments, and then gradually upload. This makes for a surprisingly more enjoyable reading experience, I think.

Please NOTE: There may already be a good product on the market which meets all important criteria for a transportable and comfortable highly-efficient home. And I will continue to search. A caravan, however…. I would NEVER consider it!

Also, I am of the generation who grew up reading guys like BUCKMINSTER FULLER. So, I was exposed to the important concept of EPHEMERALIZATION at such a tender age.

In my view, efficient and comfortable HOUSING is very high on the list of problems that we must solve, as quickly as possible, if we are to save humanity from itself.

To be continued….

Hummin · July 2, 2023

The only thing I want from Tesla is a few of their Power walls, the rest I would manage myself.

GammaGlobulin · July 2, 2023

27 minutes ago, Hummin said:

The only thing I want from Tesla is a few of their Power walls, the rest I would manage myself.

I could not concur more vehemently with your thinking. In fact, from the little I know, it seems my fellow-alumnus Leon is striving to manufacture long-lasting, lower-cost, lithium-less batteries with higher energy-density storage capability.

This is just one additional logical reason why TESLA is well-placed and highly-qualified for mass production of manufactured, easily-transportable houses, IMHO.

save the frogs · July 2, 2023

the home is not made by tesla.

maybe they want a high-profile person promoting their home.

a lot of homes on the market like this. other companies make much nicer ones.

these types of tiny prefab homes will become more popular in the future.

part of it is climate change. part of it is cost of housing is out of reach for many.

GammaGlobulin · July 2, 2023

Before carrying on with my listing of the critical requirements for the future TESLA House, and with your forbearance, I would like to share with you the main impetus for uploading this OP.

First, I grew up in a barn of a four-storey house with a full basement and a fully finished, liveable attic. The house, constructed of stone, was built, I believe, around 1935 by German stonework artisans and plasterers living in Germantown, PA.

Although the house was solid and comfortable, it was extremely expensive to heat, and we even had a large coal-storage area in the basement which was used before the coal furnace was removed and replaced with an oil guzzler. I have no idea whom the former owners hired to shovel coal, but I am sure they did not do it themselves. Maybe they had a man living with the maid-in-the-attic who did the shoveling. We also had a buzzer beneath the dining-room table so that you could press it with your toe to call for each successive course while dining. More wine, Jeeves!

Such a house is just not practical anymore for the Masses.

We need to totally revamp our ideas of what a house should be.

Second, I am not sure how much time you have spent examining data which clearly shows usage of floorspace in the home, but I think if I post just one pertinent image, then you might find this information rather elucidating and even downright shocking. In fact, my having become familiar with such data decades ago is the single most important reason I will never again live in a large, or even a HUMONGOUS house, despite the fact that houses continue to grow larger, year upon year. In my opinion, house-size is sort of like druggies and crack, and I have heard that the obsession with ever-more floor space is relentless. So it is with house size, too, apparently.

I think this graphic might have originally been posted in the WSJ:

As you can see from the graphic above, much of the typical residential home is rarely used. Most likely, you, same as I, have found this to be true just from many years of living in a house. Specifically, I am speaking about RARELY using the dining room. And, thinking back, how often did I use the porch? We did have a beautiful screened porch with a view, as I recall, complete with a couch and tables, floor lamps and table lamps, and magazines placed carefully on the coffee table. So then, you just gotta ask yourself this question: If, in practice, and in reality, you almost NEVER USED most of your house, then…what is the point of it?!!!

Third, I continue to question the viability of the ever-increasing size of residential housing that I observe in communities where I have lived in the past.Two exemplary images from Naples, Florida, then and now, tell the true story. This community was once, pre-1970, a quaint and sleepy haven for unpretentious snowbirds of limited means, a majority of whom hailed from Iowa.

These days, checking on Google Maps, I see a completely different landscape. The before and after images are SHOCKING!

The house pictured above, Naples FL, is the typical style and size which could be found all around Naples, pre-1970. Not too big, and Not too small, and sort of a goldilocks-just-right size for almost any sane family.

The house pictured above, Naples FL, is typical in style and size to many homes in this area of Naples FL, between the years 1985 and 2015, and on the same connecting road as the house shown below, located less than 100 meters away. This house is not too small, and not too big. This house is located opposite from the house we had which no longer exists; our house was razed to build another cookie-cutter monster house.

The house pictured above, Naples FL, is the typical style and size which can be found all around Naples, post 2022, and this house is sort of the runt of the litter. This example is now considered a hut or shed, compared to the newer and grander monstrosities being built.

This house was not here when I lived just adjacent to the vacant piece of land which turned into this eyesore. One good storm surge during a hurricane, with a direct hit from the eye, and it’s curtains!

SIGNIFICANTLY: This area is not on elevated ground, and sea-level rise will make these homes unsellable one day soon. Also, these homes are NOT easily transportable! Is this madness, or is this similar to a crack-type drug habit?

Again: I am trying to keep my comments on this OP much shorter than usual…..

As you can imagine, I have found it somewhat challenging to address key aspects of the OP in just one or two comments.

And, it would have been impossible to cover the whole schmear at the very beginning without some explanatory background information.

Therefore, I have chosen NOT to try to condense the whole schmear in one fell swoop, but rather to gradually add useful snippets of historical information in order to support the single main question of this post.

As usual, any and all constructive comments are welcome at any time, as we continue to explore this topic concerning a well-designed and high-quality TESLA Home of the Future suitable for you and me.

To be continued…

Edited July 2, 2023 by GammaGlobulin

Ralf001 · July 2, 2023

Pre-fab houses made from steel are not a new concept, infact there is several Thai manufacturers that make them.

No pre-fab house can be moved as easily as a fridge though......... unless of course that fridge is connected to utilities (Water/Electric/sewerage), then they would be similar to move just one needing a crane and truck and the other a pickup and 2 men !!

Lacessit · July 2, 2023

9 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Hey, Man!

Thank you for another great comment, and I do appreciate them.

Still, I would NEVER live in a shipping container. Even a 48-foot shipping container would be too claustrophobic, in my view.

So, I ask you: Have you ever investigated the potential of Enameled STEEL houses?

Because, basically, this is what I was thinking of when I began this OP.

Steel Houses have many advantages, and there is at least one steel house, originally manufactured in the late 1940s, still being occupied today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lustron_house

If I were the manufacturer of steel houses for use in Thailand, I would design one that was easily transportable using a single giant construction crane.

I would have a large HOOK concealed in the peak of the roof.

Then, any time my neighbors got noisy, I would just call a company offering a big crane and a large flatbed truck.

I could have my house picked up and then delivered to any new site, a process which would be almost as simple as moving a medium-size refrigerator.

I first began dreaming of this concept soon after I finished my first Buckminster Fuller book.

(I would NEVER, however, wish to live in a geodesic dome due to its spherical shape, and the way noise easily propagates from one side of the hemisphere to the other side. If one is taking a leak in a bathroom on one side of the dome, the sound would be easily detectable in a kitchen located on the opposite side of the hemisphere. So, living in geodesic domes is, for me at least, impractical. Plenty of volume inside a sphere, but, still, a sphere is impractical for long-term living.)

ALSO: As you know, steel roofs are among the best for insulation from heat generated by solar radiation, if one uses the proper insulation below them. A copper roof is even nicer. But copper is more expensive.

Obviously, for stability during relocation, my house would incorporate THREE hooks, and not just one large hook.

And, people transport yachts along our highways, and on container ships, all the time. There is nothing odd about this concept.

It must have been 30 years ago when I saw a demonstration of steel framing of a house.

It normally takes 3-4 days for a conventional timber frame to be assembled as a house structure. With steel sections and 4 people, it took about 3 hours.

Going even further back to when I worked for a mining company, transportable homes were very common. The were like giant cigar boxes - two halves, transported by two semi-trailers. Put them together on concrete slab foundations, connect power, water and sewerage, job done.

No hooks on them, they had rails underneath which were tied down with steel cables to the foundations.

GammaGlobulin · July 2, 2023

34 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

It must have been 30 years ago when I saw a demonstration of steel framing of a house.

It normally takes 3-4 days for a conventional timber frame to be assembled as a house structure. With steel sections and 4 people, it took about 3 hours.

Going even further back to when I worked for a mining company, transportable homes were very common. The were like giant cigar boxes - two halves, transported by two semi-trailers. Put them together on concrete slab foundations, connect power, water and sewerage, job done.

No hooks on them, they had rails underneath which were tied down with steel cables to the foundations.

Do you think they were comparable to the LUSTRON Home, as superficially discussed in this VOX video?:

Edited July 2, 2023 by GammaGlobulin

Lacessit · July 3, 2023

2 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Do you think they were comparable to the LUSTRON Home, as superficially discussed in this VOX video?:

The steel frame I saw was engineered to accept normal plaster panels, with a brick veneer exterior cladding.

It would not surprise me to learn Lustron went broke, enamelling is a costly process, particularly with large panels.

One thing that could be said for that type of house, the owner never had to worry about termites, borers or mold. Although they could be noisy.

In the US and Canada, I am amazed at how many houses have roofs of timber shingles. Tarred, even. A fire waiting to happen, insurers must not sleep well at night.

GammaGlobulin · July 3, 2023

11 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

The steel frame I saw was engineered to accept normal plaster panels, with a brick veneer exterior cladding.

It would not surprise me to learn Lustron went broke, enamelling is a costly process, particularly with large panels.

One thing that could be said for that type of house, the owner never had to worry about termites, borers or mold. Although they could be noisy.

In the US and Canada, I am amazed at how many houses have roofs of timber shingles. Tarred, even. A fire waiting to happen, insurers must not sleep well at night.

Excellent analysis and critique.

GammaGlobulin · July 3, 2023

47 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

In the US and Canada, I am amazed at how many houses have roofs of timber shingles. Tarred, even.

One of the houses I grew up in, built around 1935 by German immigrants (I think), had a heavy natural slate roof. Last time I checked the roof, using Google Maps, the roof looked as good as new. And the Main Line gets plenty of snow and ice during winters with blazing heat in summers. Coldest winter night I recall reached negative25F. Can't beat the Germans for providing quality workmanship, maybe.

KhunLA · July 3, 2023

17 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

One of the houses I grew up in, built around 1935 by German immigrants (I think), had a heavy natural slate roof. Last time I checked the roof, using Google Maps, the roof looked as good as new. And the Main Line gets plenty of snow and ice during winters with blazing heat in summers. Coldest winter night I recall reached negative25F. Can't beat the Germans for providing quality workmanship, maybe.

When playing Chimney Sweep, I hated slate or wood slat roofs. Scared the hell out of me, especially if wet. I did one house on the Main Line, had 5 chimneys, and I looked like a cargo rigger, with rope strung all over the roof and to me ???? Bert would be proud.

On topic ... Thankfully not used here and rolled steel is becoming more common. Definitely the practical way to go. Stronger, cheaper, lighter with less steel needed to support, unless installing solar on it.

Edited July 3, 2023 by KhunLA

GammaGlobulin · July 3, 2023

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

When playing Chimney Sweep, I hated slate or wood slat roofs. Scared the hell out of me, especially if wet. I did one house on the Main Line, had 5 chimneys, and I looked like a cargo rigger, with rope strung all over the roof and to me ???? Bert would be proud.

On topic ... Thankfully not used here and rolled steel is becoming more common. Definitely the practical way to go. Stronger, cheaper, lighter with less steel needed to support, unless installing solar on it.

Your Dickensian anecdote truly cracks me up!

Five chimneys is not a lot on the Main Line.

Steel is good!

Edited July 3, 2023 by GammaGlobulin

Lacessit · July 3, 2023

5 hours ago, KhunLA said:

When playing Chimney Sweep, I hated slate or wood slat roofs. Scared the hell out of me, especially if wet. I did one house on the Main Line, had 5 chimneys, and I looked like a cargo rigger, with rope strung all over the roof and to me ???? Bert would be proud.

On topic ... Thankfully not used here and rolled steel is becoming more common. Definitely the practical way to go. Stronger, cheaper, lighter with less steel needed to support, unless installing solar on it.

Actually may not be cheaper, definitely lighter and more capable of withstanding strong winds. It depends on whether plain galvanised or zinc-aluminium alloy is is used as the coating, or painted product.

Steel roofs also are better in regions prone to bushfires, sparks can burrow into the ceiling space when the roof is overlapping tiles.

When I see houses with timber-shingled roofs in a forested area, I am reminded of Einstein's remark about the Universe and human stupidity.

https://thepropertytribune.com.au/guides/building/how-much-does-colorbond-roof-sheets-cost-in-2022/

BTW, Dunlop tennis shoes are the favored footwear for any roofer in Australia.

Edited July 3, 2023 by Lacessit

GammaGlobulin · July 3, 2023

20 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

When I see houses with timber-shingled roofs in a forested area, I am reminded of Einstein

In my callow youth, I spent MUCH time on Martha's Vineyard and on Chappaquiddick.

If you want to see more cedar shake siding and cedar shingles than you can shake a stick at, shuffle on up to Chappaquiddick.

(Now, say the above sentence ten times, fast.)

And then, feast your eyes on this cedar shake shot:

But, of course, what you stated is true.

And, American homeowners have paid a heavy price for not listening to your advice.

So many forest fires, and so many more to come, as global warming marches on.

Edited July 3, 2023 by GammaGlobulin

Lacessit · July 3, 2023

49 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

In my callow youth, I spent MUCH time on Martha's Vineyard and on Chappaquiddick.

If you want to see more cedar shake siding and cedar shingles than you can shake a stick at, shuffle on up to Chappaquiddick.

(Now, say the above sentence ten times, fast.)

And then, feast your eyes on this cedar shake shot:

But, of course, what you stated is true.

And, American homeowners have paid a heavy price for not listening to your advice.

So many forest fires, and so many more to come, as global warming marches on.

Challenge declined, even though I am stone cold sober. My verbal skills lag behind the written word.

Even more bemusing is the life span of shingles, I understand they have to be replaced every 10 - 15 years. In contrast, there are galvanized roofs in places such as Orroroo that are still going strong after more than 150 years.

Canada has been experiencing unprecedented wildfires, and that's one of the colder countries. The laws of thermodynamics at work.

GammaGlobulin · July 3, 2023

17 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Challenge declined, even though I am stone cold sober. My verbal skills lag behind the written word.

Even more bemusing is the life span of shingles, I understand they have to be replaced every 10 - 15 years. In contrast, there are galvanized roofs in places such as Orroroo that are still going strong after more than 150 years.

Canada has been experiencing unprecedented wildfires, and that's one of the colder countries. The laws of thermodynamics at work.

It's pointless to fight entropy, or to tilt at windmills.

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