Affordable Housing
Mar. 11th, 2025 07:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThree millennials bought an abandoned high school for $100K and converted it into 31-unit housing
Of the 31 units, 27 of them are one-bedroom apartments and four are two-bedrooms.
Schools, like hotels, tend to be pretty well set to become affordable housing. If you keep the function space, then you can include amenities like the gym and auditorium here, or a library, a cafeteria, etc. Imagine keeping a cafeteria for folks who can't or don't want to cook.
Something else to consider: older buildings are functionally irreplaceable under current conditions. That makes them priceless, even if they don't seem like much on the surface. Currently, the official lifespan of a commercial building is 39 years, which is about half a human lifespan. But it doesn't even last that long anymore. Somewhere around 10-20 years, the business loses interest and wants to move into a new one. The picture is even worse with residential housing, at only 27.5 years, which is close to a third of a human lifespan. That's not much building for your buck.
Of the 31 units, 27 of them are one-bedroom apartments and four are two-bedrooms.
Schools, like hotels, tend to be pretty well set to become affordable housing. If you keep the function space, then you can include amenities like the gym and auditorium here, or a library, a cafeteria, etc. Imagine keeping a cafeteria for folks who can't or don't want to cook.
Something else to consider: older buildings are functionally irreplaceable under current conditions. That makes them priceless, even if they don't seem like much on the surface. Currently, the official lifespan of a commercial building is 39 years, which is about half a human lifespan. But it doesn't even last that long anymore. Somewhere around 10-20 years, the business loses interest and wants to move into a new one. The picture is even worse with residential housing, at only 27.5 years, which is close to a third of a human lifespan. That's not much building for your buck.
(no subject)
Date: 2025-03-12 12:54 am (UTC)Things that last longer have more environmental impact and are harder to recycle, so there is a balance here.