Covid Restrictions

[pmbrunelle]

Where are you along the normal/lockdown spectrum?

Here in Québec the Premier announced that starting Saturday, there will be a curfew from 8 pm to 5 am at night, during which we will have to remain home. This will last for the next month, with a possible extension. I will be stuck working from home, which I have been doing to varying extents since March.

This is the result of a proportional control system, where restrictions imposed are in proportion to the number of active cases. Delays between infection to symptoms, and delays in governmental response make this a system with insufficient phase margin; it's an oscillating roller-coaster.

Neither provincial nor federal governments have proposed a control scheme that could conclude towards some stable end-state.

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This is starting to become problematic for my car project.

Sandblasting, wheel balancer, paint booth, CNC router and semi-automated mill are either at my workplace, or at my father's workplace.

I had spoken about doing a test of putting PVC electrical tape into a hot/cold climatic chamber at work, but that's going to have to wait for at least a month now.

I can still mail-order auto parts, and focus on tasks that can be done at my parents' home.

I basically live full-time with my parents again; I found the isolation of being alone in my apartment to be too much. I'm still renting the apartment, but I'm never there.

Now I have enough money for a downpayment on a cheap house, I should probably buy one (and dump the apartment), and since working from home in some capacity seems to be here to stay for many employers, I don't necessarily need a place that's so close to work.

This house is within commuting distance of several industrialized towns, and it's basically a garage with a living space attached to it:
https://www.centris.ca/en/houses~for-sa ... ew=Summary

The surrounding area also looks like enough of a dump that I could have parts cars laying around without bothering the neighbors.

Eventually I would like to get enough tools to reduce my father and I's dependency on our workplaces, but that's another project.

The wheel balancer is actually mine, but I don't have a place for it, so it resides at my dad's work.

[ericjon262]

My work (US Navy) puts way more restrictions on my movements than anything else, that being said, I'm fairly self reliant, with an acceptable stockpile of tools/parts/ideas to keep me busy when I'm not at work, which unfortunately, has taken up way too much of my time.

I would agree, that buying a house and dumping the apartment is a good idea, it's nice being able to do what you want, and not worry (as much) about upsetting the neighbors, however, I would recommend looking long and hard and finding the right place, rather than just a place. I jumped the gun and have quite a few regrets with my choice in a home. Additionally, it's easy for a home to begin taking up all of your time as well. I'm about to start a kitchen remodel, and I don't know where I'm going to find the time...

[Shaun41178(2)]

Florida. No restrictions. Zero.

[pmbrunelle]

My work (US Navy) puts way more restrictions on my movements than anything else, that being said, I'm fairly self reliant, with an acceptable stockpile of tools/parts/ideas to keep me busy when I'm not at work, which unfortunately, has taken up way too much of my time.

While underwater, is there any form of social distancing, or since everyone is living closely together on the boat, you just forget about all that and continue business as usual?

I would recommend looking long and hard and finding the right place, rather than just a place. I jumped the gun and have quite a few regrets with my choice in a home. Additionally, it's easy for a home to begin taking up all of your time as well. I'm about to start a kitchen remodel, and I don't know where I'm going to find the time...

Right... for ease/cost of maintenance, I think I'm only looking at single-story homes (among other requirements), so I can do stuff without falling down from great heights. I don't like being on a long ladder.

I think I want the least number of rooms, and in general the simplest home possible that meets my requirements to reduce the time consumption factor.

Florida. No restrictions. Zero.

Is that the right call in your opinion?

[ericjon262]

My work (US Navy) puts way more restrictions on my movements than anything else, that being said, I'm fairly self reliant, with an acceptable stockpile of tools/parts/ideas to keep me busy when I'm not at work, which unfortunately, has taken up way too much of my time.

While underwater, is there any form of social distancing, or since everyone is living closely together on the boat, you just forget about all that and continue business as usual?

There really isn't much that can be done, it's pretty tight. I'm not really allowed to say much more than that.

I would recommend looking long and hard and finding the right place, rather than just a place. I jumped the gun and have quite a few regrets with my choice in a home. Additionally, it's easy for a home to begin taking up all of your time as well. I'm about to start a kitchen remodel, and I don't know where I'm going to find the time...

Right... for ease/cost of maintenance, I think I'm only looking at single-story homes (among other requirements), so I can do stuff without falling down from great heights. I don't like being on a long ladder.

I think I want the least number of rooms, and in general the simplest home possible that meets my requirements to reduce the time consumption factor.

I hate stairs in general, I don't think I'll ever buy a two story house, I do think I'll put a loft in my workshop though. the idea I have, is a 3 bay shop, 2 lift bays, and the loft over the 3rd for a design/prototyping.

[Shaun41178(2)]

Is that the right call in your opinion?

Yes.

Look at the states with tight restrictions like California. Its done nothing to stop the spread.

[pmbrunelle]

"Non-essential" businesses must close, while "essential" businesses remain open. These categories have not been well-defined by the government, so shops decide on their own if they count their business as essential.

Canadian Tire is like a mix of Wal Mart, Autozone, and a garage. When I went there today, some aisles (containing "non-essential" items) were blocked off with yellow tape.

Luckily the auto repair and tools are considered essential, so I was able to get some honing stones to fix my brake calipers.

There was a hangup with the cashier about the spray paint; she wasn't sure if it was essential or not, so she had to check with some colleagues before I could buy it.

[Shaun41178(2)]

"Non-essential" businesses must close, while "essential" businesses remain open. These categories have not been well-defined by the government, so shops decide on their own if they count their business as essential.

Canadian Tire is like a mix of Wal Mart, Autozone, and a garage. When I went there today, some aisles (containing "non-essential" items) were blocked off with yellow tape.

Luckily the auto repair and tools are considered essential, so I was able to get some honing stones to fix my brake calipers.

There was a hangup with the cashier about the spray paint; she wasn't sure if it was essential or not, so she had to check with some colleagues before I could buy it.

Good thing Wal-Mart can sell spray paint. That stops covid. Mom and pops are forced closed though because thats where covid hangs out.

Good thing Blackface is running the show up there. All those things you cant buy or do hasnt stopped covid

[pmbrunelle]

Health care has traditionally been managed as a provincial matter, so each province has been doing their own thing with regards to restrictions.

I wish that Trudeau would run the show with some sort of a plan, but he hasn't done much besides make relief programs and sink us deeper in debt. He's good at talking, not taking action.

Mom and pop shops don't want to take the risk of a several-thousand dollar fine, so they stay closed, while big-box stores remain open... a fine being a minor operating expense to them. Pretty unfair.

Now that I'm working from home a lot, I won't be surprised if/when my employer comes to the realization that I can be replaced with a cheaper guy in India. Whether you're 10 km or 10000 km away from the office on a Zoom call, it doesn't make much difference.

I think we would have been better off to let the virus infect everyone quickly, gotten over with it, and then continued with our lives, versus this present situation.

[Honest Don]

Now I have enough money for a downpayment on a cheap house, I should probably buy one (and dump the apartment), and since working from home in some capacity seems to be here to stay for many employers, I don't necessarily need a place that's so close to work.

This house is within commuting distance of several industrialized towns, and it's basically a garage with a living space attached to it:
https://www.centris.ca/en/houses~for-sa ... ew=Summary

The surrounding area also looks like enough of a dump that I could have parts cars laying around without bothering the neighbors.

Eventually I would like to get enough tools to reduce my father and I's dependency on our workplaces, but that's another project.

The wheel balancer is actually mine, but I don't have a place for it, so it resides at my dad's work.

Corner lot with lots of pavement for off-street parking How much traffic does the road out front see?




As far as the coronas, we have a mask mandate in town, capacity reductions in businesses, and the schools are a mix of remote and reduced class size. The school thing has been the worst bit for me. My wife and I are both "essential" and while the kids can stay and do their remote classes on my WFH "office" days, they can't be alone when I'm out at a factory. The solution? My long-retired-father-in-law. He's basically part of the household at this point and is totally saving the day, unfortunately he's in the high risk category and this shit is not something he'll likely survive, so we have to be extra careful about exposure and whatnot.

[The Dark Side of Will]

I think we would have been better off to let the virus infect everyone quickly, gotten over with it, and then continued with our lives, versus this present situation.

Yeah, we've cleared 300 days of two weeks to slow the spread.

Lots more people die when they can't get medical care, so there's that.
However, the government responses, especially in terms of "lockdowns" and business restrictions have been ham fisted and more damaging than just letting businesses figure it out.

Hospital capacity in the Richmond area is strained, so Nutty Northam imposes a curfew instead of trying to bring additional capacity online.
There were field hospitals with military medical staff set up... and then torn down without seeing any patients... at the beginning of the outbreak. Where TF are they now and why aren't governors asking for them?

Meanwhile, there's this:



And this:



And a whole lot more showing similar data.

I saw a graph of new cases in FL vs new cases in CA, with FL dramatically undercutting CA, despite much more drastic measures undertaken in CA... but I can't find it again just now.

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I live/work in Northern VA/DC Suburbs, so I'm in one of the most chronically, painfully COVID conscious areas, even though the numbers don't look so bad here. My dad lives in the Shenandoah valley, which is a less densely populated area where no one cares what a Democrat governor ordered. They don't seem to be much, if any, worse off.

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That looks like a great bachelor pad. How much of it was actually built in 1880? Is there a crawl space under it? How much of the foundation do you have access to inside? With the structure that old, foundation repairs are a likely ownership expense.

Also, with the structure pre-dating residential electric service and, well, indoor plumbing, those bits of technology have been added to the structure at some point. How well were those things done in the first place? How accessible is the wiring and plumbing (eta: and ductwork) for when it does need to be maintained?

And the price looks great. I can buy a couple of parking spaces in DC for that price.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1121 ... 9353_zpid/

ETA: Also, insulation... How much will it cost to heat and cool? I see one of the exterior pics shows a window AC unit in a front window during the summer, while an interior shot shows it not in the same (I think) window in the winter. I also see registers in the floor in at least one room. Is that a heat pump or an oil furnace?
Also, wood stoves are nice, but not very throttleable. A friend of mine had one for heat in his cottage. The house ended up mildly cold until he'd start a fire, then it could easily get uncomfortably warm.

Nice garage throne

The basement views of the bottoms of the ground level floors are... interesting. I bet the floors are pretty bouncy.

[The Dark Side of Will]

These categories have not been well-defined by the government, so shops decide on their own if they count their business as essential.

Every business is essential to the proprietor.
Every job is essential to the person earning their living doing it.

[pmbrunelle]

Every business is essential to the proprietor.
Every job is essential to the person earning their living doing it.

I build toys for adults with too much disposable cash...

I don't make my own food or electricity (the essential items I depend on). Somebody else takes care of that; in principle, I could just stay at home and not need to do anything.

Compliance with voluntary shutdowns is low because no alternatives to starvation / poverty have been proposed.

However, we're not set up in a way that I can be fed while not working.

[pmbrunelle]

I would recommend looking long and hard and finding the right place, rather than just a place.

Right... the previous home I linked to was too far away from my present employer.

This one looks better.
https://www.centris.ca/en/houses~for-sa ... ew=Summary

[ericjon262]

I would recommend looking long and hard and finding the right place, rather than just a place.

Right... the previous home I linked to was too far away from my present employer.

This one looks better.
https://www.centris.ca/en/houses~for-sa ... ew=Summary

How's the shop space? looks decent without knowing anything about the area.

[pmbrunelle]

How's the shop space? looks decent without knowing anything about the area.

Area is well-located between current employment, potential future employment, and about two hours away from my parents.

I haven't gone to visit yet; I'm getting my mortgage pre-approval done first, so I can compare interest rates and not have to scramble. That should be done in a few days though.

[ericjon262]

How's the shop space? looks decent without knowing anything about the area.

Area is well-located between current employment, potential future employment, and about two hours away from my parents.

I haven't gone to visit yet; I'm getting my mortgage pre-approval done first, so I can compare interest rates and not have to scramble. That should be done in a few days though.

Good luck! looks like you could get a decent place, be careful though, I would highly recommend having it inspected even if your mortgage provider doesn't require it. old homes like this tend to have their share of demons.

[pmbrunelle]

I know a pretty good (and cheap) guy for inspections

My dad actually took a home inspection course (though he knew all this stuff before the class), his objective at the time being to perform house inspections as a sideline maybe every two weeks or so, to supplement his main income.

Home inspectors are typically viewed as insurance policies, where people sue them as if they were the ATM.

Liability insurance is pretty much mandatory, and a large portion of the curriculum was about how to deal with lawsuits and lawyers.

When my dad looked into insurance, the premiums were too expensive to make a few inspections on the side financially viable. Regardless of the number of inspections performed per year (and hence exposure to risk), the insurance premiums were the same.

[ericjon262]

Awesome! I wish I had been more thorough when I bought the house I did, and demanded more things fixed, or walked away, unfortunately, I didn't really have enough time to be much pickier than I already was.

[pmbrunelle]

Well, I told my apartment landlord I'd be out by July 1st, so I really need to find something so I don't end up homeless...