The Housing Search, Updates

I'm still searching for a safe place to live. Here's my update...



My favorite rental: a tiny castle.

Rentals

There seems to be a huge population of people trying to rent right now. This puts the advantage in the hands of the landlords. They can afford to be picky.

I am not having much luck. If the rental is clean, well-maintained and in great shape, the owners don't allow pets. Some have cautiously said my rabbit would be fine, but I can always tell they aren't so excited about him even if I swear he will never be in the house. Even if the safe, clean, well-maintained dwelling allows pets, it goes fast. I'm pretty sure any mention of my outdoor rabbit and the prospective landlords opt for a non-pet owning renter if given the choice. This puts me at a huge and frustrating disadvantage.  Most of the nicer rentals are outside my budget as well and those that are out of town are difficult to drive to at a moments notice, again, putting me at a disadvantage. I haven't given up...renting would afford me the luxury of trying out different locations before committing to a real estate purchase. I just think it'll be easier without my floppy-eared, outdoor-living roommate.


Trailers and RVs

It seems the key to finding a safe trailer is one that is used and already modified for chemically sensitive people. Taylor Airstreams did contact me and said they are no longer focusing their business on trailers although they didn't say why. I've heard trying to build a non-toxic dwelling for people who's sensitivities are so variable has a number of risks. Customers who have invested all their money into something that doesn't work for them can be very unhappy. Taylor has had to deal with too many lawsuits. I can imagine this is a challenge for the designers, or maybe just a headache. The process of paying for the consultation, planning and remodel in advance before knowing if it will work doesn't appeal to me. Too risky and too many people have told me even the Taylor Airstreams are problematic due to the glues they use. I think I need to buy something already modified so I can spend time in it first. My hesitation here is I wouldn't have any idea what I'm looking at or whether or not it has problems outside health issues.

Some people have modified their own trailers or found someone to do it for them. I've heard some real horror stories about the modification process and the toxicity they find in the walls or floors and I'm hearing some real hardship stories about what it's like to live in one. This doesn't give me confidence. I haven't made contact with anyone living in one who is on the road. Still looking....

MCS Communities

I have discovered some information on MCS communities.

Escalante House in Escalante, Utah was being planned in 1999 with $20,000 start-up funds and their grant documentation is still online HERE. Their plan was to buy and develop 325 acres in the hinterlands of Utah selling 6 acre plots with bylaws to guarantee chemical-free living. Sounds perfect! Unfortunately, that's all I can find out. The organizing partners were going to give the plan a year to get off the ground. There is no other information to be found. I've attempted to contact the planners through the email address and telephone number on the grant proposal, but everything is disconnected or defunct. I've posted on some MCS housing sites, but no one has responded with information. Too bad we can't get organized to make this happen!

Seagoville Ecological Housing Facility in Seagoville, Texas, east of Dallas is in existence. It sounds like a large property with a variety of architectural dwellings from trailers to small eco-friendly dwellings. There are some photos HERE. The website says it's $45.00 per day, $350.00 per week, and $845.00 per month. I didn't check on the availability of housing. Not sure if I'm interested in living in Texas, but at least this is an option. I would like to visit.

UPDATE: I've heard from people who have visited and who have lived at the Seagoville location. Not a lot of positive feedback, in fact, I'd steer clear!

Environmental Health Center apartments in Dallas, TX. The requirement here is you must be a patient of Dr. William Rea in Dallas. The online photos show apartments that look very clean and non-toxic as well as sparse. I don't think you are allowed many personal items and you definitely aren't allowed a rabbit.

Dolan Springs in northern Arizona there is a small community building slowly. I haven't heard much on this area, but it sounds like Snowflake only more expensive.

The Commons on the Alameda Co-Housing Community in Santa Fe, New Mexico sounds like a great place or so I've heard, however, I'm not seeing any fragrance-free or chemical-free guidelines on their site so I'm not clear how this community is for the chemically sensitive. At the time of this post, they have one 2200 square foot house for sale at $425,000 which is way beyond my budget and size preferences.

Quail Haven Community north of Tucson, Arizona. I'm not getting a clear vision of this community, nor understand how many people actually live there. Several people have emailed me to let me know they have been there or lived there for a short time. My first few web hits indicated it is a community and lots were being sold, but most people tell me about the house Diane Ensign owns and has been trying to sell for years. She rents it out along with an apartment over a garage. But is it a community? Unclear. I've emailed Diane but she's currently in Montana without much Internet access. Advantages of area: beautiful desert landscaping, mountains above Tucson so air is clean, Tucson is close with culture...friendliest bicycle city in the country. Gotta love that. Disadvantages: EMFs, drive to Tucson for organic food is too long, hellish dust, weird weather, overpriced land. There seems to be a lot of chemically sensitive people living around Tucson, but not necessarily in Quail Haven. Most people I talk to about Quail Haven suggest I go to Snowflake....

Snowflake, Arizona...I don't think I can rule this community out just yet. I did talk to someone who has been living there for a few years in a trailer and is now building a house. She thinks some of the negative information I've received isn't correct. She doesn't think there is a lack of contractors in the area and she is loving the guy she hired who had a house built for her in just over 4 months. Regarding the pig farm and forest fires, although these negatives are true she hasn't notice a problem and says no place will be perfect, but Snowflake is darn close. I'm still attracted to the cheap land.

Unless I built an air-conditioned garage, Peter wouldn't like Arizona. He has no summer clothes...

Although there are many eco-villages around the country focusing on sustainable living and share some philosophies for healthy practices needed by MCSers, none have specific bylaws requesting chemically-free practices. Living in such close proximity to others, I require some non-toxic rules.

Builders

I met Joseph Becker of ION Ecobuilding who builds sustainable houses specializing in straw-clay houses. He is currently building at the Port Townsend Eco-Village and gave me a tour of his own personal experiment which will be his office when finished.

 

It's only 200 square feet plus a loft and built with all found materials and straw-clay insulation.

 

 

See the roof over the front porch? That will be a "living" roof with plants. Cool!

 

 

There is a pull-down ladder to the loft. Is this dwelling non-toxic? Maybe, but he had just oiled some of the surfaces with, I think, linseed oil and it was driving me nuts. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I know linseed oil is what people use to seal earthen floors, and it might offgas nicely, but I don't know for sure. I'd have to nix the linseed oil.

 

MOST IMPORTANT ADVICE SO FAR...

If your house is relatively safe, don't give it up until you are absolutely certain your new home is safe.

The MCSer who gave this advice speaks from experience and warned me how easy it is to end up living a migrant life, moving from place to place because nothing works, and always too close to homelessness. She is currently living in a leaky remodeled Airstream, in the desert, with no insulation, on land that her ex-boyfriend owns and is kind enough to allow her to stay for free.

Her advice isn't new information, but a good reminder of how bad it can get. It has been my plan all along not to sell my house until I am somewhere stable and guaranteed safe. Every now and then I get anxious and want to sell the house first so I have the enough money to purchase, but this past year of looking for a place to live and not finding anything has been a wake-up call. The Moldy Slumlord from last Spring also reminded me how bad it could get and made me incredibly grateful I had a refuge to return to that was relatively safe. I won't take chances. The reality is I could end up very ill or homeless if I'm not careful. There are so many who are homeless...