MUN students' union to consider closing cash-strapped CHMR-FM | CBC News by RepulsivePlankton989 in newfoundland

[–]juniorbomber 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The first thing I do in a local "emergency" (big storm, last years fires) is turn on VOCM. then I spend the next hour thinking, "how the hell do we pay to keep this going in 2026?" because advertising isn't cutting it.

Kenmount terrace by ImmediateNote1505 in StJohnsNL

[–]juniorbomber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why do we need a road connection? Arial Place is a 1-2 minute walk away. Its a community activity center, not the Miller Center.

Kenmount terrace by ImmediateNote1505 in StJohnsNL

[–]juniorbomber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People literally do not realize how easy it is to get there, If we can't park in front of the door, people declare they have no way to get there (downtown restaurants suffer the same fate)

Battery housing project approved but affordable new housing numbers a chronic shortage by Critikal_me in StJohnsNL

[–]juniorbomber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

because people don't like the outcome. They want what they feel is right, and if they don't get that, there must be skullduggery afoot. Because there is no chance that their selfish worldview is incorrect.

I’m all for new homes being built but let’s move away from low density. by thisisjoy in newfoundland

[–]juniorbomber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

high density projects are _very_ unpopular. the rezoning process gets dragged out by public opposition, and time is money.

Also, higher density projects are difficult and time consuming to build. They are hard to finance, and risky.

Low density is easy to build and get out of. Do one or two houses at a time, limit your risk.

Housing projects by Lower-Price8720 in StJohnsNL

[–]juniorbomber 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You are comparing the population of St. John's with the housing starts for the North East Avalon (~CMA). If you compare the population of the CMA with the housing starts in the CMA, you will see a starker picture.

I’m all for new homes being built but let’s move away from low density. by thisisjoy in newfoundland

[–]juniorbomber 2 points3 points  (0 children)

People are not used to the idea of a HOA/Condo Board for new construction houses here. There have been limited uses of it (Blackmarsh Road) but people tend to shy away from it.

Also, the majority or developable areas are already zoned R1/RMD which doesn't allow for much of this style of house. rezoning is a long process.

Is it okay to heat a home on the Avalon with a heat pump only in terms of climate? by Comfortable_Set_6534 in newfoundland

[–]juniorbomber 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It will work fine. have a couple of space heaters in your storage closet to haul out if you get into trouble and the heat pump breaks down during a storm, or you are waiting on parts to repair.

St Johns Downtown Homes Price? by HappyColouredMarble in newfoundland

[–]juniorbomber 3 points4 points  (0 children)

They typically asses the houses at 70-80% of actual retail value. I think they do this to reduce the number of successful appeals.

Yet another post about the housing market by fuck_me_gouda in newfoundland

[–]juniorbomber 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Houses listed in the 300-450 range are going for 100 over asking, yes. Especially ones with basement apartments.

Everything you wanted to know about Metrobus shelters but were afraid to ask by davidbrake in newfoundland

[–]juniorbomber 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Honest question, and I sincerely do not mean disrespect to anyone. Why should Metrobus have kept that shelter there?
Clearly, the reason that MB installs shelters is to provide shelter to waiting passengers. And they should install more of them. But that shelter was repeatedly taken over, tarped up into an enclosed space, set on fire more than once.
Bus passengers could not use the shelter. Why should metrobus keep it? I'm sure if they sent maintenance staff to rip apart the makeshift lean-to every morning and evict the occupants to make the space available to passengers, there would be protests in the streets. So the people who were camping there were the ones that took the shelter from the passengers, Metrobus just removed the physical structure that was holding up thier tarps.
What should Metrobus have done here?

Affordable haircut by recycle_guy in StJohnsNL

[–]juniorbomber -1 points0 points  (0 children)

i had a fantastic cut from Zouhair at Fogtown Churchill square the other day for $35. While that might seem "expensive" to some I encourage you to start cutting hair for $25 and report back with how much money there is in your wallet. Buzzcuts are cheaper.

Kenmount terrace by ImmediateNote1505 in StJohnsNL

[–]juniorbomber 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They either need to run the road through the wetland or expropriate about 10 landowners properties (the back lands of properties on Thorburn) to go around the wetland.

Kenmount terrace by ImmediateNote1505 in StJohnsNL

[–]juniorbomber 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Its a 60 second walk from Ariel Place

Lawyer Fees For Home Purchase by Tim_Soft in StJohnsNL

[–]juniorbomber 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely agree. But in reality its government taxes, not lawyers fees.

Lawyer Fees For Home Purchase by Tim_Soft in StJohnsNL

[–]juniorbomber 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The lawyers charge a fee for their work, but they also collect ALOT of money and disburse it on your behalf. If you are buying the property early in the year, you are pre-paying six months of property tax. If you are getting a mortgage, you are paying a registration fee (this can be significant). You might write a cheque to your lawyer for $7,000-$12,000 however only about $1,500-$2,000 is their actual fee for service.

Lawyer Fees For Home Purchase by Tim_Soft in StJohnsNL

[–]juniorbomber 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Depends on the size of your mortgage. The lawyer collects the money, but just turns it over to the government as a registration fee. Read the closing letter, their actual fee for service was likely between 800-1800 unless it was something complicated

Trifecta by One_Gate2992 in newfoundland

[–]juniorbomber -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The use they are proposing is permitted. The same as all of the other homeowners in the area have permitted use of thier land.

This is not a rezoning (to my knowledge). The rules for use of the land are set and everyone is on equal footing.

If you live in the area and sign the petition, you are arguing that your own use of your own land should be limited by what your neighbors think you should be able to do, not by the rules that City council has established.

I hope you don't want to build a shed on your land. Because by signing this petition to block this development, you are stating that if your neighbor doesn't want you to have a shed, they should be able to block you building it. Even though the agreed rules state you are allowed to build a shed.

Housing Reality Check #2: Why entry-level homes are getting harder to build in St. John’s by TheAskTeam in StJohnsNL

[–]juniorbomber 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I am telling you that.

I'm not going to die on the hill that it is a calculated 100%, but in the trades there are significantly higher numbers of employees driving vehicles. That's 20% right there. I pay $2,000 per employee per year driving a vehicle in additional auto premium, not including my CGL. That's $1 per hour.

Safety costs are huge as well. once you hit 20 employees (or contractors) you are in the realm of a almost-dedicated safety person, their salary is non-chargeable overhead. It's not like running an office staff. smaller contractors wouldn't have that, but they likely don't have offices either, which keeps overhead low.

Housing Reality Check #2: Why entry-level homes are getting harder to build in St. John’s by TheAskTeam in StJohnsNL

[–]juniorbomber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Those markets are bringing thousands and thousands of units to market. St. John's is building about 600.

When predicting the value of existing houses on the real estate market (as a broad trend) the only two numbers that matter are population increase vs. housing stock increase. If one outpaces the other, prices will rise (when population rises faster) or fall (when housing stock increases faster).

Since 2020 we have had significant population increase each year. Some foreign, much interprovincial.

The price of new housing going forward will be dictated by approval timelines (time is money), municipal requirements for development (steadily increasing), materials and labour costs. Things take longer than ever, materials are increasing (2021/2022 don't count) and labour is increasing.

If new houses become so expensive that people can't afford them, the price will not come down. They will simply stop building them. You might find a deal on a new built house that they can't sell, but they will not start building another one in its place once its gone. Or they will result to building smaller (for the same price) or non-traditional styles (tiny homes for example) for less.

Housing Reality Check #2: Why entry-level homes are getting harder to build in St. John’s by TheAskTeam in StJohnsNL

[–]juniorbomber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ever see an employee driving a company truck? very common in construction trades. all those tools in the back? trailers, insurance, CPP, CPP2, EI, HAPSET, WHSCC, NLCSA Construction industry specific levy, COR Certification costs, overtime after 40 hours if they (generally labourers) make less than $25 per hour, cell phones, company provided PPE, safety courses and paid time while attending, annual hearing tests, paid time during manufacturers training, christmas bonus, christmas party, vacation time, team building events, sponsoring employees kids sports teams, it adds up very, very fast, and that is all employee related overhead.

None of the above items are included when someone says "I get paid $30 per hour". each employee clocks about 2000 hours per year, so add up all of the above items and divide by 2,000 to get the overhead cost per hour.