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The_Black_Log Foler

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Those earth anchors would be absolutely fine. They're not easy to install, and usually require specialized equipment, but the cost would likely be lower than concrete. I would use concrete because I can do it myself and I know it's going to be solid. You have no frost line, so you're looking at 2 foot concrete support piers. And I would not dig down, but elevate the building. Having a wooden building below ground level is just a recipe for rot and termites.

If Tuff Shed is a decent company they'll work with whatever anchoring system you decide to go with. They'll also object if something is inadequate. They don't want their shed to shift/move/rot/do anything bad. You should talk to them to see what their preferred method is. You might even be able to get a discount through them to get something.
Dumb question but what’s the downside of having half the maybe 4-8” below ground level?

If I raised the entire thing any ideas for how the ramp into doors would work? Extend the lower most perimeter to be a retaining wall a little past the ramp I think?
 

lurkingdirk

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Dumb question but what’s the downside of having half the maybe 4-8” below ground level?

If I raised the entire thing any ideas for how the ramp into doors would work? Extend the lower most perimeter to be a retaining wall a little past the ramp I think?

Building below grade with lumber of any kind invites termites and rot. It's just the way it is. You can always add fill dirt to get the other side up to grade. Now, if you're going to do the work, make sure the structure that's below grade is surrounded by a very well draining gravel bed, making sure soil is not up against your wood, no problem. Drainage is key.

Edit: also, not a dumb question at all. Everyone asks it at one time or another. It seems an obvious solution for buildings on a slope. There's a good reason why even hundreds of years ago they used stone foundation on the side where the hill was higher.
 
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The_Black_Log Foler

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Building below grade with lumber of any kind invites termites and rot. It's just the way it is. You can always add fill dirt to get the other side up to grade. Now, if you're going to do the work, make sure the structure that's below grade is surrounded by a very well draining gravel bed, making sure soil is not up against your wood, no problem. Drainage is key.

Edit: also, not a dumb question at all. Everyone asks it at one time or another. It seems an obvious solution for buildings on a slope. There's a good reason why even hundreds of years ago they used stone foundation on the side where the hill was higher.
Gotcha, thanks. I don’t think we’d need to add fill dirt - just level the dirt that falls in perimeter then add crushed rock over weed Matt and plate compact it. Obviously depends on how deep of crush rocked I go which is TBD
 
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Bandwagon

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Well just found out I'm getting a fat check from work next month sooooooo fuck this loan I guess.

I have better luck than I deserve

I still remember when the COO told me he was offering me stock options. I just gave him a blank look and he said "you don't know what that means, do you?" and I said "nope". He just laughed and said it's a big deal. Pretty sure I asked him if that means I have to stop wearing flip flops.
 
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lurkingdirk

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Well just found out I'm getting a fat check from work next month sooooooo fuck this loan I guess.

I have better luck than I deserve

I still remember when the COO told me he was offering me stock options. I just gave him a blank look and he said "you don't know what that means, do you?" and I said "nope". He just laughed and said it's a big deal. Pretty sure I asked him if that means I have to stop wearing flip flops.

Good for you man! If companies do this it generally means you actually earned it. Unless you're blowing the boss.
 

Palum

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Well just found out I'm getting a fat check from work next month sooooooo fuck this loan I guess.

I have better luck than I deserve

I still remember when the COO told me he was offering me stock options. I just gave him a blank look and he said "you don't know what that means, do you?" and I said "nope". He just laughed and said it's a big deal. Pretty sure I asked him if that means I have to stop wearing flip flops.

OK sure, your roof but....

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Unidin

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I know I'm late to the party but the reason that the interest paid gets crazy isn't that there's an upfront fee. That would be shown in the APR and make it much higher. The APR is less than 1% higher than the rate, so the fees would not be that high

It's two things:

1. As stated, it's a 20 year loan so the longer the loan the longer you're paying majority interest at the start.
2. The loan is adjustable after 10 years and can double the interest rate by year 13.
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Intrinsic

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I don't know how fat a check it is, but also keep in mind that you'll likely be paying a not insignificant amount of it in taxes, I guess depending on how it is presented to you. Just don't mess up your math if you get a bonus for $32k and turn around and hand it to the roof guy and later on you're trying to find $10k to pay in taxes. I don't remember where you live at the moment so couldn't speculate on state tax. But anyways, if it is supplemental income the IRS is going to come 'a raping.

Also, there are times (not many) where being in a tornado / hail area pays off I guess. The idea of paying for a roof out of pocket is foreign to me as every time a thunderstorm rolls through here the neighborhood is louder than a morning prayer call with all the nail guns going off. The roof at my last house cost me $2k and my insurance premium didn't even move. Not that I want to be doing that every few years, but it was nice to have available.
 
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Gator

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2k I wish. Sounds like Floridians hoping to just get enough hurricane to blow a few shingles off so insurance will pay for it or at least half. Im currently saving up to put on a new roof. South Florida prices right now range from 20k-30k for 20 year shingles or 40-50k metal. This is for a single story 1800sq ft house.
 

BrutulTM

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A 20 year loan for anything but your house is a recipe for staying broke all your life. I recently met a woman who bought a $35k stock trailer on a 20 year loan (they let her finance it for 20 years because it has a sleeping quarters in it so "it's like a house" according to her). Fancy aluminum trailer with LED lights all over it and special pens in it for carrying sheep and goats and a gear storage area in the front. She's paying like $210 a month and since her daughter is graduating high school she doesn't need the trailer anymore (she used it to take her daughter to livestock shows). She has zero equity after having the trailer for 6 years so the financing company is just going to take the trailer back to pay off the loan. So she's been paying $2500 a year for this thing for 6 years now. $15,000 and absolutely nothing to show for it. If she had paid cash for it, it's still probably worth maybe $28k so it would have cost her $7000 total. If she had paid cash for a less fancy used trailer, which would have done the job just fine, it probably would have cost her $10k and she could have resold it at the end for $8k or a $2000 total cost. Her only thought was that she can afford the $200 a month and they get to look like the coolest kids at the livestock show so why not? Meanwhile she basically just lit $15,000 on fire. Now she'll probably replace that $200/month payment with one on a car for her kid to take to college, but if she was a little smarter with money she could pay cash for a decent college car with the money she wasted paying interest on that trailer loan.
 
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Kajiimagi

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A 20 year loan for anything but your house is a recipe for staying broke all your life. I recently met a woman who bought a $35k stock trailer on a 20 year loan (they let her finance it for 20 years because it has a sleeping quarters in it so "it's like a house" according to her). Fancy aluminum trailer with LED lights all over it and special pens in it for carrying sheep and goats and a gear storage area in the front. She's paying like $210 a month and since her daughter is graduating high school she doesn't need the trailer anymore (she used it to take her daughter to livestock shows). She has zero equity after having the trailer for 6 years so the financing company is just going to take the trailer back to pay off the loan. So she's been paying $2500 a year for this thing for 6 years now. $15,000 and absolutely nothing to show for it. If she had paid cash for it, it's still probably worth maybe $28k so it would have cost her $7000 total. If she had paid cash for a less fancy used trailer, which would have done the job just fine, it probably would have cost her $10k and she could have resold it at the end for $8k or a $2000 total cost. Her only thought was that she can afford the $200 a month and they get to look like the coolest kids at the livestock show so why not? Meanwhile she basically just lit $15,000 on fire. Now she'll probably replace that $200/month payment with one on a car for her kid to take to college, but if she was a little smarter with money she could pay cash for a decent college car with the money she wasted paying interest on that trailer loan.
Shit like that reminds me of my mom, never what was the smart move, what was the best value, only what can I afford and still get my cigarettes. Young me promised myself I would NEVER be like that and so far I never have been. That's also why I told my wife if she wants to 'do mothers day' (pay bills - this mother@!%@%$ , that mother@%@#%) with me she is welcome to but I am paying the bills. When I went down with my tumor and she had to do it for (1) week it was so fucked up I still cannot figure out how she fucked it up so bad.
 

Burren

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A 20 year loan for anything but your house is a recipe for staying broke all your life. I recently met a woman who bought a $35k stock trailer on a 20 year loan (they let her finance it for 20 years because it has a sleeping quarters in it so "it's like a house" according to her). Fancy aluminum trailer with LED lights all over it and special pens in it for carrying sheep and goats and a gear storage area in the front. She's paying like $210 a month and since her daughter is graduating high school she doesn't need the trailer anymore (she used it to take her daughter to livestock shows). She has zero equity after having the trailer for 6 years so the financing company is just going to take the trailer back to pay off the loan. So she's been paying $2500 a year for this thing for 6 years now. $15,000 and absolutely nothing to show for it. If she had paid cash for it, it's still probably worth maybe $28k so it would have cost her $7000 total. If she had paid cash for a less fancy used trailer, which would have done the job just fine, it probably would have cost her $10k and she could have resold it at the end for $8k or a $2000 total cost. Her only thought was that she can afford the $200 a month and they get to look like the coolest kids at the livestock show so why not? Meanwhile she basically just lit $15,000 on fire. Now she'll probably replace that $200/month payment with one on a car for her kid to take to college, but if she was a little smarter with money she could pay cash for a decent college car with the money she wasted paying interest on that trailer loan.
No sympathy
 
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Daidraco

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No worse than the people that dont pay their insurance plans all in one lump sum. Theres a bunch of shit like this, actually. Like Amazon Prime. The likelihood that I wont fucking have it subscribed all fucking year is next to zero. So why in the fuck would I not buy the annual plan that saves me 10 bucks? My HOA reduces their fee's by 15% if you pay all at once. Thats pretty fucking huge, too.

It sounds terrible when I say it out loud, as it negatively effects me too - but that person that got the trailer with all the LED's that looks fancy and makes everyone envious? That shit is exactly why I half heartedly like when the economy takes a shit. People around me on the lake riding around on boats that they have financed at the lowest possible payment they could get them at, with a lake house they cant fucking afford without having it used as an AirBNB 80% of the year, with multiple cars that are financed at the longest fucking terms.... Compared to someone that has a paid for house, that has a paid for Truck, and only leases a fucking SUV because its pay it to Uncle Sam or get something out of it, that has a boat and a sea doo that arent fucking 300k+. .... yet these fucks look down on me, as if Im the broke one. Makes me so fucking angry just thinking about it.
 
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Captain Suave

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yet these fucks look down on me, as if Im the broke one. Makes me so fucking angry just thinking about it.

Practice not giving a shit and enjoy the warm feeling of knowing that you're doing it right. I still drive my grandmother's 2001 Camry because I'm cheap and DGAF about cars. I use it as my social litmus test. Anyone that really judges me on it gets cut out from my life.
 
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