Need a Home for 80k Puzzles? Try an Italian Castle(nytimes.com)
nytimes.com
Need a Home for 80k Puzzles? Try an Italian Castle
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/29/science/puzzles-mechanical-miller.html
21 comments
"Then last year, on a whim, the Millers bought a 15th-century, 52-room castle"
Translation:
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/translation-of-a-new-yor...
The story from the blog post - https://ipp30.blogspot.com/2022/05/breaking-puzzle-news.html
> I made a few jokes in my blog post on May 2nd about wanting to buy a castle. Well, we did it! Now here is the real story of how this happened:
... and then looking for the cost...
https://www.jamesedition.com/real_estate/perugia-italy/a-rea...
It's less expensive than many California properties.
6 Beds; 4 Baths; 10,172 sqft; $107/sqft
(California *averages* at $425/sqft)
> I made a few jokes in my blog post on May 2nd about wanting to buy a castle. Well, we did it! Now here is the real story of how this happened:
... and then looking for the cost...
https://www.jamesedition.com/real_estate/perugia-italy/a-rea...
It's less expensive than many California properties.
6 Beds; 4 Baths; 10,172 sqft; $107/sqft
(California *averages* at $425/sqft)
This thing is literally cheaper than the 2 bedroom 400ft apartment I'm renting...
I mean, I'm living in the more expensive part of Hong Kong, but still.
I mean, I'm living in the more expensive part of Hong Kong, but still.
Should head over to Japan...
Exploring the eerie beauty of Japan's abandoned villages --- https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/08/18/japan/society/e... -- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37270007 171 points | 4 months ago | 126 comments
The top comment by nataz:
> If you are interested in buying an abandoned home in the Japan countryside highly recommend the YouTube channel Tokyo Llama. He's spent the last four years renovating a beautiful traditional style Japanese house and property about an hour outside of Tokyo. He talks about the renovation aspects, taxes, paperwork process, and the pros and cons of doing this with a family. Lots of videos the watch.
> https://youtu.be/TwRjO3kHxU4?si=a9rw7FbwpiXEQLjr
Exploring the eerie beauty of Japan's abandoned villages --- https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/08/18/japan/society/e... -- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37270007 171 points | 4 months ago | 126 comments
The top comment by nataz:
> If you are interested in buying an abandoned home in the Japan countryside highly recommend the YouTube channel Tokyo Llama. He's spent the last four years renovating a beautiful traditional style Japanese house and property about an hour outside of Tokyo. He talks about the renovation aspects, taxes, paperwork process, and the pros and cons of doing this with a family. Lots of videos the watch.
> https://youtu.be/TwRjO3kHxU4?si=a9rw7FbwpiXEQLjr
I’d wager that 52 room castle is cheaper than the average 4 bedroom stick framed house here in Southern California. They’re prohibitively expensive to maintain so no one really wants them. European governments have a maze of financial incentives to keep them from falling into complete disrepair.
Imagine the heating bill.
HDD 16 (Degree (°C) days) for Tuscany in 2020 was 1310 (from https://www.iea.org/articles/italy-climate-resilience-policy... )
That's a 60° F HDD. Unfortunately, the HDD for the US tend to be based on 65° F. San Francisco has a mean of close enough to 3000 over 1948 - 2013 (it's probably lower now).
As these are temperature degrees, to convert from HDD 16 to HDD 65 (and ignoring that its 60 vs 65), that's 1310 * 9/5 that's 2358.
Ballpark, it needs less heating than San Francisco... though there's the "it's a castle and not well insulated" and "that's a large volume". However, it's not as big of an undertaking as one would imagine (to heat a castle) in a mediterranean climate.
I'd compare it to heating a church in San Francisco. Again, ballpark estimates put this in $1.00 - $1.50 per square foot.
That's a 60° F HDD. Unfortunately, the HDD for the US tend to be based on 65° F. San Francisco has a mean of close enough to 3000 over 1948 - 2013 (it's probably lower now).
As these are temperature degrees, to convert from HDD 16 to HDD 65 (and ignoring that its 60 vs 65), that's 1310 * 9/5 that's 2358.
Ballpark, it needs less heating than San Francisco... though there's the "it's a castle and not well insulated" and "that's a large volume". However, it's not as big of an undertaking as one would imagine (to heat a castle) in a mediterranean climate.
I'd compare it to heating a church in San Francisco. Again, ballpark estimates put this in $1.00 - $1.50 per square foot.
Yeah but consider you're likely heating the entire building with wood fires.
Today, you'd likely do it with an under rug heater. https://cozywinters.com/shop/rug-heat.html for example.
Though, the "heating a room with a fireplace" wasn't the way it was done then.
https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/02/restoring-the-old-...
Also https://youtu.be/inzamhtroO0
> Kettle Moraine Heating & Air Conditioning installed solar panels designed to work with the brand-new Lennox systems and appliances used throughout the house. Now the owner—who bought the 10,000-square-foot historic home and updated the property with a 5,000-square-foot addition with help from Kettle Moraine—is saving a whopping $3,000 in electricity costs per year thanks to solar energy. And they’re pleased with the whole HVAC overhaul and new installation.
https://www.buildingmycastle.com/an-energy-efficient-castle/
Consider the equivalent question of "how do you heat Filoli Mansion?" When it was built, it was fireplaces and a diesel boiler.
Though, the "heating a room with a fireplace" wasn't the way it was done then.
https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/02/restoring-the-old-...
Also https://youtu.be/inzamhtroO0
> Kettle Moraine Heating & Air Conditioning installed solar panels designed to work with the brand-new Lennox systems and appliances used throughout the house. Now the owner—who bought the 10,000-square-foot historic home and updated the property with a 5,000-square-foot addition with help from Kettle Moraine—is saving a whopping $3,000 in electricity costs per year thanks to solar energy. And they’re pleased with the whole HVAC overhaul and new installation.
https://www.buildingmycastle.com/an-energy-efficient-castle/
Consider the equivalent question of "how do you heat Filoli Mansion?" When it was built, it was fireplaces and a diesel boiler.
https://archive.is/YGg6Q
and the website of the documentary: https://www.notablefeatures.com/the-puzzle-palace
and the website of the documentary: https://www.notablefeatures.com/the-puzzle-palace
Having lived in the Bay Area for too long, castles seem positively affordable!
https://www.cabinetlenail.com/en/annonces/ref-na4-1277/15th-...
Of course, it's the upkeep that will kill ya.
https://www.cabinetlenail.com/en/annonces/ref-na4-1277/15th-...
Of course, it's the upkeep that will kill ya.
Depending where, but you'll also be expected to host people from the nearby towns for events, host town parties, weddings, etc, all at no cost or far below cost.
Or, you can not do that and be a social pariah and have the local government thumb their nose at you when you need something like permits.
Or, you can not do that and be a social pariah and have the local government thumb their nose at you when you need something like permits.
Would love to see the upkeep numbers. Some of these are surprisingly affordable. €1m for a well-kept 15 room castle isn’t bad.
and missile silos!
Being able to nerd-snipe Donald Knuth is a particular life achievement
The original announcement from Roxanne Miller’s blog is charming too, and has a lot of nice pictures of the place: https://ipp30.blogspot.com/2022/05/breaking-puzzle-news.html
George Miller's website Puzzle Palace is a fun way to get lost for a few hours, if you like puzzles.
http://www.puzzlepalace.com/
http://www.puzzlepalace.com/
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How much was the castle? That’s the key bit of missing information in this whole article
It seems that it was on sale for 990,000 Euro https://www.jamesedition.com/real_estate/perugia-italy/a-rea...
The asking price was about 1 million US dollars.