As a Texan who grew up north of San Antonio, I can tell you that one of the biggest reasons you will not find alot of houses there with basements is the limestone rock, especially in the central part of the state you are looking at. Vast amounts of it need to be dynamited out, and that is very expensive. My parents have a house that has one of the only basements in all of central Texas that we are aware of, and it was built by a builder who built it for himself, and was able to control his costs that way.
That said, San Antonio is a fun city, and there are alot of good audio dealers in the state, no worries there. |
There are several concrete construction systems available, and they should all provide much better acoustic isolation than most other designs.
http://www.cement.org/homes/ch_buildsys.asp
Jan |
I forgot what we were talking about. |
Over the week end the New York Tri State area was hit with a devastating storm.Rivers overflowed on to roads and flooded basements.Trees were uprooted and found their way on top of cars,homes and utility poles.Power was out and still is for thousands.While watching a report on TV of a man in New Jersey who was helping to evacuate people with the use of his row boat the news person asked him "Why are you doing this"
His reply was simply "Because I want to help"
At that point I said to my wife "If this happened in Texas not only would one person be trying to help but the entire community and no one would have to ask 'Why"
The good people of Texas will welcome you.Enjoy your new home and enjoy your music. |
Welcome to Texas, San Antonio is a great city, and you will love it. Since you already speak English and German, mix in some Spanish and you will love it even more. There is a huge historically German population in the hill country north and east of San Antonio, so you will feel at home.
One word of non-Audio related advice. The last thing on earth you need in San Antonio is radiant floor heat. You are roughly the same latitude as Cairo in San Antonio, and the weather, while drier, is not that different, very mild winters, extremely hot and long summers. Make sure the house is well insulated, and the heating unit that is integral to your AC unit for forced air will be fine.
Good luck. |
Texas has some great audio buddies to!
I'm in Austin. Although you can't pass up Albert's dinner invite! If you this part of Tx, look me up ! |
"Not only is the cost of homes less, we have no state income tax and one of the only states that did not accept the governments hand outs which obligates us to more government intervention."
That is exactly why we are moving there. My kids are out of school, grown up and will stay in Germany, they are dual citizens. Long story, but involves ex,,,.
Since Texas is appealing for big companies, it is also appealing for the government; our affliation. There are signs of some big government moves to Texas in the next few years from Federal Weekly.
We actually can't wait.
Ciao,
Audioquest4life |
Drubin, Public education is not the only option, Texas has many private schools and some public schools here are excellent. There are independent schools within Dallas and the suburbs. Some are among the best in the country. http://www.hpisd.org/ My son's been in private school since pre K. It's expensive but the money saved by living in Texas easily pays for the tuition. Not only is the cost of homes less, we have no state income tax and one of the only states that did not accept the governments hand outs which obligates us to more government intervention. Texas has become home for many corporations and is growing due to their friendly attitude and work ethic. |
|
My Son John is here for Spring break, a short rest from college studies. He made the Deans list including an A+ in German.
Maybe you two can chat it up and help him with vocabulary. John reports text books are unimaginative in their dialogue, prefers reading from the back of my German open reel boxes :^).
Let me know when and if you want builder names for your project. |
Hi Albert,
That is a 10-4 buddy. A big thanks. My wife and I would be delighted to visit and listen to music on your system and visit Dallas. The invite goes both ways, after we complete the build and integrate a lot of the German engineered audio equipment we picked up while stationed in Germany. I will send you a private PM later on. Both of us are so done with the cold German weather for now. The European vacation should end right just before 2013.
We look forward to building another house though, she has her requirements, custom kitchen, pool, sun room, giant master suite and bathroom, walk-in closets, etc; all I want is a private listening room, that is all.
Ciao,
Audioquest4life |
In this economy you can probably get anything you want built in Texas. I live in Dallas and although we've not been hit with falling home prices like some areas, there is absolutely a slow down.
I've done photography for a couple of custom home builders here, I can call them and get references for quality people in the San Antonio area. Just send me an email via Audiogon system and I'll do what I can.
The catch? You have to visit Dallas at some point and join us for dinner and music after you move to Texas :^).
I think a basement is possible with some planning. I've photographed new construction homes here in Dallas that have basements. With some planning, a drain system and sump pump you should be good.
The sump pump may or may not be needed, depending on elevation. It's a common addition in many areas around the country as insurance against water seepage. |
