stand up desks are popular now for some

i have heard it said that sitting is the new smoking
i am not sure what the new drinking is though

has anyone made a stand up work desk

i haven't even looked at any yet but will do that soon

i guess about 3.5 feet high but probably has to be adjustable
has to be stable and sturdy
i would guess that it will get leaned on because who can resist that

maybe leaning is the new gum chewing

On 6/17/2015 11:35 PM, Electric Comet wrote:

stand up desks are popular now for some

has anyone made a stand up work desk

i haven't even looked at any yet but will do that soon

i guess about 3.5 feet high but probably has to be adjustable
has to be stable and sturdy
i would guess that it will get leaned on because who can resist that

Designed this for a client, but never built it:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1113554...k?noredirect=1

Robatoy was very interested in building it before he got passed away a
couple of years back.

One of these days, except that I like to sit...

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
https://plus.google.com/+KarlCaillouet/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

Swingman wrote:
On 6/17/2015 11:35 PM, Electric Comet wrote:

stand up desks are popular now for some

I think I'd like the design more if it had 2 legs in front.


has anyone made a stand up work desk

i haven't even looked at any yet but will do that soon

i guess about 3.5 feet high but probably has to be adjustable
has to be stable and sturdy
i would guess that it will get leaned on because who can resist that

Designed this for a client, but never built it:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1113554...k?noredirect=1


Robatoy was very interested in building it before he got passed away a
couple of years back.

One of these days, except that I like to sit...

On 06/17/2015 09:35 PM, Electric Comet wrote:

stand up desks are popular now for some

i have heard it said that sitting is the new smoking
i am not sure what the new drinking is though

has anyone made a stand up work desk

i haven't even looked at any yet but will do that soon

i guess about 3.5 feet high but probably has to be adjustable
has to be stable and sturdy
i would guess that it will get leaned on because who can resist that

maybe leaning is the new gum chewing

Made this for the local Elks Lodge as a lectern/podium/guest-sign-in
station:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/19x5lkiljj..._2792.JPG?dl=0

--
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure,the creed of ignorance, and the
gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery"
-Winston Churchill

On 6/18/2015 12:35 AM, Electric Comet wrote:

stand up desks are popular now for some

i have heard it said that sitting is the new smoking
i am not sure what the new drinking is though

has anyone made a stand up work desk

i haven't even looked at any yet but will do that soon

i guess about 3.5 feet high but probably has to be adjustable
has to be stable and sturdy
i would guess that it will get leaned on because who can resist that

maybe leaning is the new gum chewing


Some (younger) people I know recently got desks that are motorized to
raise and lower for sitting and standing. The mechanism/stand units were
in the several hundred dollar range. They just used butcher-block for
the tops. I believe they have drawer units underneath that make the
whole thing look like a standard desk when in the "sitting" position.

Doug Winterburn wrote:


Made this for the local Elks Lodge as a lectern/podium/guest-sign-in
station:


Nice piece of work Doug. I bet they just love it when they have to move
that around!

--

-Mike-

On 06/18/2015 08:45 AM, Mike Marlow wrote:
Doug Winterburn wrote:


Made this for the local Elks Lodge as a lectern/podium/guest-sign-in
station:


Nice piece of work Doug. I bet they just love it when they have to move
that around!


It has two fixed casters under the front of the base. They contact the
floor when the podium is tilted toward the "speaker" position and it's
pretty easy to roll around. Notice the 45 on the front edges of the
bottom apron.


--
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure,the creed of ignorance, and the
gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery"
-Winston Churchill

Greg Guarino wrote in news:mlug7j$7oo$1@dont-
email.me:

Some (younger) people I know recently got desks that are motorized to
raise and lower for sitting and standing. The mechanism/stand units were
in the several hundred dollar range. They just used butcher-block for
the tops. I believe they have drawer units underneath that make the
whole thing look like a standard desk when in the "sitting" position.

The ones I have seen (some of my cow-orkers have them) are
like that, adjustable for sitting or standing, except they
don't have motors(*). The tops are typical office furniture
(laminate on plywood or MDF or somesuch), and the moving
part is just large enough for a monitor, keyboard, and mouse
(or a laptop).

(* motorizing the moving part sort of defeats the healthy
exercise idea...)

John

On Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 12:49:29 PM UTC-4, John McCoy wrote:
Greg Guarino wrote in news:mlug7j$7oo$1@dont-
email.me:

Some (younger) people I know recently got desks that are motorized to
raise and lower for sitting and standing. The mechanism/stand units were
in the several hundred dollar range. They just used butcher-block for
the tops. I believe they have drawer units underneath that make the
whole thing look like a standard desk when in the "sitting" position.

The ones I have seen (some of my cow-orkers have them) are
like that, adjustable for sitting or standing, except they
don't have motors(*). The tops are typical office furniture
(laminate on plywood or MDF or somesuch), and the moving
part is just large enough for a monitor, keyboard, and mouse
(or a laptop).

(* motorizing the moving part sort of defeats the healthy
exercise idea...)


Yep, that's why I took the motor out of this... ;-)

http://core5.staticworld.net/images/...25352-orig.jpg

(Apparently I bought a slightly different unit. Mine came with a brunette.)

DerbyDad03 wrote in
:

http://core5.staticworld.net/images/...pan-treadmill-
desk-100025352-orig.jpg

(Apparently I bought a slightly different unit. Mine came with a
brunette.)

Doggone, blonde or brunette I'm jealous.

On a serious note, I have enough trouble typing when I'm
stationary. I can't see doing it while also walking
along the treadmill.

John

On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 06:55:45 -0500
Swingman wrote:

Designed this for a client, but never built it:

i like the kangaroo style
i may go more conventional like some of the stand up writing desks i found

i saw one that had a metal foot rest bar low across the front

but i think any stand up desk would have to have some adjustment
mechanism

On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 08:01:09 -0400
Bill wrote:

I think I'd like the design more if it had 2 legs in front.

i have now seen every style imaginable and there are conventional
4 legged and everything else

some look all wrong to me and seem unstable/unsteady

On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 09:15:47 -0400
Greg Guarino wrote:

Some (younger) people I know recently got desks that are motorized to
raise and lower for sitting and standing. The mechanism/stand units
were in the several hundred dollar range. They just used
butcher-block for the tops. I believe they have drawer units
underneath that make the whole thing look like a standard desk when
in the "sitting" position.

yes they are big bucks and i saw a nicely made wood stand up writing
desk that was $2500

the motorized ones are in the $500-2000
some even display the height on a digital read out which made no sense
to me

well maybe they have a memory for presets or something like that

On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 06:15:15 -0700
Doug Winterburn wrote:

Made this for the local Elks Lodge as a lectern/podium/guest-sign-in
station:

similar in function but form is quite a bit different

On Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 5:25:26 PM UTC-4, John McCoy wrote:
DerbyDad03 wrote in
:

http://core5.staticworld.net/images/...pan-treadmill-
desk-100025352-orig.jpg

(Apparently I bought a slightly different unit. Mine came with a
brunette.)

Doggone, blonde or brunette I'm jealous.

On a serious note, I have enough trouble typing when I'm
stationary. I can't see doing it while also walking
along the treadmill.

John

I agree, but you have to admit that the unit is well proportioned. I mean the desk, of course.

Some years ago, 14 or so - we had a nice young lady that worked all day
on her feet. Had a stand up desk and met with people all over the
place. Her desk was adjustable, she could do it herself. Before I left
that company for a better job I heard she was a part time model. Desk
near the senior managers offices... wondered.

As I recall, she could step on a lever next to one leg and raise the
table. It was levered so weight didn't mater much. She then placed
a pin with a ring - easy to use - into a hole. Lower it and it catches.
Then she would do the same on the other side that is hanging in a way -
and set it to the right height.

Martin

On 6/17/2015 11:35 PM, Electric Comet wrote:

stand up desks are popular now for some

i have heard it said that sitting is the new smoking
i am not sure what the new drinking is though

has anyone made a stand up work desk

i haven't even looked at any yet but will do that soon

i guess about 3.5 feet high but probably has to be adjustable
has to be stable and sturdy
i would guess that it will get leaned on because who can resist that

maybe leaning is the new gum chewing

Drafting tables are naturals.

On 6/18/2015 6:55 AM, Swingman wrote:
On 6/17/2015 11:35 PM, Electric Comet wrote:

stand up desks are popular now for some

has anyone made a stand up work desk

i haven't even looked at any yet but will do that soon

i guess about 3.5 feet high but probably has to be adjustable
has to be stable and sturdy
i would guess that it will get leaned on because who can resist that

Designed this for a client, but never built it:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1113554...k?noredirect=1


Robatoy was very interested in building it before he got passed away a
couple of years back.

One of these days, except that I like to sit...

John McCoy wrote:
Doggone, blonde or brunette I'm jealous.

On a serious note, I have enough trouble typing when I'm
stationary. I can't see doing it while also walking
along the treadmill.

John
-----------------------------------------
SFWIW, the gym I use as a matter of policy, does not allow
treadmills.

To many accidents, as a result of people falling off of
them resulting in serious, sometimes fatal, injuries.

Lew

Electric Comet wrote:


i like the kangaroo style


TMI!!!!!!!!!!

--

-Mike-

On 6/18/2015 7:24 PM, Electric Comet wrote:
On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 06:55:45 -0500
Swingman wrote:

Designed this for a client, but never built it:

i like the kangaroo style
i may go more conventional like some of the stand up writing desks i found

i saw one that had a metal foot rest bar low across the front

but i think any stand up desk would have to have some adjustment
mechanism

The last few years I have a number of folks call wanting to simply have
the legs on their desks made longer for stand up use.

They want to drop off a leg, specify how much longer, and always mention
they will keep the old legs in case they change their mind.

I've passed on more than I've done, but this is an example:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1113554...s?noredirect=1

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
https://plus.google.com/+KarlCaillouet/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

"Electric Comet" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 06:55:45 -0500
Swingman wrote:

Designed this for a client, but never built it:

i like the kangaroo style
i may go more conventional like some of the stand up writing desks i found

i saw one that had a metal foot rest bar low across the front

A metal foot rest?? That sounds like a bar. You would need a place to put
the bar. I would not want to lean against a table with a foot rest without
a drink in my hand. It would be unnatural!

"Electric Comet" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 06:55:45 -0500
Swingman wrote:

Designed this for a client, but never built it:

i like the kangaroo style

With all the recent publicity concerning walking, leaping and pouncing
robots, I got an image in my mind of a leaping desk when I heard the term
"kangaroo desk". Hey Swingman, could you design a desk that a robotic whiz
kid could turn into a leaping weapon of war? DARPA may give ya a million
buck for it. Ya know, it could be justified as a defensive technology in
case the pentagon gets attacked again.

OK, I will go back to being reasonably well behaved now.

Lew Hodgett wrote:
John McCoy wrote:
Doggone, blonde or brunette I'm jealous.

On a serious note, I have enough trouble typing when I'm
stationary. I can't see doing it while also walking
along the treadmill.

John
-----------------------------------------
SFWIW, the gym I use as a matter of policy, does not allow
treadmills.

To many accidents, as a result of people falling off of
them resulting in serious, sometimes fatal, injuries.

Lew


A few years ago I was on a treadmill about 15 feet in front of someone
who was also on one. He was possibly also operating a mp3 player.
Someone he got his feet tangled, fell down and the treadmill shipped him
into the wall. It was hard to keep a straight face.

Electric Comet wrote:
On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 09:15:47 -0400
Greg Guarino wrote:

Some (younger) people I know recently got desks that are motorized to
raise and lower for sitting and standing. The mechanism/stand units
were in the several hundred dollar range. They just used
butcher-block for the tops. I believe they have drawer units
underneath that make the whole thing look like a standard desk when
in the "sitting" position.
yes they are big bucks and i saw a nicely made wood stand up writing
desk that was $2500

the motorized ones are in the $500-2000
some even display the height on a digital read out which made no sense
to me

well maybe they have a memory for presets or something like that

A good mechanism for presets might especially make sense if the desk
were shared. Growing up, we had one desk in the house, and it was
shared. Not adjustable though. Do you remember telephone books at the
kitchen table? : )

On 06/19/2015 06:51 AM, Bill wrote:
Electric Comet wrote:
On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 09:15:47 -0400
Greg Guarino wrote:

Some (younger) people I know recently got desks that are motorized to
raise and lower for sitting and standing. The mechanism/stand units
were in the several hundred dollar range. They just used
butcher-block for the tops. I believe they have drawer units
underneath that make the whole thing look like a standard desk when
in the "sitting" position.
yes they are big bucks and i saw a nicely made wood stand up writing
desk that was $2500

the motorized ones are in the $500-2000
some even display the height on a digital read out which made no sense
to me

well maybe they have a memory for presets or something like that

A good mechanism for presets might especially make sense if the desk
were shared. Growing up, we had one desk in the house, and it was
shared. Not adjustable though. Do you remember telephone books at the
kitchen table? : )


I remember our number was 532J and the operator asked "number please".



--
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure,the creed of ignorance, and the
gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery"
-Winston Churchill

Bill wrote in :

A good mechanism for presets might especially make sense if the desk
were shared. Growing up, we had one desk in the house, and it was
shared. Not adjustable though. Do you remember telephone books at the
kitchen table? : )

"Do you remember telephone books?" is a fair question now.
Not so long ago the white pages here was 4" thick, and the
yellow pages was two books, each also 4" thick. Now the
white pages are gone, and the yellow pages is one book, only
1" thick.

John

"John McCoy" wrote in message
. ..

"Do you remember telephone books?" is a fair question now.
Not so long ago the white pages here was 4" thick, and the
yellow pages was two books, each also 4" thick. Now the
white pages are gone, and the yellow pages is one book, only
1" thick.

When the new book was delivered a week or so ago I picked it up out of the
driveway and dropped it in the recycling bin as I went by... I cannot recall
a single time when I opened the phone books that have collected dust in my
office over the past decade or so... I go to the internet!

The main problem is that many phone numbers are not in the book. This as
cell phones and voice over protocols on the internet have widely replaced
traditional land-lines. The only utility the phone books have now is as an
ad revenue source for the book's seller.

On 6/19/2015 10:45 AM, John McCoy wrote:
Bill wrote in :

A good mechanism for presets might especially make sense if the desk
were shared. Growing up, we had one desk in the house, and it was
shared. Not adjustable though. Do you remember telephone books at the
kitchen table? : )

"Do you remember telephone books?" is a fair question now.
Not so long ago the white pages here was 4" thick, and the
yellow pages was two books, each also 4" thick. Now the
white pages are gone, and the yellow pages is one book, only
1" thick.

John

Luck you. We still get the big books and the "off brand" book.

On Friday, June 19, 2015 at 1:20:17 PM UTC-4, John Grossbohlin wrote:
"John McCoy" wrote in message
. ..

"Do you remember telephone books?" is a fair question now.
Not so long ago the white pages here was 4" thick, and the
yellow pages was two books, each also 4" thick. Now the
white pages are gone, and the yellow pages is one book, only
1" thick.

When the new book was delivered a week or so ago I picked it up out of the
driveway and dropped it in the recycling bin as I went by... I cannot recall
a single time when I opened the phone books that have collected dust in my
office over the past decade or so... I go to the internet!


Many, many years ago, when we used to actually use the phone books, I added a shelf in the upper portion of the base cabinet closest to the kitchen wall phone to hold the phone books. Kind of like a little cubby hanging just below the counter.

SWMBO doesn't think we should toss the new books in the recycling bin the day they show up, so for the past few (many?) years we've replaced the old ones with the news ones and there they sit until the next set arrives. She's happy, I don't care, so it works. ;-)

On Friday, June 19, 2015 at 9:51:55 AM UTC-4, Bill wrote:
Electric Comet wrote:
On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 09:15:47 -0400
Greg Guarino wrote:

Some (younger) people I know recently got desks that are motorized to
raise and lower for sitting and standing. The mechanism/stand units
were in the several hundred dollar range. They just used
butcher-block for the tops. I believe they have drawer units
underneath that make the whole thing look like a standard desk when
in the "sitting" position.
yes they are big bucks and i saw a nicely made wood stand up writing
desk that was $2500

the motorized ones are in the $500-2000
some even display the height on a digital read out which made no sense
to me

well maybe they have a memory for presets or something like that

A good mechanism for presets might especially make sense if the desk
were shared. Growing up, we had one desk in the house, and it was
shared. Not adjustable though. Do you remember telephone books at the
kitchen table? : )


I grew up in NYC with 2 brothers and 1 sister. 6 people in a row house listed at 1400 sq ft. The garage was under the house, so to make more room, my father and grandfather took about 2/3 of the garage and built us a study. They put up a block wall, leaving about 1/3 of the garage accessible from outside and then added a door from the basement into the "new room". They built this big U shaped unit with 4 "desks" along 3 walls. Each desk was separated by bookshelves above and below the writing surface.

It wasn't anything fancy, just sturdy 2 x 4 construction, but it gave each of us our own place to study and store our school stuff. In a house that small, with a tiny galley kitchen, we couldn't take over the dining room table with homework because we'd have no place to eat dinner. Turning the garage into a study was a stroke of genius and it got many, many years of use.

DerbyDad03 wrote in
:

I grew up in NYC with 2 brothers and 1 sister. 6 people in a row house
listed at 1400 sq ft. The garage was under the house, so to make more
room, my father and grandfather took about 2/3 of the garage and built
us a study. They put up a block wall, leaving about 1/3 of the garage
accessible from outside and then added a door from the basement into
the "new room".

This has become a common arrangement for new construction in
South Fla. You open the garage door and there's about 6' of
depth, to store the lawn mower and other garden tools. On
the other side is a room, replete with electrical outlets and
an AC vent, just like the rest of the house.

Dunno if that's done anywhere else in the country.

John

On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 20:12:56 -0700, "Lew Hodgett"
wrote:

John McCoy wrote:
Doggone, blonde or brunette I'm jealous.

On a serious note, I have enough trouble typing when I'm
stationary. I can't see doing it while also walking
along the treadmill.

John
-----------------------------------------
SFWIW, the gym I use as a matter of policy, does not allow
treadmills.

To many accidents, as a result of people falling off of
them resulting in serious, sometimes fatal, injuries.

But of course. It is Kalifornia.

Fatal?!

On Friday, June 19, 2015 at 4:46:22 PM UTC-4, John McCoy wrote:
DerbyDad03 wrote in
:

I grew up in NYC with 2 brothers and 1 sister. 6 people in a row house
listed at 1400 sq ft. The garage was under the house, so to make more
room, my father and grandfather took about 2/3 of the garage and built
us a study. They put up a block wall, leaving about 1/3 of the garage
accessible from outside and then added a door from the basement into
the "new room".

This has become a common arrangement for new construction in
South Fla. You open the garage door and there's about 6' of
depth, to store the lawn mower and other garden tools. On
the other side is a room, replete with electrical outlets and
an AC vent, just like the rest of the house.

Dunno if that's done anywhere else in the country.

John

I guess Dad and Grandpa were pioneers. ;-)

Does South Fla. have 1400 sq ft row houses on 1250 sq ft lots listed as Multiple Occupancy (2 family) and estimated at $600K?

That's what Zillow shows for my old house. Dad paid $27K back in the early 60's and sold it for about $250K in 82. Now it's $600K for that tiny place? Somebody better really like those 4 desks. ;-)

On Friday, June 19, 2015 at 7:42:08 PM UTC-4, krw wrote:
On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 20:12:56 -0700, "Lew Hodgett"
wrote:

John McCoy wrote:
Doggone, blonde or brunette I'm jealous.

On a serious note, I have enough trouble typing when I'm
stationary. I can't see doing it while also walking
along the treadmill.

John
-----------------------------------------
SFWIW, the gym I use as a matter of policy, does not allow
treadmills.

To many accidents, as a result of people falling off of
them resulting in serious, sometimes fatal, injuries.

But of course. It is Kalifornia.

Fatal?!

Yes, fatal...

http://www.people.com/article/sheryl...dmill-injuries

On Fri, 19 Jun 2015 16:56:08 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Friday, June 19, 2015 at 7:42:08 PM UTC-4, krw wrote:
On Thu, 18 Jun 2015 20:12:56 -0700, "Lew Hodgett"
wrote:

John McCoy wrote:
Doggone, blonde or brunette I'm jealous.

On a serious note, I have enough trouble typing when I'm
stationary. I can't see doing it while also walking
along the treadmill.

John
-----------------------------------------
SFWIW, the gym I use as a matter of policy, does not allow
treadmills.

To many accidents, as a result of people falling off of
them resulting in serious, sometimes fatal, injuries.

But of course. It is Kalifornia.

Fatal?!

Yes, fatal...

http://www.people.com/article/sheryl...dmill-injuries

I suppose they don't allow stairs in Kalifornia, either. Good grief,
one can hit their head getting out of bed.

Bath tubs? Oh, the *humanity*!

If my gym didn't have treadmills, I wouldn't be a member. I use one
for an hour (plus) a day five (plus) days a week. Have one at home,
too, but the motivation is different.

DerbyDad03 wrote in
:

I guess Dad and Grandpa were pioneers. ;-)

Does South Fla. have 1400 sq ft row houses on 1250 sq ft lots listed
as Multiple Occupancy (2 family) and estimated at $600K?

We have houses that size on tinier lots, but they're not
multi-family, and they're not generally that expensive.

That's what Zillow shows for my old house.

You have to take Zillow numbers with a grain of salt, but
still, that's a good ballpark number.

Dad paid $27K back in the
early 60's and sold it for about $250K in 82. Now it's $600K for that
tiny place? Somebody better really like those 4 desks. ;-)

My Dad used to say the house you could afford was 4x your
salary. Of course, he was saying that in the days of 8%
or 10% mortages, but still, I doubt folks in that area have
anything close to $150k annual incomes. They must be hurting
to have to pay that much for a house.

John

On Sat, 20 Jun 2015 17:26:14 +0000, John McCoy wrote:

My Dad used to say the house you could afford was 4x your salary. Of
course, he was saying that in the days of 8%
or 10% mortages, but still, I doubt folks in that area have anything
close to $150k annual incomes. They must be hurting to have to pay that
much for a house.

It's not the house price, it's the size of the mortgage. And your father
was liberal. I always heard that a mortgage should not exceed 3 times
your annual income. But with 20% down, the bank approved 4x for us.

On Fri, 19 Jun 2015 09:51:00 -0400
Bill wrote:

A good mechanism for presets might especially make sense if the desk
were shared. Growing up, we had one desk in the house, and it was

shared but not at the same time

but i have decided that i will make a stand up desk that looks more like
a traditional stand up or writing desk

4 legs and possible a sloping top

i find that simple furniture in form and function is more livable than
something big and heavy that requires electric power

there is a guy that has a 100% solar powered shop that makes some
real nice furniture including stand up desks


http://www.bissellwoodworking.com/ca...drawers_fs.jpg

On Sat, 20 Jun 2015 23:47:35 +0000 (UTC), Larry Blanchard
wrote:

On Sat, 20 Jun 2015 17:26:14 +0000, John McCoy wrote:

My Dad used to say the house you could afford was 4x your salary. Of
course, he was saying that in the days of 8%
or 10% mortages, but still, I doubt folks in that area have anything
close to $150k annual incomes. They must be hurting to have to pay that
much for a house.

It's not the house price, it's the size of the mortgage. And your father
was liberal. I always heard that a mortgage should not exceed 3 times
your annual income. But with 20% down, the bank approved 4x for us.

3x looks like a pretty good number, assuming 4% interest rates and a
tax millage rate of 2% (a little more complicated that that, since the
millage is based on value, not mortgage). With the above numbers, you
wouldn't be too much over 25% mortage+tax+insurance/income. Of
course, every dime you don't have to pay in real estate tax is a dime
that can be spent on the mortgage (note that 2% millage represents
~1/3 of the mortgage payment). IMO 4x is do-able but starts out in a
pretty deep hole. Of course, all of this is based on 4% interest. At
8%, everything drops roughly in half (and the housing market crashes
and burns).

Larry Blanchard wrote in
:

On Sat, 20 Jun 2015 17:26:14 +0000, John McCoy wrote:

My Dad used to say the house you could afford was 4x your salary. Of
course, he was saying that in the days of 8%
or 10% mortages, but still, I doubt folks in that area have anything
close to $150k annual incomes. They must be hurting to have to pay
that much for a house.

It's not the house price, it's the size of the mortgage. And your
father was liberal. I always heard that a mortgage should not exceed
3 times your annual income. But with 20% down, the bank approved 4x
for us.

Well, in that day and age the 30 year, 20% mortgage was pretty
much the only thing going. So his 4x house price, less 20% is
pretty close to your 3x mortgage.

Myself, I'd be uncomfortable with 1/3d my income going to house
payments. I was a lot more conservative when I bought my house.

John