Navy wife's questions about base housing

[ls_comply]

My husband will be going into bootcamp in may which will put us in SC in july.  We are trying to decide on base housing vs off base, and had a few questions:
- we have two children, how easy would it be to get a three or even four bedroom house?
- is there a washer/dryer in every house?
- is there a dishwasher in the house?
- what is the security like around the base?
- are there any other amenities the base offers?  if so are you welcome to them living off the base?

[Len61]

Don't know has it is now in SC, but when I got to Orlando in 1985 (Married and 2 kids also) there was no way I could afford to live in civilian housing.
Typically Navy housing is not luxurious by any means, however it is clean and you are surrounded by people in similar situations and share a lot in common with them. That being said it can also be its own little Peyton Place.

[Charles U Farley]

It is all about preference.  

I lived in base housing in 1999 (on the Weapons Station) and I do remember a dishwasher.  We bought our own washer and dryer.  There were connections for one, but a W/D not furnished in the duplex.  The weapons station is an open facility, meaning anyone can drive on or off.  In fact, a lot of the traffic on the main drag onto base is civilian, for an industrial park just to the north of base.  The weapons station has there own police department and fire department.  Goose Creek PD and Berkely County Sheriff does have some jurisdictional authority but the legaleese gets muddled being federal property.  

The Navy is transitioning housing to the private sector.  This has been talked about for a long while, and who know if it will ever get implemented.  A private firm is going to take over management.  There are many complaints about this and some are true and some aren't, but my take is this.  If, by the time you get here, and housing has gone private, stay away.  There is some requirement for the private firm to make the housing available to anyone (i.e. low income equal housing gaurantee to civlians).  There would be some priority list that military would have first dibs on a open house, however, since they shut down the Charleston Navy Base in the 90's, there has never been a shortage of housing on the weapons station.  Your neighbors would be civilians moving in from North Charleston or Goose Creek.  

My opinion is this, if you and your husband are financially responsible and mature (i.e. you know what bills are and know you are obligated to pay them) then live out in town.  You are entitled to amenities on any military installation.  We live closer to the Air Base and go shopping at their commisary all the time.  I take my dogs to the Air Base Vet and have been to the gym on the Air base a time or two.  I go golfing at the Air Base golf course.  Picked up a pattern yet? (the Navy amenities are ghetto an the Air Force amenities are pish-posh).  Out in town, things will be tight, financially, especially with two kids.  E-3 and E-4 don't make much money early on.  I don't know if you are planning to work or not, but that would help ease the burden.

Like I said, I lived in housing in 1999.  My wife and I were just married and we had no kids at the time.  I am glad I did it, then.  But, I will never do it again.

[navytwinmom]

I was in Goose Creek just this March...tons of base houseing but most of it empty. There is a primary school on base and lots of places for kids to play. the duplexes looked really clean and nice but not sure why empty...maybe it is for married only and lots of the guys there are not married?? who knows.

Thank your husband for his service and best wished to your family

D

[Fermi2]

Ok maybe this has changed, keep in mind my experience is from 17 years ago.

When I was stationed at Mare Island Mrs BZ and I had our son with us. He was about a year old at the time. We had to love OFF base because the only housing available was 3 Bedrooms on base and since we didn't have two children we didn't qualify.

They literally had over 300 3 Bedrooms places open and we couldn't get in.

Mike

[longball4414]

Shoulda had another baby for that 3 bedroom house   

[Marlin]

I never used base housing. After three months locked up on a sea going sewer pipe, living where there was not another sailor within a couple of blocks made me feel human.

[Samabby]

I have a friend who is a Prototype wifey currently living in the Goose Creek housing area. PM me for her email.

IMO, considering your likely poverty situation (you are not an heiress, are you?  ), base housing will give you the best financial package.

Good luck.

[Fermi2]

Shoulda had another baby for that 3 bedroom house   

That came 4 years later when I was out of the Navy!

Mike

[93-383]

https://www.housing.navy.mil/onestop/navyonestop.jsp?v=1

should give you most of the info on Naval wepons staton Charlston housing (NNPTC in on the wepons station)

[daringraider]

I just graduated from NPS and we lived in Summerville, about a 25 minute drive.  Putting in 25 to 35 hours of study time a week made that drive a blessing and a curse.  Time to wind down, but late nights and early mornings.  I was jealous of the guys who lived on base and could be home with the wife and kids for lunch and dinner. I'd recommend Base Housing.

Wish you guys the best of luck,

DR

[Sirveri]

I left Charleston about 6 months ago and was living in base housing.

- we have two children, how easy would it be to get a three or even four bedroom house?

Three bedrooms were available to people who didn't even HAVE kids. You should be given choices between three and four bedroom no problem (if they have four bedrooms, which I thought they did but they're a differant unit type, I was only shown 2 and 3 bedroom). There are ranch style and multi-level. I think the multi-level units are four bedroom, ranch comes in 2 or 3 bedroom. I only saw ranch style and we took a two bedroom because we needed the gas hookups and the other person I went with had a kid and I let her have the three bedroom (Which was kinda annoying since she ended up not being in base housing after about 3 months due to personal reasons). Anyways, the two bedroom place is pretty large, if we could move it out here we'd definately take it over living out in town. Plus it was closer to work.

- is there a washer/dryer in every house?

There is a hookup for one. West side is all electric, East side is Gas.

- is there a dishwasher in the house?

Yes

- what is the security like around the base?

Base security, routine patrols, they get very agressive with regards to speed and the limit is only 20 most areas of housing (15 near the school). It also tends to be fairly quiet most of the day. Every once in a while you'll get some retard who wants to drive through blasting gangsta rap or some other BS, but that's maybe once a month tops. It's normally very quiet.

- are there any other amenities the base offers?  if so are you welcome to them living off the base?

Anyone with a military ID or dependant ID has access to anything the military offers as a benefit. The gym, the library, the pool, the golf course, ITT office. That's pretty much all of it. I only really used the gym, I thought about buying tickets to things at ITT, but never did. They've got like a rock wall in there and organise trips to various places, but I never took advantage of any of that. Most of it tended to be geared towards the single crowd since they vastly outnumbered the married guys in SC what with the vast NUB influx.

Oh, and my wife told me that they are in the middle of privatizing the entire place. In theory nothing should change except that you will see your BAH and then give an allotment of your entire BAH to the company. However I'm not 100% sure, there are also rumors that they were going to open it up to low income housing residents. Have your husband ASK the housing people when he gets there and sees them, that should happen around Tuesday after he gets there. Married guys check in, get medical screening, then get pulled out and sent to housing and home to collect the wife. When you need the info you'll get it. Although you WILL be making a DITY move for your first move, unless you don't feel like seeing him for another 2 or three months while you wait for the movers. Start packing now if you've got a bunch of stuff.