the daydream fund challenge thread

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

I don't know a huge amount about building, but I'm currently wondering if portal frame might be the way for us to go here at the front. If we can't have a full first floor, then maybe we could have a vaulted roof and a mezzanine level to catch those views. We are lucky in having a semi-integral garage that goes way in front of the main building line, giving us the option to build forwards. I'm not sure that the local authority would go for all that glass though.

Our problem is that we bought this place with the limited ambition of tarting it up a bit, so we didn't go too deeply into the implications of attempting more than that. We also didn't realise we had a potential view. I know that sounds daft, but we were focused very tightly on other stuff at the time.

A couple of days of drizzle and westerly wind have enabled much burning of rubbish, if nothing else. The grass is still growing relentlessly and so are the weeds. Despite buying a different mole trap, our resident burrower is making monkeys of us.:mad: He/she has cracked it; simply never backtrack!

davesnave...with planning changes afoot and more responsibility supposedly going to be passed back to parish level I think your best help in this is that you have become part of the community. Maybe hold fire on the dog barking chap for a while too....

rozeepozee

Can we go back to talking about geese poo please? All this talk about property issues is making me a little nervy!

The reason is, we've agreed in principle on a place to buy. It's rather different from what we'd initially thought we would buy as it has no land to speak of, certainly no more than about 1/3 of an acre, if that. But it does have a greenhouse, a good raised veggie patch and some productive fruit trees. When we considered all the options, what we needed and what we could forego, acreage was the lowest of our priorities. It was more important for us to be near the beach, near the village, near a school and near a market town. We aren't planning to grow to live off or make a living from, we'll just be happy with regular fresh veggies and fruit in the summer. We probably won't want any livestock (well, certainly no more than a few hens and perhaps a goat or two - dare I dream of geese? The local farmer says the fox takes all the fowl...) and we decided that an attached holiday property would give us far more of a reliable income than we would ever get from growing our own and letting our excess land. Plus with young children who take up a great deal of our time, we decided that we couldn't commit to managing a huge acreage.

As I've mentioned before, it feels like a very uncertain time to be buying. We are starting to see some fairly significant price drops in the asking prices of things around here. But we want this as a family home so as long as we pay a fair market price and not over the odds, we appreciate that property prices may have a way to fall yet. Our intention is to be here for the next 15+ years to see the kids through school and if The Olds become infirm, they can come and live with us in the letting cottage. We are getting a full structural survey, so we have our fingers crossed that there are no humdingers arising out of that (all walls intact, please!) and then it'll be all systems go.

rozeepozee

lostinrates wrote: »

re goose poo, yes, they do. But on grass that wouldn't be the problem, apart from parasite control. Because we have a very large concrete farm yard, well, two yards really, we can see very, very clearly the difference. With the chickens, when the horses were out we could go a long time without needing to sweep, a week certainly didn't look disreputable. Now, if we sweep in the morning and the geese have stayed in the yard then its a mess again by the evening. Plus, it doesn't sweep well, so we all grumble a bit about it.

Gpood things about the geese are their beautiful, but slightly sad, faces and blue eyes, the guarding aspect of them, and that in character they are very unlike other poultry I have known.

I really want some geese. Can they fight a fox?

Davesnave

rozeepozee wrote: »

I really want some geese. Can they fight a fox?

No, but foxes arent superhuman; that's badgers! :rotfl:

Seriously, if the foxes are taking people's chickens they're not protecting them properly, with electric fencing as well as the high stuff, if needs be. It's expensive to set up, but it's only done once in a blue moon...;)

I think you've probably come to the right conclusions for your situation and commitments. A let is likely to bring in more money than land managed lightly by just renting it out. 1/3 acre is still a perfectly good garden plot if it's managed well, and it will be possible to get just as much from that as an acre managed inefficiently by someone chasing around trying to do too many things. Besides, if land ever becomes something you desperately want to own, there are plenty of buying opportunities in Wales for acreages of all sizes.

While prices are likely to fall further, I'd still rather observe this from the position of owning a house, as I trust bricks & mortar more than the banking system! Let's hope that your survey gives the place a relatively clean bill of health anyway. Good vibes rather than congratulations at this stage, but hey, lots of movement on this thread just lately....!!!

Ooops, think I just said the wrong thing there. Sorry lir!:o:o

Davesnave

lostinrates wrote: »

davesnave...with planning changes afoot and more responsibility supposedly going to be passed back to parish level I think your best help in this is that you have become part of the community. Maybe hold fire on the dog barking chap for a while too....

Agreed.

Mr Dog is behaving well atm. Long may it last. Believe me, I'd give him his own bit of conservation woodland down at that end if he just showed a bit more thought for others.

But I still have the chain saw!!!!:rotfl::rotfl:

lostinrates

drat, lost a post...

foxes...get electric fencing and stout housing...and don't rely on solar doors...get up and let them out yourself when its light and put them in before dusk. geese cannot effectively defend themselves against foxes (dh accidentally left ours out one night and they loved that, bu tits just not safe).

Unlike davesnave I don't think fencing is a once in a bluemoon job unless you go all out for permanant fencing (which on a large garden isn't that attractive, because you'll need a line down the middle to rest bits, else parasites will become an issue.)

I'd keep a bird free area for the kids to play on the ground on too.

Davesnave

lostinrates wrote: »

Unlike davesnave I don't think fencing is a once in a bluemoon job unless you go all out for permanant fencing (which on a large garden isn't that attractive, because you'll need a line down the middle to rest bits, else parasites will become an issue.)

Depends. What I meant was that people often buy a coop, put up a bit of flimsy fence that keeps the chooks in and then relax. Then, one night when they are a bit late back from the pub, or from shopping in town if it's winter, they find their hens are gone.

I'm not advocating the sort of fencing we put in here, but either something substantial, or at least a reliable electric fence which will set them back another £200.

I agree with you; it can be like Fort Knox, but shutting them in as dusk falls is important. I get jittery if we are late home.

Incidentally, we're going to re-structure part of our garden to include an area for geese. So, more fencing....and gates.

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

I'm not advocating the sort of fencing we put in here, but either something substantial, or at least a reliable electric fence which will set them back another £200.

Electric on temp posts works loose in the wind/weather. Its not a huge job but after high winds (most of this summer!) I walk round pulling and restaking and restringing where necessary. Its my favourite job actually, not strenous, but you get time in the fresh air.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Just listening to the bbc news regarding the financial squeeze etc on families its the worst sonce the 1970's, they are saying an average grocery spend for a family of 4 is £2'700 per year, that makes it £51.92, i am sooooooooooooo struggling to keep my food shop between £50 - £60, and they say the average family income is 36k ...where do they get these figures from?

I would love the politions to try and feed a family of 4 for just over 50 squids a week....

Good luck rozee fingers crossed on the survey....

Loads of peeps are saying we are going to have another hard winter... and they say we are going to have it really cold poss snow by the end of the month....some people are saying that the signs of nature points to this too.... ( something to do with so many berries on certain plants etc) what do you think?

going to have a nose on amazon for a good book on pigs and sheep....trying to see what would be the best for us to start off with... ( opps jumping ahead of ourselves i know, but they will be an interesting read anyway...lol..)

Choille i will pm you the link

lostinrates

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

Loads of peeps are saying we are going to have another hard winter... and they say we are going to have it really cold poss snow by the end of the month....some people are saying that the signs of nature points to this too.... ( something to do with so many berries on certain plants etc) what do you think?

I'm torn between praying for a hard cold winter....for the benefit of the land, and a mild one, for me in the house!

tbh, a winter like last year, hard and short and no break in the low rain levels would be perfect, PLEASE!

In anycase, we get what we get. Berries etc are plentiful...but I take this with a pich of salt as other plants don't know what is happening...I have things budding for spring growth Nature herself is confused:( so I suppose its fair the rest of us are!:D