the daydream fund challenge thread

lostinrates

Itismehonest wrote: »

True. We've got films of a couple of cubs coming into our porch to raid the cat dish
We've also got photos of a hedgehog doing the same thing. What noisy eaters? We always knew when we had a hoggie visitation because we could hear them from the next room. It was like someone rattling a biscuit tin. :rotfl:

They ARE noisy, I was amazed having them in the dining room about hedgehogs. Something I also had not expected is just how athletic they are. Now they have gone out in to a hutch and are hibernating (well I hope that's what they are doing:eek:) but I kinda miss Spinathon breaking out and coming to visit me upstairs at night:o. do not miss the stench.

rozeepozee

Hi guys. It's a bit of a busy time here. Been very occupied trying to sort out the finances to complete the purchase of our Smallholding. I've been amazed & frequently angry about how difficult some of the institutions have been about releasing funds. If only I could survive without the banks. Can you believe that one quizzed me about the one account in my son's name, wanting to know why I was withdrawing the funds and seemingly suggesting that buying a house for him wasn't an adequate reason to hold savings in his name. If I ever have the time or inclination, I'd have a few letters of complaint to compile...

But really I have other priorities. An architect is coming to see the property tomorrow and hopefully advise us on what's realistic. We then need to look at what's within permitted development & budget & make a plan. It's not a Grand Design but we would like something big enough for the five of us, plus a small letting unit/granny annexe.

We also have a fencing issue. One boundary is very vague and I think we need to fence it to clarify it. Any suggestions? There's a track to the rear of our woodland that was very overgrown & apparently little used but since the auction someone has cleared it and it's now being used. I've obviously no problem with that but do object to someone having come on what is our land and knocked over some ramshackle sheds. A neighbour says that someone thinks the stream is our boundary, it's not, it's further on than that. How do we get definitive proof of what is our land? The A4 plan gives no indication of the width of the track.

Anyway, I've rambled on and the iPhone is not the machine for typing essays! I'm hoping theres no snow between here and our rellos. It's such a disruption.

Itismehonest

rozeepozee wrote: »

Hi guys. It's a bit of a busy time here. Been very occupied trying to sort out the finances to complete the purchase of our Smallholding. I've been amazed & frequently angry about how difficult some of the institutions have been about releasing funds. If only I could survive without the banks. Can you believe that one quizzed me about the one account in my son's name, wanting to know why I was withdrawing the funds and seemingly suggesting that buying a house for him wasn't an adequate reason to hold savings in his name. If I ever have the time or inclination, I'd have a few letters of complaint to compile...

I'm sure They spend Their days working out how to be as awkward as possible.

rozeepozee wrote: »

But really I have other priorities. An architect is coming to see the property tomorrow and hopefully advise us on what's realistic. We then need to look at what's within permitted development & budget & make a plan. It's not a Grand Design but we would like something big enough for the five of us, plus a small letting unit/granny annexe.

Darn it! You could have had ours ready made

rozeepozee wrote: »

We also have a fencing issue. One boundary is very vague and I think we need to fence it to clarify it. Any suggestions? There's a track to the rear of our woodland that was very overgrown & apparently little used but since the auction someone has cleared it and it's now being used. I've obviously no problem with that but do object to someone having come on what is our land and knocked over some ramshackle sheds. A neighbour says that someone thinks the stream is our boundary, it's not, it's further on than that. How do we get definitive proof of what is our land? The A4 plan gives no indication of the width of the track.

Has the land been registered (Land Registry)?
Anyone (including relevant neighbours) claim any form of subsidy etc. from DEFRA or similar? They have maps.
Your local Records/Studies office may have things like old sale catalogues for your property or for the neighbouring lands.
If it's old enough the property & land associated with it would be on Tithe Returns & Apportionments which would prove historical ownership &, maybe, if the path was there. However, if the land has been subdivided you'd still have to do a bit of hunting about for subsequent changes of ownership.

rozeepozee wrote: »

Anyway, I've rambled on and the iPhone is not the machine for typing essays! I'm hoping theres no snow between here and our rellos. It's such a disruption.

Davesnave

rozeepozee wrote: »

We also have a fencing issue. One boundary is very vague and I think we need to fence it to clarify it. Any suggestions? There's a track to the rear of our woodland that was very overgrown & apparently little used but since the auction someone has cleared it and it's now being used. I've obviously no problem with that but do object to someone having come on what is our land and knocked over some ramshackle sheds. A neighbour says that someone thinks the stream is our boundary, it's not, it's further on than that. How do we get definitive proof of what is our land? The A4 plan gives no indication of the width of the track.

Boundary disputes can be expensive and destructive of relationships, so I'd suggest a 2 pronged attack here:

First, talk directly the owner of the adjoining land & find out what they believe about the boundary. You don't have to agree with them and it costs nothing. It will also let them know that you are not going to be a pushover. You can tell them that you'll be consulting whatever records you can find before fencing etc, which proves you're reasonable and gives you breathing space. They will not then interpret any inaction on your part as acceptance of the status quo.

Secondly, I'd do as IMH suggests and search for evidence to back up any claim you may wish to make. You can get access to other people's title deeds from the Land Registry for about £8, but as you've discovered, they may not be any more enlightening than your own, or the land may not be registered with LR.

Bear in mind throughout that, regardless of the rights and wrongs, the hassle may eventually prove not to be worth it. If you go into dispute over the width of an access track in a piece of rough woodland, then unless there's something very special about the site, it just won't be worthwhile. If I'm reading this wrongly, I apologise, but we have no rough measurements to go on here.

Edit: We've just accepted that a stream forms the boundary of our land, which has created more work for us than the 'advantage' would ever justify, and that's just the way it is. There's nothing on our title plan to show exactly who owns what at that point.

rozeepozee

Thanks for the replies. I'll try and clarify as much as possible from the solicitor before the sale is finalised next week. There's a fairly reasonable boundary in the form of the woodland and built up earth that is on "our" land. It certainly looks to me as though the track begins where the raised edge of the woodland ends so I doubt it can be that contentious (famous last words:))

Good idea to speak to the farmer who owns the adjoining land, Dave. There are also neighbours at one end of the track and use the track to walk their dogs on it. One of the neighbours has been there for years so I imagine they'll have an view too. Everyone seems really friendly so I'm sure we'll sort something out. We want to fence it for safety for the kids as much as anything, so hopefully, the neighbours will be understanding.

We've just had the architect round to give an initial impression on the works we want to do. Our timescale and budget are clearly wildly optimistic We now have to think about do we aim to get an insulated shell before we move in in May or do we buy a static? The house could be lived in now. There is central heating and a usable kitchen with an ancient oil fired boiler - that I'd have not any idea how to use! I don;t want to eat into the budget by buying a static.... Arrgh, decisions, decisions!

I'm struggling to get my head round the potential logistics of it. With our children so young (the twins are only 20 months) safety is a huge issue as it's not as though they stay in once place. It's like living with two inquisitive monkeys and the 5 year old isn't much better, so we have provide a safe place for them to be contained whilst any building works are going on. The older one's out at school for a good part of the day, but the twins won't start nursery until April and that'll only be for 3 hours a day.... This is going to be an interesting year, but I'm quite keen on the idea of being on site as soon as possible. At least we can start to do something with the land too.

choille

Streams were/are often boundaries. If you fence I would give a Metre as they say. But it is handy having a stream for water, power possibly etc. Boundaries were often to the middle of a water course.

Your DEFRA office may have maps if it is a small holding. Fencing something that people have walked their dogs over etc may cause a bit of ill will, so I think you'd be best to get it all sorted out early on & then go from there.

You can pick up statics pretty cheap but it's often the haulage that's the expensive part. If you can live in the house & need to save money then that would be good but don't underestimate how hard it will be especially with small kiddies, toddlers & very dangerous indeed.

Itismehonest

You're going to have a busy time, rozee
Are you overseeing, ordering etc. yourselves or employing someone to do that for you?

rozeepozee

The stream doesn't seem to be the boundary as some of the sheds that belong to the property are on the other side of it... I think I may be making a bigger issue of this than there really is as, having spoken to my OH, there is a fairly obvious delineation between track and land...

We don't know how we're going to manage the build yet. It's exciting!

Itismehonest

Choille is right. You'll need to think very carefully about how you keep the children safe. Even when the builders aren't there their equipment & half-dug or half built obstacles will be. There'll be petrol, diesel, electric cables, chemicals & all manner of "interesting" things about for the duration.

One tip - for every cost you budget allow at least twice as much as you think. Seriously. By the time you've dealt with unforeseen problems, shortages, extra equipment, more man hours etc. things never seem to go to budget.
If you can deal with the ordering yourselves that allows you more control than having it priced into the work. You'll need to have accounts with various companies & even then it's always best to get your builder to phone his supplier in front of you for a quote just in case he can get a better deal.
Needless to say, budget for an enormous phone bill :rotfl:

choille

Most builders will quote per M2 per square metre of build. Basic build here about £1,200 - that's dearer than you'll be as materials are so expensive up here - haulage they say.