Would you buy a village house if...............

hazyjo

Nope, I wouldn't buy. What about letting kids in the garden? Do you have any? Planning any? What about buyers when you come to sell - is it a family home or a small home probably for a couple of people? If the former, you could well have enormous problems selling. Can you even see the garden from your rear windows?

Jx

phoebe1989seb

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

We live in a village; conservation area and our main garden, we have to go out the back, turn right, walk down a path, turn left, down another path and all the houses have gardens that are like mini allotments; yes it's a pain when the old bloke catches you in your garden every time for a chat; but it's very community orientated and people look out for each other. Plus it helps that we have a canal at the end and we sit out there in the summer evenings supping home made wine.

Glorious!

But if the house has no 'wow' factor then don't do it! Only you know whether it ticks boxes or not. We can't see it from here.

We also have corn mills; a marina, and all sorts of canal businesses around the place. Still wouldn't swap it for the world.

Hi Sambucus Nigra

Thanks for your reassuring words! I've probably painted a worse picture of this house/garden than actually exists - to most people, apart from the obvious issues of the garden (and the garden itself, when you get beyond the pub buildings, is very attractive and of a decent size), the house would probably be seen as very characterful and with potential to be even better. But - we currently live in a very individual character property - completely different from all others in our area - and previously lived in a beautifully restored Victorian villa with most of it's original features intact, so we (and me in particular) do have very exacting standards

I accept that on our budget and to remain mortgage-free, our choices are limited, but am having difficulties accepting the sheer scale of compromises to be made and that maybe a 'wow factor' for both OH and I is just not going to happen!

Last time he let me choose and we ended up with an amazing house in an area neither of us are happy in so that's why this time I feel I have to let him have more of a say..........hence the choice of a village over my preference of a small town!

Sambucus_Nigra

When we looked at our house, we looked at the next door one first which was more expensive and had a smaller garden area; but all the way home I was lost in 'canal garden daydream' and my OH was chatting the whole way home and all I could see was being sat there enjoying the canal.

When we found out the next door house was up for sale, we fell totally in love with it. The whole row was built by my neighbour's family in 1880 and the gardens were set out and divvied up by another neighbour's husband in the 60s.

We are both city types but love it here. You have to go with your gut instinct at times like this.

phoebe1989seb

Wobblydeb wrote: »

"Yes, the local shop is a bit of an issue as it is a very small post office with only minimal provisions. The nearest alternative is a service centre with shop attached some 15 mins walk away in the adjoining village"

Are you sure you want to live in such a quiet village? I originally didn't question your 4 miles to Waitrose, thinking that you were in love with village life, and one person's rose is another's nettle.

It doesn't sound like you already live there (or have lived in a similarly quiet place) though? I love quiet little villages, but they're not for everyone - think about your lifestyle and how your days will be filled....

Thanks Wobblydeb - no we don't live in the area and are in fact currently living some 200 miles away but need to relocate to be closer to family with health issues..........as well as not being settled/happy in our current location.

Fortunately although we currently live some 3 miles from the nearest town, I have got used to the whole 'quiet life' scenario, as there's even less to do here than in the villages we are looking at. There are no nice walks and zero pretty countryside, so I must admit I've become a bit of a recluse - even living in the quietest hamlet (as long as there are nice walks nearby) will be an improvement on my current situation.............but I do quite understand your observations

hcb42

I think I am a maybe...mainly as I live in an old village myself and it is full of charming properties some of which are a little quirky. I am having a bit of difficulting imagining it though...do you have a link where we can have a sneaky view (Promise I won't outbid you!)

phoebe1989seb

hazyjo wrote: »

Nope, I wouldn't buy. What about letting kids in the garden? Do you have any? Planning any? What about buyers when you come to sell - is it a family home or a small home probably for a couple of people? If the former, you could well have enormous problems selling. Can you even see the garden from your rear windows?

Jx

Hi hazyjo

No, we don't have any small kids - only one son just graduated from uni. Size-wise it's a large three bed with good size attic space, although as it's listed I'm not convinced this could be converted. Probably around 2000 square feet in total of usable living space, so a fair size for the money..............and you can see the garden from the one window which overlooks the rear elevation - the rest of the rooms face the front.

sooz

No, they haven't ever been residential - they were previously part of an old brewery on the site according to the grade 2 listing. Surely if the pub were to apply for a change of use and we, as new owners of the house objected on the grounds of our quality of life being ruined, they would not get PP/LBC?

I'm afraid neighbour's 'quality of life' is not a valid objection for planning permission.

phoebe1989seb

sooz wrote: »

No, they haven't ever been residential - they were previously part of an old brewery on the site according to the grade 2 listing. Surely if the pub were to apply for a change of use and we, as new owners of the house objected on the grounds of our quality of life being ruined, they would not get PP/LBC?

I'm afraid neighbour's 'quality of life' is not a valid objection for planning permission.

Hi sooz,

No, I guess it isn't but I was basing my comment on the fact that the other house OH and I have offered on did back in 2006 almost have a new house built behind it. The PP was refused and it went to appeal. The appeal was lost on the grounds that 'it would unacceptably erode the living conditions of the residents' of the house we are looking to buy and that the Inspector's decision was made based upon 'the serious harm that I have identified to the living conditions of the residents'. That house was not grade 2 listed.

Errata

Is there a cast iron right of way from the house to the piece of land?

phoebe1989seb

Errata wrote: »

Is there a cast iron right of way from the house to the piece of land?

Hi Errata, it is definitely part and parcel of the garden and couldn't be described as a separate piece of land.........I think I've just described it really badly

As was suggested previously it would possibly be seen by some as part of the quirkiness found in many villages with odd layouts of buildings/plots etc...............OH and I do appreciate that quirkiness, I'm just not sure whether it's a good long term idea, especially as many posters have identified that I don't come over as being totally enamoured with what is s'posed to be our forever home!