Daydream thread continues.....

Itismehonest

lostinrates wrote: »

Itsmehonest, RAS and I are taking part elsewhere in a discussion on perfectionism, and there is no doubt deciding what and how to maintain these houses is a challenge to that! What's 'perfect' adaptation to one person is 'perfect' desiccation to another.

We dithered about removing an original wall, but even in the temporary way we have done it it's improved the flow of the house for us and our needs.

It's difficult to know where to stop, and also, many cases building reg requirments push one a stage further than wanted any way ( I admit, I find even our expensive hardwood double historic glazed windows a bit 'ugly' but they were required and this was as fair looking as I could find.)

Once you go new somewhere like that the other bits look odder and the new looks more raw and the old looks shabby not charming.....it's a difficult train to stop once started.

True but I do think there needs to be a happy medium.
Actually we only bought ours because it wasn't listed .We wouldn't have touched it if it had been.

It definitely won't be to everyone's taste but no property ever is, It's quirky like it's owner but makes a wonderful family home. We've got past that stage so we just rattle around in it - in fact I don't even get into parts of it for months on end. Due to health issues there are parts of the land I haven't been on for years. We would love to live somewhere more suitable. The kids all have their own careers, none of which makes rural living & running their own business desirable.
As I was saying to Rhiw, I think less & less people will opt for the really rural life where you have to drive miles for anything, can't get mobile signals, satnavs don't work (sorry Rhiw ) etc. The outcome is likely to be more old houses left to rot as their owners get to old to live in them. Listings can only add to that problem, I feel.
Just my opinion, though, although I know more people who won't buy listed than who want to.

lostinrates

alfie_1 wrote: »

LIR.......me finks a metal detector around the base of the old house ??

covering a 6ft border, thats what i did at an old cottage i restored that was 1750s..found a really old horseshoe..looked like a shires ! and various old tools ?
that cottage had a cupboard stair case..i will post pic if i can find it.

Yeah...he's done that. He found lots of nails. . Nothing interesting though.

lostinrates

Itismehonest wrote: »

True but I do think there needs to be a happy medium.
Actually we only bought ours because it wasn't listed .We wouldn't have touched it if it had been.

It definitely won't be to everyone's taste but no property ever is, It's quirky like it's owner but makes a wonderful family home. We've got past that stage so we just rattle around in it - in fact I don't even get into parts of it for months on end. Do to health issues there are parts of the land I haven't been on for years. We would love to live somewhere more suitable. The kids all have their own careers, none of which makes rural living & running their own business desirable.
As I was saying to Rhiw, I think less & less people will opt for the really rural life where you have to drive miles for anything, can't get mobile signals, satnavs don't work (sorry Rhiw ) etc. The outcome is likely to be more old houses left to rot as their owners get to old to live in them. Listings can only add to that problem, I feel.
Just my opinion, though, although I know more people who won't buy listed than who want to.

Yep, I agree. We wanted forest not moors, because of proximity to other parts of our life. but lusted the seclution possible on moors. In truth I reckon from what Alfie says forest planning is worse than listed buildings! ( but is it the same down there? )

I would do listed again, but with the money for the kind of prep landing prep we did here. That's the killer I think. It's a big wedge or nothing tangible...but we had answered all objections before the could be raised in doing that really.

Davesnave

Like Rhiwie, I have no worries about preserving any of this place for posterity, but it would be nice to get the Plan B plans under way. We had a message from the architect last week saying, "Sorry, moving house ATM, but will get back to your plans asap."

As with the fencing, we just seem to be waiting for others just now, but the ground's totally saturated & unsuitable for that anyway.

On the subject of waiting.... RAS, when would be the right time to harvest the sharks? I have one plant on its own here which is still producing new fruit, but I counted 10 football-sized gourds on it today, and it's already yielded 3 others. The other four plants are mixed together behind the scrappy barns, so I don't think they'll be so productive, but we could still be looking at about 40 matrure fruit altogether! :eek:

lostinrates

I talked to digger man about the hedge removal, he is trashing round there with the digger next week so is taking it out come rain or shine. Yah...compacted ground.

Itismehonest

Davesnave wrote: »

Like Rhiwie, I have no worries about preserving any of this place for posterity, but it would be nice to get the Plan B plans under way. We had a message from the architect last week saying, "Sorry, moving house ATM, but will get back to your plans asap."

As with the fencing, we just seem to be waiting for others just now, but the ground's totally saturated & unsuitable for that anyway.

On the subject of waiting.... RAS, when would be the right time to harvest the sharks? I have one plant on its own here which is still producing new fruit, but I counted 10 football-sized gourds on it today, and it's already yielded 3 others. The other four plants are mixed together behind the scrappy barns, so I don't think they'll be so productive, but we could still be looking at about 40 matrure fruit altogether! :eek:

The waiting is the other face of the laid back Devon attitude, Dave. :rotfl: Being born here you should know this. People want Devon for it's relaxed outlook on life but that automatically comes with the manana attitude. Doing it dreckly is a phrase with a meaning all it's own :rotfl:

lostinrates wrote: »

I talked to digger man about the hedge removal, he is trashing round there with the digger next week so is taking it out come rain or shine. Yah...compacted ground.

Oh dear, the joys of builders & associated trades.

Itismehonest

lostinrates wrote: »

Yep, I agree. We wanted forest not moors, because of proximity to other parts of our life. but lusted the seclution possible on moors. In truth I reckon from what Alfie says forest planning is worse than listed buildings! ( but is it the same down there? )

I would do listed again, but with the money for the kind of prep landing prep we did here. That's the killer I think. It's a big wedge or nothing tangible...but we had answered all objections before the could be raised in doing that really.

Forest also = National Park - although, admittedly, a fairly new one.
There's a pattern. You don't have to be listed to have life made as complicated as possible.
If, like the Parks in this part of the world, it means you have 2 authorities to deal with - the Park & the District Council. Planning is generally OK'd, or otherwise, by the Park; building regs come under the Local (District) who will also happily relieve you of as much CT as they can suck out of you.
So Parks can stipulate Planning conditions which limit certain things but the District will have it's own agenda on how it classes them. eg Buildings with 10 month occupancy & maximum 2 weeks let (as Park planning) miraculously become second homes when it comes to District CT :mad:
So people like Alfie who would like to rent places find they are unable to & people like us who would happily have housed locals are unable to because the buildings must be kept for holidaymakers & so the places either stand furnished but empty & charged CT as 2nd homes or they get ripped out & used as sheds so CT doesn't apply.
The pure logic of the English Planning system :mad:

alfie_1

So people like Alfie who would like to rent places find they are unable to & people like us who would happily have housed locals are unable to because the buildings must be kept for holidaymakers & so the places either stand furnished but empty & charged CT as 2nd homes or they get ripped out & used as sheds so CT doesn't apply.

well, from my personal experience , i have found when a conversion ie barn/outbuildings have been granted PP for SPECIFICALLY holiday let then they are used for just that. BUT i know of many houses that are let for X amount of time for holiday/longer lets...
where i lived before , we had an annexe that we used for holiday let [many years before us it was let as a home] the planning dept? turned up saying we couldnt holiday let unless we could prove it had been let in ANY capacity previously, which i did. there was NO stipulations as to how long/how frequently etc we could let for as a result.
only if a conversion of sorts is made for holiday let ONLY did rules apply,but a "normal" house here is up to the owner how they LET it...
yes CT was paid but i let for 48 weeks a year [holidays] 2 weeks off and 2 weeks for decorating etc.
the rents more than covered the CT and i looked on it as if it was like my shop, id have spent a hell of a lot more with rent, rates ,wages etc to make less profit in the end.
maybe we are lucky here with regards a flow of visitors but i think the fact i let em bring thier pets helped :D

i think the problems arrise when premises like itsme's are now not personally viable to let for holidays. which means one either has to put up with charges or move which is harsh if like itsme, its not selling...devil and deep blue sea.

rhiwfield

alfie_1 wrote: »

:j:j:j just "bayed" the gate that cost me peanuts for 70 squideroo's :D

And at 11pm accepted a BIN best offer of £49 for a print .
Other good news is that it was the screen that had failed on the desktop pc, a lot cheaper to replace :j:j

Techie guy at the pc shop (v helpful) suggested that stability problems on the pc might be due to my habit of ignoring essential software upgrades . So it was a busy day installing c60 windows upgrades, replacing Open Office with V3.4, Nvidia, Java upgrade etc. 10 hours later, nothing else whatsoever done during the day .

Tell a lie, identified a postcard as a 1920s Devon high street with obligatory urchins (and cobbles, thought that was a northern thing), will put a link on here later for interest. The pub featured was listed in 1986

Chooks went for the remaining runner beans yesterday...and scratched up all the mulch on the beds....chooks and veg garden dont really mix!

Davesnave

rhiwfield wrote: »

Techie guy at the pc shop (v helpful) suggested that stability problems on the pc might be due to my habit of ignoring essential software upgrades .

Apart from stability, outdated software can leave you more open to cyber-attack, as hackers often exploit vulnerabilities in unpatched programs. Some updates are fixes for 'holes' in the programs, rather than improvements or just bug-fixes.

If you are after a new screen, Dell's IPS panels are good, kind on the eyes and come with a 3 year, on-site warranty.