Opinions wanted please...could you live there for a year...

Thistle-down

Don't worry about the lack of space. 6 months ago we (2 adults, 11 yr old and 15 yr old) moved from a 3 bed terraced house to a 1 bed flat.

You soon figure out what is really important and what you can live without. It's probably one of the best things we've done, though I was aghast at the idea to begin with.

mumtoomany

Hi, it can be done. There is a blog called Mystic Mud about a similar thing. An American family who moved to a trailer with 10 children. They had no water or electric either to start with. Well worth a read. Good luck, whatever you decide,

mumtoomany.

trulymadlydeeply_indebt!

I'm currently doing it and in my second year.

We moved from a 3 bed, CH, DG house to a farmhouse with no heating, single glazed metal windows, no loft insulation and stone floors. The first winter was a shock, believe me, however, I now find I am peeling layers off the second I walk into others' "hot" homes.

Be prepared for FREEZING winters. Plug in heaters, fleece-lined curtains, ankle boots instead of slippers, hats on indoors, hot water bottles, ponchos whilst sitting around, blankets on the sofas. Turn down the lights, get the candles on and pretend you're indoor camping.

Also, it is a stop-gap. The 12 months will fly by before you know it. You never know, you may love it and decide to extend the tenancy if it is agreeable to you and the Landlord, which would give you extra time to save for a bigger deposit.

Don't make too many alterations unless you can take them with you. This house was full of black, mouldy carpets, mould on walls and we gutted it to make it liveable for us. On reflection, I shouldn't have, however, I will take the carpets with us if we had to.

Our rent is £475 pm. Other places around us are going for £1000+ per month. Ours is a stopgap too. I have already told OH that once DD (aged 9) moves into Secondary School, I will be looking to take out a Mortgage. I need to wait though as I too am 5 yr BR.

Electricity bill at last house approx £50 per month and same for gas. This house is £271 per month in electric, £58 for coal and £55 for wood which lasts approx. 6 weeks. Haven't bought any since January so far as we are now acclimatising (sp?).

Look out for free insulation deals. The Government have EU targets to hit and are splashing the cash at the moment to reduce emissions. We've just had this place insulated for free.

"It is better to have had a bite of the pie, rather than always wonder what it tasted like".

Hope this helps, but I would say go for it.

TMD xx

Steve059

Three things never come back: an angry word, a spent arrow and a missed opportunity.

Honeythief

Another vote to go for it. What you described sounds like a typical New Zealand home, and we manage

Pink.

Now that you've had some input from th Old Stylers, I've moved your thread over to the House Buying, Renting & Selling board.

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere (please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com"]forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

Okydoky25

I'd be packing not considering it!

Thistle-down

mumtoomany wrote: »

Hi, it can be done. There is a blog called Mystic Mud about a similar thing. An American family who moved to a trailer with 10 children. They had no water or electric either to start with. Well worth a read. Good luck, whatever you decide,

mumtoomany.

I spent most of the morning reading this blog from the beginning, I'm not done yet.

I just wanted to thank you for bringing it to our attention. It makes me realize even more just how much we have and how grateful I am for our grotty 1 bed flat, my husband, our two daughters, and the dog. :heart2::heart2:

I think a lot of OSer's would really enjoy the blog.

Mystic Mud

Angelicdevil

Do it and don't forget electric blankets on the beds.

lindsaygalaxy

Thank you for all your replies. We are still thinking about it.
It kind of reminds me of a chalet on a british holiday site! There is no open fire or anything, we would have to use plug in heaters. I doubt very much it can have any kind of insulation. I am asking to go back and have another look wednesday eve, so i'll take some pictures and see if anyone thinks it doable. x