Daydream thread... without the rose-tinted specs

Davesnave

rozeepozee wrote: »

The local architectural technicians don't seem to be significantly cheaper and they lack creativity. We didn't just want a box stuck on the back of the house (sorry, Dave.... ), although there is a limited amount you can dovwithin sensible financial limits.

No offence taken. Our bungalow has no architectural merit, nor would it be prudent trying to give it some.

However, some of our budget will go to rectify an earlier mistake by the previous owners, who managed to spend thousands making it look very ugly from the front. Think part flat roof and a bloody great oil tank parked in front.:mad:
(5.5 acres and they couldn't find a better home for it! :rotfl:)

If we can simply blend back into the landscape and redistribute space so that the rooms are all sensibly sized, we shall have done OK. And if we spend more than 90k, we will never recoup the excess.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

To anyone reading and not posting.... there is some wise words being spoken on here, for the knowledgable peeps..

ITSME has ALLWAYS pointed out about estimates, which our Rozee is now experiencing.. as ITSME has been saying what ever the estimate is DOUBLE IT to be on the safe side..

Davesnave. was mentioning about stretching yourself to buy a place... which we are now feeling the effects of, basically spending all our money ( and more) on buying a place, and then things change and we can not raise the funds quick enough to start the repairs on the house..

LIR has also suffered with relying on so called experts on the new heating system

Alex. is feeling the strain of houses not selling, so can not do anything until their house is sold.

Better Days.. thought she found an ideal place.. but its wasn't discribed properly by the EA...

and other users have had hic-ups of various proportions ( sorry my mind has gone blank now)

All the above are part of the fun:o:rotfl: and most of all health issues, whether its physical or mental..

lostinrates

Made that appointment yet CTC? (Nagging cos I care)

lostinrates

I think the thing about money is, there is never enough to do it all.

I have been wishing quite a lot this year we had not started, or chopped down the stupid leyland trees.

They are a big deal, because in the medium term they denude us a a lot, which in the long term will make the property much, much better.....better planting, better managed makes the garden behind the house a third bigger, a damn site lighter, and just nicer. But in the short term exposes a farmyard that's not ours and makes it feel rather ...unprivate. (Which tbfis a bit of an illusion) but the short distance view isn't that pretty as a result.

Losing the third bedroom for the bathroom certainly short term reduces value. If we were to have sold the best time would have been with the planning permission. Or having just done the kitchen part maybe.

I feel now there is 'no way out' which I find quite scary because we are committed until we can do something to seriously add value and its an uncomfortable place to be, a danger zone, but it had to be done, we had to put in a bathroom that worked, really.

This is going to be us for a while though, hunkering down to safe some money. Unless we can find away to. do the coach house (which should be green oak but I'm trying or think of alternatives.....green soft wood? For example, on a shoe string, which would give us some secure workshop space, and some space for spare rooms (guest rooms and maybe holiday lets) above and some boost to income potential.

Davesnave

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

.....and other users have had hic-ups of various proportions ( sorry my mind has gone blank now)

That didn't look too blank to me!

I think most of us start out on this Daydream with an idea of the perfect place, then that gets bashed around by the experience of viewing real properties that we might just afford.

Hopefully, we then realise that the key word is 'compromise,' but different people will have something they're not so flexible about. It might be closeness to services, a property with period charm, or something practical, like a minimum of ten acres. Friends nearby had that one, which is why they didn't buy this.

For us, a decent road, good soil and a favourable aspect were crucial. Four years on and the road is no longer a thing we care so much about, though it brings some non-business benefits, like a regular bus service and nearby shops. The soil and aspect are still key. To get those, we had to compromise on the house, but houses can be altered....:)

rhiwfield

Having lived in the same house for 27 years, our priorities then (school catchment, lots of bedrooms, lots of rural space around, commute to work) have changed radically.

Over more recent years opting out of the rat race/downshifting resulted in our addressing how to make the best of the property we are in rather than looking for pastures new. Money that would have been spent on estate agents, solicitors, surveyors etc has instead been invested in energy/fuel/transport efficiencies, energy production, a productive and accessible garden, water savings.

The reasons we chose to buy here remain valid for other buyers so we should do well when we have to sell, though the beneficiaries may be our children!

Itismehonest

Davesnave wrote: »

And since when has Tiverton been in North Devon???? It's just about possible to buy the Journal there, but only in a very few establishments and then they may keep it under the counter.

You were spotted heading back up the Link Road. Hence the Journal

I think our most extreme example of 'it always costs much more' was for building work done in the garden. £15K estimate & £45K in real life. Mind you, in their defence they did discover a girt big area (which just wasn't apparent until they started digging) which had been filled with topsoil. That had to come out, hard core be shipped in to fill it, machinery hired to tamp it all down & extra stonework be done.
That's why I say always allow at least double.

LIR - Trying to get things to blend with existing parts of period properties automatically means more cost & more hassle, unfortunately. Plus you have the added 'joy' of a listing which we, at least, didn't have.
Where some people may be able to use any external finish, all ours had to be stonework to match the old. Stone can only be laid in layers about 2' at a time.
The cottages were all stone-built but we then lined with blockwork to form cavities & all the floors were tanked.

We inherited a totally useless architect. When our builder saw the plans he said "You'd have to dig down a metre to do that inside buildings with no modern foundations" so we went into the roof space instead as the builder suggested.
Unsurprisingly, years later we found that the world & his wife (including the police) were all trying to hunt the architect down for various misdemeanours.
So, yes, these things tend to be long term. We started the work in 1988 & finished about 2008. Except, of course, one never finishes. Things still need continuous upkeep & maintenance.

Rhiwie - I think your way is good but people do have to be somewhere which is the right size for them to manage. The older we get the less we can do & that means either things go backwards or more & more has to be done by others & paid for. Sometimes staying put isn't wise.

CTC - Love the snuggle trug. I bet it's not only drier & less bumpy but that the galvanised metal is lovely & warm. They do love a sunbathe. Get the oil ready or they'll get sunburnt.

lostinrates

Even my foxgloves are wilting!

The roses that aren't in pots are basking like true Imports.....born to bask in sun.

The ones in pots are all begging me to plant them.

Similarly one of our ginkgos looks utterly miserable and the grape vine , weirdly, is saying ' too darn hot'.

Alexelisey

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

Alex. is feeling the strain of houses not selling, so can not do anything until their house is sold.

Actually there was a Plan B "just in case", and a Plan C. We're on Plan C which is coming together nicely. But that's just a little teaser for now as it's not something to rush into. It'll take a few more months yet then I will spill the beans.

In the meantime I'm here eating away at my debts which is absolutely critical to Plan C :cool:

Davesnave

I couldn't face roofing today , so I cut the hen orchards instead!:( Marginally better than going up & down ladders, anyway.

This afternoon I made a second comfrey barrel and divided a big plant to make potentially another 30 or so. I've decided that if the thatcher isn't going to maintain his land, I'll put comfrey all along the boundary instead of spraying. At least it will be useful. I might also grow Morning Glory along the wire fence. I've a couple of those being tested at the moment on the dead bit of the neighbour's leylandii.

Our oldest cat, Daisy, has slowed right down, besides falling off the sofa, so I've booked her into the vets. Nothing glaringly obvious, but she is thin at the back end and something's not right. Mind you, at 17, it's no big surprise.

Eating our first toms now. It was a tie between the expensive mini plum type, 'Floridity,' and our 'Unidel,' an improved Gardener's Delight.

Did anyone have success with the poppy seeds I sent out a year or two ago? They're fickle, but they returned this year and came true.