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Modern Agricultural Barn conversion. Anybody done one?


Roger440

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58 minutes ago, Roger440 said:

 

I bet the planners can though.

 

I know ive said it already, but i simply cant afford to find out post purchase if i can do it. And that really is the biggest issue.

 

Ive only got one more move left in me.

 

 

Why?

it has planning for a building that shape and size, what you stick inside it is up to you. 

 

I have the shell of my house up now and no internal walls at all as they will they will all be built on top of the internal floor. 

 

Now let’s say I get divorced and the misses sods off and I go on a bender and decide to put my 32 coupe in side the house and work on it there is nothing planners can do about it, it’s a building regs issue not planning, the building hasn’t got any bigger I haven’t raised the roof line, I just decided I didn’t need 3 bedrooms but instead a bloody big internal garage. 

As long as it complied with building regs as far as I’m aware it has nothing to do with planning. 

 

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13 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

Why?

it has planning for a building that shape and size, what you stick inside it is up to you. 

 

I have the shell of my house up now and no internal walls at all as they will they will all be built on top of the internal floor. 

 

Now let’s say I get divorced and the misses sods off and I go on a bender and decide to put my 32 coupe in side the house and work on it there is nothing planners can do about it, it’s a building regs issue not planning, the building hasn’t got any bigger I haven’t raised the roof line, I just decided I didn’t need 3 bedrooms but instead a bloody big internal garage. 

As long as it complied with building regs as far as I’m aware it has nothing to do with planning. 

 

different in scotland --you need BC permission to do anything virtually

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On 29/04/2020 at 22:06, ProDave said:

Is it vital these are all at home?

 

Someone I used to do work for had a similar sort of hobby and car collection.  His solution was to buy an industrial unit on an industrial estate where he had his cars and workshop.

 

Yes, it is really.

 

I already have the use of an industrial unit, OK, its rented which is part of the issue, But it starts to turn what is a hobby into a chore, or too much like work. You have to plan time to go there. Not like you can just pop across the garden and do a half hour of stuff. Even buckingham, the nearest town is only 4 miles away, which is where i work, on the industrial estate, takes 15 mins plus to get there. And the same again back.

 

Thats aside from the cost. 3000 sqft unit, £400k!!! Only one for sale.

 

Yes you could argue if thats the best i can achieve, i should suck it up. And i do. But i dont want that for the next 20 plus years.

 

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On 29/04/2020 at 22:12, Russell griffiths said:

Why?

it has planning for a building that shape and size, what you stick inside it is up to you. 

 

I have the shell of my house up now and no internal walls at all as they will they will all be built on top of the internal floor. 

 

Now let’s say I get divorced and the misses sods off and I go on a bender and decide to put my 32 coupe in side the house and work on it there is nothing planners can do about it, it’s a building regs issue not planning, the building hasn’t got any bigger I haven’t raised the roof line, I just decided I didn’t need 3 bedrooms but instead a bloody big internal garage. 

As long as it complied with building regs as far as I’m aware it has nothing to do with planning. 

 

 

Im not sure you are correct. Why does every barn conversion plan have a floor layout? Indeed, every house? If that wasnt required, why does everyone do it? Surely just do an outside drawing, tick the planning box and get cracking.

 

They are, however concerned with outward appearance. To function as a workshop it needs a big door! So its kind of obvious.

 

You may be right however, though i dont think so. Happy to be proven wrong. Want to be proven wrong.

 

But as with every option, i cant find out AFTER ive bought it. Sadly, every avenue comes back to this.

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On 29/04/2020 at 22:02, Russell griffiths said:

Why would it be a no, I’m not sure where you are but buildings that size are not unusual around here, this is the house we live in while we build the new one next door, it sits in a plot of just under a half acre so a building that size down the bottom of the garden isn’t overly big in the garden. 

We are in Cirencester M4 twenty minutes, I can be in reading in an hour or Bristol in 50. 

I think you need to look at 40-50 minutes drive outside the m25 to find larger plot sizes. 

I am 50 mins outside the M25. Just outside buckingham.

 

A detached house with 1/2 acre is 800K Minimum. On a good day. Unless its listed. In which case you wont be building one anyway.

 

Ive got 450k ish to play with. I know i need to move.

 

 

Edited by Roger440
cos i cannot spell!
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I have full planning all passed and we have the shell up just starting on the internal. 

 

Things inside that are either not on the plans lanes or I have moved. 

 

Additional mezzanine level— planners don’t care

new stairs up to mezzanine— planners don’t care

 

moved bathroom from one side of house to the other— planners don’t care

 

Internal walls to bedrooms moved— planners don’t care. 

 

2 additional windows added— planners will care. Extra planning needed. 

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We looked out you way a few years ago for a plot as we like going out in London a fair bit, we soon found out that you are still well within commuting distance so prices are shocking. 

 

I would look down the m4 heading west from reading, just into Wiltshire lots of nice villages and not far from the motorway

 

if you drop down to the m3 it gets a bit trendy again and out towards Farnham is expensive. 

 

Have you been to get the particulars on anything like this that is for sale and then go and see the council to get their views on what you want to do. 

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Perhaps you should look for a smallholding?

 

My BIL bought one, in west Wales.  It is actually the farmhouse and farm buildings left over from a farm though it only has 8 acres of land now.

 

They don't do much with the land, keep some chickens, grow their own veg, have a couple of donkeys, the rest the rent to a neighbour who takes a cut of hay off the land and grazes cattle on it.

 

His hobby is restoring WWII military vehicles and the barns and other outbuildings provide ample space to house them all and work on them.

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11 hours ago, ProDave said:

Perhaps you should look for a smallholding?

 

My BIL bought one, in west Wales.  It is actually the farmhouse and farm buildings left over from a farm though it only has 8 acres of land now.

 

They don't do much with the land, keep some chickens, grow their own veg, have a couple of donkeys, the rest the rent to a neighbour who takes a cut of hay off the land and grazes cattle on it.

 

His hobby is restoring WWII military vehicles and the barns and other outbuildings provide ample space to house them all and work on them.

 

Absolutely. And this has been the focus of my attention.

 

Probably because im here on this forum, barns aside, im attracted to an energy efficent, low maintenance house. Whilst that can be achieved with a 200 year old farmhouse, its an awful lot of work, probably more work than starting from scratch.

 

Which is why i was looking at modern ag buildings. Build a good modern house inside it, at a lower cost than starting from scratch, and quicker, whilst getting the workshop space into the deal. But quality info on converting modern barns is hard to find. I guess, because, releatively they are few and far between.

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12 hours ago, scottishjohn said:

come to scotland ,have all you want and a lifestyle biz as well for a fraction of the cost 

.LOL

 

 

This is true. But - freeze to death on the east cost, or get bitten to death on the west!

 

I just love the north west of scotland. Could i live there though? Probably not.

 

I should have been staying in shieldag lodge just 2 weeks ago, but obviously that didnt happen :(

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12 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

I have full planning all passed and we have the shell up just starting on the internal. 

 

Things inside that are either not on the plans lanes or I have moved. 

 

Additional mezzanine level— planners don’t care

new stairs up to mezzanine— planners don’t care

 

moved bathroom from one side of house to the other— planners don’t care

 

Internal walls to bedrooms moved— planners don’t care. 

 

2 additional windows added— planners will care. Extra planning needed. 

 

Hmmm. Need to look into this further i think.

 

So just why does anyone waste time submitting all these detailed plans, if planning are not interested? Seems like hard work for the sake of it.

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12 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

We looked out you way a few years ago for a plot as we like going out in London a fair bit, we soon found out that you are still well within commuting distance so prices are shocking. 

 

I would look down the m4 heading west from reading, just into Wiltshire lots of nice villages and not far from the motorway

 

if you drop down to the m3 it gets a bit trendy again and out towards Farnham is expensive. 

 

Have you been to get the particulars on anything like this that is for sale and then go and see the council to get their views on what you want to do. 

 

Tell me about. My neigbour commutes to canary wharf! I wouldnt, but plenty do. 10 mins drive to Milton Keynes station from here. 30 mins to Euston. 

 

Looking around at stuff as per ProDaves suggestion has me out to West Herefordshire or North Devon before im back in budget. Im OK with that. Wife is a little bit more reluctant at the distance.

 

So, its trying to find something not so far away in budget, which is unlikely, or move far enough, which, for the reasons mentioned is probably only a bit more likely.

 

If i can do it in budget, im happy to the majority of the work myself, to cut out the labour element as far as possible. I wouldnt be working as in a job, if i can do it in budget.

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13 minutes ago, Roger440 said:

 

This is true. But - freeze to death on the east cost, or get bitten to death on the west!

 

I just love the north west of scotland. Could i live there though? Probably not.

 

I should have been staying in shieldag lodge just 2 weeks ago, but obviously that didnt happen :(

you obviously have not been to the s/w of scotland -climate very similar to cornwall but with plenty of scenery like the highlands  and not alot of people,clean air 

 how much better do you want a view than this taken in january and april -you don,t get many midges on the coast 

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1 hour ago, scottishjohn said:

you obviously have not been to the s/w of scotland -climate very similar to cornwall but with plenty of scenery like the highlands  and not alot of people,clean air 

 how much better do you want a view than this taken in january and april -you don,t get many midges on the coast 

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01011499.JPG

 

I came up to dumfries last year in about may. To see a customer. I had the previous evening to my self, so after consulting pistonheads, as you do,  had a good drive round that evening for a couple of hours. Absolutely fabulous. 

 

However, the guys in dumfries did say the midges were pretty bad late summer. Or is that not near enough the coast? IE, you need to be actually on it, like you are?

 

I love it, but zero chance of getting the wife that far north :(  Call me miserable, but i like the idea of getting away from people........

 

PS, i love what you are doing up there. (seen the other thread) Slightly mad, bonkers even, but hats off to you. That house further down the hill looked interesting, if rather a serious undertaking!

 

 

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39 minutes ago, Roger440 said:

That house further down the hill looked interesting, if rather a serious undertaking!

that ones for sale  as is the quarry  and the jetty

B listed house not really that hard a project  all services are pretty close 

very solid structure already  -just needs interior + roof revamping and bringing up to modern spec -less work than alot of self builds 

and with 5 acres annd 2 other ruins  you got lots of space to do other things

 when i get stopped waiting for planning etc on main house i will do some moore work on it -cleared all dnagerous trees around it already 

I did toy with the idea of doing that one first -selling and making some money --but my age means i have to be sensible --may not have two houses builds in me

being on coast and or away from all the pine forestry and midges are not a problem 

my current house is on edge of newton stewart -no real midge problem there -was worried when I made a pond --but no still no midge problem  far worse up north all over

Edited by scottishjohn
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9 minutes ago, dpmiller said:

Try camping in Glentrool forest. Midge central...

   I would not  ,but yes glentrool is a very bad spot --cos its full of forest plantings --

so bad there that the forestry commision closed their site there 10 years ago -fed up with giving refunds  

you just don,t camp near christmas trees

I,ve seen me disturbing clouds of them in january when acting as a beater on a shoot which was made up of blocks of fir trees-they didn,t seem to bite  at that time of year 

snow on the ground and midges --

If midges were a problem I would not have bought the site -been looking at it for 20 years 

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When camping in Scotland, pick an exposed windy camping spot.  I like the Western isles, lots of windy places to choose and not so many midges.  Having said that the worst I can remember was a still August day on Jura. You could see the clouds of them.

 

That's one reason we live where we do, less rain and less midges and we can hop over to the west coast in just over an hour.

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