Building an iron age round house ?

[Waterworks]

Lets imagine someone wanted to build and live totally off grid a whacky lifestyle in an Iron age thatched hut with ownership of a few acres of land for self sufficiency , this would be one dwelling and not a community , where would they start with getting this project fully above board and legal as regards planning permission, building regulations ect ect, or is it some thing that is so outside the regulations that no council would ever agree to it ? 

 

I've looked into contacting local council planning departments for informal advice but not got anywhere, they seem to be uncontactable unless you hire them as consultants ?

 

( I'm aware of the Welsh experiment with a community of this kind but as far as I know its not going well and is not the answer )

[Tennentslager]

If you’re properly whacky then regulation means owt

Go for it ?

[Ferdinand]

  On 20/05/2020 at 17:18, Waterworks said:

Lets imagine someone wanted to build and live totally off grid a whacky lifestyle in an Iron age thatched hut with ownership of a few acres of land for self sufficiency , this would be one dwelling and not a community , where would they start with getting this project fully above board and legal as regards planning permission, building regulations ect ect, or is it some thing that is so outside the regulations that no council would ever agree to it ? 

 

I've looked into contacting local council planning departments for informal advice but not got anywhere, they seem to be uncontactable unless you hire them as consultants ?

 

( I'm aware of the Welsh experiment with a community of this kind but as far as I know its not going well and is not the answer )

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They are usually contactable. Usually you just contact the Duty Planner. The issue I would think is being taken seriously.

 

For something whacky like this I would start with a relevant voluntary organisation, such as a relevant museum or recreation society, which will probably have had interesting people at least fantasise about it before. Or perhaps a University.

Is this permanent?

 

What did the BBC do in the 1970s TV series? Planning existed then.

 

I think there may be more opportunity if it was in the grounds of eg a small holding, and perhaps done as 'glamping', or an annexe with the main house rented out. 

Edited May 20, 2020 by Ferdinand

[Dreadnaught]

An iron-age roundhouse on wheels maybe? And only need to comply with the static-caravan requirements.

 

Commendable aspiration. 

(I remember the 1970s BBC series too).

[Ferdinand]

If you look around, there will still be people involved in this - who you could track down. This is a retrospective.

 

 

(I am sure that at least 3 of those are Jeremy)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2020 by Ferdinand

[Ferdinand]

I think Building Regs, insulation standards etc would be a real issue.

 

Depending on whether you are going for just the look, or the whole lifestyle. In this country you cannot hunt with a bow and arrow .

 

There may be lessons from eg straw bale specialists, or the chap who built the cob palace (Grand Designs episode).

Edited May 20, 2020 by Ferdinand

[ProDave]

There is someone near here, who bought a building plot with PP to build a house.

 

He has been living there so far for 3 years in a yurt. There seems to be no sign of him even starting to build a house.

 

Not sure what planning will or can do about that?

[Temp]

  On 20/05/2020 at 17:18, Waterworks said:

Lets imagine someone wanted to build and live totally off grid a whacky lifestyle in an Iron age thatched hut with ownership of a few acres of land for self sufficiency

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More than a few acres are required..

 

https://www.primalsurvivor.net/much-land-need-self-sufficient/

 

  Quote

Even though a lot of those sources put the number at a lot less,

the general consensus is that you really need at least 5 acres of land per person to be self-sufficient. And that’s assuming you have quality land, adequate rainfall, and a long growing season. Oh, and that’s also assuming that you are mostly eating a vegetarian diet. 

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More land needed to raise money to pay council tax.  Other bills might be avoidable. No electric, water, sewerage etc

 

Would there be business rates on a smallholding?

 

Fuel for cooking unless some trees about.

[Miek]

In Wales (not sure if it's all councils ) there is a thing called the One Planet Development which promotes this kind of thing. I know a few folk involved in various projects in West Wales

 

http://www.oneplanetcouncil.org.uk/

 

 

[Waterworks]

  On 20/05/2020 at 19:25, Miek said:

In Wales (not sure if it's all councils ) there is a thing called the One Planet Development which promotes this kind of thing. I know a few folk involved in various projects in West Wales

 

http://www.oneplanetcouncil.org.uk/

 

 

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Its far from freedom to do what you want, you have to justify your existence and comply with multiple income, environmental and other issues. 

[Archer]

Speak to this guy who beat you to it! Built a roundhouse with his son as a lockdown project.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-norfolk-52737762

 

I'm aware of the CAT and Lammas in Wales. Incidentally, for anyone in here who hasn't yet visited the Centre for Alternative Technology, it is a great day out (obviously not at the moment). They have a water powered funicular railway. 

 

I think you need to be realistic about what you are trying to do. It this is a place that you will live and bring up a family; potentially wanting to sell on in the future, then all of the health, safety and property laws will apply to you, same as they do to everyone else for the same reasons. Other alternative communities still have regulations applied to them (for example traveller communities). 

 

As said above, you can always try doing this with a temporary building first (or just try to get away with it). Depends whether you are aiming to do this in using an authentic, traditional technique or because you fancy the lifestyle. If it's the latter them it shouldn't be too difficult to build something which complies with the regulations - will also be a bit easier to live in long term as well. 

 

Good luck, please post your progress up here if you move ahead! 

[jamieled]

Something similar, but quite upmarket, in the summer isles:

https://www.thebrochs.co.uk

 

[SteamyTea]

  On 20/05/2020 at 19:07, Temp said:

More than a few acres are required..

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A lot more.

 

 

 

[Temp]

When we were trying to get planning permission the planning officer started talking about how ALL new houses had to be sustainable. This was 12+ years ago. He was talking about the need to build near existing public services like doctors, schools and shops or at least have access to them by public transport. 

[SteamyTea]

I think most of the Code for Sustainable Homes got dropped.

Was a London centric load of nonsense.

[Thedreamer]

It would be amazing to rebuild the iron age dun on the family croft. 

 

 

 

Also this guy on youtube has just started a roundhouse construction.