Hello

[johnniewalker]

Hello everyone.

I am currently living in Italy but looking to repatriate myself soon. I intend to sell my apartment here to part-fund a small plot and self-build.

I'm somewhat flexible as to where I re-locate to but am leaning to northern England (I have family in and around south Cheshire whom I can use as a hub for my relocation though Cheshire is likely outside of my means...)

My idea is to build a modest eco bungalow on a budget ( I'm leaning toward timber with a significant proportion of glass.)

For obvious reasons most of my research will be done online until I manage to make the move to the UK.

I have been reading around for some time and really like this site so hopefully I'll be able to make a contribution in the future .

ciao for the time being!

Mike

 

[Guest Alphonsox]

Hi Mike and welcome to the forum.

If you've been reading the site you'll know a number of us have built with energy efficiency high on the requirements list.

All questions are more than welcome

[Nickfromwales]

Hi and welcome. 

A bungalow should shave a good few £'s off the overall build cost so a bit of wise spending will serve you well and go towards some renewables and nice final finishes. ?

Stay tuned !

 

[PeterW]

31 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Hi and welcome. 

A bungalow should shave a good few £'s off the overall build cost so a bit of wise spending will serve you well and go towards some renewables and nice final finishes. ?

Stay tuned !

 

 

Not necessarily .....! Still need the same roof for 1-3 storeys, and in reality you need 10-15% more circulation space in a bungalow as a 2 storey house as you have more ground floor rooms to interconnect. 

 

It may be worth building for room in roof usage at a future date, or seeing how best to maximise a footprint. 

 

For "eco", the best shapes are simple shapes such as cubes, oriented to make the most of the sun without forgetting about overheating in the summer. 

 

And welcome ..!

[Archer]

Welcome Mike. Good luck in finding a plot, signing up for local self build register's where you want to live could be a good first step

[Tennentslager]

Welcome from me too...how's the property situation in your part of Italy?

Will you get loads of Euros for your gaff and will the exchange rate cost you or benefit?

Btw we like photos?

[Ferdinand]

Welcome.

 

Do not underestimate how long this could take :-) .

[johnniewalker]

Hi guys. 

Thanks for the input and encouragement!

 

I'm in one of the more prosperous northern Italian towns, Modena (Ferrari, Pavarotti, balsamic etc...); I'm told locally that my kind of flat should be easier to sell than certain others at the moment- a smallish one bed place.

The exchange rate should help too if it hovers around or dips below today's level. 

 

I can see there could be advantages in the longer term of building higher but I grew up in a bungalow and like the one floor set up. Notwithstanding the fact that since moving to Italy 15 years ago I have (as most town dwellers here do) only ever lived in blocks of flats, at various levels: currently 3rd floor, no lift. Highest without lift was 4th floor; highest with lift 9th floor, though with frequent breakdowns. It's all good exercise but I just prefer the one floor set up...

 

I had (have) an idea of finding an isolated  single plot; countyside maybe with reasonable access to local amenities. My basic research so far suggests my budget won't be able to satisfy my dream location, though. Maybe an infill would be more realistic. However, very, very early stages...

cheers

Mike