kandgmitchell Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 Cost was an issue for us as well. The static was £7500 inc delivery with a deal to buy it back at £3750 within 12 months . We may just make that so "rent" would be £300 odd a month. The furniture is in a 20ft container on site avoiding the £90/week the removal company wanted to store it. I accept there are on costs to a self build that cannot be avoided but I'd rather keep as much money back to fund the odd extravagance my dear wife insists will set the finished job off..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 General point. Could you buy a local place for the cost of rent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 2 minutes ago, SteamyTea said: General point. Could you buy a local place for the cost of rent? I said that !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flanagaj Posted May 21 Author Share Posted May 21 1 hour ago, SteamyTea said: General point. Could you buy a local place for the cost of rent? I nearly choked on my lunch! Unfortunately not. You've then got to factor in market risk into the equation when you try and sell the property. Plus you have stamp duty / legal fees. It's a nice thought, if you have the financial means. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell griffiths Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 What I don’t understand with this post is the negative replies, when it looks to me like all the negatives could be avoided. moaning about mud, well don’t have any then, dig it out and stone it up, large car park for trades and a path and patio at the static, simple no mud. frozen pipes and a cold caravan, they were obviously not insulated correctly then. build a large 4x4m shed beside the van, put a washing machine in it and a freezer, then a woodburner to dry all the clothes and boots, the van is strictly a no work clothes area. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 1 hour ago, Russell griffiths said: simple no mud. It seems eena I've been doing construction wrong for decades. I didn't realise it was simple to avoid mud. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 A lot will depend on your expectations and tolerance to lack of comfort, cold etc. We have done plenty of camping, including long distance backpacking, caravanning etc and are used to cramped, cold, etc. So the static 'van was okay. I did fit a WBS in ours after the first month and realised the appetite of the gas fire that was built into it. If your better half is only used to nice spacious warm hotel rooms, they might regard a static as slumming it. A self build will test you in all sorts of ways, and I would say the discomfort of a static is one of the more minor tests that will come your way. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 3 hours ago, Russell griffiths said: What I don’t understand with this post is the negative replies, when it looks to me like all the negatives could be avoided. moaning about mud, well don’t have any then, dig it out and stone it up, large car park for trades and a path and patio at the static, simple no mud. frozen pipes and a cold caravan, they were obviously not insulated correctly then. build a large 4x4m shed beside the van, put a washing machine in it and a freezer, then a woodburner to dry all the clothes and boots, the van is strictly a no work clothes area. Or ….. could just build a house 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell griffiths Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 2 hours ago, saveasteading said: It seems eena I've been doing construction wrong for decades. I didn't realise it was simple to avoid mud. Yep,you said it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flanagaj Posted May 21 Author Share Posted May 21 4 hours ago, Russell griffiths said: What I don’t understand with this post is the negative replies, when it looks to me like all the negatives could be avoided. dcrete moaning about mud, well don’t have any then, dig it out and stone it up, large car park for trades and a path and patio at the static, simple no mud. frozen pipes and a cold caravan, they were obviously not insulated correctly then. build a large 4x4m shed beside the van, put a washing machine in it and a freezer, then a woodburner to dry all the clothes and boots, the van is strictly a no work clothes area. This makes a lot of sense. I like idea of that. The site has a lot of concrete (4m * 50m!) to break up and there is a lot of timber from a wooden office that can be recycled. Going to break up the slab and get a concrete crusher on site. That will provide a lot of useful hardcore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandgmitchell Posted May 22 Share Posted May 22 19 hours ago, Russell griffiths said: frozen pipes and a cold caravan, they were obviously not insulated correctly then. build a large 4x4m shed beside the van, put a washing machine in it and a freezer, then a woodburner to dry all the clothes and boots, the van is strictly a no work clothes area. Well no the caravan wasn't insulated enough but you get what you get - 25mm polystyrene between a metal skin and vinyl coated hardboard. For a 12 month stay it's not worth overcladding the outside (ruining any resale) and it's small enough inside already. So yes you have to suck up the extra cost of using electric heaters. As for a 4x4m shed - luxury! SWHMBO has put up with a 6' x 4' with washing machine and tumble dryer and a small freezer balanced across them. This is a building plot not a sports field. What with a sloping site needing to take a 100m2 footprint house plus scaffold space, a 36' x 12' static, two 20' containers with our stuff in them not to mention two cars which can't be left on the single width track outside; add materials and contractors vans.... As for mud - don't have any! Wish! We did have stone laid but hey as soon as a machine gets digging during wet weather I defy anyone to say their site stayed clean. Just taking the machine from excavation to low loader spreads mud across the access let alone moving around the site. All that lovely stone laid under the sun disappears under a coating of glutinous brown clay that sticks to everything. It's then you find out why you kept all those offcuts of carpet in the loft of the previous house - told you they'd be useful! Throwaway door mats - the latest thing. I wouldn't say these are negative views, just saying as it is. If you can't manage a bit of discomfort (or even the occasional "why the f... did we start this" screaming match) then self building is probably not your thing. Go buy a nice house already done for you. With a clean driveway. 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted May 22 Share Posted May 22 17 hours ago, flanagaj said: The site has a lot of concrete (4m * 50m!) to break up That should be a godsend. You can run on it and build on it. Break it up later unless your levels are wrong. I've never understood the desire to throw away z slab then put it down again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blooda Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 The issue you have is she is against the idea, now at the start of summer. In winter it will be worse. It was a condition of our build there was no living on site, but we were 8 minutes away, close enough to visit, unlock, let the trades in, in a morning and then return at night to lock up. An alternative compromise would be get a caravan now, live there now. Give her the task of finding a close rental property for October to March. [someone with a holiday let, may be interested in a winter 6 month rent]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozza Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 On 20/05/2024 at 19:16, flanagaj said: Thanks for all the posts. Primary motivation, is that even if you go with a very cheap rental in Hampshire, you are looking at a minimum of £1200/month. I just personally, don't see the point of renting a small flat, which will require you to also shell out on storage, when you can rent put a static on the plot. I think I've made my mind up on this one, and the wife will come around to it 🙂 Plus, it's just the two of us, no kids, no pets. That makes it a lot simpler. If you’re going for the on site caravan option, and thus saving £thousands, maybes suggest, especially during winter months, a regular night away in a hotel, even an inexpensive Premier Inn. If scheduled ahead will give something for her to look forward and will do you the world of good to get away for a night and rest the aching body. Would also suggest, if your site allows, sectioning off the site from the caravan and spending just a few quid making it much more homely and more of caravan holiday home as opposed to a caravan on a building site . Even a bit of turf or whatever, some temp fencing or whatever. is there an option to do a detached garage first that you could in some way even if for dry storage or a temp shower etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flanagaj Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 8 minutes ago, Bozza said: If you’re going for the on site caravan option, and thus saving £thousands, maybes suggest, especially during winter months, a regular night away in a hotel, even an inexpensive Premier Inn. If scheduled ahead will give something for her to look forward and will do you the world of good to get away for a night and rest the aching body. Would also suggest, if your site allows, sectioning off the site from the caravan and spending just a few quid making it much more homely and more of caravan holiday home as opposed to a caravan on a building site . Even a bit of turf or whatever, some temp fencing or whatever. is there an option to do a detached garage first that you could in some way even if for dry storage or a temp shower etc. Great minds think alike. I decided part of the deal would be to implement the points above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blooda Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 I have read somewhere [probably here!] that a shed porch makes sense. IE 6x8 shed with front and back door, back door leading to caravan door. plenty of hanging space for dirty clothes on, when taking of before entering caravan. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe90 Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 Tell her the money saved living in a caravan will pay for a nice kitchen 🤷♂️ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 2 hours ago, Blooda said: plenty of hanging space for dirty clothes on, when taking of before entering caravan. If you can enclose it even better. The worst thing in the winter is opening the door and all the warm air rushes out. At least an open porch let's you strip the wet stuff and get the boots off, for a quick dive through the door. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 Fit an A2AHP and make up some secondary glazing with cheap sheets of clear polystyrene. And do something about the underneath i.e. fit a skirt to stop the wind lowing under it, then store some rolls of loft insulation under it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flanagaj Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 (edited) 3 hours ago, joe90 said: Tell her the money saved living in a caravan will pay for a nice kitchen 🤷♂️ She has her heart set on an island. Seems to be the way to a woman's heart. Edited May 23 by flanagaj 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 9 hours ago, flanagaj said: She has her heart set on an island Barbados? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flanagaj Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 1 hour ago, SteamyTea said: Barbados? Boom boom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blooda Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 11 hours ago, flanagaj said: She has her heart set on an island. Seems to be the way to a woman's heart. Take her for an afternoon trip to Wr£n's. We went just to see the kitchen layout on their VR head set [as the house was not built at the time]. If you've took on a selfbuild, you will have the will power to say "I'll think about it", and walk out. It did take a couple of hours, but we did manage to fill our selves with their coffee, and snacks, and ended up with a couple of mugs [useful for site] and a freezer cooler bag [useful for the inevitable take always]. It was quite worrying to see a price of £40k drop to £28k in a matter of seconds, for a kitchen I know cost £9k from Howdens and £5K for appliances and £3.5k for tops. Their fitting price was about the same as I paid my joiner for 1st fix timber, second fix timber and kitchen fit out. If you want an island you really need at least 4.2m width if not more. We designed our kitchen end of the room at 3.7m [6x 600mm units], and how ever much we tried we couldn't make an island look right [it always looked as if there was an island because we wanted an island and would make it fit] If you want an island design in Water, Waste and Power now, even if you do not use them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenki Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 14 hours ago, saveasteading said: The worst thing in the winter is opening the door and all the warm air rushes out. Any warm air at all would have been luxury for our 18 month sentence 😜 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 On 24/05/2024 at 06:40, SteamyTea said: Barbados? Uk ? . That’s a beautiful island … Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now