The Good Life

AHarvey

AHarvey

AHarvey

Soldato
Joined
6 Mar 2008
Posts
10,092
Location
Stoke area
I've mentioned it a few times in some threads on here but I need a life change.

The plan: buy a decent amount of land, sell our house, build a new home (perm structure/eco cabin/yurts) on the land and live from the land. Grow our own food, raise animals. Take a demotion at work that will allow me to work from home instead of having to commute to the office. It'll bring enough money in to pay bills along with my photography and give me time to work on the land and spend time with the little one.

Just concerned about buying a chunk of land and not getting planning permission so was hoping for some advice on here.

Has anyone done this?
basically started a mini farm?
struggled to get planning permission for pasture/amenity/woodland?
Do you get special allowances if it's going to be a farm building or a temporary structure like a Yurt?
If I added in solid foundations, electricity, gas, water to a Yurt would it then be a permanent structure?

Just after any advice, links to other sites etc so I can start the planning. Ideally it'll be around the Shropshire/Cheshire area to remain close to existing family.
 
It sounds fantastic and I imagine most people would have had the same feeling/ambition at some.

I would say though don't burn all your bridges. Life will always seem greener on the other side.
 
So you're going to work from home and raise animals and grow food, sounds like a fair bit of work.

Do you already grow food at home?

I can't imagine land for farming being cheap to purchase.
 
I have a similar plan...

Probably without livestock, but yeah, a small herb/veg garden. Self sustainable, water collection tank etc... Although I'd probably do it as a weekend retreat or something if I can... If I could work from home, that'd be great, but yeah...

Always wondered about it myself from a planning permission perspective...

kd
 
If it's outside a village boundary and is already specified for agri use or something similar there is very very little chance you'll get planning permission. Consult an expert before you buy ANYTHING!
 
Ice Rich said:
It sounds fantastic and I imagine most people would have had the same feeling/ambition at some.

I would say though don't burn all your bridges. Life will always seem greener on the other side.
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No bridges will be burnt. House wise if we can afford it we may rent instead of sell, and as for the job, nothing to worry about there. :)


sigma said:
So you're going to work from home and raise animals and grow food, sounds like a fair bit of work.

Do you already grow food at home?

I can't imagine land for farming being cheap to purchase.
Click to expand...

Grow a few veggies now, but not on a scale that would feed us for a year.

I already work a lot now, this managers job + photography is around 70-80 hours a week, but being a dad comes first. This life would allow me to replace work hours with farm hours.

Land prices seem to very a lot depending on what size they are, what it comes with etc. Anything from £3k - £8k an acre from what my searches have shown. There's 31 acres for £70k in Wales, but there's also 7 acres + and old barn for the same price.

davestar_delux said:
Need to be in the UK?
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I'd happily move elsewhere, the other job can be done anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection but the wife says no, needs to be close to family.

King Damager said:
I have a similar plan...

Probably without livestock, but yeah, a small herb/veg garden. Self sustainable, water collection tank etc... Although I'd probably do it as a weekend retreat or something if I can... If I could work from home, that'd be great, but yeah...

Always wondered about it myself from a planning permission perspective...

kd
Click to expand...

Yeah, commuting, town noise etc isn't something I enjoy. I grew up in the middle of nowhere, climbing trees etc and I want my kids to have a similar experience.

Edward01 said:
If it's outside a village boundary and is already specified for agri use or something similar there is very very little chance you'll get planning permission. Consult an expert before you buy ANYTHING!
Click to expand...

If I found a plot of land I would investigate it completely, I'm just after any advice from people that may have done it already, or going through it. Obviously the best way would be to buy an existing farm, but finding a small one is impossible and I can't afford the £1 mil + for the larger ones :(
Thanks for the info :)
 
Your broadband speeds will be diabolical. But you should build the house with the parabolic arch from Grand Designs. Epic win for eco housing. Can't offer any constructive advice I'm afraid.
 
It may be possible to build on agricultural license meaning that the person must be engaged in agricultural work. I have seen a couple of acres of strawberry field and a house/palace that would be acceptable to a Romanian Gipsy family after a good season working the London Streets.
Such a life is not generally practical and usually results in free school meals and eveywhich handout from the "D". Course its not unknown for the wife to strap on some Jesus sandals and start knocking out some pottery as an added income source!!!!
One needs several hundred acres of good land to make a living unless factory farming. Ofton in Oz several thousand ( and that aint the outback)
 
marmalade said:
It may be possible to build on agricultural license meaning that the person must be engaged in agricultural work. I have seen a couple of acres of strawberry field and a house/palace that would be acceptable to a Romanian Gipsy family after a good season working the London Streets.
Such a life is not generally practical and usually results in free school meals and eveywhich handout from the "D". Course its not unknown for the wife to strap on some Jesus sandals and start knocking out some pottery as an added income source!!!!
One needs several hundred acres of good land to make a living unless factory farming. Ofton in Oz several thousand ( and that aint the outback)
Click to expand...

Killing the dream man
 
I would suggest picking up some books/magazines regarding "homesteading" and read up on some things you didn't consider already. Canning and preserves, disease prevention from insects (for family and livestock), alternative power sources, potable water methods, first aid basics, homeschooling/education, cold storage, things like that.
 
Thanks for the book suggestion Zbornak, I'll check it out.

marmalade said:
It may be possible to build on agricultural license meaning that the person must be engaged in agricultural work. I have seen a couple of acres of strawberry field and a house/palace that would be acceptable to a Romanian Gipsy family after a good season working the London Streets.
Such a life is not generally practical and usually results in free school meals and eveywhich handout from the "D". Course its not unknown for the wife to strap on some Jesus sandals and start knocking out some pottery as an added income source!!!!
One needs several hundred acres of good land to make a living unless factory farming. Ofton in Oz several thousand ( and that aint the outback)
Click to expand...

Things won't be that bad, i'll still be working full time + my photography. The wife may work, she can always get a job at my place. We'd be looking at £50k a year just from that so no free school meals. I'm always one to pay my way. ;)

Thanks for the advice, gratefully received :)

SourChipmunk said:
I would suggest picking up some books/magazines regarding "homesteading" and read up on some things you didn't consider already. Canning and preserves, disease prevention from insects (for family and livestock), alternative power sources, potable water methods, first aid basics, homeschooling/education, cold storage, things like that.
Click to expand...

Good suggestion. Home schooling etc isn't something that we'll need, yes, we'll teach her as much as possible anyway but schools help with social skills. We'll obviously have freezers etc, we're not talking completely back to basics, just a modern alternative lifestyle :D Again, thanks for the suggestions i'll be sure to check it out.

I've been googling info on usage rights for land etc, lots of conflicting advice out there :S
 
You have my admiration, growing and harvesting your own food is a satisfying experience and unfortunately our farmers and farmland do not get the respect they deserve in this country anymore.

As for picking the right place, seek some advice and consult your local council. Some land has agricultral tenancy rights and so and so forth so you may or may not need to look for an existing farmhouse/land. Wish you all the best with it anyway.
 
I'd love to do it, however after looking at costs and budgeting.
It just isn't feasible without a large amount of cash from the outset, the startup costs are insane.
 
AHarvey said:
I've mentioned it a few times in some threads on here but I need a life change.
Click to expand...

Why?

e: you have a ten month old child. This is not life changing enough for you, no? You can take a demotion, sell your house and all the other stuff and still look after a little one? That's a pretty tall order but I admire your enthusiasm.
 
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This is great, would love to do something like this, only problem is I'd probably end up vegetarian as I don't think I'd be able to slaughter anything after I'd known it for a while

Might be worth getting in touch with councils of the areas you might end up buying some land
I'd move down south aswell, you'd of probably starved this year growing your own in the north
Been a pants year for growing for Me in the midlands

I wish you the best of luck with this

Ps, get some land with a bit of woodland, and build rocket mass heaters into your buildings
That's your heating sorted
 
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At £50k a year you could live comfortably without having to run a farm. That's loads!

Have you considered not living on site? Maybe you could buy a house in a village and some land from a farmer or get a large allotment? You could even agree with locals for things you can't produce like livestock. Maybe even trading your skill sets.
 
This sounds interesting. We would also like to build our own eco-friendly house, but when I looked at it briefly last year I couldn't find any land purchasing sites. There doesn't seem to be a Rightmove for land, they are all just small farmland purchasing sites.
 
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