[john and helen]

This is what was going to be our french dream

[Bionic]

looks perfect

[colliewobbles]

Is it not going to be anymore? 

[Fleecewife]

Time to leave it behind and look forward to choosing a place in Britain.  There are lots of wonderful areas to live here. Think of the French place as a practice run, now you are going for the real thing with all the excitement that involves 

[john and helen]

100% right Fleecewife... whats life without a dream

do most of you live on the smallholding or very close by, i would rather be on site , but i could except just being down the road if i had too... I can see getting PP would be difficult unless there was already a dwelling on site

and i have noticed, a few places with AOC..would you already have to be in the farming world to gain such a property ?

[Fleecewife]

We live on our smallholding - if you can find a place with an existing dwelling then choose that above somewhere without.  Getting PP seems such a stressful business, and all that living in a caravan for years first 
I love being able to pop out to check the ewes, collect the eggs or to pick a few veggies without having to drive or cycle to the land and spend the whole day there to make it worthwhile.  Living on the place is so much better for security too.  Also, when you live on your land it's somehow much more of an integral part of your home.  Many, many moons ago we used to have allotments and travelling the 5 miles each way was always the downside.
 
Our house here was semi-derelict when we bought it (some might say it still is  ) but the land and everything else was more important.  We have taken a while to renovate it as we started with the land first, whereas most people would do up the house first.  It depends on which is the most important to you, but don't be put off by the state of the house as it can always be renovated, whereas the land is much more difficult to modify.

[southernskye]

Wife and I were thinking of moving to France, South-West ish.
Then, when we listed what we wanted, we realised we have all those things on Skye. The community, the village life, village hall, wee shops, butchers, "local stuff" etc etc etc. Except for Midgies/Weather and a boulangerie, it really was all there under our noses all the time. So Herself and I moved a few hundred yds down the road and I said I'd have a crack at bulding a bread/pizza oven outside. The weather last summer and this winter has been great and the midgies...welllll....need to have something to make sure I spend plenty of time in my shed .
 
Good luck.
Rgds
Sskye

[john and helen]

actually the french house had no floor..well it had nothing apart from walls and a roof ... so we did up the small barn closest to the field..... not worried about the house, as you say..that can be done up over time...

I have seen a nice 9 acre plot with a building plot just below it.. i wondered if it would be possible to put a log cabin on it 1st, or even a static whilst the house was being built ..... this would help me out no end and wouldn't need to touch mums houses.... we only need a two bedroom place... any more than that would encourage the kids back home 

[lachlanandmarcus]

Certainly where we are (Scotland) the local authority when granting permission for a new house or full renovate of something uninhabiteable do so on the basis that they will allow a static caravan on site while the works are underway until the house is habitable. Not sure if everywhere is the same but it worked for us, you pay the lowest band of council tax on it and it has to be removed once the building work is finished. I lived in ours for 11 months.

[OhLaLa]

Bit confused - was going to be your French dream, but you did up the barn  
What region of France (and the 9 acre plot is in France too)?
----------
You will need planning for a log cabin. And permission for a static caravan.
 
 
 

[john and helen]

no..we bought the french property 7 years ago..(the one above) the house needed everything doing to it..so we did up the little barn so we had a bathroom, kitchen and bedroom come lounge... but when mum became ill we couldn't get over there...
as you can see , the house needed everything doing to it


the 9 acres are in devon with a building plot just across the road from the plot

[doganjo]

So the 9 acres is free for the taking?  Can you buy the building plot?  Is there PP on it?  If yes to all these, grab it with alacrity!

[MAK]

I was a bit confused too. So what will you do with the house and land in France? What area is it in? Looks like the cadastral plan carves up the barns so I guess that is a bit awkward if neighbours do not care for their part of the roof. We viewed a few properties like that - some with bits of land on the otherside of the village.
Hope all goes well.

[john and helen]

We are selling the french property, the whole lot cost me £40K and my neighbour over there wants to buy it or his cousin does... they have said after taxes and expenses (all the legal stuff) they will make sure i get the £40k back,

its in the auvergne dept 03 ..its a beautiful area as are the locals, i can honestly say we were treated fantastically.

I am not worried about making a profit as long as i don't loose out...prices over there have dropped, i think they are worse off than us at the moment..

anyway..looking forward to the future..oh! and to answer your question..the whole french property was 8.5 acres

if only that was in this country with that price tag..i would have been the happiest man around 

[Reg henderson]

this was a place I was thinking of trying for but went under offer this week and we still need to sell , as Iv been told the right place will be there when we are ready , can live in hope

http://www.tspc.co.uk/schedule/105740.pdf