Newhouse Farm

[Bobby Ewing]

I suspect this is a very large and complex topic but I wonder if someone can give some general advice on the first steps that we ought to take in our situation:
We have a large area of land in a residential area and we'd like to built some dwelling for ourselves on it and rent out our present home. Our land does not have driveway access and so any structure would need to be one which we could build from kit form. We could make pedestrian access however which is what we would plan to do if we rented our present home out, by sharing our present driveway. The absence of driveway access also indicates to me that we would need to build it without mechanical excavating equipment for the foundations.
I am aware that kit houses are available and would not anticipate any planning objections to building a dwelling on the basis of it already being a residential area (though I have not made enquiries). I am aware that we could have a septic tank for foul water, but have uncertainties about:
1. Getting fresh water connection. We presently have potable water under pressure to our house, so how would I find out whether a seperate supply could be made to our proposed house, and how much might this cost.
2. How to actually begin moving forward with this. Can anyone advice on the first ports of call to get things moving and to assess whether our ideas are feasible?
Thank you.
Andrew

[tedm]

Have a google for "SIPS home kits" - there are several suppliers in the UK who can provide a well insulated kit house. Craning one of these on to site may be practicable - depends on your access.

Contact your local water company about the feasibility and cost of a new connection - check with electricity and gas too, if applicable.

Call the local Planning Dept to confirm your assumption of the zone your plot is in.

Start talking to neighbours for recommendations for a local builder and architect.
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Ted
The Age of Plunder is nearly at an end. The Age of Healing is ready to be born.
And whether it arrives or not depends upon two people: you and me. - John Seymour

[Ecocentric]

May also be a good idea to discuss your potential schemes with neighbour even if only in general terms. Would give them the chance to voice any concerns which you can counter or accommodate when you submit your planning app. Always preferable to keep them onside if you can.

Housebuilding & Renovating magazine is a mine of resources.
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200 yr old farmhouse and land - a few hundred £k. Livestock, more buildings and kit - a few more £k. Greener business and lifestyle - ***king priceless.!!

[Bobby Ewing]

Thanks for the help.
That's a start and just what I was after.
Andrew

[Billy Rhomboid]

Bobby, you can hire mini-diggers nowadays that are narrow enough to fit through doorways, so you should not have to resort to digging foundations by hand.

Getting roof trusses etc in place without mechanical assistance may be a tricky proposition though. The lack of access may cause some issues with planning dept.

Planning dept is definitely your first port of call though. They are usually not the gorgons they are made out to be, and in my experience if you are staright with them they will be straight with you. It is when you try to pull the wool over their eyes that they tend to get awkward.
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Carpe Cerevisi

[Ecocentric]

Occasionally but only occasionally,mind, I agree with everything Billy said...

Is there any possibility of access via a neighbours property? It might be possible to "rent" for the duration of the build or buy to provide seperate vehicle access. Such a "ransom strip" may not be cheap but could make all the difference to the viability of the project.
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200 yr old farmhouse and land - a few hundred £k. Livestock, more buildings and kit - a few more £k. Greener business and lifestyle - ***king priceless.!!

[guyandzoe]

Talk to the planners and fire service first: without proper vehicular access then you are out of reach of the fire brigade and that may influence any planning decision. When we last were living in england they had begun to insist that any drive well off the road was sufficient to turn around a fire truck!!

[justme]

[Billy Rhomboid]

[Bobby Ewing]

Thanks for the helpful advice. I've offered a neighbour a "ransom strip" since he has the only viable drive access. It's not just narrowness that is prohibitive, but the plot is at the top of some steep steps. I'd be okay with the roof trusses however because I used to build them myself a long time ago.
The comment about fire brigade access is interesting and I'd not considered it. Thinking about it though this must not be prohibitive because otherwise how would city centre flats at the top of high rise blocks get permission. I suspect that these dwellings would have extra safety measures such as sprinklers,etc.
Anyway, I've got a list from which to start and I'm grateful for all who have advised.
Thanks
Andrew

[justme]

[Ecocentric]

I like the definition of a "problem" as being merely a situation for which you have have not yet found the solution to....
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200 yr old farmhouse and land - a few hundred £k. Livestock, more buildings and kit - a few more £k. Greener business and lifestyle - ***king priceless.!!

[Billy Rhomboid]

[Ecocentric]

As long as it does not involve energy or money, a degree of superfluity does no harm.....
_________________
200 yr old farmhouse and land - a few hundred £k. Livestock, more buildings and kit - a few more £k. Greener business and lifestyle - ***king priceless.!!

[Billy Rhomboid]

Is that what your degree is in then, Eco?
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Carpe Cerevisi