what do you live in?

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what do you live in?
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Alchemist

Joined: 02 Mar 2005
Posts: 123
Location: Aberdeenshire

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 05 2:52 pm Post subject:

We have a 2-bedroom bungalow out of town in about half an acre of garden. Our cottage used to be two farmworkers' cottages that were knocked together some years back. It was basically derelict when we bought it and arguably was still so when we moved in. However we have re-wired, re-plumbed, re-plastered, re-floorboarded, and insulated over the course of 12 months and are just getting to the stage where we're beginning to think about decorating and put carpets down.

We share our hovel with a couple of chooks (soon to be 4), all manner of wildlife, and the occasional poorly critter the OH brings home from work.

Next year we'll be trying to sort out the garden, and with a bit of luck and some arm-twisting hopefully buy some more land in the area.

Sadly our mortgage is still all too real

jamsam

Joined: 21 Oct 2005
Posts: 2560
Location: erm....i dont know, its dark.

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 05 4:56 pm Post subject:

so does anyone actually live in anything other than a house?

i would love to say i live in double decker on quiet and unspoilt farmland, with the kids outside camping and the barbq fired up,
but sadly i live with the parents and the kids and we are all in one house together, although the boys and i have our floor or the house.
i dont know which is worse, waiting to be turffed out by my sisters when the day comes that we have to inghertit it or having to move now with two young wirlwinds and cupboards full of 're cycling stuff'???

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 05 5:13 pm Post subject:
four bedroom detached cottage, new build on an acre and a bit. Only been in for seven weeks after a move from native wales and two years renting/hard work. Finally living the dream and wondering how to pay for it.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45683
Location: Essex

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 05 5:14 pm Post subject:

Jonnyboy wrote:

Finally living the dream and wondering how to pay for it.

You'll be alright as long as you're not counting on selling your body

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 05 5:17 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

Jonnyboy wrote:

Finally living the dream and wondering how to pay for it.

You'll be alright as long as you're not counting on selling your body

Dunno, he could probably fetch a fair bit rendered down for fuel oil.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 05 5:20 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

tahir wrote:

Jonnyboy wrote:

Finally living the dream and wondering how to pay for it.

You'll be alright as long as you're not counting on selling your body

Dunno, he could probably fetch a fair bit rendered down for fuel oil.

I wondered what the opposite of extra-virgin oil was.

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 05 5:24 pm Post subject:
Oh goodness, the spice boys are lining up to take pot shots.

Lozzie

Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 2595

Posted: Wed Nov 30, 05 5:30 pm Post subject:
I should start charging them Johnnyboy - a tenner for three throws?

woodsprite

Joined: 20 Mar 2006
Posts: 2943
Location: North Herefordshire

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 12 10:03 am Post subject:

Just found this thread. I was farmwoody and more recently I'm woodsprite, hoping to become townwoody sometime soon, life moves on, priorities and focus changes. I've gone from being virtually self sufficient in food to having chickens, bees and a veg patch and I'm now looking at a town house with no garden to speak of but within walking distance of a great range of local independent shops and a regular farmers market. Some would see this as a backward step, I see it as progression and a definite downsize.
I wonder how many from the original thread have moved and if, on reflection it was for better or worse?

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 12 10:09 am Post subject:

woodsprite wrote:

Some would see this as a backward step, I see it as progression and a definite downsize.

Not at all, it sounds like you're planning to do more to support the rural economy than many who live out in the sticks!

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 12 10:17 am Post subject:

I didn't post on the thread last time, but I've moved on from living with parents and having land to living on the land (mobile home) and becoming parents, so quite a change.

We've also installed electricity, phone, reedbed, farm office, coldroom & half a livestock building/handling system in that time. Just need a workshop, dairy/youngstock building & barn and we'll be self sufficient in buildings Sounds easy if you say it quick.

Bebo

Joined: 21 May 2007
Posts: 12590
Location: East Sussex

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 12 10:18 am Post subject:

Wasn't around on here when this thread started, but at that time I lived in a large terraced house in Clapham (London). I now live in a not quite as large (but still bigger than we really need) semi in rural East Sussex a couple of miles away from Battle. Small paved garden and an allotment about 8 miles away swopped for about an acre, two polytunnels and a small greenhouse, best part of 200sqm of veg beds, lots of chickens, three call ducks and a dozen or so quail and we also rear pigs and turkeys for part of the year.

woodsprite

Joined: 20 Mar 2006
Posts: 2943
Location: North Herefordshire

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 12 10:26 am Post subject:

It's amazing reflecting back isn't it?
We were the first farm to install webcams and show all of our livestock from the birth live through rearing to eventual delivery on your doorstep. The national press dubbed us Pig Brother :0). I used to run live craft tutorials from our website too, can't imagine how I fitted it all in now!
It was a fab way to bring my boys up and I was (and still am) devasted to have to leave the farm but this half way house situation that we've been in since has never felt right. We still live extremely rurally and keep hens and bees. I still grow veg and make all our preserves etc but we do not have land to grow our own meat and we both spend a fortune on diesel traveling the 14 miles to the shops and back. I realise that to many who visit us, we are still living the dream (choc box cottage, hens, glorious countryside etc) but I suppose I'm a do it all or don't bother type person.
As I said, priorities and views change :0)

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 12 10:40 am Post subject:

tahir wrote:

4 bed detached with a small garden

Things have changed just a bit there...

alice

Joined: 18 Feb 2006
Posts: 2820

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 12 10:45 am Post subject:

I wasn't posting back then but I was living on a 57' narrowboat. Prior to that we had a 3 bed 1920s suburban semi which we had lovingly restored, a small but perfectly formed garden with a large greenhouse, and a productive allotment just a bike ride away. Building and moving onto the boat back in 2000 was our downsize.
I loved that house, but I don't regret the move, it enabled us both to stop working formally. We sold or gave away everything. Liquidated all our assets to provide the money to live on. We continuously cruised so no garden/land whatsoever.
After 5 years of that we felt the need for a bit of 'defensible space' and moved here. I haven't regretted that move either. Property was cheap, we are mortgage free in a very old, tiny 1 bed cottage in about an acre of land. The house has needed loads of serious work but we do it all ourselves.
In effect we've upsized again but the most important thing for us is we've 'downsized' on population density. We like a lot of things about Orkney but the main thing, and I believe the main facilitator of all the other 'good things', is the lack of people.

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