DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

after selling the worst decision of our life ( terraced house). we have gone back to out original plan of wanting to self build on land- problem is we want to keep horses/few livestock( sheep/pig/goat) not for farming just to live the dream and to save on current stabling costs of the horses.
S0- our budget cannot stretch as far as a small holding so its out of the question.
we have found land local to us, ideal land it has a range of stable buildings currently there- some having concrete base. so our downfall comes from not being able to find if you can 'convert' stables into a house or even a flat pack home- we have found a company who sell and erect 'static caravans/cabins'. there seems to be little info on this.
There is the existing farm house aprox half a mile from this land that is being sold- not sure if this would stand us in a better position and there are further houses half a mile back down the lane its situated on.
reasoning for wanting to do this-
small holdings in our area £400k
the land is up for £125k and rough cost of a 'cabin' would be £20-30k.. i know we will need drainage ect but we hope to be as off grid as possible- solar panels for electric.
This may seem far fetched but just looking for some advice bad or good not criticism !

I think you could work something out if you tried hard enough. If you call it an agricultural enterprise and you have animals, you may find it a lot easier to get planning for an agriculturally tied dwelling, if you intend just to live on it and not think of it as too much of an investment being tied to agriculture doesn't seem a bad option. A friend of mine has done the same thing. The council would only offer him planning for a non permanent type dwelling so he has bought and erected a Swedish wooden kit house. Another off the wall idea if you are brave enough and well within your budget. http://mayer-immobilier.com/?p=7410

Good luck