Molly leaves a calling card

Had a first visit by 6 of our good friends today - shame it was on probably the coldest, wettest day we've experienced at the barn to date.  Before a whistlestop tour of the barn and the 'extensive' grounds, Molly (one of the dogs) decided to leave her small deposit in our lounge-to-be!

That cleared up, and after a brief viewing, we retired to the village pub where we had a lovely meal in front of an (almost alight) open log fire.

Spending some of my Christmas vouchers

Received some vouchers from our boys for Christmas entitling us to a few days of assistance at the barn - so cashed one in on Sunday as the boys dug out the remains of the rusty old fence and iron posts from across the middle of the plot.

It was hard work; shame I couldn't help due to an muscle injury to my arm (probably due to excessive strain whilst helping David move to his new 3rd floor apartment a week earlier).

The plot looks better with each bit of work.  Now the new fence is up around the perimeter and the old one out, we have a clear view of our garden.  We can also now easily access the field part from the courtyard area, which will help the builder.

Next jobs?  While we are waiting for the survey, we could tackle the ivy on the gable end, and the trees within the front hedgerow.  Might also dig some exploratory holes inside the barn to check the depth of the stone walls, what kind of soil we're on, and whether the roots from the neighbour's willow go under the barn.

A Merry Christmas ...

... to all our readers (which is 22 since we installed the counter a few days ago that you now see at the top of the front page).

The last post

Fencing's finished.  Barbed wire and all.  Even looks right.  Had to retension the first bit and dig out a few humps in the ground, but it's done and now we have a secure perimeter and a clear view of our plot.

The sun shone on us again today, but with a stronger breeze it was bitterly cold.  Rewarded ourselves with a first visit to the pub across the road, where we sat next to the radiator and had hot soup and lamb shank (that's one less sheep in the field then).

No more barn work before Christmas now.  Might go there with the family during the hols to take out the old fence across our plot.  Then we have invited our friends to show them round and we'll pay another visit to the pub.

Take your pick

It was a beautiful winter's day at the barn today.  Snow on the ground as we arrived, maybe an inch, a blue sky and bright sunshine.  There were footprints in the snow between our two gates - maybe a fox.  Hope he hasn't had the geese, we want one of those for our Christmas table.

We had a few hours left on the hire of the post rammer, so knocked in our remaining fence posts before we returned it to the farm hardware shop.  Got there as it was closing, but with enough time to buy a new tool.  Couldn't decide what to get; the owner suggested I take my pick, so we now own a pickaxe.  Came in handy for digging the holes for the post struts this afternoon, and once they were in we started fixing the pig netting.  Had trouble getting it tight, though.  Might check the web tonight.

Didn't finish the netting, so we're going back tomorrow.  Had a chat with our cottage neighbour and met their lovely cat.  Also spoke to our paddock neighbour, who came across to see how we were getting on, and to point out what we'd done wrong.  He offered help with anything we wanted (although he dismissed the idea of lending us a JCB).  No mention of land or fences, though, so we left it at that.

Hope to finish the fencing tomorrow, then we can start to think about Christmas shopping.  Meanwhile, if anyone has ideas how to tension pig netting, send us a comment.

Substantial breasts

Heard back from the planners yesterday.  No real concerns over our last sketch - except that they don't like the 'substantial' chimney breast, which they think obstructs the openness of the interior, and they'd like to see some elevations.  Back to the sketching board.

Also met the architect and structural engineer on site this morning.  The good news is .... well the bad news is our walls are pretty unsound, and the neighbour's tree against our back wall is a willow, and our soil is probably clay, which together give the worst combination for subsidence or heave and structural damage.  The options?  We could take out that willow, and probably another one in the centre of our neighbour's courtyard ('cos they can affect buildings up to 40m away!), then wait 6-12 months for the ground to regain it's natural moisture content before building - but of course to remove the trees requires our neighbour's consent, and he's already being awkward on removing one, never mind two.  Or we could pay more for a piled foundation below the raft to get below the willow roots - then the bl**dy trees can stay there.  If that's the answer, then the rogue fence can be put in it's correct position, and we'll have those few metres of our garden back.

Mind you, if we're not on clay it's not such a problem, so first we have to dig some deep trial pits, probably inside the barn, to establish our soil type.

We also need a proper survey inside and out to determine proposed floor levels, then to dig some holes inside the perimeter to find out whether the stone walls are founded deep enough (probably not is my guess).  It might even be sensible to remove up to a metre of the soil from inside the barn at this stage, since it has to be done anyway.

So it looks like we need to get a digger in - and it can take out our willow stump while it's there.  That will probably be in January now, maybe even February, after the levels survey and planning application have been done and whilst we're waiting for approval - assuming we can get that in by end Jan.

You can see how the weeks slip by on these projects.

First Fence

Bought our fence materials today from a farm supplier near Burton Dassett.  They had a great store, full of farmers hardware like gate hinges and animal pens, plus loads of timber and tools.  They were also really helpful and cheaper than the internet.  It's so much better to be able to talk to someone when buying stuff you're not familiar with.

We filled our trailer with fence posts, put a roll of pig netting and a reel of barbed wire in the car boot (plus some new leather gloves for the boss) and set off to Chacombe.  A few hours later, and with the help of the hired post rammer, we had two rows of posts that were upright and in line.

Then it started getting dark.  I'll have to fix the pig netting on next week, then Misan can attach the barbed wire!

Aah-choo

Called our neighbour this morning to get his agreement to taking down the tree in his yard that's against the wall of our barn.  He didn't agree!  He wants to know what we intend to do first before he'll agree.  We took our file with us, intending to show him the latest sketch, but he'd gone out by the time we called round, so he'll have to see it another time.  Don't know what it is about the village - soon we won't be able to sneeze (daren't even consider f*rting) without someone there objecting!

So we went to the barn anyway and carried on with chainsawing the remaining small logs, then cleared up the last of the scrap timber (still a trailer load).  Brought it back to our tip in Leamington, and noticed we've lost one mudguard off the trailer - it's probably in bits in the M40 verge by now.

Managed to upload the architects sketch - here's how the chimney breast might look from the hall (if the planners agree)!

Scheme 5

Architect sent us an updated sketch today addressing the planners comments, so I sent that straight off to them.  Didn't quite get the immediate response we got last time - hope no news is good news.

The architect also drew a section this time, which shows our fireplace and chimney plus the staircase and gallery.  Looks great.  Hope it gets approved.

We'll follow our usual Saturday routine and go to the barn tomorrow.  Looks like it's gonna be a cold but nice day.  Might chat to our farmhouse neighbour to see if we can chop down the tree that's against our east wall - before we decide whether to discuss his rogue fence.

We've also seen a site in the next village where they've demolished a house and crushed it all into hardcore, which could be handy for our access.  Got the contractors phone number last week but (don't tell Misan) I've lost it!  Will get it again tomorrow then call them to see if we can dispose of a few lorry loads for then at no cost.

And I've priced up the fencing materials ('cos we're gonna do it ourselves).  Basic pig netting on round posts is much cheaper.  A 3 rail fence would be a few hundred more.  Anyway the paddock suits an agricultural fence - certainly not close boarded; at least that's what we're trying to convince the planners, having seen our cottage neighbour's intentions.

Making Plans

Got a revised layout from the architect on yesterday, and sent it off to the planners at lunchtime.  Was most impressed to get a response within a few hours.  They think it's better internally than the previous approved plan, but object to the extra window to the third bedroom, the 'possible' (but really unlikely) solar panels on the rear lean-to roof and the cupboard between the dining and lounge (but that supports the quarter landing, so it's not easily deleted.  Mind you, they said they'd like it 'deleting from the drawing' - didn't say we couldn't build it!).


So the tippex came out again last night to try a few modified layouts.  Then spoke to the architect this morning - we've decided that only a few minor adjustments are necessary before submitting a new sketch later this week.  At last, things seem to be moving in the right direction.

Another busy day

Had another full day at the barn today.  Cleared all the small branches that we had piled into a bonfire (it was looking a bit of a mess, and we couldn't have burnt it before next spring anyway).  Broke and bagged the smaller bits, put the bigger bits in the trailer.  Three trips to the local recycling centre and a fourth load brought back to Warwick.  It means we can now see the amount of land we have with the barn - a reasonable garden, but not much more than that.  Will need some clever landscaping to get the best from it, as it rises quite a bit above the level of the barn.

Also got our second letter - a consignment note from Fibretech telling us where they'd taken the asbestos.

Misan says she's got aches in muscles where she didn't know she had muscles.  I had a bath as soon as we got home, which helped - almost as much as the cold beer.

We got some good(ish) news

Met the planning officer today.  Tried to explain how our layout with the kitchen in the extension was beneficial 'cos it meant we could maintain the open aspect within the remainder of the barn ... it didn't wash.  He still could not support it.

So then our architect played his master stroke - he produced the plan he had drawn late last night and we discussed what was acceptable from that, which was most of it.  We'd need to put the third bedroom up on the first floor near bedroom 2.  In fact, with the galleried landing and the double-height open centre to the barn, the planner was getting quite excited.  And he actually suggested the lean-to utility could be in traditional red brick, which is cheaper than stone, to distinguish it from the original barn.

So we might have a way forward.  The architect went away (with our Barn Conversions book tagged on the pages containing features we like) and will draw up Scheme 6.  Then it goes back to the Planning Officer for him to discuss with the Conservation Officer ....

We need some good news

Got our solicitor's bill a few days ago.  His estimate had been £750 for the barn and £500 for the extra land.  The bill was over £2000 for the barn (OK. he did have to sort out the boundary dispute) and £400 for the land (which is wasted money since that deal faltered).  Double!

We thought the architect had given us some joy, producing a sketch that I sent off to the planners today ahead of our meeting with them tomorrow.  We got an instant response from the planners that they 'could not support' our proposal to put the kitchen where the block lean-to is at the moment.  So that looks like it's back to square one.  The architect will try to come up with an alternative layout tonight, but it seems like we've come full circle back to a layout like the original approved plan.

Then I got a puncture last night, so got home even later than normal, and today had to replace the 2 rear tyres on the Audi (they were close to the limit) costing £265.

Something good has to happen soon.

Any old iron

Had a brief chat with the architect yesterday - he likes one of our 'gallery' layouts and will look at it over this weekend.  We'll then go and consult the planners next week.

Despite the weather forecast, we trotted off to the barn today, trailer in tow.  We managed to get two loads of scrap metal and some rubble off to the local recycling centre.  Also used the newly-sharpened chainsaw to cut the remaining parts of the willow tree (some over a foot in diameter) into log-length chunks, which Misan barrowed down to the barn.  Then the rain came in.

Of course we had to keep to our barn land - no rights to cross part of the paddock any more.  Noticed our paddock neighbour surveying his land, but he didn't come close enough to chat and we didn't particularly have anything to discuss with him.  He's taken out the pegs that marked what he had agreed to sell to us before his last change of mind, and he collected up the string we had used round his pegs and left it on our fence.  That was generous of him - don't think we could have completed our project without that string!

Round the Barn looks a lot tidier now, although there's plenty still to do.   

We carry on

Spoke to a fencing contractor today.  He's going to visit the barn to see the ground conditions before giving us a new quote for the reduced length of fencing.  He suggests a four rail fence - sounds nicer than pig netting and barbed wire.  We'll see what his quote looks like; if its OK, we'll get it done soonest so that all those arounbd us will see we're serious (and not bothered about the failure of the land negotiations).

Also spoke to Nu-Heat about heat pumps.  They might still be able to do ground source with the land we have, otherwise it could be air source (cheaper capital cost, slightly higher running costs than ground source - but still cheaper than calor gas, and much cheaper and cleaner than oil-fired heating).

So we're taking little steps forward.  Must get on to the architect/planners tomorrow, need to get that moving.

It's Happened

They've pulled the plug on the land deal.  Didn't like the fact that we want to do things properly, not the country way, so they've got the hump again and are 'closing their file'.

At least we know where we stand now, and this whole sorry saga is over.  It's the 3rd or 4th time they've changed their minds.  Who knows, they might even come back again in future.  Whatever.

So we'll just carry on with what we have got.  Have already requested a revised quote for the shorter length of fencing (might get it all done by a contractor now), enquired about what's possible on ground source heating with a smaller area of land, and sent some ideas to the architect with a single staircase and long galleried landing.  Need to get them drawn up so that we can put them in front of the planners.

We'll be down at the barn this weekend.  Don't know how I'm going to react when I see the 'paddock' neighbour.  With pity, I think, 'cos he must be really struggling with his conscience.

That Sinking Feeling

Just when we thought we were closing in on the land - our solicitor gets a letter from theirs threatening to withdraw from the deal unless we accept their stupid conditions in the transfer document immediately (they're trying to pass the bodge up about the rogue fence in the paddock onto us through the transfer - we don't want to accept that).
That letter arrived last night; we saw it at 8am today.  This is after we've been waiting 2 weeks for the draft transfer, which only arrived late Friday afternoon.
Then we see in the transfer to one of our other neighbours that they intend to erect a close boarded fence half way up the paddock right across our view down the valley!
We spent over an hour with our solicitor trying to sort this mess out, and his charges are £200/hr!
We're getting really fed up with this.
So we've asked our solicitor to try and sort it 'amicably', but if it carries on like this they can keep the land and we'll make do with what we've got.
Hope they paint the boards a nice colour!

Land ahoy!

Our solicitor received a proposed transfer document for the land today.  It's a bit confusing - of course because of the incorrectly positioned fences - so we're seeing him tomorrow morning to clarify things.

All being well. we should have the land sorted in the next few days (hope I'm not tempting fate here).

Might be able to order our fencing materials later this week.  Who's ready for some hard work?

A stormy session - and our first letter

Had a busy time at the barn today. Checked out the remains of the asbestos animal pen - all gone, even the concrete sill that the asbestos was set in. Fibretech have done a good job.

Misan had a go at removing the ivy from the front gable. When you're doing such dangerous work you need protection ...

We also removed the remainder of the willow tree, and felled the 2 elder trees from against the barn wall. The second one proved troublesome, trapping the chainsaw as the wind blew and threatened to drop it onto the barn roof. After an anxious few minutes we managed to get a string over it to lever it back, rescue the chainsaw then pull it the way we wanted it to fall.

We dropped a set of gate keys off with our neighbour that owns the paddock - he has a right of access through our 2 gates - and he explained rather sheepishly that the land deal still hasn't gone through because his solicitor has dilly-dallied. He expects it to happen on Tuesday now. We'll see.


Most surprising event of the day was receiving our first letter at this address - an invoice from Fibretech that was delivered to the farmhouse next door! Better get a mailbox installed at the barn - and an official address from the Street Naming and Numbering Authority (yes, they really exist - for us it's the local council!).  Also managed to get a decent picture of our Green Man:

A most successful auction

At last a sketch arrived from the architect today.  Not bad, 3 en-suite bedrooms, 2 staircases, and the kitchen in the front extension.  A few tweaks, and that might be a basis for discussions with the planners next week.

But still no news on the land.  Who knows what's happening.  Our solicitor called on Mon & Weds, but no developments.

Want to go to the barn tomorrow to see it without the pig pen and (storms permitting) to take out the rest of the trees.

Called the estate agents today to ask them to take down their board.  Looking for their phone number on the net brought me across this ...
http://www.fishergerman.co.uk/file/3590/most-successful-local-auction-in-two-years.html

Our first contractors

Fibretech came this morning to take away the asbestos animal pen and some loose bits of corrugated sheet that have been laying around the barn for some time.
We met them on site at 8.15am. It was a cold, damp morning - ideal for asbestos removal 'cos it keeps the dust down. Once they started donning their white overalls and protective gear we left them to it. They should have finished today, so when we go back on Saturday it should look quite different, and we'll be able to take out the remaining bits of the willow tree. Might get to have a go with my own chainsaw this time!

Our neighbour's scaffolding has gone, and his stone house looks really smart. Shows our barn up a bit - have to get that ivy off and tidy up the road gable as soon as we can (assuming that wall isn't one that has to come down).

Still no news on the land - maybe the winds blowing from the east this week.

We're planning how to do our fencing now.  Anyone want some exercise (cheaper than the gym, and far more satisfying)?

Another lovely day at the barn

Had our first proper day as owners today.  Took a car load of tools, a trailer load of equipment, and the assistance of Michael & Nicola, so that we could do some serious tidying up.

Mike liked the chainsaw, so he took out the big willow tree and one of the elder trees that has grown against the south wall.  I fixed the front gate, put a lock on the barn door, had the odd go on the chainsaw and loaded the newly-cut logs into the old lean-to.  Misan, Mike & Nicola used the smaller branches to build a bonfire for later.

Part way through our neighbour dropped in to sheepishly ask whether we'd pay his solicitors bill for the sale of part of the paddock to us.  I couldn't answer.  Misan can decide that one; I've had enough.

By the time Shaki and David joined us it was dark and we'd got the charcoal going for a BBQ.  They spent about an hour with Michael arguing about the best way to get the bonfire going, but little success.  We cracked open the champagne around the little fire we had, then all got smoked out by the BBQ 'till our bangers & burgers were cooked.  We also saw most of the village firework display from our barn.

The barns starting to look better already.  Just gotta let that wood dry out so we can have a proper bonfire.  

At last

Solicitor called this afternoon to say he's completed the transfer on the barn - whoa-hoa, it's ours at last!

Asbestos can now be removed; fortunately they did't turn up today - they're coming next Weds.

Now we can get on with the design; met the Architect there this morning and turned his ideas completely on their head.  He's gone away to think about our latest suggestions - kitchen at the road end in an L-shaped extension, en-suite bedroom above the dining, large double height lounge, 2 en-suite bedrooms (1 up, 1 down) at the paddock end - and 2 separate staircases.  Get those drawn up, then its back to the planners to see if they might accept it.  Keep your fingers crossed.

We're gonna have a little toast with a tipple of champers tomorrow.  Shaki, David & Michael (and Nicola & maybe even Lord Marley) are due to join us round a bonfire to celebrate our acquisition.  Might even set off a rocket.  Wheeeeee ... !

Can't upset the neighbours yet, though.  Still got a land deal to close out.

Nowt

Nuffins happenin'.  Contract isn't signed.  Opposition want some change to the indemnity.  Can't be done before tomorrow.

So the asbestos guys can't come in yet - except that I couldn't contact them to defer them again, so they'll be turning up at 8am tomorrow.  We'll be there to turn them away, just before we meet the architect!

And there's no news on the extra land.  Not surprising really, but it would be nice to hear that things are progressing.

It better not carry like this; takes the fun out of it.

Nearly ...

Managed to catch the architect at 8.30am today.  Discussed a few of our ideas for overcoming the low headroom issue, and agreed to meet him at the barn at 8am on Friday - another early start.

Then at lunchtime our solicitor called to say he'd managed to negotiate a higher abatement from the sellers, which is good news, but that they require him to draft an indemnity saying we won't pursue them any further if we do get into a tussle with our neighbour about the fence position.  So completion didn't happen today; we think it'll happen tomorrow.

That meant putting off the asbestos contractor, so he's rescheduled to Friday too.

Could be an interesting morning at our barn that day!  Wonder if we'll have some extra land by then, too?

So near yet ...

... so far!  We signed the contract for the barn at our solicitor's office at 8am this morning.  Not a bad start time for a Monday.  It's now gone off to the seller's solicitor, accompanied by a response about the abatement for the encroached fence.  They haven't yet come back on that, so completion tomorrow looks doubtful.

We haven't heard any more about the extra bit of land, so completion on that tomorrow seems an impossibility.

And I keep trying to contact the architect but to no avail.  They weren't picking up the phone last Thurs or Friday, then when I eventually got to speak to someone at 5pm today, our man was busy and, despite leaving a message for him to call me back, he didn't.  Might be time to read our new yellow pages starting at A ...

At least the banks have come good.  Our account looked really healthy over the weekend after the mortgage arrived on Friday, but most of it has gone to our solicitor now ready for completion - tomorrow?  Do hope so, otherwise I'll have to postpone the asbestos gang as they're lined up to come in 1st thing Weds!

I even managed to apply for a discount card today for use at builder's merchants like Jewson.  And checked out prices of sheds and requested another fencing quotation.

We're pulling out all the stops to be on top of things; just wish others would do their Jewson bit.

A busy day ...

... began at our bank, where we waited in a queue for an hour before seeing an advisor to help us transfer the mortgage to our solicitor's account. Then found our solicitor hadn't given us the full account number. A quick call on the mobile found someone in their office that could help (the cleaner?) and we managed to complete the transfer.


So, off down to the barn with measuring tapes, big ball of string, a flask for hot drinks and a table and 2 chairs for our 'site office'. We noticed someone's taken a gate off our plot, and there's a few extra scraps of asbestos sheet appeared in the barn. As soon as we complete the purchase I'm gonna start locking things up!


First job was to check whether we can fit a garage in against the rogue fence - we now think we can - but whilst we were doing that our neighbour approached us to talk about the paddock. Started off OK, then veered towards we won't be offered any extra land ... (big debate ensued)... then came back to 'here's the land we've marked out for you'.


Out came the ball of string. Trailed it round the pegs, measured the lengths of the sides, tapped it into the calculator (from the 'site office') and - hey presto - agreed the area and price. Just have to get that agreement conveyed to the two sets of solicitors before any further changes of minds.

Then finally met our immediate neighbours Darren and Sonia, and had a look round the farmhouse that they've been renovating for the last 3 years. Gave us our first chance to look at the east wall of our barn from their side, and got a pleasant surprise - there's a gargoyle built into the stonework on that elevation just above the rear barn door. Might try to find somewhere interesting to place that. It's just above the door on this photo ...

One small step

Got the mortgage today. Also spoke to our solicitor at some length about the famous fence. An interesting angle is that, even if we accept an abatement from the seller (the reduction in the sale price) because of the fence being on our land, we will still own the land to our original boundary. So we could later still inist that our neighbour takes it down. But by then that would be between us and the neighbour, nothing to do with the sellers. We're still considering what to do, and will visit the barn tomorrow to help us decide.

Subject to that abatement, we're ready to complete the purchase. Don't think the sellers are though, so that will be another dispute.

Who said buying at auction avoids the hassle of property transactions!

Nah, TT is the way

This afternoon Misan phones our mortgage provider, to be told they plan to transfer the funds to us on Tuesday. Wrong answer - that's too late. Misan throws a wobbler. The woman says she'll check and call back. She doesn't. Misan calls them again and they get it right eventually - they plan transfer it to us tomorrow.

So she then phones our bank again to get them to rethink their policy about TT's - this time they say that it will happen within 2 hours, not the 'up to 3 days' nonsense they told her this morning. Back on track with funding, then. Misan can be very persuasive!

Meanwhile the architect has posted us a letter and a sketch layout. The guest bedrooms are downstairs and the lounge upstairs. Hmmmm! Have to get Misan to convince him we can lower the ground floor level a bit more and get the headroom we need to live comfortably downstairs.

Now, about that fenceline. Misan ..... ?

Breaking news

4.5 days to completion (2 of which are weekend) and we've just got a letter from the sellers solicitor admitting that the fence encroaches into our land. They have offered a nominal reduction in the purchase price to compensate.

We gotta think about this now - what's in our best interest?

Now it's getting frustrating !

Thought we'd best check that we will have the funds available for completion if it happens on Tuesday - so Misan phoned the bank this morning, to be told that a telegraphic transfer from our account could take up to 3 working days! This is the 'immediate' service that you pay extra for; 3 days!! And we haven't received the mortgage yet - that's due to arrive tomorrow (surely that'll be OK, we paid an extra £40 to have that sent by ... telegraphic transfer!).

Do these institutions not want us to succeed?

We're confused

Our solicitor received 2 letters from the sellers' solicitor today. They've acknowledged that they made a hash of the barn contract, and sent an improved one - which our solicitor thinks is still so bad he's drafted his own and sent it back to them.

Then on the deal for the extra land, the seller's solicitor has written a 3 paragraph letter justifying why they now have to separate the barn and land deals, and attempting to explain the shape and the area and the eastern boundary and the price and .... its nonsense.

With all these problems, our solicitor now seriously doubts whether we'll be able to complete on the barn by Tuesday 3 Nov, and who knows about the land.

And we're still waiting to hear from the Architect, who was meant to send us his proposal this week so that we can instruct him to get started with a survey and some designs.

We thought it was all going too well.

An interesting weekend

Popped down to the barn yesterday to take some measurements of our barn plot and the extra land that our neighbour, Michael, had marked out.

As we arrived the drizzle got heavier. We struggled to get the car up the 'drive', donned our macs and only had an hour to take some critical measurements before heading off to Leicester for our niece's birthday lunch. We went more or less straight from that to the Royal Naval Association's Trafalgar dinner last night (I was accompanying Shipmate Misan - don't ask) so didn't have time to draw up our measurements until this morning ...

... and found we hadn't taken enough. So off we went again today in much better weather for a more comprehensive 'survey'. A first attempt to draw it didn't work, so after reflecting whilst Liverpool stuffed Man U, then setting up my new petrol strimmer, the second try made more sense. The land we've got with the barn is not as regular in shape as we first thought. And it's not as big as shown on the contract of sale. That's gonna be our first debate with our solicitor and the selling agents tomorrow.

Then the part of the paddock that the neighbour consortium have marked out to sell to us is an even stranger shape, and we can't see how they've come up with the area they have. Another discussion needed.

But it was a lovely day down there today. If we hadn't had Joy & Mark calling in at Warwick on their way from Swansea to London (it's OK, they've got a welsh satnav) I'm sure we'd have pottered round for a bit longer, maybe even have knocked on Darren's new door (he's hoping to finish the farmhouse for Christmas) and had a chat with him and a look at our barn from his courtyard. Have to leave that 'till next weekend now.

So Misan's going to make a few calls tomorrow to see how we can sort out these boundary issues before completion on 3 Nov. Keep your fingers crossed.

At last - some developments

For the last few days nothing has happened - no contact from the neighbours about the land, no news from the solicitor, no word from the bank (maybe that's a good thing), no new ideas from the architect, nothing to blog ...

... until tonight, when we had a call from our neighbour saying he still has some land to sell to us, and he's marked it out for us to look at this weekend. Great news. His solicitor has written to ours with a proposal - but of course there's a postal strike. Lets hope they use email.

Which I think they do, 'cos our solicitor sent me one today saying he's contacted the seller's solicitor about the apparent incorrect position (which I was asking him how we establish) of the fence to our east side - so having possibly patched up with the paddock consortium we might be about to upset our immediate neighbour. Oops!

Think we'll go to the barn tomorrow. Might take a cap to keep in my hand.

A few setbacks

Had some not-so-good news yesterday.

Negotiations for the extra land, which we thought were proceeding smoothly and amicably, have hit a few obstacles. The neighbour consortium that won the paddock at the auction think we're being too pushy. We thought we're just buying a bit that they don't want. And they somehow think we're the ones who made them pay £64k for it - we stopped at £47k, it was the tall, dark stranger that bid them up to the 60's. Oh dear, seems there's some patching up to do there. So we've backed off a bit to let things calm down. If they later want to sell us some land, then we'll reconsider it. In the meantime we'll concentrate on what we already (almost) own - the barn ...

... which the architect tells us has headroom problems, so he thinks we can't build what's been approved by the planners! Misan should be OK, but I might knock my head on the rafters, and her brothers would be able to step over them if they went upstairs. We're going to have to find some innovative solutions - doing a detailed survey of what's there now, lowering the ground floor inside the barn, raising the roof (which has to come off, anyway), going back with a new planning application, etc - all of which will delay starting on the conversion.

Meanwhile, Misan showed a prospective buyer round our house today, and if they decide to buy it they'd want to be in by Xmas. Anyone got a spare room, just for a few years ...?

Our first visitors

Mum & Dad came to see the barn today.

"What you going to do about all those cracks in the walls?"
"Repair them, Mum"
"It's a tin roof!"
"I know, Mum, we're going to change it to slate"
"Who's are those sheep in the field?"
"Our neighbours, Mum"
"Oh, I'm going to sit in the car"
"OK Mum"

Dad was a bit more practical, walked the paddock and met the neighbours.

How we got here

This is a bit of a monster blog to get us up to date, but stick with it ......

In June we saw one barn north of Coventry slip from our grasp as the owner pulled it from sale, then in July we were gazumped on a derelict cottage in Baddesley Clinton.  So when on Thursday 24 Sept I stumbled across this one coming up for auction 5 days later, I immediately took Marley (Michael & Nicola's little dog that we were looking after that day) for a walk in the country.  We both loved it, and had to work out how to convince Misan that this was the one.

We went off to Leeds on the Friday to return Marley, carried on to Manchester to meet up with our ex-ex-pat pat friends for our annual Nigerian Reunion weekend - and Misan still hadn't seen the barn.  When we got home on the Sunday evening we went to the barn and had a look around for about 15 mins in the evening twilight.  Decisions made - we were going to the auction on Tuesday.

I collected the legal pack on the Monday morning, passed it to our solicitor on the Monday evening and went through it with him for an hour on the Tuesday afternoon just before going down to the auction.

The guide price was £80-90,000.  The price shot up quickly before we joined in to stop the gavel dropping on £125k, then it kept going between 3 or 4 bidders until we won it just inside our limit!

That left us with no funds to bid for the paddock, which had a guide of £10-20k, but we did bid up to £47k before we pulled out, and it went for £64k!  A pretty expensive 2/3rd's of an acre of grazing land.

That was bad news.  The land that comes with the barn isn't that big.  But we immediately had good news as the paddock auction was won by a consortium of neighbours, and they came across to meet us after the auction and have agreed to sell us a bit of the paddock.  OK, it will be expensive for what it is, but it will add to the value of the barn and will give us the land we need for ground source heating and a big garden/orchard.

So we signed the contract and paid our 10% deposit.  Next day we cobbled together our savings to cover that.  Since then, it's been hectic, appointing the solicitor, arranging funding, meeting the planner, finding an architect, talking to a structural engineer (the more we investigate, the more we find out how much needs doing to stabilise the walls), getting quotes to remove the asbestos animal pen, visiting Grand Designs Live at the NEC, negotiating the extra land, trying to understand the VAT rules, taking photos and starting a video diary, doing a more detailed budget, meeting the neighbours, measuring the barn, collecting a trailer from Gill my sister, getting new wheels and tyres for the trailer after one tyre almost came off on the way home - all this in the last 2 weeks whilst I'm really busy at work and Misan chose to contract flu.

Completion of the purchase is set for 3 Nov ...

About the auction

There were over 200 at the auction, most of whom were interested in the barn, not the other 15 lots.  We wanted the barn, and a separate lot a 2/3rd acre paddock alongside.  The barn went for 2x guide price, we stopped bidding for the paddock at 3x guide, it went for 4x!!

We needed the complimentary drink that the auctioneers bought us while we waited to sign the contract - and a cheque for 10% deposit.

Our new project

This is our new blog about the knackered old stone barn that we bought at auction on Tues 29 Sept 2009.  We'll update this regularly and, once we've learnt how to, add some photos and maybe even a bit of video.  Keep watching this space.