Dude, Where's My house(s)?
Discussion
It is with great trepidation that I start a post about my housing journey. At home, I have been experiencing bouts of anti-social behaviour. Cars revving, late night parties. Sometimes the cars park up and combine loud music, revving and late teenage kids screaming. The house is at the end of a cul-de-sac in what I thought was a nice area. Well, it has been for the last 14 years. it's only lately that it has turned into a scene from slum dog millionaire. A recent post on pistonheads describing a dog "attack" turned into "it's me that's the problem", sure... I can accept that I might be slightly unhinged. I recently looked in the mirror and was shocked to see a slightly younger and more attractive Albert Einstein looking back at me. nutter. 
Anyway, the post included derogatory comments about the length of my driveway. It is only good for around 5 or 6 cars. I thought this was quite good but apparently, the Pistonhead masses have spoken. This coupled with the standard response of "Move house" and the fact that the pills I were taking didn't increase the size of my driveway.
I went out and brought a new to me, house.
And so I come back to the Pistonhead masses with a new problem. I can't find it. Well... all of it.
The new place is old, and big by my standards. Although, I'm sure it's a shoe box apartment to some folk. It comes with 7 other buildings.
Critically, 2 garages, I can find. One of these has a Rolls Royce in it that has not moved in over 30 years (my guess). it's in really good condition.
It also has a bunch of other buildings, 2 have planning to convert to residential, and have been started on and then abandoned sometime in the 80s. I can see them on Google Earth, and from the upstairs window of the main house.
The main attraction, for me at least, is it also has planning permission (Lapsed) to build a driveway, or access road. To the barns that are up for conversion. I figure this could be around 3km if it twists and turns around the land a little bit. A proper private road that would not have any speed limits, right?
The main house, thankfully is accessible, and for the most part livable. but does need complete renovation.
Given it's all your fault that I'm in this mess, should I continue a thread here documenting my hilariously predictable peril? I wonder if I can take the Roller to the shops... Nope, it's a Flintstone edition.
Anyway, the post included derogatory comments about the length of my driveway. It is only good for around 5 or 6 cars. I thought this was quite good but apparently, the Pistonhead masses have spoken. This coupled with the standard response of "Move house" and the fact that the pills I were taking didn't increase the size of my driveway.
I went out and brought a new to me, house.And so I come back to the Pistonhead masses with a new problem. I can't find it. Well... all of it.
The new place is old, and big by my standards. Although, I'm sure it's a shoe box apartment to some folk. It comes with 7 other buildings.
Critically, 2 garages, I can find. One of these has a Rolls Royce in it that has not moved in over 30 years (my guess). it's in really good condition.
It also has a bunch of other buildings, 2 have planning to convert to residential, and have been started on and then abandoned sometime in the 80s. I can see them on Google Earth, and from the upstairs window of the main house.
The main attraction, for me at least, is it also has planning permission (Lapsed) to build a driveway, or access road. To the barns that are up for conversion. I figure this could be around 3km if it twists and turns around the land a little bit. A proper private road that would not have any speed limits, right?
The main house, thankfully is accessible, and for the most part livable. but does need complete renovation.
Given it's all your fault that I'm in this mess, should I continue a thread here documenting my hilariously predictable peril? I wonder if I can take the Roller to the shops... Nope, it's a Flintstone edition.
4Q said:
I'm in and looking forward to the thread
Thanks, I forgot to post a picture of what I dealing with. It's beautiful but wild! I will be specifically vague with some pictures so I don't give away my location. See if you can spot the street lights and buildings.You can see I made an attempt at cutting the grass near the house, but gave up and just did the edges and made some pathways in it.
I now have a "Lawn tractor" on order. but fear I might need something bigger, like napalm or a T-Rex, to deal with the fields.
CoolHands said:
Can someone read all that and give me the gist
New house, needs work, wana watch?The rest of it is backstory and jokes.
Did you mean to say, that guys written engish is really poor, or did you mean to say "im an idiot and cant read". Can some one else give me the gist?
I did see that episode of Clarkson's Farm and wanted one. Until they mentioned the cost at the end.
At the moment I'm trying to get to, and then clear the land around the buildings so that they stop returning to nature. Even a push-along flail mower would be too much for this, a lot of it is quite tight and I want to keep some of the surviving trees and pretty plants.
What I do have is a strimmer with a brush cutter and lots of enthusiasm. For the moment.
I got a brush-cutting end with mulching bits on the end and this gets through it a lot better than a standard brush cutter. When I come to do the big open fields, I expect I will rent a walk-behind flail mower. Unless I can find a farmer who wants the grass for silage. but I don't think it's good enough quality for that.
Apparently, LPG gas suppliers want but an entry and exit point to the tank. Explosive, danger, something, something... So once I found it, I cut a path in and out.
At the moment I'm trying to get to, and then clear the land around the buildings so that they stop returning to nature. Even a push-along flail mower would be too much for this, a lot of it is quite tight and I want to keep some of the surviving trees and pretty plants.
What I do have is a strimmer with a brush cutter and lots of enthusiasm. For the moment.
I got a brush-cutting end with mulching bits on the end and this gets through it a lot better than a standard brush cutter. When I come to do the big open fields, I expect I will rent a walk-behind flail mower. Unless I can find a farmer who wants the grass for silage. but I don't think it's good enough quality for that.
Apparently, LPG gas suppliers want but an entry and exit point to the tank. Explosive, danger, something, something... So once I found it, I cut a path in and out.
CellarDoor said:
I was only kidding about the manitou however they are very useful for construction and landscaping projects.
Speaking from experience of a large home project your budgeting skills will need to be on the ball and focused initially on planning, access, utilities and the house.
The fancy landscaping can wait however I was just urging you to avoid the lawn tractors. The manufacturers will tell you that they can cope with 3+ acres however your garden would need to be like a cricket pitch from the offset. Your setting (like mine) requires something more robust in the long term.
I have a range of grounds. the plan with the lawn tractor would be to pull a self-powered flail mower for the bigger fields, then use the cutting deck around the house, where the grass isn't too bad. I have also sprung for a good one with a V-twin engine and hydrostatic drive. it came with a trailer, which arrived today, but no tractor yet.Speaking from experience of a large home project your budgeting skills will need to be on the ball and focused initially on planning, access, utilities and the house.
The fancy landscaping can wait however I was just urging you to avoid the lawn tractors. The manufacturers will tell you that they can cope with 3+ acres however your garden would need to be like a cricket pitch from the offset. Your setting (like mine) requires something more robust in the long term.
It's cold and wet out, so I assembled it inside in an unused room. Upon completion, I immediately regretted it. that thing was heavy to partly disassemble again, and then hoof out the main door.
LooneyTunes said:
Prizam said:
I might be already maxing out my man maths as it is
You say that, but look at the cost of hiring vs what it costs to depreciate/run machinery. Buy second hand plant and it'll often hold a lot of value.In doing various jobs, I've easily paid for 3x good chainsaws and managed to justify the ownership of multiple bits of plant.
There's also the convenience of having the kit there when you need it instead of struggling by without for jobs where you can't justify the hassle and cost of hiring when you only really need it for an hour or two that day/week.
And yes, seeing it whip through a small tree without even vibrating does make even the most lacklustre safety-conscious person pay attention to what they are doing with it.
I went to get out my trusty chainsaw, it's just a little one. And, it wouldn't start. The fuel pickup pipe had gone brittle and snapped off in the tank. I ordered some more fuel line, and got about 10 meters of the stuff. Replaced the pickup line and whilst the chainsaw will now start up, it doesn't run right and lacks power.
I'm going to spend some time servicing the brush cutter and chainsaw this weekend before a mammoth clearing session. but man maths is already kicking in telling me to get a new chainsaw. I mean, I needed a bigger one anyway, right? And that old chain... well... it could do with being replaced. That's half the cost of a new saw. And it not running right.
In other news, this weekend I need to clear around all of the buildings. I cut a path around a corner so I could at least see one of the buildings I needed to clear.
My theory at the moment is that if I am going to save any of them, I need to stop nature from taking over. The best way to do this is to clear a path to each of the buildings, and then clear the immediate area around the walls.
I think it might be a bit late for this one though. If you look through the sun glare, you can see a section of the wall has fallen down. I expect it's a Cobb wall, so repairs should be easy enough. But really, other than a few cobb walls... what in that building would be salvageable?
My theory at the moment is that if I am going to save any of them, I need to stop nature from taking over. The best way to do this is to clear a path to each of the buildings, and then clear the immediate area around the walls.
I think it might be a bit late for this one though. If you look through the sun glare, you can see a section of the wall has fallen down. I expect it's a Cobb wall, so repairs should be easy enough. But really, other than a few cobb walls... what in that building would be salvageable?
As I sit here, thinking about limbering up to take on the huge amount of clearance I promised myself I would do today, my mind turns to Pistonheads procrastinations and writing a small update, and requesting some Kevin McCloud help.
The chainsaw
New fuel line installed, and it runs like a bag of crap. I then spent ages taking it all apart again, servicing the carb, cleaning all filters, checking the spark and the condition of the plug etc... All together again and it still ran poorly. I turned up the fuel mixture and it ran perfectly for a minute. Then crapped out again. another half hour of sweating at it and I put it away. but first, I went to drain the fuel from it to use in the brush cutter. EMPTY! I should have applied Occam's razor logic first.
The bush cutter
I cleaned the filters and sharpened the blade. put it all back together again but didn't get to test this because it was out of fuel, and the chainsaw didn't have any to donate. I have been abusing this tool a LOT. Hopefully, it starts today so I can clear another acre of head-height brambles. And if it's now broken too? Oh well, never mind. what a shame. Etc...
The help!
My wife is complaining that it's cold, and, to be honest. On occasion, I feel it too.
I want to do something with this fireplace.
The chimney is in good condition but the rest has obviously been "altered". I fancy putting in a Pellet stove, so it can be turned on and off when needed. it's going to be a formal dining room, and won't get much use. Pellet stoves all seem to be a bit big for the hole. (Story of my life). I have found one that would work out, and as a bonus, it can also come with a back boiler. But DAMN they are expensive and are filled with pellets through the top. Refilling the hopper might be a bit of a pain if it's crammed in. And, for some reason, no one included dimentions with the refill flap open.
Any thoughts on how to get a pellet stove to fit? Or alternate suggestions on what to do with the space? I would like to keep the fireplace as an original feature if I can.
The chainsaw
New fuel line installed, and it runs like a bag of crap. I then spent ages taking it all apart again, servicing the carb, cleaning all filters, checking the spark and the condition of the plug etc... All together again and it still ran poorly. I turned up the fuel mixture and it ran perfectly for a minute. Then crapped out again. another half hour of sweating at it and I put it away. but first, I went to drain the fuel from it to use in the brush cutter. EMPTY! I should have applied Occam's razor logic first.
The bush cutter
I cleaned the filters and sharpened the blade. put it all back together again but didn't get to test this because it was out of fuel, and the chainsaw didn't have any to donate. I have been abusing this tool a LOT. Hopefully, it starts today so I can clear another acre of head-height brambles. And if it's now broken too? Oh well, never mind. what a shame. Etc...
The help!
My wife is complaining that it's cold, and, to be honest. On occasion, I feel it too.
I want to do something with this fireplace.
The chimney is in good condition but the rest has obviously been "altered". I fancy putting in a Pellet stove, so it can be turned on and off when needed. it's going to be a formal dining room, and won't get much use. Pellet stoves all seem to be a bit big for the hole. (Story of my life). I have found one that would work out, and as a bonus, it can also come with a back boiler. But DAMN they are expensive and are filled with pellets through the top. Refilling the hopper might be a bit of a pain if it's crammed in. And, for some reason, no one included dimentions with the refill flap open.
Any thoughts on how to get a pellet stove to fit? Or alternate suggestions on what to do with the space? I would like to keep the fireplace as an original feature if I can.
CharlesdeGaulle said:
I'd endorse the recommendation for a wood burner rather than pellet there, especially if the room is only rarely used. Wouldn't pellets be overkill?
My thoughts were that you could click a button and the heat would come on when you are using the room, and then push a button to turn it off again. You can also set a temperature and leave it.I do have a wood burner in another room. I love them, but they do need tending to.
DonkeyApple said:
mikey_b said:
Depends on the definition of 'rarely used'. If the room is used every few weeks, but for hours at a time on those occasions, then a wood burner is a good idea. If it's used for 30 minutes at a time, then a gas-powered looky-likey stove (or even an electric one) would be a better bet for it's instant heat.
It certainly boils down to how a particular space is used and also how it's connected to the rest of the property. Large, open area where residual heat is of huge benefit and it's worth considering a stove built in to a large thermal mass, the same principal as a range cooker or underfloor. Room that's used for significant periods of the day but not every day then a cast iron log burner is ideal. A room which you tend to just be in for a short time and gas makes the most sense.
Om said:
We have a (worryingly similar looking, though our taste in wall art differs) open fireplace in our formal dining room. We also only use the room occasionally, but do have central heating radiators in there. We fitted a small wood burner in the space when we remodelled the room. It is easy to light/keep going when we need it and there is little cleaning or setting up required. I would opt to keep it simple with something like that.
It's a "formal" dining room. It does have a radiator in it and once I have finished making the rest of the system smart, I will be able to turn it on and off individually.I'm going to make a lot of the groundfloor, and all bathrooms wet under floor heating, but the dining room will be carpeted.
I think I will take the advice here and just put in a small log burner, I'm ok at setting fire to things and just plugging up the open chimney will probably make it quite a bit warmer.
LooneyTunes said:
Have you had a wood burner before? (Serious question, not sarcastic) as if you build your stack Scandi/top-down style you can can usually get them burning with minimal input needed (with ours can light it, good couple of hours before it needs another log, then a log every ~60 mins but easy to get going again if you leave it a little longer). If you get them with external air supplies then they don’t drag cold air into the property eithe. .
If you’re doing a full refurb of the house then consider underfloor heating + log burner. Had that combination in previous house (self-build) and doing it again in my office.
Setting fire to stuff is something I'm very good at. Allegedly.If you’re doing a full refurb of the house then consider underfloor heating + log burner. Had that combination in previous house (self-build) and doing it again in my office.
UFH was always in the plan.
Om said:
We have a (worryingly similar looking, though our taste in wall art differs) open fireplace in our formal dining room. We also only use the room occasionally, but do have central heating radiators in there. We fitted a small wood burner in the space when we remodelled the room. It is easy to light/keep going when we need it and there is little cleaning or setting up required. I would opt to keep it simple with something like that.
Not my choice in wall art, fortunately. Prizam said:
I did some clearing a couple of days ago and whilst my Nija Death Star, brush cuter extreme attachment will slice through branches a couple of inches thick, I won't go through a tree.
And yes, seeing it whip through a small tree without even vibrating does make even the most lacklustre safety-conscious person pay attention to what they are doing with it.
I went to get out my trusty chainsaw, it's just a little one. And, it wouldn't start. The fuel pickup pipe had gone brittle and snapped off in the tank. I ordered some more fuel line, and got about 10 meters of the stuff. Replaced the pickup line and whilst the chainsaw will now start up, it doesn't run right and lacks power.
I'm going to spend some time servicing the brush cutter and chainsaw this weekend before a mammoth clearing session. but man maths is already kicking in telling me to get a new chainsaw. I mean, I needed a bigger one anyway, right? And that old chain... well... it could do with being replaced. That's half the cost of a new saw. And it not running right.
I got the chainsaw running great, when it's cold. Once warm it splutters and dies. Holding the revs and reducing the mixture makes it stall out. It seems to only want to run if the mixture is as rich as it can be, and even then it won't run properly. I think the fuel pump on it is nackerd.And yes, seeing it whip through a small tree without even vibrating does make even the most lacklustre safety-conscious person pay attention to what they are doing with it.
I went to get out my trusty chainsaw, it's just a little one. And, it wouldn't start. The fuel pickup pipe had gone brittle and snapped off in the tank. I ordered some more fuel line, and got about 10 meters of the stuff. Replaced the pickup line and whilst the chainsaw will now start up, it doesn't run right and lacks power.
I'm going to spend some time servicing the brush cutter and chainsaw this weekend before a mammoth clearing session. but man maths is already kicking in telling me to get a new chainsaw. I mean, I needed a bigger one anyway, right? And that old chain... well... it could do with being replaced. That's half the cost of a new saw. And it not running right.
My brush cutter has also crapped out. The handles fractured, so I rammed some extra bolts in it to hold it together. The carb and air cleaner fell off, Luckily I noticed really quickly. Repaired with another bolt. And then the engine seized. I want to get a camera in the spark plug hole to confirm, but pulling on the cord I can hear it grinding away. Possibly piston rings.
With blistered hands, bruised body and 2 man tools down, I think I need a bigger machine.
Still, not a bad effort eh?
Turned this.
In to this
Cleared a parth to the gas tank
Made a path to no whare
Ohh... and found a bridge.
I also cleared a path around all of the buildings, so i guess the thread title is no longer correct
ferret50 said:
I hope that you are burning all that rubbish....not the buildings or the Royce of course....just the cut down stuff.Get the wife to stand close to the bonfire, will keep 'er nice and warm!
The stuff I cut down is in the pictures. The blade I am using has these little hooked ends that mulch the overgrowth as igo. I then run the mower over it in mulch mode once it has dried out. this happens surprisingly quickly.I have rented a walk-behind brush cutter for next weekend. The videos online show it walking through small trees, so hopefully, it should do the job.
A new chainsaw is on order, it's another one made from Chinesium. But this time with a bigger engine and bar. I have a tree to chop back this weekend so I can see down the road at the end of the drive.
The lawn tractor still hasn't turned up, the grass around the house is getting quite long again and I really do not want to do it with the lawnmower again. Last night I attempted to get to the end of the fields, but I couldn't. The grass and whatever else is growing down there, ended up being taller than me. Job for the brushcutter.
gmaz said:
This needs a Jonny Smith / Late Brake Show Barn find episode.
If it ends up being mine, I might give him a shout. I might also do my own version of it if the folk of Pistonheads would watch me rabbeting on about an old banger.The issue with getting some one else in, is I am keen NOT to give away my location.
MBVitoria said:
Hang on, have I missed the bit where OP explains how he bought a house that comes with an immaculate Rolls-Royce which he doesn't (yet) own?
Assuming some sort of probate sale?
This is turning into one of my favourites, keep it coming!
Not probate, but probably classed as a "distressed" sale. The house didn't reach the open market before I snapped it up. Estate agents, cash waiting type of deal.Assuming some sort of probate sale?
This is turning into one of my favourites, keep it coming!
I'm letting the previous owner keep the car in the garage here until they figure out what to do with it. I have offered what I consider to be a fair price for it, but it probably holds sentimental value worth more than my offer.
I probably could be a jerk and say "It's my car now". But I'm not wired that way. That said, I do need to try and call the previous owners. I said 2 weeks and it's been a month now. the "Tractor" arrives today and that garage space would look good with a new toy parked in it.
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