chelsea Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Just been to look at a chocolate box cottage in the countryside for sale. Been harrassing the hubby to move for years.... and spotted a little cottage for sale about 7 miles from us. Its lovely, pink, thatched with an orchard (for when I get my pigs) , gardens, surrounded by fields and no neighbours which would mean I could get more chickens and a cockrel We are going to view it inside on Monday. Trying to win hubby around....but hes very dubious because its Grade 2 listed and it does need a new thatch (its covered in moss) and it says on the estate agents details it needs "modernisation" which sounds like re-wiring and stuff. People are living in it...as it has furniture/carpets/curtains in it. Does anyone have any experience of Grade 2 listed houses? and the pitfalls if any? Any advice welcome. Thanks! (ps im very excitied ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 It sounds wonderful Chelsea - any chance of a piccy? We have a building company,& while we have no real experience of Grade 2 listings, I do know that its not all doom & gloom. Our cottage is 110 years old,but not listed. Sell it to The Hubby as your being responsible for keeping a wonderful peice of British heritage alive. Tell him that the 2 of you are responsible for this beautiful buildings future, & that you NEED to restore it to its former glory. Thatch means a higher insurance premium & the expense of a re thatch every so often, but apart from that I can only really see the positives Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Don't know too much Chelsea, but it sounds lovely! I wanted a thatched cottage but OH is scared of spiders and said you get loads through a thatched roof (later found out this is rubbish ) Depending on the thatch it costs between £20,000-30,000 for a complete thatch. grade II listed is more flexible that grade I. My old flat was a grade II listed and didn't cause any problems, but then I didn't apply for planning permission to extend it. Check the deeds carefully with regard to chickens and pigs ( I'm excited for you)! All the best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooner.girl Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Chelsea! Sounds fab! Am sooooo jealous I must confess i am of the 'oh its so romantic and pretty, who cares?' school of thought when it comes to things like this.... However, remember i said we were helping our friends in Devon house hunt when we were down earlier in the year? I was trying to persuade them to view a pretty thatched cottage but apparantly re-roofing them costs LOADS! Just something to consider.... (I say, go for it anyway and when can i come and stay???! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Don't know too much Chelsea, but it sounds lovely! I wanted a thatched cottage but OH is scared of spiders and said you get loads through a thatched roof (later found out this is rubbish ) I found out the other day that if you fill one of those laundry tablet bags with conkers,it keeps spiders out of the room You could go all around the thatched roof Christian ,Aussie cork hat style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 It is sometimes difficult to get a mortgage on thatched properties. It sounds wonderful - how exciting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 The building where I work is a Grade II listed building. The only snag is that you can't do any exterior alterations without running it by them first. If you do you can be forced to undo it. Very costly, so things like guttering and down pipes, windows etc have to be made by craftsmen for you, at great expense. No Safestyle UK for you with BOGOF! There are limits to interior changes too, ie you can't knock down walls willy nilly without approval. However, if it is the house of your dreams, you will be prepared to accept that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Chelsea - that's lovely!! No wonder you fell in love with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooner.girl Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 BUY IT, BUY IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (and if not - can I?! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 If you don't put in an offer, I will! This is PERFECT!! And there seems to be more than enough room for a Mark 3 in the garden. Go for it. Grade II or not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 That is GORGEOUS! That is the kind of house we went looking for, but somehow we ended up with a newbuild eco-friendly house nicknamed the 'Balamory' house by the local primary school because it's painted Orange! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 The garden in one half of the picture is just one half. the other side of the cottage is the orchard. It also has off road parking for about 5 cars and a garage and room for our caravan! Its was on the market a few months ago and disappeared. Its now back on the market £50k cheaper. its £225,000........can you believe how cheap it is. its surrounded by fields and within walking distance of a small village with pub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 It has definitely got your name on it Chelsea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 I know ! thanks you guys. Im very impulsive, heart rules head, optimistic, dreamer type person. Hubby is doom and gloom, (as is my mother - just been on the phone to her for half an hour), Hubby's dad is in the building trade (also full of doom and gloom) so im sure they will all bring me back down to reality on Monday after we've seen it. I will let you know But we can dream eh??!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paola Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 The garden in one half of the picture is just one half. the other side of the cottage is the orchard. It also has off road parking for about 5 cars and a garage and room for our caravan! Its was on the market a few months ago and disappeared. Its now back on the market £50k cheaper. its £225,000........can you believe how cheap it is. its surrounded by fields and within walking distance of a small village with pub. Miss doom and gloom here Rings alarm bells that it has dropped so much in price Having said that it is gorgeous and I can see why you have fallen in love with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 Dont worry Paola, Ive already had that from my mum! Also had - "its in the middle of nowhere, what about if you get burgled and theres no neighbours" !! (hubby works nights) my reply is im getting another german shepherd! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paola Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Having no neighbours is an advantage "Ooops, word censored!"ody to complain about the noisy animals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Go for it Chelsea - you have dreamt long enough and this could be a reality! Imagine the long hot summers with the chicks milling around the garden and you with a cold beer in hand enjoying the open view. OH & I bought our place 12 months ago and it was a wreck - needed rewire, new windows, new roof in places, re plastering etc we are just putting the finishing touches to it now and we love it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Looks wonderful Chelsea! We had a grade 2 thatch when we lived in Cambs. It meant we would have never got planning permission to extend, so make sure its going to be big enough for all you want, although it looks like it had an extension at some stage.... that seems a bit strange to me... was it done with permission? If not, then you will not get a mortgage... or worse, would only get a mortgage on teh value of the house, without it, and have to have the extended part taken down. It also looks like it has modern style windows? Are you sure its Grade 2 listed? A complete re-thatch should cost no more than £40 000. It does look like it might need some work on it: Moss on a roof is not a good sign. Insuring a thatch is not a problem, but usually a mortgage company will insist you use the company they recommend, otherwise they won't give you the mortgage. When we got ours, Northern Rock were brilliant... although that was over 10 years ago.... when you have it re-thatched, they will insist on putting smoke detectors into the roof, which is a very sensible precaution. Its amazingly cheap! Its not in a flood zone or something is it? It is definitely just newly painted isn't it? You can check that out by following this link and putting in the postcode. http://maps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/mapController It looks so wonderful! Go and have a look. Take OH with you... I'm sure you'll both fall in love with it if its the right place for you! How exciting!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted March 22, 2007 Author Share Posted March 22, 2007 Thanks for all the info Annie Yes it does say Grade 2 listed, and I know what you mean about the windows, I would definitely want to replace them they dont match the house. We would take into account the re-thatch if we were ever to put in an offer. Is the insurance for a thatch incredibly high? Some people are telling us double to normal houses hubby is a smoker....so he would have to smoke outside, and no BBQ'S for us Funny you should say about flooding,.....well a bit further down the road is a small stream/ford ......im going to look into this. I spotted the house months ago and it was £275k it went from the market and came back on sale yesterday at £225k. I know its only 2 bedrooms but at £225k in Devon in the countryside IS cheap, when you consider we ourselves live in a semi on an estate worth approx £160k. Which concludes this cottage is either a money pit or they really need a quick sale or something like that.......we shall see Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina C Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Here is a site that has lots of info - including stories from other people who took the plunge. http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/ There might be some useful links (eg insurance) on there too. My boss set it up this site as a little sideline - he is passionate about period properties and has owned a few listed ones. A few years ago we looked at several thatched (Cambridgeshire) cottages - renovated and unrenovated - but decided they weren't right for us. But if you love them - go for it. Good luck and let us know what you decide to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolinep Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 It looks absolutely beautiful Chelsea I'm interested as to why the price has been dropped We had to re-wire, new plumbing/heating/ boiler, kitchen, bathroom etc etc etc etc before we could move into our house. BUT it was well worth it. See what you think when you get to view the inside Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 It may have dropped in price because people were being put off by needing to re thatch etc, and now the drop would allow for that. An old, thatched house shouldn't be hard to upkeep as long as you know just what the condition is, and take into a/c the extra cost of thatching & insurance. Although it will have those costs, it will always be an attractive house retaining it's value (unless there's something else you don't know about yet.) So if it does turn out right for you both, it'll be great. The only other thing I would add is, as Egluntine & others suggested, be realistic about what you possibly won't be able to do. If there is anything that desperately needs changing, don't just assume that you'll be able to without checking, however reasonable it sounds to you. An example; I know someone whose semi detached house was half of an ancient former pub, beams low ceilings etc, full of character. When the other semi decided to their house, my friend was in a position to buy theirs and restore the building to one dwelling. The interior permission was fine. But, externally, they decided to remove the more modern rendering from one side, leaving the brick exposed across the whole building, as it would have been originally. They weren't allowed to! Everyone who visited thought that their plan was restorative & beautiful. But, they were told they had to re render! So, don't make assumptions, and also check that what has been done already is OK, as Annie said. Other than that, I would love it to work out for you! All those chickens! It's a lovely cottage, best wishes xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 No advice to give, just that the cottage looks lovely I have been to look at a propety today as well. OH is doing this but secretly I think he likes it as well We hope to view properly at the weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
