studley Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Does anyone have any experience of building/living in a log cabin? I'm due to graduate this summer and have a job lined up so the next step is some sort of accommodation. Without much of a deposit a mortgage at the moment is off the cards until I can save (probably jointly with my girlfriend) and the cost of renting is a huge portion of my graduate salary before bills, council tax etc. The parents are happy for me to stay at home for a while longer so I'm very lucky in that respect however I'm ready to fly the nest ASAP. There are a couple of family members who I am thinking of approaching with land to ask permission to put up a log cabin as a temporary bolt hole/man cave. Has/is anyone done/doing this? What is the pigeon watch advice, should I just save straight away for a deposit for something bricks and mortar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbietherimmer Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 youd need planning permission/building approval so best check with cooncil planning dept otherwise your relatives would end up in bovva. Not wanting to put a dampner on it but the cost to build a log cabin (to current building standards suitable to live in) will probably be prohibitive as it`ll end up almost as much as building a proper house. By that I mean a brick and block or timber frame construction. I could go on but my advice is stay with the folks until such time as you can save a deposit; also look at government schees for 1st time buyers where you need no deposit but will pay the government funded deposit back in line with your normal mortgage payments. ATB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Thing is, even if you can get permission from someone to put a log cabin up, there's a lot more to it than that. For example ... Water supply Electricity Sewerage Access / hardstanding for parking (just think wet, muddy, wintertime) Bins / council tax And then, there's planning ... now, I don't exactly know the planning law these days (though I used to), but you can't just move into a log cabin that you've put up, and not expect the local authority to take a large interest in what you are doing. After all, if it's a residence, then they are going to want council tax. If it's down as a bolt-hole/shed, then if (or when) they come past in the evening, and see you living there, and a TV on, and beds in place ... .you're in trouble. And if you decided to keep it quiet, you are assuming nobody in the area or walking past sees it, and reports it to the council, and you get the surprise knock on the door. In all honesty, it's going to be a lot of money up front (for the cabin, and services connections, and installation, and all the other bits), that it's likely to chew up most - if not all - of the deposit you've got saved up for a proper house Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuji Shooter Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Speak to Ant at www.loghouseholidays.co.uk He is not far from you and currently has 6 you can try out. He has lived in one for years. He was also the UK agent for a Finnish Log Cabin company so knows the score. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoggieman Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 I would be tempted to buy a decent caravan then site it were you fancy. You will have everything you would need and could sell it or change it when you felt like it. You would not need planning consent if you did not occupy it full time could run a leccy lead to the caravan and use an aqua roll for your water toilets could be emptied down any sewage man hole. Last big contract I had before my accident was down at Eversham My wife and I lived in our caravan for just short of a year there were about ten other contractors on the same site it was the best time of my life. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 My daughter lives in a Log Cabin in our garden. Its 5x4 metres and the total cost was around £6k but she uses the facilities in the house so we didn't need planning permission . Things I would suggest are-the base needs to be good and concrete is best, you really need insulation inside as it gets really cold in the winter and also make sure that the wood is sourced from the coldest country possible and not the UK-wood grown in colder climates grows slower and is stronger. I'm just outside MK and you are welcome to come take a look if it helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Firstly try reading / subscribing to log home living a USA magazine publication. We have lived for short periods in them in cold and hot environments, the are very eco friendly once you get over the big amount of concrete that they sit on. Having lived in a large caravan in the worst winter in many years I should recommend you sack that idea off. There used to be a planning loophole on agricultural workers living in a log cabin as it was classed as temporary in planning legislation, I knew I keeper who got the land for a peppercorn rent and needed no planning. You cannot compare build cost and pricing of a brick home and a log home. Labour with a skilled team is so much quicker with a log home (the biggest cost) and you don't need to board them out or paint all the insides (have a look at how much it costs to decorate a traditional brick home) frankly everything is different. Planners do have targets to meet on low co2 homes so don't be put off if you have the land and can buy a good one that fully meets your present AND FUTURE NEEDS (built by the right contractors) it will likely outlast you. Besides which they are Cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
four-wheel-drive Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 That program on the TV about the planers the other day I thought summed it up there was a guy working in the woods and made himself a log cabin as he said that he needed to be there 24/7 and they would only give him a temporary permisision for three years. At the same time there was some people who wanted to put a load of luxury cabins to rent out in the woods and although they did not pass it but I got the impression that it would get through in the end Its the same with building a big house on greenfield sites try to build a pair of senies and you will get refused but if you want to build a big house and you have got a good chance of getting it passes the power of the pound note. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 That program on the TV about the planers the other day I thought summed it up there was a guy working in the woods and made himself a log cabin as he said that he needed to be there 24/7 and they would only give him a temporary permisision for three years. At the same time there was some people who wanted to put a load of luxury cabins to rent out in the woods and although they did not pass it but I got the impression that it would get through in the end Its the same with building a big house on greenfield sites try to build a pair of senies and you will get refused but if you want to build a big house and you have got a good chance of getting it passes the power of the pound note. A good planning consultant is worth their pay cheque, there is a lady locally and people say she can get anything through that she takes on (without brown envelopes). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
four-wheel-drive Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 A good planning consultant is worth their pay cheque, there is a lady locally and people say she can get anything through that she takes on (without brown envelopes). Are you implying that she is sitting on the best way to get your permission approved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Are you implying that she is sitting on the best way to get your permission approved No in all honesty a lot of people sit in jobs without taking active interest in proper updates and changes. She has a good reputation for knowing ALL the facts and being up to date nothing to do with who she might be dating or otherwise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studley Posted March 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Cheers for the input guys, firstly its the cool factor having a wood stove and making a man cave appeals to me a lot. I start work as a surveyor soon so have a fair knowledge of planning and land law. My thinking really is to reduce costs as much as possible and invest in bricks and mortar so I'm willing to take a hit while i'm still young and make the most of potential good will of family members putting up with a beardy man in the bottom field Kent - thanks for the heads up on log home living, now bookmarked! Thanks for the offer Bruno I may PM you once my exams are done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I think you need to let the head rule the heart If you want a house then you and you girlfriend should save the cash you would spend on a log cabin towards a deposit for bricks and mortar. House prices are now on the up in general and will most likely carry on that way for a good while , you ideally need a minimum deposit of 10 % and even then your mortgage will be a long one unless you have a very good income . If the housing market really takes of you could find that it out strips your saving then you have a problem , so in my opinion live at home save hard and get what you really want as soon as you can , a "man cave" can always go in the garden later ! I brought my first house at 18 , many of my mates laughed at me , they would rather spend their money on fancy cars and drinking 7 days a week . The housing market took off in the 80s and many of them do not own their own home 30 years later , I had the last laugh ! Just my opinion of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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