Tuesday, July 27, 2004

Carpentry 101

Ok. Here's the deal.

The last pipe-dream (apartment, jacuzzi, etc) disappeared in a puff of estate agents fees last week, so I need another to replace it.

I was sitting in the pub (unusual, I know, but I take by the hind legs and sell it to a Welsh farmer. I'm that kind of guy) and bemoaning the whole thing to my boss, who also happens to be a good friend.

If he had a beard, he would have tugged at it. Instead he sipped his beer, raised an eyebrow and said "Have you ever thought of Self Build?"

I snorted "Oh yeah. I've seen Grand Designs. It costs a fortune, it always goes wrong, and you end up with a TV crew on hand to film the toilet falling to pieces. While its being used."

"No, really" he said, "You don't need to buy anywhere right now, do you? There's a firm that build old-style barns for 90,000 pounds all in for a 2 or 3 bedroom affair. All we'd need to do is get some land. It'd work out much cheaper than that apartment"

"We?"

He looked a little shamefaced and said "I've been thinking of doing something similar for years. The problem is the cost of land - but together we'd have enough to get a large plot; large enough for two properties and plenty of space between."

He gave me some paperwork last night and said "Think about it"

Well, would you?

The photos in the paperwork were beautiful. I have to live in one of these places. And call in some favours from a relative who works in the local planning office.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new pipe-dream.