The birth of an idea
I’m Terry, a 61 year old Australian. Mel is 55 and from Wiltshire. We both knew we wanted something different from the life of desperate conformity and relentless capital growth that has brought our existence on this planet to such a precipice.
It Begins…
This just got real for us. Found some land. A nice little 3 acre block with outline planning – half forest with a river. It’s on the edge of a Welsh village near the mid coast – not the cutesy Beddgelert with the coffee shops and steam railway kind of village.
What Next?
…found a plot after numerous journeys to all parts of Wales (looked at houses, farms, restoration projects and plots). It has no services connected but it does have Outline Planning Consent for a 10 x 12 x 7 metre dwelling. 7 metres high? That’s neither single or two story….needs further investigation! Asking price was £130K. Offered £100 and got it. Yikes…game-on. Next step? Massive research into cheap, eco-sound self builds.
Our First Real Glimpse of Eden
After several long months, the Welsh border has opened and this week, we were able to explore our land for the first time in any sort of detail.
This was an event now so loaded with hope and expectation, I almost held back, preferring the sweetness of anticipation (albeit the bitter and frustrated kind). What would we find? Encampments of vagabonds? Fly-tipping, Hostile locals? All were possible.
Instead we found enormous hope and potential coupled with some hopefully not too serious challenges.
Power (and money)
What are our core values? These will inform design choices, materials selection and the lifestyle we create. Of course, there will be some compromise; we don’t have unlimited funds – or even limited but comfortable. We are scraping this together.
So when I say our first guiding principle is to achieve energy self-sufficiency using only renewable sources while remaining stubbornly off-grid, my wallet contracts in my pocket with an involuntary spasm. This tech is very cool but it ain’t cheap.