Barn Hunting

OK I'll admit it, I am still watching the relocation programmes on the TV. I know I promised that I would wean myself off them but occasionally I give in to temptation.

I suppose that this is what has prompted us to start looking for a barn to convert in Cornwall. Well let me be the first to tell you what you have always suspected, Estate Agents photo's often bare no relation to the truth, well slight exaggeration but soft focus and wide angle lenses can give a very misleading impression........ We went down to Cornwall this weekend to see two barns 'with potential'. The first we saw was so far up an unmade track that only the very brave, or foolhardy, would venture there after dark. Admittedly it was a big barn but there wasn't any land with it and it was surrounded by a working farm on three sides.

The second 'barn' wasn't, it was a cow shed, and not a very big one at that. When we found the farm all the gates we padlocked, Dave phoned the Estate Agent who told us just to climb over them!!! When we worked our way around to the front of the cow shed the new owner of the farm house came out to see us and very kindly gave us the guided tour. Well I say kindly but she was very keen to stress all the negative aspects, to such an extent that I was beginning to get suspicious of her motives. Later that afternoon when we spoke again with the Agents they told us that we had just missed out and an offer had been accepted that very afternoon........hmmnn.

Monday took us to another Barn near to Bude. This farmer was selling the farmhouse, a large barn and a smaller barn/milking shed. All three properties come with a big chunk of land. All three would made a fab home, the only problem we can see is the cost of removing all the old agricultural buildings (a prerequisite of the planning consent), the removal of all the concrete areas around the buildings (huge job), installing electricity and sinking a bore hole for the water supply, oh yes and installing a septic tank! I am sure that they will be snapped up soon and I would love to live there but we have to look at the financial implications before we can even consider making on offer. Fingers crossed for the lottery