AIBU to move family into caravan?

[mumofbeagles]

DH and I currently own a 3 bedroom House in the south east. This has recently been sold STC etc and we currently can not afford to buy in the area we want to. Fab schools, loads of green space. It's the country life we want.
Would it be ludicrous to buy a 3 bedroom caravan and move us, our two children, dog and two cats into it?
We will get a reasonable amount out of our house for a deposit, but until youngest Is in school etc I am limited hours I can work etc.
So after much discussion PIL have offered to gift us 1 acre of land for us to put caravan on. It's in the area we want to live etc.
Getting the caravan would mean we would be able to double if not treble our savings potential. So that we can find our dream home and not be mortgaged up to the eyeballs. It would likely be short term 2-3 years. Until my earning potential goes up and so does the deposit.
What are you thoughts, those that have lived 'off grid' what advise would you give
TIA

Has the land got planning for a static caravan?

If the caravan / mobile home / static is an ‘annexe’ to the parents’ house, on their land, then no planning permission is needed.

Though you might need to say their address is your primary residence. Surely your address will be their address, anyway.

I’m not sure why you are doing this really. Could you not tent out your current house? I don’t see how selling up helps you save for a more expensive house... when prices are still rising.

Nor do I see why the 4 year old will view it as an adventure past the first couple of nights, when staying somewhere new is an adventure.

Do it but get a wood burner, I struggled for two years without one, it was miserable and expensive to heat the caravan in winter.

Ring the local authority and find out the primary admissions situation for the 4 year old before doing anything drastic. Unless you want to live in a caravan and home educate...

the 'annexe' to the house only works if the caravan is situated in the curtilage of the house - ie within its domestic boundary. And it cannot be self contained, so cannot have its own kitchen. The idea is that it serves as an extra guest bedroom.
The Op's post suggests it is in a field about 1/2 mile away
It would not be allowed to even be put there for more than 28 days.

www.govyou.co.uk/living-in-a-temporary-dwelling-on-your-own-land/

This sounds like a huge adventure! Go for it. The kids will remember it forever.

I mean, it won’t always be an easy thing to live with.

But when you look back you’ll be proud of your perseverance, your strength and the adventures you gave your children.

They do it all the time in Grand Designs

But you have a 3 bed house? Why are you selling it if you have nowhere to move to?

www.ecolivingspaces.co.uk/garden-building-planning-regulations
britishlogcabins.com/mobile-home-planning/

I love all the people saying 'go for it' but completely ignoring the fact that it cannot be done legally.

worst case scenario, you set it all up, move in, and end up in a hugely stressful battle with the local planning permission and a whole heap of trouble for your parents. And end up homeless with no recourse for help as you have money in the bank

God no. I wouldn’t mind for a week, but living on top of each other for years on end, through cold winters and noisy windy draughty nights sounds awful. Selling your house now sounds like a very bad idea as well-renting it out would be far more astute financially.

What about schools? Having friends back to play? Washing and drying clothes?

@mumofbeagles the PP wasn’t suggesting you rent a house, she was suggesting that you rent out your house for someone else to cover the mortgage. Thus increasing the equity in a property you already own plus being able to save while living in the caravan for as long as you can stand it.

I didn't think you could just put a static in a field without planning permission but in the Post-Cummings world , who knows?

@NettleTea

I love all the people saying 'go for it' but completely ignoring the fact that it cannot be done legally.

worst case scenario, you set it all up, move in, and end up in a hugely stressful battle with the local planning permission and a whole heap of trouble for your parents. And end up homeless with no recourse for help as you have money in the bank

I work for a local council in this area I won’t go oh to detail but we have been told to adopt a very “lite” touch for this kind of thing for the foreseeable future at least given the change in so many people’s financial circumstances

And it is a policy being adopted across the country

28 day camping rule applies unless it is attached to a property, or you have successfully acquired change of use planning, from agricultural land to residential. Take a look at the alternative living group on Facebook, too see how many people would like to do this, but can't because if planning. It comes up nearly every day.

The way around planning is because it's near the parents house. So they can use it as second that, (obviously use it all the time if they want). The kitchen is not a kitchen but a place or keep? medicine and make a drink. There are lots of ways to spin the current regulations.

Also a static can be made to look like a log cabin or tiny house and is perfectly fine for a family with kids and pets. A caravan is something different and op should have stated it was a static. The newer ones ie las 15-20 years are often well made and insulated.

If plumbing, electricity and a septic tank then it the same as moving into a smaller place.

I looked into this and if I had the gifted land to put it on and the house nearby for receiving mail and working within current rules, then I would I'd have done it in a heartbeat.

Some are so well thought out and well planned that you get more space than in many new builds.

@Whatthebloodyell

But you have a 3 bed house? Why are you selling it if you have nowhere to move to?

I'm wondering that. Seems a strange thing to do.

I couldn't live in a caravan. You can hear everything. Kids in bed, you'd have to talk quietly, no television noise.
Nowhere to hang washing if it's raining.

Caravans are great for short breaks but not to live in.

This sounds like a huge adventure! Go for it. The kids will remember it forever. smile

Why do people keep saying this. It will be an "adventure" for about 3 days. Then the novelty will wear off and it will just be the small cramped place you all live.

@InTheWings if you mean me, yes, I was suggesting your rent out your existing home AND rent a place for you to live. And also don't fall into the trap of thinking because childcare is expensive while children are preschool age, it therefore means you will be financially better off if you wait till school age to start work. Starting earlier ALWAYS means better salary later.
If you are on a low income your younger one will get free hours at 2 and if not you will be (almost) nursery-fee free when they are 3 if you are both working.
Balance that against a full 3 years (at least) of no income plus lower income for however many more years you will be working.

Someone above said ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’

Unless you do it legally then ‘the worst’ would be council issued enforcement notice and having to move within a very short timeframe.
You need to look into permitted development certificates
A few have mentioned if you get away with it for 4 years you can then build. It’s now 10 and doesn’t apply in eg Aonb, world heritage sites, green belt etc and is always subject to planning scrutiny.
Good luck op.

I would want a fleet of shepherd's huts, myself.

I'd be worried about two things

This savings plan - how are you going to be able to save enough for the house you want? Savings account rates are crap atm.

School admission for your 4 yo - how will that work? Will you have to give your in laws' address and is that permissible?

As a family of six (children aged between 4 and 11) for a year we lived in a log cabin that we replaced a static caravan with, complying with the relevant planning legislation etc - and as this was within a national park we certainly became intimately acquainted with said legislation.

It was wonderful, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, open plan living area. We never felt too crowded or on top of each other and it was very cosy. We built it ourselves so it cost less than a static caravan. It’s outside dimensions were 20’ x 60’ and it had to be removable in 2 halves. The children still remember the year they spent in it, and none of them were embarrassed by living in it.

If you can get planning permission I’d go for it, if it doesn’t work out it’s not the end of the world, if it does you may have saved enough for a better house. Do buy a caravan with heating, it makes all the difference and would be miserable without.

I’d love it! As long as you’re not the stress type that won’t cope definitely yes!
If you’re happy, kids will be happy.

It's tough OP, and not something you should rush into.
We live in ours and travel. usually for about 8 months of the year.
It depends on how much you like your creature comforts and how much it will cost for storing your stuff. Also, what about school and registering if you don't have an address. You can't use a mobile home as one.