would you buy land and a barn instead of a house

[upsetandang]

There is a barn and field for sale near where we live. its obviously very much cheaper than a house, but we have no experience in converting barns to houses.

HOWEVER

my dad is a carpenter and a builder. He has 30 decades experience. We have a steady income and we could make it work over a few years. but we would need to live in a caravan or something for the time being to save money, or we could continue to rent out our flat and have less money... I don't know what to do.
my heart says yes but my heart is crazy.

I know its mad but it is the dream and people do do it.

does anyone have any experience?
or thoughts?

thank you in advance

oh we have children. but this would mean they can stay at the same school as its close to where we live now.

I would go for it but not get my Dad to work on it or live in a caravan and I'd get the planning permission sorted out.

Do your homework and if everything stacks up I say go for it!

How old is your dad, and how many years of his life are you thinking he should devote to building your house?

And following on from PigletJohn's post, does your dad know about your plans for him?

I haven't done a conversation but I have done a self build. It'll take longer than you expect, cost more than you expect and put more strain on your significant relationships than you expect. And that's when things are going well. Also, land is lovely but managing it properly isn't the easiest.

I only know two families who have done this, and with both it took years longer than they thought it would, and cost much more than they expected. So as long as you're prepared to live in that caravan for a long while and money isn't an issue, go for it.

Caravans with central heating are really not bad. Drying your washing might be a nightmare! You might need to rope your Mum in to help with that! Total family project. I think it sounds very exciting and a chance to get what you want with land. P.s. Orchard with wild flower seeded underneath just needs cutting and raking off once a year. Simples.