Selling a house but keeping some land?

[alittlehoarse]

Has anyone any experience of this?

We have a cottage that sits in around 1/3 acre site. We are considering moving for work reasons and because it is a better 'holiday' place than for permanent residence. We are wondering if perhaps we could keep a small piece of land to the side of the cottage to put a summer house on and then sell the cottage, this would still leave the cottage with a sizeable garden.

Just wondered if anyone has done this or has any knowledge about it they'd like to share

Do you mean a summer house as in a glorified garden shed or as in a house for you to use as a holiday home?

You might need planning permission as the summerhouse wouldn't be incidental to the house.

It seems a bit odd- what would you do in the summer house?

It sounds as if you haven't yet accepted that you are leaving your idyllic location. I would get some house valuations first based on both options, considering the drop in value of having a virtually unoccupied residence next to your otherwise dream cottage - who will keep an eye on it for maintenance etc, the cost of registering the change of deeds, planning permission, construction etc. I think financially you would be better to put money into a proper holiday let which you can then rent out the rest of the year.

Not to mention the emotional impact for you of every time you visit being able to see what you have given up and not being able to have it. You are assuming that the people you are selling it to are normal people who don't mind the ex-owners camping out for a while in what would be their garden, a look at the AIBU board will show how many wierd neighbours there are and it could sour all your memories. If it were possible both planning wise and space wise to put a proper residence there, it could work, although then you would need to find tolerant buyers happy to put up with building works in their new idyll.

I'm almost certain that a summerhouse isn't a summerhouse when it doesn't belong to a house any more. If you split the land then built it, you would need planning permission and building consent. If you built it then split the land, you might suddenly find yourself in trouble for illegal development, or you might be able to apply for retrospective PP and BR. In either case, a summerhouse on its own parcel of land would be eligible for council tax, water rates, etc. and you'd probably find you were required to sort out sewage, water supply and other utilities as a condition of your PP, in a way you wouldn't be if you had a summerhouse belonging to a house.

Thanks for all the replies.

In answer to some of the points mentioned.

We have lived in the cottage for 6 years. My dd was born in the cottage and I suppose this brings a bit of emotional attachment to it. The area is beautiful, idyllic, but it is not an easy place to live. Hard winters, difficult to get anything done- if you find yourself with a blocked drain/burst pipe/other household disaster be prepared to wait weeks to get someone come take a look, then charge you twice what it costs in the city to fix it.

We would love to keep our cottage as a holiday home for us but no way finances would allow this. So we came up with the idea of keeping a bit of land to have as somewhere to visit. Not sure if we would build or if could get permission to, or if we would want to camp there/use motorhome or similar. We would make it completely seperate from the cottage. Fenced off and not looking into each other, seperate garden. It is currently seperate anyway as previous owners let out cottage but continued to use the polytunnel which currently sits on the piece we would keep.

I am finding the decision to move difficult so probably very true in saying maybe I am not ready to leave. We have been here since we had dc and so they are settled and the thought of moving them pains me. However my mental health has suffered hugely living in a place where everything is harder and people are not exactly warm and friendly. People are reserved, a sense of humour rare and tbh I miss the warmth and laughter of my life before moving here. I had hoped once we had been here a few years I would feel settled but I don't. I almost feel like I have failed but the truth is I just find the place unfriendly and difficult and I have watched people move away for this very reason. People who were friendly warm people who also felt the place was just bloody difficult.

It seems so nice for the children, the freedom, the space etc but they could have all that for a holiday. DD has had both her best friends move away in the past year. There are so few people, forced friendships are unavoidable.

I know only dh and i can make the decision but I wish someone would tell me what to do. I feel completely unable to make a decision and stick to it.

Christ on a bike, have a glass of wine if you got to the end of my woes..... or a bottle of gin ....

What someone said about marriage value is very true and may make your mind up for you - the cottage may well be worth far more with all the land, and it may indeed be its main draw.

On a general note, I have to say I'm more of a 'yank off the sticking plaster' girl when it comes to making a change. Going back for holidays could be unpleasant and stop you moving on. If you are saying this place has made your mental health suffer, that does sound a reasonable reason to leave.

A friend of mine faced the exact same scenario as you and left, and ultimately is much happier back in the suburban home counties, near family friends and job than it a beautiful but unworkable rural idyll.

Good luck whatever you do.

How would you feel if you went back there and the new owners had changed the garden, repainted the door, changed the windows, built an extension...

Problem is that if you're trying to somehow keep hold of it, are you going to cope with it being someone else's home and you're in acfenced off bit of the old garden?

I think that you would be foolish to do it, tbh.

Thanks crazyhead it helps to hear of people who have been in similar situations and made the change. I agree with the stickkng plaster thing. I just worry about making the wrong decision for the dc. Whilst they have very limited choice of friends at school (tiny school) they are in many ways like a little family, all the children play together regardless of age and the teachers are lovely.

imtoohecsy new people changing things about the cottage wouldn't bother me. I'm not sentimental about the cottage itself other than the fact dd was born in it. It is the location. But I take on board your point. Do you mean you think we would be foolish to divide up the land rather than foolish to leave?

I just mean that you say you're not ready to leave so how would you cope with being on a bit of the land that used to be part of the garden that was part of your house?
Wouldn't it feel bad to come back, if you don't really want to go?

If you don't think that it would make you wish you still lived there, then keep a bit and camp on it, but just based on what you said, I think its easier to walk away than to try to hang on to a bit.

it sounds to me that although you love it it is time to move on. can you find somewhere else semi rural or where there you can find yourself a beautiful place to go -like the top of a mountain or a lovely walk? then you could could always have that?

good luck with it - its hard!!!