Electricity wires crossing property - what would you think?

[velveteer]

DP and I are about to convert a barn in the middle of the countryside. It's got beautiful views in one direction - but OF COURSE - that's where the wires cross. We're not talking pylons - wooden poles, one thick wire. The quote from the power company is an eyewatering £30k to bury them (ARGH - although we knew before we bought it, it would be expensive...) We do have the money, but obviously would rather spend it on almost anything else. What would you do? The poles aren't on our land, but they cross what will be the garden (the landowners are fine about us working on their land). We plan to be there long term, but obvs need to think about whether it is a decent investment. If we do do it, it makes sense to do it straightaway as we will be doing groundworks anyway. How much would electricity wires put you off? Am I being silly and will barely notice them long-term? Or will they irritate me forever? And also does anyone have any sense of whether it's worth going back to the utility company and saying, err, try again on this quote?

Could you offer to dig the trench (hire a mini digger) and would they then reduce the cost to you?

I was about to say that @TwoLeftSocksWithHoles . @velveteer is the cost with them doing all the ground work? I worked for an electricity network, and the cost is substantially lower if you do the groundwork

I'd do it. Having lived on a new build estate I really notice the mess of wires in other places. My current house the wire is hidden by trees. This is clearly in a place you want to be a focal point, maybe you plan on a little arbour so you can sit and enjoy the view and every time those wires will piss you off.

Same arrangement here. It's a Victorian Street so looks err "quaint" and in keeping. I couldn't care less and always assumed maintenance would be much easier than if they're buried underground.

I'm sure I wouldn't notice them, but I'm not you; the idea of them doesn't bother me in the first place.
Someone I worked for did have some utility or other moved- not sure if it was phone or electric. It cost them a lot of money. Then another utility put a cable/pole in a place that was just as bad. I think they just resigned themselves to it at that point, and planted some trees....

Underground cables need less maintenance as a rule- no falling trees to bring them down, no wind..... But the power losses in transmission are greater, and they don't like doing it.
Where I used to live, the ground wasn't stable in one area close by, and posts kept coming down. The cost of putting in fresh ones and getting the cables back up again pretty frequently was large, and the power cuts were a nuisance, so they eventually put them undrground.

We have them they don’t really cause us any issues except access occasionally

@velveteer Please can you show us a picture? Without sharing your location of course. Zoomed in perhaps?