Narrow Access to a House Advice

[Yeara]

Hello,

We've found a property that ticks all our boxes, my one concern is that it's down a rural no-HGV lane (still a council owned road) but crucially there is a section of it that is max 2.6 meters with houses on each side, so that's a hard limit for getting to the house, which is about 150 meters past there.

Zero problem for cars, and I see delivery vans make it through ok - but I worry this might be a problem if I ever need major building work done etc or even something simple like getting a new bed delivered...

Would this put you off a house, or is it likely to be manageable?

If I ever did need major building work, do builders have ways of managing deliveries like this if you can't get a huge lorry up? I don't see a cement mixer every getting through for example. Yet the current owner manages oil/septic tank trucks no issue.

Sorry it's an odd question, no idea how much these things actually matter in practice or might impact house value in the future. We really appreciate any advice if someone's bought a similar access restricted property.

It would put me off - it is about 8ft 5 inches which is very narrow. How would you get a removal van to it?

I’d be worried about access for emergency vehicles.

That's my thoughts - removals would have to be decanted into a smaller van(s) which is apparently what the owner did. Apparently emergency vehicles can just make it through but I'm not sure I believe that enough to not worry about it. It's a shame for such a nice property, it's not in Cornwall but I imagine some rural areas like that with small roads must face and live with these problems.

But maybe this is a clear case of waiting for a house without such issues.

How long have the current owners neighbours etc lived there? There must be a solution or the houses would be empty. Realistically in life so far how often have you had these type of vehicles visit your current home so far?
Maybe speak to the neighbours?

A few years ago on Madeira, we walked 500 metres to a restaurant, not realising it was a pretty much vertical 500 metres (we arrived knackered and sweating, nice). Along the way up the cliff hill were a lot of houses, all on top of each other. One of the houses was having building work done, and the builders were lugging the rubble down in buckets, on foot. Where there's a will, there's a way.

We live rurally on a single track lane. It’s not ridiculously narrow, a 7.5 ton bin wagon or lorry can get down. Most delivery firms will ask you if it can be delivered on a regular sized truck or will they need a smaller van. Or you tell them if you do. Building work - nowadays they can crane things in if need be. Perhaps speak to a community fire officer for advice, put your mind at ease, or help you decide!

I'm in Cornwall and my initial reaction was to laugh but, just because we put up with it, no reason why you should!

We've got one house where furniture is taken on a pulley over the water!

That sounds quite roomy!
Is it generally a rural area with a lot of narrow lanes or is this an anomaly? If there are a lot of narrow lanes, you'll find many companies already know the house/area and not to send a big lorry.
What Three Words really helps with this situation as you can give the exact location of the narrow bit, the best place to park before the narrow bit, your house and, if necessary, the bit of hedge where the sack barrow is kept for the companies who ignore your instructions or randomly forget theirs.
You will also develop a detailed knowledge of not just which vehicles can get through but the years the model changed and was made wider.
As a PP said, you don't have to put up with this though.

A friend lives in a relatively remote house which is accessed along a track which passes under a really low bridge.
Normal delivery vans are ok but a Luton type is too tall. Furniture deliveries take organising and many times companies have ignored instructions and had to come back with a smaller vehicle. Oil & gas deliveries can't be done by normal tankers and instead have to be done using smaller vehicles (think Transit type with a portable tank on the back).
We can't even visit in our Moho as it is too tall, instead we can only go in our car.

Works for them though and they have been there for decades.

My BiL is having work done on his place in Cornwall at the mo and there is no road to his property. Only a wide footpath, some local firms have permission to use a mini golf buggy type thing to transport building materials etc down the very steep hill so it is, and can be done.

While this is true, it’s also true that you have to add ‘where there’s a wallet, there’s a way’.

A lot of companies will charge extra for the inconvenience. The OP may be happy with that for the right house but it’s something to bear in mind.

I bet they just go up anyway, we drive up/down Churchfield Road off the B1000 google it every day it says no HGVs but there’s actually a builders yard off there so they all go up as do farm vehicles, bin lorries, emergency vehicles, coaches for school trips etc