How we got here

Well we never did make it to Morocco, though we did visit lots of other nice places in the last few months. I spent nowhere near as much time on my bike(s) as I thought I would, but sometimes a rest is no bad thing.

The plan from the start was to find somewhere nice on our travels, that we could call home. France had always been the main contender, but if it was not for meeting Richard and Helen in Spain, we would not have discovered the area where we are buying our land now.

Not far from Poitier our plot of land situated in a rural setting has a wonderful microclimate which boasts more than 2000 hours of sunshine a year, which is slightly more than that found along the M62 corridor, where until very recently we've lived.

Our house is going to be built from straw bales, and though not completely eco friendly, we will endeavour where possible to use locally bought materials, and create an energy efficient house.

The land came with a "certificat d’urbanisme" which is basically a document, that says it should be possible to build a house on the land. Next step is to gain a "un permis de construire" which is a detailed planning permit. After which we can start building.

Via the sellers of the land we have been introduced to a trainee architect who will prepare the plans required for the permis. Also in the pipeline is an assesment of the site for the installation of the "fosse septique" aka septic tank, as there is no mains sewage.

Once we take permission of the land, we will locate a static caravan on the site, whilst we build the house.

Presuming that the planning application goes through without hitches, completion on the land will take 2 to 3 months though of course we are prepared for a longer wait...