Weather

[MountainGoat]

Simple solution, buy a house half way up a hill like mine. The river Tweed is about half a mile away from our house and 500 ft above it.

[helen&tony]

Hi Tony
Yup...that's what I look for in a house...not on a valley floor, check height above sea level, not on a hilltop....also check prevailing local weather conditions...check for damp, check for cracks in walls....blah, blah....I do that every house purchase...Another good point is to check the region for earth tremors. England has more earth tremors than many other places in the world...BUT they're all small, but can cause nightmare problems with plasterwork...Also...in the S.W. England check for radon gas. Strangely enough, in our village, a house in the village centre can be shrouded in mist, and our house can be clear....and only a little difference in height from the valley floor...The difference is quite important health-wise!
Cheers
Helen

[mikeonb4c]

The one that gets you is always the one you hadn't considered. There are good reasons for wanting to live within easy distance of shops, doctor, bus, neighbour, schools etc. esp as you get old and infirm or are raising small kids. And towns are historically often built near rivers, for good reason. So whilst it is easy to feel smug about having a house safe from this particular and very present risk, there are others that the average housebuyer might get caught out on. For example, is that hillside stable, should the ground suffer prolonged waterlogging and/or extremes of saturating and drying out. Etc. etc.

The real thing to remember I think is that we are (supposed to be) one nation. We cannot and should not abandon (or fail to adequately protect) communities within it when a misfortune of this sort strikes, and we should be applying our best talent, efforts and research into trying to anticipate and insure against such a clear and present risk before it happens instead of just expecting people to (be able to afford to) insure against the damage caused by flooding after it happens. The Cumbria flood damage will cost £100s millions to fix apparently - I think I heard that the inadequate flood defences cost £45m (and that, after the last lot of £100s millions flood damage from the 2005 floods). Crazy

[MountainGoat]

Opps! I meant that the River Tweed is about 500 ft BELOW our house. Still as the towns round here are built in Glens (valleys) and the approach roads to them wind round the hillsides we are just off the main Carlisle to Edinburgh road 5 mins from the bus stop and just over a mile out of town. With four buses an the hour if you don't fancy using the car the location could not be better. An added bonus is that the road into town is level for over three quarters of the way.

As far as the condition of the house is concerned Helen. Mine is a new house as I could not find an old one to fix up near enough to town, even then I got the builder to make a few alterations for me as it was built. It helps being a chartered architect and the son of a master plasterer to whom I was apprenticed to for a few years before jumping ship.

[mikeonb4c]

Opps! I meant that the River Tweed is about 500 ft BELOW our house.

Ha ha yes spotted that Tony but suspected that with your housebuying savvy you'd be unlikely to make that mistake

Then again, you never know with architects, and you'd certainly be unlikely to be surprised by rising water:

[Bob]

Crikey.

You'd be trading in Bongy for Stingray.

Not as versatile, though.

[MountainGoat]

I wish. In my dreams. Counting fish rather than sheep to get to sleep must be very therapeutic.

[dunslair]

Opps! I meant that the River Tweed is about 500 ft BELOW our house. Still as the towns round here are built in Glens (valleys) and the approach roads to them wind round the hillsides we are just off the main Carlisle to Edinburgh road 5 mins from the bus stop and just over a mile out of town. With four buses an the hour if you don't fancy using the car the location could not be better. An added bonus is that the road into town is level for over three quarters of the way.

As far as the condition of the house is concerned Helen. Mine is a new house as I could not find an old one to fix up near enough to town, even then I got the builder to make a few alterations for me as it was built. It helps being a chartered architect and the son of a master plasterer to whom I was apprenticed to for a few years before jumping ship.

Yep Tony is yer man if you want to know about the finer art of getting plastered.......

Hope you and June are well?

All the best

David.

[MountainGoat]

Nicely put David. Where have you been hiding, I haven't seen you for ages.

[helen&tony]

Hi
To be honest, we were looking at troglodyte living for a while, but the areas of France we looked at were all prone to flooding, and they tend to be BIG rivers in France....gorgeous accommodation , though...then we looked at buying a barge...not much problem with flooding there!.
Everywhere has problems ....over here, landslides are not unusual when it rains...It tends to be like a flippin' monsoon when it starts, and a lot of soil and stones washed into the roads is very common here
Cheers
Helen

[mikeonb4c]

Hi
To be honest, we were looking at troglodyte living for a while, but the areas of France we looked at were all prone to flooding, and they tend to be BIG rivers in France....gorgeous accommodation , though...then we looked at buying a barge...not much problem with flooding there!.
Everywhere has problems ....over here, landslides are not unusual when it rains...It tends to be like a flippin' monsoon when it starts, and a lot of soil and stones washed into the roads is very common here
Cheers
Helen

Yes, the UK maritime climate means we get evaporated ocean dumped on us more whereas I expect you get more cunim type flash flooding. That barge could still get swept away or carried inland

[Bob]

Barge into something?

[helen&tony]

Hi
Err..we were looking for moorings in France...not many places in the UK for a 30 metre plus vessel...great living accommodation though, and in the right spot no difficulty with neighbours!!!!
Cheers
Helen