Bungalow with land, ancient church to renovate

Two awkward properties to show you today. Both have been kicking around on my "possibles" list for a while because I couldn't decide what I thought about them.
This one for instance. Plain and dated bungalow but with a GINORMOUS strip of land stretching out behind it to the Fenland fields beyond.
Honestly, what would you do with that? Run wild horses, zoomie greyhounds, rescue all the chickens?

Paddy's  zoomie

The pasture land is just under three acres, with a garden area in front and to the side of the house.
Plus outbuildings, some in better condition than others, and a brick garage.

The bungalow itself is a reasonable size, two bedrooms, accessible bathroom, separate loo, utility room, a living room and a kitchen diner. 
The bedrooms face onto the land at the back and, personally, I'd look at opening up Bedroom 2 to create one big living, dining, kitchen space with views both ways, and turn the living room into a bedroom.

There's also plenty of space for extending or adding a floor. Or even another house.
It's on the market for a fairly hefty £399,950, presumably the agents were thinking of the land's build-upon potential? But given the lack of buildings on neighbouring plots, I would expect any major development to be a battle.

Also, the property itself isn't registered on the Land Registry - that will be a job you'll need to add to the legal costs of buying it.
All that aside, it's in a good location, in the Cambridgeshire village of Benwick, about eight miles from March and 15 from Peterborough, both with train stations and London commuter links.
On the market through Brown & Co. Details and more pictures on the agent's site here and on Rightmove here.
This next one is also a bit of a price-punt I felt, given the work that will need doing and the permissions and covenants (including overage clause limiting resale profit) that will need agreeing.
It is however a very, very beautiful building.

St. Peter's Church is in the village of Astwood, about six miles from Newport Pagnell, and is the village's landmark building.

 

The 12th century (mostly) church is Grade II* listed and had been closed for a decade. It was put up for sale last year with (now-lapsed) planning permission and Listed Building Consent to convert it into a three-bedroom home, retaining most of the gorgeous original features and structure.

On the one hand you have a beautiful, ancient building in a pretty and practical location which has already made it once, successfully through the listed buildings planning goo.
On the other you have a lot of legals and replanning to sort before you can move forward - aside from the time and money investment needed to turn it into a home.
On the market through Bidwells, with a guide price of £250k. Details and more pictures on the agent's site here and on Rightmove here.
If the idea of redeveloping a church appeals (if not this one), do have a look at my post on churches and where to find them. 
Or just watch Keith and Marj have a go.

Rural smallholdings with multi-family potential

The sun is shining. I'm not trapped at an airport. I don't live in a country run by a sociopathic misanthrope. Three good reasons for me to show you these two properties, and then get out into my garden and plant things. 
I'm concentrating on smallholdings today. Places to escape into hard work - renovating, farming, growing. Places to welcome in Spring, alone or with family and friends.
And I'm going to start here, the biggest of my picks in terms of both scale and price.
Pontbrengarreg has so much to offer - a cosy and cute (dated rather than wrecked) three-bedroom farmhouse, plus a stone smithy ripe for conversion into accommodation, a mobile home in the yard, workshop and outbuildings.

And the biggy - 20 acres of land (yes, 20!) split into 10 parcels, mostly fields and pasture and including young woodland and a lake, plus mature gardens around the farmhouse.

The property is just outside the West Wales village of Llangeitho, about three miles from the market town of Tregaron and about eight from Lampeter.
Downstairs are front and back halls, two reception rooms and the kitchen, with a multifuel stove in the living room and a Rayburn range running the hot water and heating in the dining room. 

This is a project for someone who would rather be outside and digging than inside and painting. Get yourself a chainsaw, and a secondhand copy of Seymour's Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency, and side-line the madder world. 
The scale, the number of fields and those extra buildings could also offer options for multi-family/friend living and working that might make the £640k price more reachable.
On the market through Morgan & Davies. Details and more pictures on the agent's website here and on Rightmove here.

My second property (above and below) is similar - two/three bedroom country farmhouse, stone outbuildings, land with great views.
This time the land only extends to just over two acres but it's that attached stone barn and the range of outbuildings wrapped around a large courtyard that prompted me to pick it.
Again, plenty of space for you but with options for expansion, multi-family living or holiday letting.

The location is gorgeous, sweeping hills, big skies, remote - your nearest neighbours are all sheep, actual sheep. But on an accessible B road, and close to two villages (Croglin is nearest, about a mile away) within Cumbria's Eden Valley.

There's a large kitchen-diner, living room and what's currently being used as a bedroom on the ground floor, two further bedrooms and bathroom upstairs. All needing updating but perfectly liveable.

On the market through Britton Estates at £380k. Details and more pictures on the agent's site here, and on Rightmove here.
Right, the sun's still shining and the radio's firmly off. I'm with Barbara - I think better in wellies : )

Cute and tiny cottage projects, £90k to £390K

I'm in a cosy-up mood today, so I thought I'd look for some cute and teeny projects-to-be to show you. And to keep us all in that cosy state of mind, I'll keep the scary one until last.
We'll start with this pair of pretty traditional cottages on the wild and wonderful Hebridean Isle of Coll.
Honestly, this doesn't count as a 'wreck'; it's pretty much walk-in ready (former holiday lets), but the 'wreck' challenge is the difficulty of getting there and doing further work on it - such as maybe adding a bedroom or kitchen extension.
And of course the absolute weatherly wildness of living or holidaying somewhere so Northern.
But I liked that it offers a friends and family co-buying possibility, and its eco/off-grid potential.
Cottages 1 & 2 Beinn Tioradh are part of a much, much bigger sale of three lots, including a house, residential centre, offices, and 71 acres of grazing land, marshes, loch and eco-facilities, all bordering the gorgeous white beach of Hogh Bay.

All of that is owned by Project Trust, a charity that had been based on the island since the mid-70s and had been its largest employer.
It organises overseas placements for young people, including running some training events on the island. Last year, the charity decided to sell-up, citing post-Covid changes that meant their training courses could continue online rather than on Coll.
Anyway, our duo of thatched cottages sit well away from all of that in their own hilly bubble.
Both are tiny - one-bedroom with open-plan kitchen and living space, bathroom, a shared garden and utility shed.

Parking is just below the cottages and access is off the B8071 and up the gravel drive.

For sale as the pair at offers over £390k through Bidwells. Details, videos and pictures on the agent's site here. 

My next pick is equally chocolate-box pretty and tiny. Much cheaper at c£150k, but then it is only one house and there may be access niggles.

Rose Cottage is at Bailey Mill, Newcastleton, just below the Scottish/Northumberland border.
It's neighbour is a trekking and outdoorsy centre, but the cottage is separate to that (or is now). However, I struggled to work out where the access to the cottage is from the road they both sit on, and there's no information on the agent's site about parking or car access.
Like our Coll cottages, Rose Cottage is one double bedroom, a sitting/dining room, plus shower room. Bigger than the Coll cottages however, and with a separate kitchen. 

Looks like it's surrounded by a pretty garden area (lack of info on the agent's site again) but Google Maps shows nice, open views and, information deficit aside, it is super cute.

On the market through H&H Land and Estates with a guide price of £150k. Details and more pictures on the agent's site here. 

My final pick to show you (I realise I'm descending in price and ascending in complexity this week) is this proper wreck.

Former farmhouse turned barn in west Wales. It had planning permission (lapsed) to turn it back into a home, and comes with half-an-acre of overgrown paddock to the front and side, so strong smallholding possibilities.

Lovely rural location in the Cambrian mountains, but a lot to sort - including access, connecting services etc. All of which may involve discussions with your near neighbour (and vendor?).
Although the building does back onto the lane and you could create your own access and drive across your side land (note there's also a public footpath across your land).

Not exactly straightforward as a project, but the price tag appeals and the location is fabulous. In quiet countryside, yet close to a village and in easy reach of larger towns such as Tregaron (5 miles) and Lampeter (8 miles).
On the market at £90k through Morgan Davis. Details and more pictures on the agent's site here and on Rightmove here.

And while we're cosying-up, here's today's lunch. Chunky vegetable and lentil soup I cooked before starting on this post, cheese topping and toast side. Because hot buttered toast is a cosy necessity : )