House Hunting - How Soon Is Too Soon?

I know we've only been together for six months, but we are wondering whether it's completely crazy to buy a house together. Well, not so much a house as a tumble down, derelict cottage on two acres of overgrown jungle with absolutely none of the modern luxuries like running water or electricity... or much of a roof! There are so many holes in it that Huw calls it an observatory.

It was very early on in the relationship that I suggested to Huw that we could invest in a little something together - perhaps a place to stay when I was visiting him in Wales. Investing in another property was something I’d been considering for a while and doing a build project had been on my wish-list for years! My initial idea was that I bought somewhere that needed renovating and he would match my contribution by completing any work required on it and eventually, if things continued to go well, we could make it jointly ours. Alternatively, if we went our separate ways I could reimburse him for his time and materials or he could buy me out and make it his home.

I floated the idea and felt it quietly went down quite well. Huw said he had had similar thoughts, which surprised me. Our relationship was so new and so relaxed and easy going that I think we were both trying not to rock the boat with anything too heavy or serious. Huw is generally tender but tentative and I was trying not to scare him off. I knew that in reality it was quite insane to be considering entering the property market with someone I’d known for all of 3 and a half months, but that’s how I roll. I firmly believe in grabbing an opportunity when you see it, and so does he - one of my favourite things that we have in common. Besides I have form - I’m not afraid of taking a risk…

The idea clearly took hold because within a few weeks we had found a promising plot of land and Huw went to see it, sending me lots of photos so I could appreciate the full horror of it. I must admit the size of the project terrified me and I kept looking around in case something else more sensible came up. But he was enthusiastic about this plot and it was up for auction mid-August. He was confident he could turn it into something lovely, so I registered an interest and my details in preparation to bid just in case. And we both agreed this was a good idea … as if nothing was more natural and simple.

Then, two weeks before the auction there was a chance for me to go and see the site too. It is a 2.5 acre plot, surrounded by open farmland on two sides, woodland on the third, and a small stream on the fourth, with one corner having a farm gate for entrance, which is a shared access with the farmer who owns the fields at the back. It is away down quiet lanes and we pulled off the road in the gateway and wandered onto the land. Huw said the grass was a lot more trampled than when he first visited a couple of weeks before, which hinted that there was significant interest in the plot and we would have strong competition at the auction if we decided to go for it.

The cottage itself has about 3.5 walls, a collapsed old thatch roof covered over with corrugated iron and plastic sheeting. The windows are all without glass and the wooden door is cute but held shut with what looked like a fencing staple. The walls are about two foot thick and it’s dark and damp inside. Planning permission is in place to renovate the old cottage and build an extension the same size on the side, which was the major plus point for this plot. And before I knew it I was pacing out a conservatory, thinking about accommodation layout and where the orchard would be planted. Damn - I was excited about it.

Are we mad? Maybe. Are we optimistic? Yes. Are we excited about it? Very. Where is it going? Only time will tell... but we are both up for finding out.