A Cottage in the Country: Escape to the cosiest little cottage in the country. Linn Halton B.
there is the issue of maintenance – which could raise its head if the owners of Bay Tree Barn feel the track is becoming neglected. If a third party owns that strip of land, then that is another unknown…"
She continues in the same vein, listing a whole host of problems that might crawl out of the woodwork – might being the operative word. I ask her to leave it with me to make a decision about what I want to do next. Her preferred option is to insist the banks get to the bottom of it or, failing that, take out an indemnity insurance policy. The problem is that this is something I should have alerted her to much earlier. Now we've exchanged, we're locked into the deal and she has no real leverage. I was hoping to mention the vandalised oil tank, which is something I feel is much more important to me, but I don't feel I can raise that now. I hadn't realised that 'sold as seen' had such an impact. It's a simple statement and, it seems, a licence to wriggle out of answering virtually any question raised. There's one thing I need to do before I instruct my solicitor to drop her enquiries and hopefully it will give me some peace of mind.
"Sarah, it's Maddie Brooks – Ash Cottage?"
"Hi, Maddie, how can I help?"
"I want to ask your opinion about something. Have you ever met the owner of Bay Tree Barn?"
"Terence? Yes, lovely man. I had a long chat with him the day I was there taking photos, before we put Ash Cottage on the market. He's lived there for nearly thirty years. Why? Is there another problem?" Her voice reflects a weariness we both feel. This has turned out to be the purchase from hell, considering it's the shortest chain possible.
"To be frank, my solicitor isn't giving up on the issue over the track at the rear of the cottage. I've been online and found a telephone number for Bay Tree Barn. I wondered whether you thought it was a good idea, or not, to contact Terence to have a chat about it? Is it too cheeky? I wouldn't like my new neighbour to think I was being pushy or anything."
"To be honest, if I was in your position it's what I would do. He's a genuinely helpful man and if he has any issues with the track then you are better off knowing about that now."
"Thanks, glad you agree. My solicitor is annoyed I left it so late to query it, but the lease on my rental property runs out at the end of December, so it was crucial to ensure everything was tied up before then. At one point I thought I'd actually find myself homeless. So I am relieved, to be honest, but this issue is a little worrying." I can't even contemplate what Ryan would say if he knew.
"Make that call and if there's anything I can do from this end, just let me know."
"Mr Darby? I'm sorry to bother you, but it's Madeleine Brooks, the purchaser of Ash Cottage."
"Hello, Madeleine, lovely to hear from you! Please, call me Terence. Do you have a moving-in date yet?" His voice booms out, causing me to yank the mobile away from my ear. I press speaker phone and set it down on the desk in front of me.
"Yes, I'll be in on the nineteenth. There's one outstanding issue about the track that runs along behind Ash Cottage. I wondered if you knew who the owner was."
"Ah, that's just the sort of issue that solicitors love. We went through this when we were buying Bay Tree Barn and in the end we talked to Aggie. It seems there is no documentation to confirm ownership and the assumption made was that it was a strip of land that was never claimed by anyone. Aggie was perfectly happy for us to use it as a back entrance to the barn, to save us walking all the way around to our front access. That's the other side of the hill. It's not wide enough for vehicular access, which was Aggie's only concern, as obviously the track is level with the first floor of Ash Cottage."
"So it's definitely not mentioned in your deeds, either? What about maintenance?"
"Well, I usually hack back the brambles every summer. It doesn't lead anywhere other than to the barn, so ramblers don't use it. Aside from Joanna and me, Aggie's handyman, Lewis Hart, uses it once a year to clear the leaves out of the gutters to the rear of the cottage."
That is just what I was hoping to hear.
"From your point of view it's not an issue, then? No one is likely to suddenly step in and put a road through there?" I can't hide a chuckle, voicing one of the worst-case scenarios my solicitor had thrown up, and which had sent me into a panic.
"Goodness gracious – no! It would run straight through the barn. You know, it's turning into a world where common sense seems to have become a dirty word. It's a pathway leading to the barn and an access point to the rear of Ash Cottage. It's probably a throwback to the days when it wasn't necessary to tie up every little thing tighter than a drum; jobsworth, I call it."
We both laugh and I'm delighted my new neighbour is as laid-back about this as I am.
"Thank you, Terence, your reassurance means a lot. I'm just relieved to know I'm going to be in before Christmas. As we're chatting, could I trouble you for the details of any local tradesmen you could recommend? I'm going to need to get the work started as quickly as possible."
"Give me your email address and I'll send you a list. It's a busy time for the plumbers of course. Plus most of them take off an extended holiday period, as the icy mornings make parts of the Forest treacherous to drive through at times. If we get snow then everything grinds to a halt, so you'll have to make sure you stock up on provisions. If there's anything Joanna and I can do, just call."
His words aren't exactly what I want to hear right now, but I guess forewarned is forearmed.
"Thank you, that's very kind. If you can also give me the details of your local oil delivery company, that would be great. My email is mbrookspropman@sl1dotcom. Hope to see you very soon!"
With my last real worry put to bed, I am a woman on a mission. First I ring my solicitor and tell her to drop her enquiries, then I do the bit that I’m trained to do: manage this project to within an inch of its life.
Terence's email has a long list of contact names and addresses, which immediately perks me up. I know it isn't going to be easy to get everything sorted, but I'm pretty confident I can at least make a solid start.
I walked away from my marriage with barely enough to fill my car and most of it consisted of the contents of my wardrobe. I felt that everything in that house had been tainted when I learnt that my unbelievably callous husband had entertained Eve there. I was away on a two-day course that Ryan had talked me into, oblivious to what was happening at home. Jeff paid in other ways, of course, and I know he wasn't happy with the size of the cash settlement. But now there's only my income and no safety net I'm going to have to stretch my budget as far as I can.
It's time to make some big decisions about what I can, and can't, afford. I drool over some fabulous kitchens and bathrooms, dreaming of how it could look and then seek out more modest alternatives. The thing I've learnt over the years is that a high price tag doesn't always guarantee you the best, or most practical, design. By the end of day three I have 3D visuals of the new kitchen, bathroom and the shower room. The bottom-line figure is just within my budget, albeit I had to reduce the contingency line to virtually zero. I have lists of the items that can now be ordered, so that's the next task.
The one teeny little problem is that I still can't find anyone to do the work, unless I'm prepared to wait until the spring! Terence's list was comprehensive and what I have found is that people in the Forest are not only friendly, but helpful. My list of tradesmen has now doubled with recommendations, but each call has had the same response. A sharp intake of breath is the first reaction when I say that work must begin in four weeks' time. There were two numbers I called where I had to leave a message, so I'm living on nerves and hope at the moment. Perhaps blind faith will get me through, or do I mean a stubborn refusal to give up until all avenues have been exhausted?
What doesn't help is that I'm working from Ryan's suite of offices while I'm in the rented house. The daily commute into central Bristol from my rental in Bath is a grind. It's stop/start all the way and the traffic congestion seems to