living on a finca ? - permaculture. any advice ?

we are moving to spain ,( tortosa )  first to finish a houe for friends. this house is on a peice of land about 13000 sqr mt.

and then to buy a peice of land ( finca of about 6 hectors or there abouts ) and build our own house.

looking at a few ideas, one is puting about 6 log cabins doted around the wooded area of the land.

we are also looking at permaculture.

any advice ? anyone tryed this ? any resons against this idea ?

Alex/Alyon.

Hi Alex & Aleyon - nothing is ever simple in Spain and you would have to look at the planning regulations before considering putting cabins onto your land.  There is a maximum percentage of the land eligible for building - I'm sure someone on the forum will tell you what it is exactly, but it is quite small.  You would need a licence for holiday accommodation as well and there is a lot of red tape which will depend exactly where you want to start your business.

Hi Alex & Aleyon - nothing is ever simple in Spain and you would have to look at the planning regulations before considering putting cabins onto your land.  With rustic land there is a maximum percentage of the land eligible for building - I'm sure someone on the forum will tell you what it is exactly, but it is quite small - 2%??  There may be different rules if your cabins were considered temporary but you should take advice on that.  

You would also need a licence for holiday accommodation and there is a lot of red tape which will depend exactly where you want to start your business as the rules vary from one area to another.  Indeed this may influence your choice of location.  The holiday rentals market is very slow at the moment so you should not count on obtaining an income for your first few years, we are all hoping the market will pick up eventually but you need to have sufficient savings to see you through the start-up period.

As you are coming out initially to your friend's property, this is an ideal time to do your research and check up on all the local regulations.  You also need to buy somewhere which suits you, which means getting to know the area and the people, although I think that most inland areas are very welcoming if you are prepared to integrate.

Best of luck with your plans and do keep us posted! 

hi Claire T

thanks very much fr your reply claire, in tortosa where i am finishing this chaps house , is where i would like to put my log cabin. temp. i beilive i can have the log cabin on his land as long as there is not a concret base.

when i am lookig for a plot/finca , that would be just accross the border in aragon, i beleive in most parts of aragon f you have the min of 10,000 sqr mts then you will get planning for a house.

that is when i am thinking of moving the log cabin to my own place and usng that while i build our home. and there after letting out the cabin to feel the water if you like.

i have had a few reports about the tie these thing take in spain. a slower pace of life mean,s all things slow i suppose ha ha. that sounds just about right for me.

we are prepared to integrate.that is jst another part of this new way of our life. we have been learning spanish for the past year and a half, alyson is doing very wel , i will do better when i am there, althow sometimes i surprise myself ha ha.

thanks again for reply claire.

alex/alyson

Hi again - sounds like a well thought out plan!  I don't know that area, but I imagine it will be very Spanish and you will therefore pick up the language quicker than we do down on the costas.  Being from the west of Scotland (I'm from Glasgow) you'll have an advantage with some of the pronounciation! 

The 10,000m2 is the norm, I think, for inland Spain but you will have the time to get to know your local regulations and check everything out with the town hall.  You also shouldn't suffer from the over-supply problems we have on the costas when it comes to letting out property - and it sounds like yours should be something special anyway.

A lot of us came out for the slower pace of life but it does take some getting used to.  My blood pressure went up before it went down and you eventually begin to accept that there is no point in getting up tight because it won't get things done any faster!

Good luck with your plans and do keep us posted.  You can write a blog here to chart your progress and you can advertise as well when you are up and running.

All the best!

Hi Alex and Alyson,

How far did you get with your plans to build log cabins in Aragon? I'd like to hear from you and maybe visit/rent a cabin from you if you're up and running. Please let me know as I'm thinking of buying a finca in the area too and would love to see what you've done with your finca.

Thanks,

Joe.