A room of one's own

I would love to build not only a room of my own - but in fact a whole home one day, or even homes.  There it is - the infamous "one day" - but I genuinely do have a plan of sorts.  My family own a farm, and as long as the current crash in lamb prices doesn't mean they have to sell it before I've saved up the pennies - I've got my eye on a couple of likely spots on the old place to park some kind of dwelling.

I'm clearly not alone in this particular whimsy - it seems to be a bit of a national obsession judging by the success and sheer volume of programmes like Grand Designs (with its subsequent spin off exhibitions and magazines - not to mention massive international syndications), Amazing Spaces, The House £100k built, My flat pack home and so on ad infinitum.  And I'm addicted to most of them - even the ones with George Clark.  Tolerated to a remarkable high degree, this does generate a quantity of eye rolling from the long suffering hubby who naturally has to watch most of them too, but as long as I'm careful to intersperse my shows with a good smattering of rugby matches and American crime drama, I can usually get away with it.  Hey - at least its not TOWIE or ANTM.  Ahem well mostly anyway...

Dunno what it is about building a house - some basic need to create shelter, or maybe its just massive showig off ego trip, or maybe a manifestation of the need of ownership perpetuated by the corrupting influence of capitalism.  Sorry that was a bit Russell Brand.  Personally -  I want a space that is my own, in the context of the place that I grew up - with my family but not with my family if you know what I mean, a route out of the rat race and into a low impact, sustainable place to escape to.  The idea is that it would be let some of the time to make it viable financially and then we can use it as a bolt hole - and who knows maybe one day be a place to work for myself.  Its a dream at the moment, but while I'm saving, I can research what is needed to make it a reality - planning laws, building techniques, sustainability and green techniques, suppliers, financing - and indulge a bit of fantasy at the same time.

I have lots of conflicting ideas about what it could look like - a single storey pre fabricated log cabin is probably most sensible from a financial and planning perspective.  But what options are out there?  What about something Scandinavian with clapper boards in a soft pastel shade and acres of glass? What about something that borrows from the surrounding agricultural buildings? I do have an absurd irrational yen for corrugated tin buildings and tabernacles - is there an option that could include some of those elements? Is there an option to do something in a traditional building technique like cob or rammed earth - or something super modern?  So many options to explore - Can't wait!