3 years after first using this 4G Wi-Fi from “Three Mobile Unlimted Data Plan” It Is still the best on Offer.!

This is, without doubt, Best Unlimited WiFi For Caravans with truly unlimited internet data and not just caravans but also mobile homes, campers vans and also areas where ISP providers are too slow on none excitant. This is what you are looking for if you meet any of the above criteria..?

If you are looking for the best-unlimited Wi-Fi system for static caravans, touring caravans, even small farms and outbuildings.

Then you have got to try this truly unlimited plug-and-play Wi-Fi plan from Three Mobile. It runs on the same system as your mobile phone with a simple sim card.

You get all the data you need and none of the hassles of the setup. Just plug it in and connect to it.

Also, you don’t need a landline and the rent that comes with it.

Why I Chose This Truly Unlimited Wifi As My Plan

Having a caravan on my small farm which is pretty remote. Trying to connect to the normal ISP providers is really hard.

I really wanted to connect to the internet from my farm caravan as I spend a lot of time there. We all know having the internet is a big deal and a must in today’s age.

After many weeks of calling the normal ISP and searching the web, I eventually found it.

And believe me, I looked into lots of mobile wifi providers including their small print.

All had some sort of data limits or they would only let you use a certain amount to tether a laptop or computer. My least favourite slower speeds at peak times.

This was except Homfi provided by the Three Mobile Network

Which had a Truly Unlimited Data Sim Deal to go with the Huawei B311 router provided by Three Mobile. This model of the sim-only router has been discontinued and upgraded to a newer model.

I still use it even though it has been discontinued since September 2019 in favour of the newer, more powerful Huawei B535. The reason is I have never needed to upgrade. It still works just fine for me.

As you can see I’m happily sitting there using the internet and editing my YouTube videos.

All Using The Three HomeFi Mobile Data Router its the best thing on the farm when the weather is bad. No more worrying about no internet connection or using all my mobile data.

In the past, you had to be connected to an “ISP” to receive a “Wi-Fi” signal. The problem with that is it had to be connected to your home by a qualified installer.

Not only that, but it also forced you to have a “Land Line” installed, which most people do not use in 2019. But they are still charged for the line rental, anyway.

This is forced on us to get more money from us as customers, loyal customers at that.

The other way was to use your mobile phone as a tethering port to get a WiFi connection for your caravan.

This is what I did when I first wanted to use my laptop in my caravan. I had to tether it to my mobile phone, which if you have ever had to do. You will know it eats your data like a hungry pig.

Before I got one of these 4G – 5G Routers, yes they are also ready to receive 5G as it is being rolled out.

I tried many times to get connected to the normal “ISP” Providers. But they just couldn’t do it.

I wasn’t in the region they covered or the neighbours had taken all the data etc. I tried for several months and the only way was tethering to my mobile phone.

This was not an option because my mobile data plan was only 15Gb and was gone before I knew it watching YouTube etc.

Internet Access For Your Caravan WiFi Problems Are Over

Now I have found the “Three HomeFi Unlimited Mobile Data Routers” this has all changed. I can take it anywhere and use it all the time and it’s still the same price.

Three Mobile is the only truly 4G & 5G ready unlimited data option out there for the foreseeable future. That is until other mobile services match their service and have no data restrictions imposed on it, no matter how much you use.

As I have mentioned, other mobile services either slow down your internet connection or cap it at a certain limit. This separates Three Mobile from the rest.

With the Three 4G Networks covering 99.8% of the UK for Data.

Homfi Data Internet Access Routers are perfect for Static or Touring Caravan users across the UK. They are also a great option for your home internet connection.

It is so easy to see if your home is in a good wifi area. You can also use it as your home internet access instead of paying for line rental.

Just click the link below and check your area. You can use it as your home internet connection. Simply unplug it and take it with you when you go away touring in your caravan.

How To Check Your Local WiFi Signal Strength

You can use the Three Mobile, Coverage Checker and see the coverage and speeds you can expect in your local area. It is as simple as typing in your “Postcode” and it will tell you what to expect, showing a simple Wi-Fi map.

My friends who do a lot of touring in their caravans love this system. They check every area that they will stop at when touring to see if the signal is good. If it is, they stay there. If it’s not, they stay a little up the road.

If you have a touring caravan and have hooked up to the Free Caravan WiFi on sites.

As you know, this is the free Wi-Fi which is provided by the caravan sites as an incentive. Even if the site has a good connection, it is always good to have a backup.

Some caravan sites are not always reliable or really slow. You may be too far away from the antenna to receive a decent signal or any signal at all.

And you will probably lose the Wi-Fi signal at peak times when lots of users are online. This way, you have your very own signal to rely on.

Other Mobile Unlimited Wi-Fi Data Plans For Phones

As I have mentioned above, there are no others that are truly unlimited. Especially at the price of Homfi if you were looking to use your unlimited data plan from your phone.

You will find it in the small print. That there is a tethering cap and if not, then you will pay a lot more than £20 per month. And I am talking way more..! £20 is always what Three Mobile seem to charge. It may say £22 below, but they are always having sales.

Other mobile service providers do not offer Free Routers to access the 4G & 5G Networks. Use your mobile phone to tether to your laptop or computer.

How 4G Unlimited Wi-Fi Data Works

What is 4G Broadband 4G is the fourth generation of  broadband cellular network

How does a 4G Router work? It simply piggybacks on the 4G network. It uses the same sim cards you would use for any mobile phone. It is as simple as putting the sim card in the back of the router and plugging it in.

The router comes with the sim and all the instructions on how to set it up. I had mine up and running in around 10 minutes.

In 10 mins and I had Wi-Fi and internet access for my caravan and also a hotspot. I was really excited. It is amazing how we really rely on the internet. I found the Wi-Fi signal in seconds.

After that, you simply input the password and username into your computer for the router. Then you are on the same 4G network mobile phones use.

It’s that simple there is no need for anyone to make an appointment to connect you to the network.

It’s basically a plug-and-play system. This means no waiting around for days to have your broadband installed. They even send it out within 24 hours of placing your order with Three Online Store.

One Bit Of Advice Order Online & Not In-Store As You Get 14 day Money back If You Change Your Mind.

I did this and it gives you time to test it out, which is great.

I have also changed from my “O2” Mobile with 15Gb of data to the mobile sim only plan that “Three Mobile Network Offers”. This is for the simple reason of the Unlimited HomeFi data plan being really unlimited.

I use the data from my HomeFi Router for my phone when I am working on the farm.

As O2 didn’t offer this service when I ran out of data with O2 the tops ups were just a rip-off. They also do not allow unlimited tethering for the data you do have.

As with other mobile unlimited data suppliers if you read the small print. They throttle the data once you have reached a certain amount. This is not good if you want Wi-Fi for your caravan, mobile home, or even your home.

Changing from O2 to the “Three Mobile Network”. I received unlimited minutes, text & 4GB of data, which was perfect for me. My average monthly usage before I swapped was only 3GB.

That was until I started tethering my laptop to my phone and it was using up to 6GB an hour.

I was watching Amazon Prime Movies etc but 6Gb per hour come on. Now I don’t have to worry about running out of data. Now that I’m using the unlimited data from my truly unlimited data plan.

The price for my mobile sim with unlimited minutes, text and 4GB of data for my phone. Also, the “HomFi Unlimited Three Data Plan” included with the deal was the cheap price of £26, yes, that low.

How Will The Wi-Fi Be If You Move The Router

As I mentioned above, this router can be taken anywhere and used just like a mobile phone can. You just plug it into a wall socket and use the Wi-Fi signal as normal.

If you like touring and pull up at the side of the road. You will still be able to connect to your Wi-Fi router and receive the 4G signal. If I was only going to get the “Mobile Data Router”.

The cost would have been £21 a month on a 24-month plan. This was with a little promotion. Three Mobile were running. They are always running promotions of one type or another.

As I mentioned above, you can even replace your home “ISP” to use the “Three HomeFi Unlimited Data Plan”. By using your Three Homfi home router as your main internet connection.

It will be a lot cheaper than the other “ISP” Providers”. You will also not have to have the standard Phone Line Rental Attached. We all know this is in every contract which nobody ever rings these days, that is except for nuisance callers.

Other Three Mobile Wi-Fi Data Plans Are Available

You can Pay Monthly or get a 12-Month Contract. If you are only touring for 6 months a year, you might be better off with a pay monthly plan. But as I’m staying in the same place for a long time, 24 months was by far the cheapest option for me.

The 12-Month Contract could be great if you are working away for a year and need WiFi where none is provided.

How Does Three HomeFi Compare To Other “ISP” Providers

How Have I Found The Three HomeFi Service WiFi For Caravan

It has pleasantly surprised me by Three HomeFi Unlimited Data Router has the Huawei B311 was the standard router for me. I still use it every day and if I’m still using the older model, then the newer model must be even better. This older router has done everything I have asked of it.

I’m always on the internet. I write my blogs, Watch Amazon Prime, Netflix Upload YouTube Videos, Surf The Internet, and Check Emails. Literally, I’m doing everything with this router and 4G internet connection that I did with my home Virgin fibre optic internet connection, at a fraction of the price.

Now that they have discontinued my B311 router by Three Mobile In favour of the more feature-rich Huawei B535 Router. This router is 5G ready and can support double the amount of connections that can be 64 people who can connect to your personal hotspot at one time.

Your hot spot will have a range of around 200 – 250 meters. I can walk all around my 2 acres and get a signal, not all 4 bars when at the farthest distance but still a signal.

Other users may not connect unless you give them the password. The security of The HomeFi 4G WiFi Router is just the same as your fixed fibre-optic broadband would be.

If you own a caravan, small farm, need Wi-Fi backup, need one for the warehouse. I can use these routers and the network in almost any building. So they are worth checking out by clicking the links below.

Three Mobile Huawei B535 Router 12 Month Plan

Three Mobile Huawei B535 Router 24 Month Plan

The new more feature-packed router with more ethernet connections. It also connects twice as many as my older version with 32 doubles to 64 gadgets at any one time.

Also has a new sleek design. The B535 Router is set up for 4G and is also ready for the 5G network rollout.

Do You Lose Internet Connection

To be totally honest, you don’t lose the internet connection unless they are working on a local tower. If you do, it is rare and never down for more than an hour. Even if it goes down for maintenance, it’s still the best-unlimited Wi-Fi choice for a caravan.

This was no different from my “Virgin Broadband Package” and every other internet provider. They have to do maintenance now and then, but the good thing about the 4G Network System is it just switches to another “4G Data Mast”.

If you read reviews of any “ISP” Internet Service Provider. You find that all of them lose service now and then. I used to have the same problem with Virgin Media as did many other people. The difference between Virgin Fibre and the Three Unlimited Router is that Virgin Fibre would go out for a day or days even.

Where Else Do I Use My HomeFi Router

I take my router everywhere, and I use it as my internet connection from home. If I go anywhere I take it just in case the Wi-Fi there is not good enough. I even use it in my work vehicle, which has a 240v converter fitted. If I was going anywhere for business, I would not forget to take the router with me.

I can honestly only see this service becoming more popular as time goes on. When I had the “Super Fast Virgin Broadband Package”. Yes, that had more download speeds, because it was a total fibre optic cable. But after using this router now for over 2 months. I can see I did not need that type of speed.

The Average Person or Household Would Never Need Those Wifi Speeds

The only time you could use that type of speed is if you were using it for Multiple Households. They would all have to be Streaming HD Films at the same time. Connecting to multiple networks and much more.

If you are just going to be using this for several people, then the router I have is perfectly fine. It has download speeds of up to 150mps, but you are more likely to get 40-50mbs depending on where you are in the country. I find the amount of data I get is more than enough.

How To Get Higher 4G Speeds From Your Router

• You can get more speed if you need it. If the speed you get is not enough, attach an external Omni Directional Antenna. If you follow this link, it will take you to an excellent blog post. He explains many antennas, and he does not hit you with ads he blogs for a hobby. Great article.
• By placing your router in a different part of your caravan or mobile home. The best place is close to the window.
• The fastest way is to connect using the Ethernet Cable provided by your router

These antenna aerials are simple to attach and set up. They are relatively cheap from £15 and it is a one-off payment. It will instantly speed up your Wi-Fi signal. You don’t need the antenna only if you have found yourself in the 0.02% of the UK that the Three Mobile Network does not cover.

Also, the other simple tricks to getting more speed are simple to implement and will increase your overall speed. This is if you need to. As I have, said I have found no problems with the speeds I have been receiving.

My Wifi Problems Solved

Overall this mobile router supplied by the Three Mobile Network solved my Wi-Fi for caravan problems and I am really happy with its performance. This is the best-unlimited Wi-Fi for caravan, touring, motor homes, and rural housing.

I am a heavy internet user and if it can handle what I need from it. Then it’s certainly able to handle most small users’ needs. It will work just as well in a building as it would in a caravan.

TIP: If you are going to be using your laptop and have it connected to the router all the time. Then use the Ethernet Cable provided this will keep you connected and give you faster speeds. This is how I use my router with my Imac 27 inch and it works perfectly.

The post The Best Unlimited Wifi Plan For Caravan’s appeared first on The Small Farmer Life.

Finding The Right Location

Choosing the right location for your pond is one of the most important things. The pond I will be showing and talking about in this post was not only dug to attract wildlife but also to help drain what was boggy land. I did not know it was so boggy until my golden labrador came back looking like a black lab.

So I took the decision to place the pond there as I knew it would have no problem holding water. You can see by the image, I just scraped the surface and there was black silty soil on top of the clay.

This makes for a pond that will hold water with no problem. Clay is one of the most important materials to hold water. If you have clay on your land and where you are locating your pond at the bottom of sloping land. It will fill and hold the water great, it will also keep topping itself up after hot weather conditions.

Choosing Your Pond Liner

As I said above I was lucky to have a boggy area on the bottom of my land. Clay was just below the surface and was already holding water. But this may not always be the case and you may find yourself looking for some other way for your pond to hold water.

Now if you are looking for a natural-looking pond. There is a clay type called Bentonite Clay which comes in powder or small pellets. You can mix Bentonite Clay into the soil and it will swell and bind the soil together or you can place the Bentonite Clay on the sides and bottom of your pond.

But if you use this, the sides of your pond need to be a gentle slope, too steep and the Bentonite will roll down the sides

You can also hire a Sheep’s Foot Roller to compact the sides – See Here

If Bentonite is too expensive then you may opt for some form of pond liner. But it will not be as natural if you used a liner over clay. Plus you have the added problem of the liner needing to be replaced or having a hole put through it.

Types of pond liner HDPE (high-density polyethylene), , RPE (reinforced polyethylene), FPP (flexible polypropylene) These liners will do the job but they are mainly used for garden ponds. The cost will come down to the size and type you need and also who you buy it from.

Personally, if I could do it with clay I would use the clay. After all, we are trying to get rid of rubber products. But it will still be great for wildlife in the local area no matter what the pond is lined with. It will come down to what your ground is made up of that will determine how your pond is going to hold water.

Designing Your Wildlife Pond

When it comes to ponds and wildlife you have to put a little thought into the design. You want to always have at least one sloping bank into the water so that any animals that may fall in when trying to get a drink.

Well they can swim the slope and walk out shake of the water and their none the worse and they learnt a lesson and know where it should drink from in future.

You will want to have plenty of rocks around the edges

Digging Out The Pond

This is a great thing especially when you hire or lend a digger to remove the clay and soil. Now if you are removing the excavated soil and clay off-site well that going to cost a lot of money. So use that excavated material to make features around the pond itself. Maybe leave some clay and soil in the middle for an island as I did.

You could also choose to place it somewhere else on your land and cover it with topsoil. There are many things you could do rather than remove it from your land. Think of the types of things you would like to do and save a lot of money in the process.

Create a small hill with a view over the pond below. You get the idea. If you have to spread the clay, spread it and use the topsoil to cover the clay and throw grass seed it will be covered in no time.

Wild Pond Plants

When it comes to plants if you are in the countryside they will pretty much do the work for you. If you want to hurry the process along, go to local ponds and take cutting etc. There are plenty of native plants that you can easily take a bit of root from and that’s all you need, they don’t take long to grow.

Be careful of some plants as they can be really invasive like “not weed” which grows from the bottom and will cover the pond. Don’t get me wrong if you want wildlife they will be happy with this.

If you are looking to have some fish you may want to see it now and then. It will be a struggle every year to clear it out and it will never really disappear.

So choose your plants wisely and for the right reasons. If you do that then you and the wildlife can enjoy the pond.

How To Fill The Pond With Water

Filling the pond is obviously going to depend on the size of the pond and where you dug the pond. If you are next to a brook or stream you could pump the water from there.

But if you’re in a large garden or field away from any natural water sources. You may have to be a little more creative.

Now people always say to fill it up out the tap..? Again this will depend on the size do you have a water connection close by..?

The simple fact is if your pond, is on large size and you have a water meter it could get rather expensive and Im, not the type to pay that sort of money, especially when it falls from. the sky.

So what I like to do is let the pond fill from rainfall now yes this may take some time. But it also allows time for all the insects and plants to make themselves at home. If you did the pond just before winter it will most likely fill over the winter, especially clay ponds.

If it’s in any sort of dip it will fill in no time. You can help it by spreading large “VISQUEEN” sheets around the edges to catch all the waterfalls, make sure you put rocks on the Visqueen to keep it from blowing away. You can also catch and pipe water into the pond from building roofs close by.

It’s a pretty simple thing to do. Get yourself a couple of IBC tanks food grade and let the gutter downpipes fill the tanks. Connect a hose to the tank outlet and run it to the pond this can be done over quite some distance, even further using gravity.

Rocks & Boulders

You will want to start collecting lots of rock, boulders and smaller stones to place around the edges of the pond especially if you use a pond liner. How I place rocks around the ponds I build by placing a large boulder or two together and then small rocks behind those.

Place plenty of smaller stones and rocks behind the bigger stone loosely. Then when you place the soil around the edges cover the smaller rocks with the soil. This will allow Nuets and Frogs to hibernate in the cracks between them.

Rocks not only help the amphibians hibernate but they also add character to the pond and are great places for plants to grow. They will grow routes between the rocks and keep them sturdy growing healthy routing systems.

Find Free Rocks

Rocks and boulders can be expensive to buy from garden centres and quarries. How I got all the rocks I needed and more by simply looking on Facebook Marketplace.

There is always someone either giving them away or selling them really cheap when they are redesigning their gardens. If you start collecting a couple of months before you start to dig the pond itself. Then you should have more than enough to place around the outside and inside the pond.

When placing stones inside the pond pile them into different size piles. These will help pond insect to hide from predators that may want to eat them.

Make sure you don’t place sharp rocks into your pond if you have used a liner to keep the water in. The last thing you want is to puncture your liner and have to find the leak.

Wildlife

Once your pond is finished and even before it is finished in most cases you will see the local wildlife already in and around the pond.

You will attract all types of mammals to your pond like Hedgehogs, Foxes, and Badgers if they are in the local area. Birds of all kinds from Ducks to Pheasants and plenty of Frogs and Nuets you may even have rare Nuets take up residents.

Bats will be flying over the pond at night swooping down close to the water and catching the insects of which there will be many. I love seeing all the insects and huge Dragon Flies.

If you wanted to release a few fish into the pond that’s fine. But don’t be surprised if. a Heron stops by for supper one day and may visit until all the fish are gone.

This is why if you are putting fish in and you want to keep them safe then you are going to have to protect the fish. There are various methods some people use false Herons or netting. I think netting the pond will do more damage than good to other wildlife.

So if you are not keeping Kio fish then don’t bother trying to protect them. But if you choose other small fish such as wild sticklebacks etc. Then make sure they have lots of hiding places for when the Heron visits.

The Heron will never get them all and they will breed too so there will be plenty of new fry growing and hiding in plants etc.

Dogs are a great way to keep the Herons at bay especially if they have the roam the place. If you see a Heron make sure your dog does too and train the dog to chase the bird. It will soon lose interest and go for easier pickings.

Wildlife Pond Saftey

Digging a wild pond is great and can benefit everyone, you and the wildlife. They can also be deep and deadly in summer or winter. Ponds with clay bottoms can sometimes be hard to get out of and you can get your feet stuck.

Children around ponds especially really young children who are as curious as you were as a child can easily fall in if you’re busy doing something else.

Then you may not notice till it’s too late. So if you have small children then build a small fence around the pond and only let the child near the pond when you are.

Never ever walk on icy ponds as you can see from the image below this is my new pond it ices over really quickly when the temperature drops.

This can be a dangerous place for children to play in winter so educate your children to stay away from iced-over ponds. No matter how thick you think the ice is, it’s never thick enough to lose a life testing how thick it is by walking out onto the ice.

Dying Ponds Wildlife Ponds

If you want to make your pond water look amazing there are plenty of pond dyes out there. Only use a little at first to see how dark you want your water. You can get Blue, Sky Blue, Aqua Blue, Green, Black etc. Whatever colour you like there is probably the colour you need.

Pond Dye will not hurt your fish or other wildlife though it will dye your hands if you don’t wear gloves to protect them. It can take some time to remove from your hands and you certainly won’t be able to remove it from your clothes. So make sure to wear old clothes no matter how careful you think you are. I bet you that it will land on your cloaths

If you have built a really large pond then buy a “Saftey Float” and place it right next to the pond so it can be easily seen and thrown.

I will be adding more to this post and what types of plants you can purchase to make your pond look amazing.

The post Wildlife Pond appeared first on The Small Farmer Life.

Thinking of living in a caravan.? Well, people live in caravans for many reasons. Some are just sick of living like ants in the standard council or housing estates all over the world. They pressure us into thinking we must abide by the norm. Which is leaving school getting, going to college and university, leaving with debt that you’re never gonna pay back. Get a job, then comes an even bigger debt machine and the biggest of all a mortgage.

You can be stuck in a mortgage for 30-plus years and potentially working a job you no longer want to. But if you don’t, then you cannot pay the mortgage or debt back, which means you lose your home, car even belongings in some cases.

Well, choosing to downsize and live in something that you can purchase for as little as a couple of grand maybe you have this in savings.

A. couple of grand can get you a decent caravan, not a brand new model or even a top of the range second-hand one. But it will get you started and allow you to save more of your income to purchase a better one, later on down the line.

But I’m getting off-topic here or am I…? many people choose to live in a caravan to get rid of those long-lasting debts and be a little freer.

I mean, we have enough rules that we have to live by, so if we can get rid of a few of those, then we free ourselves from some burdens of life.

Also, most people who choose to live in a caravan want to downsize and get rid of the materialistic crap we acquire that we never use. One of the best days of my life was freeing myself of all that crap. I just gave it away or left it for someone else. I took what was dearest to me and that was it.

What Type Of People Live In Caravans

This is always the one that gets me the most. Soon as you say you live in a caravan, people automatically think that you are a traveller, which by the way, there is nothing wrong with. But they will get certain rights, rights that you won’t get. If there are enough travellers, then they will even find land for them to live on. You try doing this with a bunch of friends, see how far that gets you..?

But many of those people who choose to live in caravans, are people who work full-time jobs, small farmers living on their land, people living in residential parks because they like the perks that come with living there, clean-cut lawns, maybe an onsite gym. Some residential parks have the lot, but it comes at a price.

We will talk about the costs I face choosing to live in my static on my own land later on in the article.

There is no one type of person who lives in a caravan. It is no different to living in a brick and mortar home except you can pick your home up and move it. Yes, they may be a little smaller, but that’s what most people want and the freedom that goes with it. In fact, there is a small house revolution going on as you are reading this.

People are downsizing for so many reasons, whether to save money or they hate living alone in a large home. I know I hated it and now I’m living in a small home; it feels cosier and all my friends are envious of me living how I do.

It would be simple to just say that it’s these types or these types, but in fact, there is no one type of person who lives in a caravan.

Types Of Caravans To Live In

If you choose to live in a caravan, then you’re spoilt for choice: so many sizes, different colours, interiors and so on. It all depends on how much you want to spend, the size you want to live want and so on. Many factors will dictate your choice. If you want to move around, then you may choose a caravan that you tow behind your vehicle. Like the touring caravan below.

There’s a long history of Caravaning but mainly in the Uk and Europe in the US it’s mainly Motorhomes

But there was one caravan that became a piece of history and to this day, if you see one you’ll either already know what it is or you will want to know and that the AirStream they are stunning to look at and have been turned into some awesome things throughout the years.

Choosing a touring caravan, then the world is your oyster pardon the pun. But it literally is if you choose one city one day and another the next, you can do it. If you want to nip through the tunnel or across the sea to Europe, then you can. You can live where ever you want.

Now, if you choose to live in a touring caravan, you will have to stay in a caravan or camping park overnight. Unless you have plenty of friends all over the country, that would be happy for you to stay on their drive.

Caravan Parks can cost you a small price to park up, but you also get to use onsite facilities. Depending on where you choose to stay will dictate the price you pay.

Staying in caravan parks every night will cost you a good chunk of your income per month, probably more than it would to rent a home. You may get a discount if you choose to stay in a park for a certain amount of time and become a regular.

If you choose to travel around staying on friends and families driveways. If you use the caravan as a spare room to the home, taking one meal inside of the home, then there is no need for planning permission.

If you stay there for a long time and use the caravan as a separate dwelling, then you will need planning permission to do so and pay council tax.

Are You Allowed To Live In A Caravan

People always ask me this question when I say I live in a caravan “Are You Allowed? “. The answer is not as simple as it may seem. It all depends on where you choose to live in a caravan in one.

If you want to drive around the country pulling up in car parks and lay-bys to stay overnight or for a week, then the answer is “No”. The local council will not allow that and you will be visited and asked to move on.

If you choose to live in a residential caravan park, then the answer is yes, but some are only open for 9 months a year. Then you have others that a year-round so you can live in your caravan all year. You can buy your own caravan to live in or rent one from the site owner.

I think this is the worst type of living in a caravan. You have to keep your caravan updated, so replace them to meet new codes and standards. Then you have to pay ground rents and other fees. All this can mount up to a pretty penny.

These caravans have to be kept in good condition and habitable, with all the relevant fire and smoke detectors checked regularly.

Plus, there are rules to abide by when living on these residential sites. There are also benefits, what type of benefits depends on the site itself, but the better the benefits, the more expensive it will be to live there.

Can You Live On Your Own Land In A Caravan

Then there is the question most people want to know, and that’s can you live in a caravan on your own land..? Well if you do, then you need planning permission to do so and getting planning permission to live on your own land in a caravan will never happen.

You may get temporary permission if you are doing a self-build and already have planning permission to build the home. Many people do this when building their own home live in a caravan while you complete the build. Then the caravan goes once they build the main dwelling.

Some of these caravans, which are mainly statics can be a great buy. Most people who choose to live in a static caravan while building their dream home have double glazing, log burners, etc put in, regular sofas and so on. They mostly sell them fully furnished as well. This makes for a great buy if you can find one for sale, that is.

You still have to apply for planning permission to live in the caravan temporarily while building your main dwelling, even if you have planning permission to build the house.

But if you want to live on your own agricultural land and may have purchased for this specific reason. Then you better get your caravan on the land first and ask second.

The council or local planning departments all over the UK will never grant you planning permission to live on agricultural land, no matter where it is. Not that there aren’t people doing just that. Some people hide away and hope for the best going for 10 years 1 day and then claiming the right of lawfulness.

I know a couple that did just that and now have a huge caravan. It is classed as a caravan but is the size of a large bungalow and is built of 4 sections. Stunning home and in the area where they live, there are around 20 more families and people doing the same, not being bothered by anyone.

If you ask for planning permission to move onto agricultural land, it will be refused outright. Yes, you can go down the route of lawfulness but in a caravan that takes 10 years. You can get the right a lot faster than that, but you must in all instances, move onto the land first and ask second. You will not be looked down on. Planning departments are used to people doing things without permission.

What’s It Like To Live In A Caravan

It’s hard to describe what life is like living in a caravan. I mean, it all depends on many factors. Factors such as how big is the caravan, how many people live in the caravan, is the caravan on the move or is it stationery?

But many people have this idyllic idea of caravan life. Now I’m going to concentrate on life living in a two-bed static 35ft x 12ft wide, which is what mine is and I’m living on my own with 2 labradors. So one bedroom for them and one for me, the bigger one lol.

As you can see from the images, it all looks cosy. I had to do some alterations to the caravan to get it to be more homely. But some people think they can live in a caravan, no problem. They spent a week in one at the Lakes in the summer. That wasn’t bad. In fact, it was great. We had an awesome time.

Well living in one year-round is a little different than staying in one on a caravan park that’s for sure.

It may be fun at the beginning, but after a while, if there are too many of you, it could be a literal prison. When you have a 3 bedroom home with plenty of rooms, well, you can disappear to another part of the home where no one can hear you. In a caravan well, everyone can hear what you are doing and that can get on your nerves a bit.

Saying that if you are a close family and you love to spend every minute of the day together, then you may find the togetherness great. Now, if let’s say I was sharing this caravan with a partner and the dogs, then it would be enough space. But remember that being with a partner is not always bliss.

So there will be times when you want your own space and if I didn’t have workshops and other parts of the land to disappear to when things got a little heated. Then I think I would get a little stressed, so to speak.

Heating Your Caravan

Heating a static caravan, and this could be said for a touring caravan as well. The summer times may be warm. In fact, I think my static is too warm; it has a lot of glass which makes it a greenhouse when the sun is bright, so I am one for keeping the blinds closed.

Now for winter, I have that covered I use a log burner. I installed it myself and purchased it from Facebook Marketplace, my favourite online selling platform. The log burner keeps the caravan warm and toasty. Sometimes, to warm you need just the right amount of wood burning. Tip: Leave the bedroom doors open so that the heat can travel around the caravan easily.

If you don’t leave the bedroom doors open, then it will get really, really cool in there in the wintertime, but once you’re under the quilt, then you’re warm enough. But it’s when you need to pop to the toilet that you feel the cold air and I mean cold, not chilly but cold. That’s when you wish you installed a log burner.

I am lucky enough to be connected to mains electricity on my land, which cost a small fortune to get connected to the grid. But I dislike using expensive, outdated electric heaters. So when I am ready for bed, I place a couple of hardwood logs on the wood burner which last all night once you figure out how to use your log burner properly.

I don’t think putting expensive double glazing would make any difference to how warm the place gets. If you install a log burner and have a double-layered carpet on the floor, then you will be warm alright.

The couple of changes I made removing the fixed seating that comes with a static yes it may be ok for a week, but for living in not a chance. I purchased a more comfortable sofa like you would have in a normal home. Trust me, this makes a massive difference to how comfortable it is when living in a caravan.

Then I ripped out the fixed bed and purchased a quality bed. I mean, if you are going to be living in a caravan all year round, then you want some comforts, right?

I could talk all day about what it’s like to live in a caravan, but for you, well, you could find it totally different from what I do. You may want more space or be happy sharing what little space is on offer. This caravan is fine for me because it’s a means to an end. The end being, converting my stable block into a small bungalow.

Where Will You Choose To Live In Your Caravan

As I have mentioned above, there are many places you could choose to live in a caravan. You could choose residential sites. It may be an all year round site or it could be a part-time residential site, these sorts of sites don’t have full residential status or licenses but only for 10 – 11 months of the year so you have to find somewhere else to live for a couple of months. You could use this time to spend with family or friends.

If you were living in a touring caravan, you could spend a couple of months on a friend’s driveway or garden, then move back to the site when it reopens.

Also, if you are living in a touring caravan, you may choose to spend your time in different sites travelling around seeing different towns and cities, sometimes countries, but this would be the most expensive way to live in a caravan.

It would be great to spend the wintertime in Spain there are plenty of caravan sites out there.

If you are looking to live in a caravan because there is no room in your mother’s home or you just want your own space. Then you can live in any size caravan on your parents or even friends’ land, which could be a driveway. As long as the land we are talking about is in the garden’s curtilage of the house, meaning the garden, driveway etc.

But to do this, you need to take one meal inside the main house, not that anyone would know if you did or didn’t.

What you cannot do is use the caravan, whether it be touring or static, like a separate home or dwelling. If you do this, then you would need planning permission. If you got planning, which is very doubtful, then you would have to pay council tax.

Another thing you might think, you could just park up, leave the touring caravan attached to the vehicle, and sleep in it. Well, you could, but if the police are called, they will move you on and if you have been drinking and the vehicle’s keys are in the caravan they can get you for drink driving.?

There are lots of different opinions on this, but mostly, it is not workable to live in a caravan this way. You need to have a base no matter what caravan you choose to live in.?

Why Not Work On A Farm

Now, if you’re not working and you want to live in a static or touring caravan and you’re willing to work, then you could go around local farmers and look for some. Many farms have several static caravans scattered around their land for farm workers and seasonal workers. I know plenty of farms that let the workers stay in the caravans all year round and they never get bothered by anyone.

If you’re touring the country and want to earn some money in the process, then this is perfect for you. Also great for meeting new people from all over the world, farmworkers in the UK come from all over the place.

You probably be given a small patch of land or should I say allowed to use a small bit of land to set up home, so to speak.

Living In A Caravan On Your Own Land

You will need to start some sort of business to get the right to live in the caravan on your own land, and this will only be temporary permission for 3 – 5 years while you prove your business is viable. Plus, you need to prove a functional need to be there 24/7 – 365 days per year.

This is what the council or local planning departments will want you to prove to them. These are old and outdated rules and they should not use them, but they still do. Instead, they should judge on a need for a rural workers’ dwelling, but they still use the old rules to see if you need that dwelling is needed. You need to prove –

• Functional Need To Be There
• Prove The Business Is Viable
• Show Your Financials

If you are thinking of buying land to live on in a caravan, then I would advise against it. Unless you’re starting some sort of rural business and want to make that business work. If that is the case, go for it, but make sure you have everything ready for the business to start straight away. You only have 3 – 5 years to prove the business is going to work. It’s hard enough with a normal business, never mind a rural one.

This way, you are not messing around tidying the land and putting up fences, you can concentrate solely on the business itself.

There are plenty of small plots of land where sitting static and touring caravans would be appropriate for families wanting to live a country lifestyle.

This is what most people have probably come to read, and that’s can you live in a caravan on your own land. The answer is a resounding “NO” not unless you get granted planning permission. Your land will probably be agricultural or equine and as such, you would need to get a change of use to residential.

If you do not have the money or should I say savings available to buy yourself some land try and Claim Land.

Planning permission would never be granted, not for you to just move onto land in a caravan and live there. Councils are not in the business of letting anyone live on agricultural land or any land that they do not designate as residential. Then your only choice is to rent or purchase a property that is not what you want to do.

I have always said this in my videos. If you have been to my YouTube channel, The Small Farmer Life you have to find agricultural land think of a business idea. Get the land into a good state of repair so that when you move onto the land you are ready to go. Make sure you have a good business idea. It does not have to make you millions.

Trust me when I say that there are thousands, tens of thousands of people living on agricultural land all over the UK.

Now there is one thing that 99.9% of these people have in common and that’s they moved their caravan on first and ask second. Do not ask first, then be refused as they will refuse you, even if you have a fully functioning farm or business. They will just say well if it’s doing so good and you’re not there, then why do you need to be there now.?

They are more than willing to say no if you ask, but find it hard to evict you once you’re on the land. But you need to start some sort of business and it doesn’t have to be a huge farming operation. I know a guy who lives on an 8th of an acre plot and has a dog grooming business. That’s as far from farming as you can get. But it’s a business in a rural area and the local councils have to support rural businesses and the need for rural workers’ dwellings.

Heres A List Of Rural Business Ideas

• Dog Kennels or Cattery 
• Pet Hotel – People have lots of different pets, all of which may need hotel
• Petting Zoo
• Clamping Site or Tiny Home Site
• Farming Workshop Good Mechanic – Mobile Fix Farm Machines
• Rural Garden Centre + Nursery
• Composting Site + Mulching, etc
• Different Rural Business or Combine A Couple
• Countryside Wedding Venue
• Aquaponics Farm
• Fish Nursery + Breeding Site, etc
• Stud Farm – Horse Delivery – Horse Box Hire – Sell Horse Tack & Feed
• Tree Farm + Speciality Trees Different, Japanese Acres, Japanese Maples
• Lama + Donkey Trekking
• Grow Micro Greens & Mushrooms

• Country Joinery Shop – Chicken Coops, Rabbit Hutches,
• Sell Hardware To Local Villages 
• Small Rural Shipping Warehouse & Last Mile Delivery

This is the best shot you have got to live on agricultural land in a caravan. This way, they weed out the potential property developers. If it was easy, everyone would do it. But trust me when I say this once you’re in your new home, the caravan in this case, and have your own land.

The debt machine does not saddle you. There is no better feeling than living on your own land with acres of space. Running your own small business breathing in that fresh air.

Yes, you will still have to pay council tax as does everyone else, but it’s pennies compared to the costs associated with living in a 3 bed home.

Is It Cheaper To Live In A Caravan

The cost of living in a caravan is minimal if you are living on your own land. Now, as I have said, if you’re living on a residential site or travelling or touring as it is known, then it’s going to cost you a lot of money.

But if you purchase a piece of agricultural land and tidy it up, start a small rural business doing something like raising hens or breeding them to sell fertile hatching eggs like me. I get £20 per half dozen, so 6 eggs, with a profit of around £12 after costs are taken into account.

Personaly this is how I got the right to keep my caravan on my land.

This takes minimal time to do and is guaranteed less stressful than your old 9 – 5 job because we are not just talking in monetary terms here. We are talking about the costs of everything from income to mental health. These are all costs we pay in life to live how we do in homes that are too big for us, buying needless things to fill them and all on debt.

The best thing I ever did was get rid of all the junk I had acquired over the years and I never sold it. i just left it and told them to give it to the next tenant or charity.

Now all I pay is £40 per month electric, £2000 per year council tax, £20 per month internet and food bill which to be honest is not that much. Also, when I grow my salad and vegetables, it will be next to nothing for food.

I get my wood for the burner from a local tree surgeon who tells me when he is cutting certain trees down and he just dumps the chopped logs and chippings which I used for paths on my land.

He even cuts them to a size I can split them by axe. You may choose a log splitter, but I like the exercise and I don’t even let them dry. I use dry ones and leave the freshly cut ones at the side of the fire as you see in the images to be dried. It takes around a couple of hours for them to dry to a point where they are ready.

But I can honestly say that moving into a caravan on my land that I owe “NO DEBT ON” is one of the best things I have ever done for me, my health, and my bank account.

You cannot just look at the monetary costs of living on your own land, etc. You have to also take into consideration the joy of breathing fresh air well, as fresh as you’re going to get. The joy of the peace and silence, no more children playing outside your door unless they’re your own, that is.

The joys of growing your own food, picking apples from an orchard that you planted and collecting fresh eggs daily. These things are not just saving you your money, but also your health. Living as we do in this modern way of life is not how we’re supposed to live, not all of us anyway.

Yes, some people love it, but a lot of others don’t and it hurts not just their wallets but also their health. There is 92% of the UK that is open countryside and there are plenty of small parcels of land out of the way. Which could never be farmed in a way as we think of modern farming.

But they could be farmed on a smaller scale by people and families wanting to live the smallholder’s life.

It’s cheaper for you and for the country. The countryside is taken care of the land is managed in a better way. No more man-made fertilisers but natural manure. Mental health problems are sorted for people who don’t or dare not leave their own front doors because of what society has done.

They should not reserve the land or countryside for wealthy individuals. But all wealth classes and types of individuals should occupy it. Yes, this may be idealistic, but it is what most people want. Maybe not the top 10% but the vast majority of this country would like the opportunity to live in the countryside if they so please.

Bills That Come With Caravan Life

The bills that come with living in a caravan. In my case its a static caravan so that I can only testify to the bills I pay.

• Gas Bottle £40 per 3 – 4 months
• Food Bill £150 per month
• Council Tax £2000 per year
• Internet 4G Unlimited Data Three Mobile, £20

So not that bad, but this is just to live in the caravan. It is not for taking care of the land. But that’s all part and parcel of starting a smallholding. You are going to have to build certain things that will also add value to your land and now home.

How Do I Get Internet To My Rural Caravan

Yes, this is one thing we cannot do without and that’s the internet. We learn so much from it and it will be in daily use once you move onto your land and start living in your caravan. You will learn so many things to do around your farm from YouTube etc,

I use the internet a lot as you can see from my setup below. People think you need super-fast broadband. But from someone who does everything online from writing this blog to YouTube videos, streaming movies on a night time. The best service I have found is 4G Unlimited Data By Three Mobile.

The post Living In A Caravan appeared first on The Small Farmer Life.

Planning Permission For Static Caravan. Now there are many, many people who will say that you cannot place a static caravan on your small farm.

Well, they would if they don’t know how to go about it and what you need to do to get the legal right to have one on your land.

Now I’ve been to many forums and almost all of them say. If you ask the question “Can I Have A Static Caravan On My Land”

I Will put you in your place and say outright “NO” or why do you need a static caravan. Why not go with a Touring caravan..? Maybe it’s because you don’t want to.

It’s not like you’re telling them what car they should buy or drive. It’s your choice and you have the right to do what you want.

So stay away from forums if you want to know about this subject.

Many of the members are good-intentioned, but there are some that are just vicious. They don’t want to see you have a static caravan on land and if you are looking to do it. Then you must be a Traveler or something.

If you intend to live in the caravan straight away then you will need planning permission. You can live in the caravan without planning and if you don’t get caught for 10 years and 1 day then you get the right of lawfulness.

We will get to that bit a little later on in the post. At the moment we are just talking about being able to have a static caravan on your land without planning permission.

Not to live in at first but to use along with your farm.

How To Get A Static Caravan On Your Land & You Do Not Need Planning

The Difference Between Static & Touring Caravan

Now many people will say that they are totally different and yes they look different. Also as you know one you can pull behind your car another stays still. But they are both the same in the eyes of the “LAW”.

Legal Definition Of A Caravan?

The legal definition of a mobile home is the same as that of a static caravan.

It covers any structure designed or adapted for people to live in which is capable of being moved from one place to another.

Now whether by being towed or by being transported on a motor vehicle or trailer and any motor vehicle so designed or adapted.

It also includes twin units separately constructed and designed for assembly on-site, provided that the twin unit is physically capable of being moved or transported on a motor vehicle or trailer.

How Do You Get A Caravan On Your Land Without Planning

If you are talking about placing a caravan at your home to live in. It has to be in the curtilage of your garden then no planning is needed to live in it.

But you do need planning permission to live in a caravan on agricultural land.

If you are placing a caravan on your land whether that’s a static or touring you also do not need to have planning permission to do this. We are talking about placing a static caravan on your land not living in it we will get to that in a little while.

What you do need to be doing is farming the land. The reason for this is because you as a worker or maybe you are going to employee workers. You have to provide “Health & Safety In The Work Place” this is the law.

And a static caravan provides all the amenities that would be needed to keep workers comfortable. You would also be abiding by the law by providing them with what they need.

If you are wanting to live on your farm in a caravan I will get to that in a minute.

But if you think you are going to be able to place a caravan on a piece of land and live in it without doing any sort of farming.

You are so wrong and will be moved off. After being served an “Enforcement Notice” to remove your caravan and given 30 days to do it or should I say comply.

Also, this is not about getting a cheap home without being a farmer. It’s about helping small farmers live and farm their land. Not for people to come in and make big money trying to buck the system.

So How Can You Go About Placing A Static Caravan On Your Farm

So as I’ve mentioned above you can use the “Health & Safety In The Work Place” this is needed for any employer to provide their workers. This is how I did it and you do not need planning for it.

Asking Local Planning Officer

Don’t do it…! If you ask a “Council Planning Officer” if you can site a Static Caravan on your Agricultural Land. Trust me you will get one of two answers. Either put in a planning application costing you money.

This will be denied unless you have a means-tested business plan for your farm. Or you will get an outright “NO”. Now you may think a Planning Officer knows all the planning laws…?

Wrong trust me there are a lot out there that don’t know most of the “Planning Laws” and probably never read their “Local Planning Policies” and “National planning Policies”.

Just Put The Caravan On Your Land

Now I say this even if you haven’t started farming yet. This is what I did because I needed to work on the farm. So I needed these amenities to use while building up my farm.

I had it on there for five years and nobody said a thing.

It was only because I purchased a newer model as the old one was looking a bit tatty. That someone called the “Enforcement Officer”.

Now I had also built 3 buildings without planning permission. But this is not against the law and you can apply for “Retrospective Planning Permission”.

I got my planning passed without a problem because I had such a good business idea and a plan for farming the land.

But the “Enforcement Officer” was walking around and saying this will have to go that will have to go etc.

I’m thick-skinned I don’t scare easily which I think he was trying to do. But I kept my cool and thought I don’t think so.

So I applied for planning and it all passed no problems except the time they took to pass it as they asked me for an extra £356 which I refused to pay.

The cost was only £79 so why should I pay extra for what the law says it should be…?

Think about how many people get ripped off every year from planning departments asking for uncalled-for extra income…?

If you come across this problem question the extra and research the answer they give you. If you apply on the online “Planning Portal” you will know exactly what the cost will be.

Let’s Get Back To Siting Your Static Caravan

Now, remember that I said bring the caravan on straight away without asking anyone.

Well, when doing this put the caravan in an area that is not going to make the caravan stick out like a sore thumb.

Do not put it right next to the road or your neighbour’s boundary. Pick an area of your land that is well away from both of these.

Maybe plant some large leylandii so that it breaks up the look of the caravan. Also, purchase a Green or Cream colour these seem to blend in with the area and surrounding farmland.

Now if you haven’t started your farm then you need to get on it straight away. If an “Enforcement Officer” turns up and you’re working the land. Then this is going to be a good look.

But if they turn up and it’s just a nice grass field and knocks on the door and you just look like you have fallen out of bed. Well, let’s just say that’s not going to go down with them very well.

But if you have turned all your soil over if growing for Market Gardens or have Lots of Sheep or maybe like me Lots of Chicken Tractors breeding pure breed poultry. Then they will see you are trying to become a farmer.

Also, the fact that fewer and fewer young people are getting into farming is good. Even if you only have a couple of acres like me that’s enough land to farm. And make a good living if you pick the right “Niche Market”

I mean would you rather test out your farming skills on a couple of thousand-acre farms..? You wouldn’t know where to start, start small, grow slowly and make your farming experience a great experience.

If You Want To Live In Your Static Caravan

Then you are going to have to put together a business plan that can show you can earn a minimum income of the national average of £26,000 a year.

But you can still move into your caravan without applying for Planning Permission while building your business up.

Now you have to do this carefully and what I am saying is. Let’s say you have started your farm and you’re doing just fine and making a profit while living at your regular home.

Then you ask for the right to live on your farm in a caravan because you are making the minimum income needed of £26000 if you were already living on the land.

But if you have grown a profitable farm while living away from the farm then ask the council if you can live on the farm.

The local planning department is going to say well why do you need to live on the land if your farm is doing just fine where you live now..?.

So it is always better to live on the farm while growing your business to the minimum income needed.

Now you can start your farm and start making money before you decide to give up your home to move onto the farmland but keep it below £26.000.

This way when you do move on the land you will already have a business making a profit but not as much as needed.

But you will have a good start to get to the amount to live on the land legally. You will be in a better financial starting position to make that one years minimum income.

Than if you started from scratch living in the caravan and had three years and a bare farm to make that amount and good business. So starting to farm your land first and getting things ready is going to stand you in good stead for your big move.

How To Get Around The Planning System For Living On Your Farm

Now, let’s look at from another angle you sell your home or give up your rented accommodation and move straight into the static caravan without planning permission.

You will almost certainly get a visit from the local council, but now you have nowhere else to live and evicting you from your home. Well, this just doesn’t look good for the council planners and its not good publicity.

I mean your only trying to start a small farming business to help the local community and hopefully give back to the community in the future. While also making a living from the land.

So what you need to be doing is writing that business plan if you haven’t already done it. I am also not talking about keeping just a couple of different animals. It has to be an economically viable business plan that will make you an income from the land.

Also a little. information you may not know and that’s in the history of evicting people from their land.

There have only been 3 cases one you may remember where an old guy shot the local enforcement officer dead. Probably not the smartest move for the enforcement department. But a terrible thing nonetheless.

Also, I’m not talking about large settlers of many caravans with families living in them. I’m talking about just one family.

So you have a great chance to stay on that land living in your static caravan. But at this stage, you will have to apply for planning and probably attend a “Local Planning Committee Meeting”.

You will be given 3 minutes to state your case. Please don’t say things like “Well They Did It” so we should be allowed. You need to be calm and have all the facts and figures in front of you. As well as your business plan.

Also, why do you think you need to live on the land? Now if you are not good at speaking in front of people. Then practice with your wife or in front of your family. If you still can’t get to grips with it may be your wife or a friend could do the speaking part for you.

Remember you only have three minutes to put your case forward.

Now some people will say you should use a “Planning Consultant” well if you want to waste thousands of pounds that could help you grow your farm then waste it…!

But I say if you read your Local Planning Policy and National Planning Policies, also with a good Business Plan, both policies state they have to support small and large businesses for farming in the countryside. Then you will be able to do this on your own and save that hard-earned cash.

What Happens Next After the Planning Committee Meeting

Well if you are trying to be a real farmer and you should be and have written a good business plan. Then they will give you 3-5 years to live in a Static Caravan Legally.

And they will want to see you make the average minimum wage from that farming venture for one year out of the term they have given you.

If you manage to do this then they will grant planning permission for a real home and the size of that home will depend on how much you can earn from your farm.

So this is why it is best to start your farm as soon as possible. Meaning getting the land ready, and your website and marketing sorted. Plan out everything you are going to do and how much you intend to do.

Take online courses at a place like “SkillShare” on marketing, copywriting, taking good-quality images of your products etc. You get 2 Months Free. Which is more than enough time and it’s only £10 per month after your Free Trial and they have many, many more courses?

Then when you are ready to start your farm move onto the land. Use any money left over from the sale of your home or savings you have to build your business up.

So go out there and build your dream farm, check out other articles on my “Blog” you may find something of help to you…?

Remember You Do Not Need Planning Permission If You Do Not Intend To Live In The Caravan…?

The post No Planning Needed To Place Static Caravan On Your Land appeared first on The Small Farmer Life.

If you are building the stables yourself you can lower the cost dramatically.

In this post, I will run through what it cost me to build the stables in the image above. We can also discuss how you can get the cost of materials cheaper.

I will give you a few tips on how to get the price down if you intend to build your own stables.

Most of the construction I did by myself, but I did hire a bricklayer to do the Block Work. That is a bit out of my skill set.

I will tell you what it cost me for each separate part of the construction..?

Now I do like to find the cheapest place to purchase my materials from. So if you are just going to purchase your materials from the first place you find them.

Then your stables could cost you around a third or more to construct. Hunting around for cheaper suppliers really pays off and you do not have to sacrifice quality either.

If you choose to hire a company to build a stable block, like the one I built. Then the cost of doing so will be significantly more. I am talking around £30,000 maybe more.

After all keeping horses is an expensive hobby. So stable construction companies charge you a lot of money to build stables.

I would like to mention one more thing. That I have never built stables before. So I was in the same boat you are now. But I am good with my hands and if you are too. Then there is no reason why you cannot build your own stables also.

So let’s dive into it what did each part of building my stables cost..?

Do You Need Planning Permission For Your Stable Block

Most stable blocks will need Planning Permission if you live here in the UK.

You can get away with using mobile field stables or shelters without the need for planning permission. But you may still need to inform the council of your intention to build them.

When it comes to how many stables you can build on one piece of land. This depends on the size of the land or paddock you want to build on. The standard is one stable for every acre of land you have.

They say one stable per acre is what is recommended per horse. But I have seen 8 stables on less than half an acre so the jury is still out on how many you are allowed…?

I guess it depends on where you are located. You may have grazing land close to where you want to locate and build your stable block.

Me I got planning for 5 stables and a tack room on 6 acres of land.

Building Your Stable Concrete Pad

First, if you are building a static stable block, you will need to build a reinforced concrete pad. If you are constructing a stable block with a timber frame as I did. You will want to have your stable block base around 100mm minimum thick.

First, you will need a sub-base of crushed rock or in my case I allowed local builders to tip free.

I only allowed them to tip-clean concrete or brick. Then I added some finer crushed stone to the top. All of this cost me around £500.

I also went for a 150mm thick concrete pad this is mainly because the concrete forms or shuttering was 150mm high. So I went with this thickness. Also in the future, If I wanted to build a heavier building on the slab I can.

But the minimum I would go for is 100mm thick. The cost of ready-mixed concrete is going to be the cheapest way to build it.

At the time I built mine. I paid around £120 per Cubic Meter for ready-mixed and delivered-to-site concrete. I think you get a discount when you purchase a decent amount.

If you can collect the ready-mixed concrete then you can get if for as low as £80 per Cubic Meter. But when you are on a large project this is not really feasible to do.

I needed a total of 17 Cubic Meters now considering 1 Cubic Meter weights around 2 tons. You would need a really big vehicle to collect more than 1 cubic meter at a time.

As for the steel reinforcing mesh, you need to cost around £33 per 3.6m x 2m mesh sheet. I managed to get mine for £20 per sheet from a leftover concreting job local to me.

The total cost of the concrete and reinforcing mesh came to £2300. But it may be a little more if you have to pay £33 for your mesh or cheaper if you can find leftover reinforcing mesh-like me.

I would recommend looking in your local Free Ads Paper, Gumtree, Preloved even eBay etc. You may stumble across what you need…?

You can check out my article on How To Find Cheap Building Materials

Be very careful with concrete or you may learn the hard way as I did.

I had holes in my wellies and the concrete mix was getting in the holes. I did not feel any burning and did not notice until I removed my wellies. This is what my feet looked like after I had finished my concrete slab.

How to prevent and deal with concrete burns and neutralise them.

Trust me it was painful so you do not want to find out for yourself. Make sure you have wellies with no holes at all in them or you will be sorry.

Construction Of Stable Interior Block Work

After you have your stables concrete pad poured and cured you are ready to start your build.

I went with the design of a wooden framed stable exterior and concrete block internal walls. Now I have never done block work before so I hired a guy who did this part for me.

I paid £100 per day but I did know him. It took the guy 3 days to complete all the blockwork. All in all, I think it cost around £1500 for all the blocks, sand, cement and the guy to build the walls.

The engineering bricks for the wooden frame to sit on I laid myself. My back was killing me and it took me around 5 days. Lol, I wish I got the bricky to lay them honestly.

I got the engineering bricks from a leftover job and cost me £150. I think you can purchase a pack for around £200. In all I used 2 packs give or take a couple.

If you wanted to save money in this area. You can go with timber frame and wooden sheeting like Marine Ply Board or OSB Boarding. But I chose the concrete block walls for durability. As you know horses will chew their way through timber boarding.

Internal block walls will last forever and they are also better when cleaned. If you want to clean your stables out with a hosepipe. It’s easier if you have concrete blockwork than timber walls.

Building The Frame Work For A Stable Block

The framework I used for my stables was 4×2 rough-sawn timber. Now I could have used treated timber.

But I was using a different type of exterior boarding than the usual shiplap or log lap boarding. This meant I was using a wind and rain barrier between the frame and exterior board as you can see in the images.

No water is ever going to come into contact with the framing so I used untreated. Will I live to regret it..? Maybe but I saved a couple of quid.

I should really have gone with treated timber. It would have only cost me an extra hundred or so.

What you don’t need is C16 or C24 construction-grade timber for your frame. It is not a house and treated rough-sawn timber will do you just fine.

In total the framing 4×2 untreated cost me £548 which for the whole frame not including the roof. I thought this was pretty good considering the size of the stables.

Building The Stable Roof

The framing for my stable roof. I did go with Pressure-Treated 6×2 C16 Construction Grade Timber. I made my own trusses and I used the first one I built as a template for the rest.

Also, when I designed my stables I used the design program Sketchup to do it. Pretty easy to use. It does take some getting used to if you are just going to use it for one building. I would get someone else to design your stables for you.

I use it all the time and have for many years so pretty simple. But What I did was keep the lengths of timber as close to what are standard lengths in the industry.

Standard lengths of timber in the timber industry are 1.8m, 2.4m, 3.0m, 3.6m, 4.2m, 4.8m and so on. So if you are building anything. A roof in my case I used 3m lengths when designing it.

This way I knew which lengths to purchase. I only needed to cut off a little of the 3m length. What I am trying to say is. If you don’t know what lengths of timber you need. Then you may purchase 4.2m lengths when you only needed 3m lengths and end up wasting 1.2m.

This is what my neighbour did and when I finished my stable framing you could get all the offcuts in a couple of sacks.

On the other hand, when he finished his stables he had a huge pile of 1m lengths etc left over. This is all wasted money.

Do your best and try to get your timber frame as close to the standard lengths as possible when designing your stables.

All in all, I managed to get my roof trusses and purlins for a total of £685.

The pieces of ply I used to join the timber on the trusses I got for £20. Again purchased as leftovers. But if you need to purchase this timber you would have to pay around £80.

Boarding To Use For The Stables

Now most stables are built using a tongue and groove timber like log lap or shiplap. I wanted to be different and after looking around I went with 150mm x 22mm ruff-sawn treated timber boards.

Instead of placing my board horizontally, I placed my board verticle. I got the timber merchants to cut a third of the boards into 3 pieces and retreat them.

This gave me 3 x 50mm wide boards from one 150mm board. I used these to cover the gaps between the first row of boards.

I think that getting the boards cut into thirds and covering the joints looks great

The main reason I did this was to look at what was available for the price I wanted. Also, the thickness was too thin at 15mm thickness. Or it was just too expensive.

In the end, I think it looks great and many people even my neighbours have complimented me on the look. The look of the stables is different than most and it is very strong also.

The cost of the boarding was £868 in total. To cover the whole stable exterior is a great price.

Roof Covering To Use For Stables

For my stable roof, I went for PolyCoat Anthracite Grey Box Sheeting. You could go for Plasticoat Box Sheeting which is around a third more expensive.

I purchased 50 x 3 meters in length x 0.5m thick sheets which cost me £10 per meter. The total cost was around £2000 for the whole roof covering including ridge and box ends, fixings etc.

Now it pays to shop around when it comes to roofing for your stables. I found that some suppliers wanted double what I eventually paid for my stable block roof.

The cost of stable doors would be around £220 each if you purchased them ready-made. So in all, I would need 6 doors totalling £1380. I could build these doors and get that price down.

But the price of £220 also includes all the fixtures and fittings. If you include the time it takes to build a stable door. Also the fixings etc then it may be better to purchase ready-made doors

I will be using my stables for a different reason than keeping horses. So will not be going down the stable door route. But the stables still needed to be built to a high quality in case I ever want to sell them. I probably never will but just in case..?

These are my tips for finding cheaper materials. They are mostly common sense if you are wanting the best stables at the best price.

• Always look around when purchasing new materials. Even if that means you have to travel to collect them. I saved £1000 for my roof but I had to travel 80 miles and collect it.
• Try and find people you know with skills you may need as I did for my blockwork. You may need help with laying out your concrete slab. And friends with knowledge or skills may help you for free or charge less.
• If you are building your stables yourself and have time beforehand to collect the materials needed to build them. Then look at all the second-hand selling sites. Places to look would be Facebook Market Place, eBay, Gumtree, Craigs List, Preloved even Freecycle.
• Also when purchasing timber for a large stable block like mine. Remember to haggle for the best price possible. Get a quote from one timber merchant and then ask another if they can beat it..?

So What Was The Total Of My Stables

Let’s see what each part cost to build and the time it took to build them.

• Sub Base for my concrete pad £500
• Stable Block Base. Total cost for 17 cubic meters of concrete delivered to site – Plus Reinforced Mesh £2300
• Interior Block Walls – Plus 2 Course of Engineering Brick – Including Labor £1500
• Frame Work For Stable Walls £548
• Roof Framing £685
• Boarding For Exterior £868
• Roofing Sheets, Ridge, Box Ends & Fixings £2000
• 6 Stable Doors & All Accessories £1320
• Screws needed For Stables £60
• Bolts Used In Stables £120
• Nails For Paslode Nail Gun £150

Total Cost Of 6 Quality Built Stables – £10,551 Give or Take

Time to build a stable slab and to cure 3 days. Time to build 6 stables 16 working days.

I think you could do the work and build faster if you had more help or worked longer days than we did.

There were only 2 of us building these 6 stables and the Brick Layer took 3 days.

These stables are quality-built stables and will last a long time. Pitty I am not using mine for stables anymore. This is why you do not see the doors on them. But I did price the doors and that was the price I found and also the best.

If you were building just one stable to this standard. I would say you could do it for around £1500 and two stables would cost £3000. You get more discount the more materials you purchase. This brings the price down and for the standard and quality of materials used, I think that’s a good price.

Remember I like to shop around and haggle for my materials to get the best prices. I think you just went to the first place that sold what you needed. then you could add an extra £2000 – £3000 on top of what I paid.

Like they say it does pay to shop around. You will save money if you do.

What would the cost be for a company to build this sort of stable block.? Well, that depends on many factors where you live and what fit and finish you choose.

As I said earlier you could use a 100mm concrete slab. But you may choose 0.7mm thick roofing sheets with plasticote covering. these cost more than the ones I used.

But overall I think you are looking in the £25,000 – £30,000 range. So as you can see there are big savings to be had.

If you look around for the best pricing on materials and do the construction work yourself.

The post The Cost Of Building Stables appeared first on The Small Farmer Life.

Now I am not saying you have to go that far, but what I am saying is that if you are starting a small farm. Then you do not need to spend a fortune on new equipment to start a small farming adventure.

Your tools are your hands and your brain and mostly your time these are what will get your small farm off the ground. Spending thousands on new farming equipment and fancy tools will only get you into debt before you even start.

Most of the tools in the header image would still work just fine. Give them a good clean with a grinder and paint, maybe a new handle and they will last another hundred years.

How Small Farms Used To Be Worked

Imagine you had a small piece of farmland way before electricity and mechanical engines were invented etc..? No shops to go and purchase a different tool for every job.

These farms used to be powered by horses and plain old hard labour. But this is not what we are talking about. But just look at what they could accomplish with a few horses and will power.

This is what farmers way back had to contend with, but they still made the farm work. They made a living and kept food on the table. Most of the family would pitch in and help around the farm.

But most of their tools were made by themselves or they would barter with other small local businesses. They would use what they raised or had grown to barter with metal workers and carpenters. This is how they got the tools needed to farm and maybe they got some large plows using small loans from the landowner who they probably leased the land off to farm etc.

The fact is they did not have it easy that’s for sure. There weren’t all the gadgets and gizmos we have available to us today. But just because they have a machine for every little thing you can do around the farm. That does not mean you need it.

That is what you are trying to get away from. A world that is full of materialistic things that we hardly ever use. You don’t have to purchase a new riddle for soil, you can make one with a little reclaimed timber and some mesh steel netting.

You can still find these old tools that were made by hand at car boot sales, garden sales, and auctions. This is because they were built with care, using better quality materials. Then some cheap crap you can find online today.

Take a look at an old hand saw from the 1950s and then take a look at a hand saw from today’s cheap builder’s merchants. That’s why I use old hand saws they were built to last because they had no power tools, so the hand saw had to be quality.

Quality of old hand tools is always better than todays..!

So don’t purchase tools that won’t even last one season. Why not use your brain and very own hands to build some much-needed equipment. There are so many videos and free plans online showing you how. You will probably have some of the materials laying around after a few months starting your small farm.

The best thing about making or building your own equipment is you are learning all the time.

Now if you can’t make your own tools at the start, we will talk about how you can find the tools you need cheap later on. After all, not all of us are good joiners or metal workers I know I certainly am not.

Small Farming In The Twenty First Century

Nowadays things are much easier but still, starting a small farm is not going to be simple. The thing I am trying to say is that you do not need brand new equipment. You don’t need a tractor for a small farm or even a quad especially when you’re first starting out.

The most important tool you are going to need and maintain is you. Do you have what it takes to keep going through the good times and the bad..? Do you give up easily..? If not then…

All you need are the basic tools and start using your hands and your brain again. Yes, it will be harder starting without all the fancy equipment but it will be more satisfying in the long run.

You won’t get into debt and as and when you start making a profit from your small farm. Then and only then do you invest that money back into the farm equipment you really need.

Now it is going to take time before you can purchase brand new equipment. But you want to live a good life right..? Well, worrying about paying lots of bills at the end of the month for hire purchase agreements is not part of the good life. This is stress you don’t need and you will feel all the better for it.

I started my small farm with nothing but used hand tools. All of them well 90% purchased from Tool and Machine Auctions and sites like Gumtree, Preloved, and Craigslist.

I even got most of my building materials free which you can see here in my blog post about How To Find free Building Materials.

The Basic Farming Tools Needed

Most of the tools you need are just going to be general hand tools that most gardeners use. Remember that a small farm is only a large garden or it could even be a garden. Urban farms are becoming more popular every year. You may need the odd petrol-powered Tiler or Rotavator hired or if you really have to purchase one then used or secondhand.

Below I will list the tools I started with and still mainly use today. I have one exception a large commercial lawnmower, but it is still a walk behind mower and I purchased it used and secondhand.

Here’s My List Of Basic Farm Tools I Started With

Gardening Equipment – This Is All I Started With Nothing Fancy.

• Spades
• Spit Spade
• Garden Forks
• Hand Shovels
• Wheel Barrows
• Basic Garden Rakes
• Garden Hoe
• Pick Axe
• Sledge Hammer
• Post Knocker
• Hayfork
• Pruners Different Sizes
• Hand Trowels
• Used Weed Sprayer
• And probably a few more that I have forgotten

Joinery Tools – You Are Going To Need Some Joinery Tools

• Hammer
• Hand Saw
• Tape Measure
• Set Square & Speed Square
• Sliding Bevel
• Used Drill
• Used Circular Saw
• Used Mitre Saw
• Used Table Saw
• And an old tool belt
• And lots of little small tools like hand planes the list is too long.

Now if you told someone you were going to start a small farm they would be telling you that you will need a fortune in machinery. But we are not talking about starting a thousand-acre farm.

We are talking about farming on a small scale. Maybe you are just going to specialize in Speciality Mushrooms or Garlic. Maybe you are just going to be Breeding & Selling Pure Breed Chickens like me. You do not need massive machinery to get small farming ventures like this off the ground.

You start adding to your tool collection as and when you need it. Never just go and purchase every tool just because it may come in handy down the road.

What You Need & Don’t Need

The list above are more or less the tools with which I started my small farm with. If I needed a larger tool or machine-like a Mini Digger so that I could dig out the foundations for my stable block. I would go to my local builder’s merchants and hire one for a week for £200.

After I finished the foundations for the stable block. I would use the digger to do other things around the farm like dig the water pipe trench. These large machines can cost tens of thousands to purchase.

So why not hire them instead, you do not have to worry about them breaking down and having to fix them. They also do the work of 10 – 20 men if you are digging a farm pond or water system these are essential time-saving machines.

You will also find that with larger machines, you will only use them a couple of times. So why have such a big investment sat there losing money? Even the larger farms hire in Combine Harvesting Machines than purchase their own.

Let’s say you wanted to Til a large field you could hire a good quality Tiler for around £60 for a week that’s 7 days. You’re only going to use it once or twice a year so why spend thousands on your own. Especially when you are first starting out, it makes no sense.

Even now that I can afford some of these expensive machines. I don’t purchase them outright. If I need to use something expensive now like Whacker Plates, Mini Diggers, Tilers I just hire them, it is much more viable than purchasing one.

You should never be thinking of purchasing machines that cost thousands if you only intend to use it now and then. The only time that purchasing an expensive machine would make sense is if you are using it every day.

Even running my own business which is in construction I never purchase anything expensive. I only purchase good quality drills etc that I will be using daily. The more expensive items are always hired.

The Reason I Never Purchase Expensive Farm Tools & Machinery

The first reason is I have a small farm and it would just be stupid to have large tractors just sitting there. I can walk round my farm in a couple of mins I don’t need a tractor or quad. Neither should you if you farm is only a couple acres.

The second reason is the cost when starting out and I am still starting out. Why would you spend thousands purchasing equipment that may get used now and then or here and there whichever way you want to say it?

A third reason is I can hire them if I need to hire something for one-off jobs then I can. There is a local builders merchants with a tool hire section and has all the tools I would need to use around my small farm.

I would never advise purchasing expensive equipment when first starting out. You don’t need the stress and the hassle and you may like your new toy for a week or so but that will soon wear off. Especially when you cannot keep up with the repayments. Plus if you purchase through hire purchase you are paying interest on the machinery also.

I see people purchasing new quad bikes and they have only got 2 acres..? Trust me the money would have been better spent on materials to build a small barn or purchase a used polytunnel. Yes, I said it again a used polytunnel.

Why Buy Used Tools & Other Farming Equipment

The answer is simple you are just starting out in your small farm. Every penny counts and you can purchase almost anything and everything used. You can do most of this without even leaving your home over the internet. Or like me you can go down to your local auction house and find bargains there.

If the first thing you did when starting your farm was purchase everything new. Then you would soon find yourself spending tens of thousands before you even start making any profit.

You can purchase new when your farm is up and running and you are making a profit from it. Unless you have a boatload of cash and don’t mind taking the chance that your small farm is going to succeed.

Take it from me you can get lots of great deals on used equipment and tools. You will always find the tool you need for sale somewhere used these days.

Best places to look for used tools and machinery. Facebook Market Place is my favorite place, Gumtree, Craigslist, Preloved, FreeAdds, FreeCycle, Local Auctions, eBay.

I hope I have talked you out of thinking you need lots and lots of money and tools to start a small farm. You can do it on a budget and as your farm grows so will your bank balance. Then and only then you can think I would like to trade my old machine in for a new one.

I would only do that if the machine I had was broken beyond all repair or was costing me too much to keep it going. Even then I would probably purchase another second-hand one lol.

The post Tools Needed To Start A Small Farm appeared first on The Small Farmer Life.

You might be thinking why does my small farm need a website or any farm come to think of it…? Especially at the beginning, which we will come to in a minute.

I mean the whole point about starting a small farm, smallholding, or homestead is to get away from all the crap and tech of today’s modern age.

This is true, in most cases we start a small farm to enjoy the outside again, the little things in life and get back to basics. Not to be online building an online store or writing a blog.

We all know that the internet has taken over books and is one of the best things ever to be given to mankind. As a learning tool or a selling tool, nothing beats it whatever you want to know or purchase it’s there somewhere.

Learning is important for new farmers, especially because we have never farmed before.

But so is spreading the word about your new farm and also selling for your farm. After all, you will need to attract buyers for your farming products.

This could be meat, speciality crops, selling of eggs, making of soaps whatever it is. There is no better way than a website to show it off.

Your farm is still a business or is going to be a business and every business needs a website in this day and age.

Even if it’s only a hobby farm a website is an extension of your farm plus hobby farms teach others knowledge.

If you choose to blog about your farm you can earn a very nice income from a blog. I’m talking in the thousands per month. There is nothing special about blogging it is really cheap and easy to get started.

There are many ways to make money from small farming. You can check out my post How To Make Your Small Farm Profitable.

Be sure to come back and read the full post to see how to earn even more money from your small farm’s website.

First Start A Blog As Soon As Possible

I would suggest you start a Blogging Website for your farm from the beginning. As soon as you have the land get to writing about it. The website will become a blogging diary for your farm and how far you have come for future reference.

More important than that the faster you get your site listed on Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines the better.

If you start writing your blog from the beginning of your small farming adventure and how things are going.

You might be thinking nobody wants to read about this but believe me they do. I mean you are reading my blog are you not..?

Trust me I get 10,000 plus readers per month and climbing

It will also be much easier to launch an online store off the back of a blog. Especially when that blog is already listed in search engines.

This is because it takes time for any website to rank in the Search Engine Results Pages. These are also referred to as SERPs.

If you start your blog straight away. Then when you are ready to sell products online. Your blog will already be showing up in the search results. Then it’s just a matter of linking your online store to your blog.

It’s as simple as writing an article telling your readers that you have now launched an online store. You will then already have an audience that may want to purchase from you and your farm over the internet.

But more than all of that blogging and selling online is great fun also profitable. You will be surprised at the number of readers you will get.

Millions of people dream of living off the land and it is a massive subject worldwide.

What is Blogging anyway…?

Blogging is basically writing about anything, in this case, your farm and your experiences. It’s simple to start as you can see from my blog.

You only need a single post to launch a blog. Then write one article weekly or monthly showing your readers how you are getting on with your small farm.

It takes around several months for your blog posts to start showing in search engines. So don’t be thinking you will only have one post and lots of people will be viewing it. But after several months you will have many articles and lots of people reading your blog. Simple..!

Did I also mention that you can earn a significant income from your small farm blog also..? This is by way of affiliate marketing and there are so many affiliate programs out there that can earn you extra income for writing about what you love.

Yes its true why do you think so may people are writing blogs these days

I have even started to earn a little extra income from my blog which is great and goes towards feeding my animals. Believe me when I say I am no computer genius so if I can do it so can you?

There is no reason why you cannot learn just like I did and have a website blog up and running in just a couple of weeks. It only takes a couple of hours of learning per week before you know-how and are up and running.

If you get stuck along the way. Do what I did and go and type in what you want to know into YouTube. I guarantee you will find the answer in minutes and it will be in a nice easy to follow video. Problem solved…!

Websites Are Not Expensive

This is one of the biggest reasons that may put people off is the cost. Thinking a website is going to be expensive and that you need all the money you have for your small farm. The truth is that it’s really cheap to launch a website.

The main costs behind websites are website designers. Which I am going to tell you, you don’t need. It is really simple to start a small blog or small online store without any coding knowledge whats so ever.

I’m talking less than a couple of hundred which is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Also nothing in terms of what you will get back from your website.

I have 2 websites one for my blog and one for my online store. We will discuss which type of website you need and how much it will cost for each type.

The Small farmer life blog I host with BlueHost and I purchased their 3-year plan which cost from £2.26 per month for three years.

My online store Ukpoultry.co.uk I use Shopify which costs me $29 a month. This is about what I sell 6 fertile hatching eggs for or 1 pullet hen. So I think it is well worth the monthly fee.

Is It Hard To Build A Website..?

In this day and age, you do not need to go to college or university to learn how to build a website. The prosses is easy to learn and there are mountains of online videos to help you through any problem you may come across.

This is great for someone like me who is building their first website. Whether it’s an online store to sell your farm products or you want to learn how to blog. It’s pretty easy to learn either one nowadays.

Now there are plenty of companies offering different platforms to use to sell online and to blog.

But I choose to use Shopify for my online store as it’s really simple to use and so many sources on YouTube to learn from. Not only that but they take care of everything from a free theme to online payments etc.

Now I could build my store into my WordPress blog to sell products online but this is a lot more complicated.

It is much easier to use a Shopify store which was built from the ground up to be an eCommerce platform and link to it from my blog.

I could also run my online blog from Shopify but Shopify is not the best platform to blog from. It was built to sell things so use it for that reason.

WordPress, on the other hand, was built for Blogging. So I choose to blog with WordPress as there are many more options.

So I sell my products with Shopify which is a lot less hassle than having a Blog and an Online Store together.

It’s easy to link your Blog to your Online Store this gives you the versatility and the advantages of both worlds.

Who Do I Use To Host My Sites..?

Now I recommend BlueHost for WordPress Hosting and for Blogging and I recommend Shopify for Online Selling. These two companies are giants in their industries.

I have never had any trouble with either of them and they are both simple to use. The customer service is awesome from both and any problems if you have any are sorted while you are chatting online.

Now I did my homework before I chose which Hosting to go with and also which eCommerce I would use to sell online.

But I have in the past used other types of providers and also pay monthly services like Wix.

But nothing beats having your own hosting, domain name and purchasing a ready-built theme.

After 5 years of using different types of websites. I think BlueHost is by far the best and cheapest for hosting your website. Other people may think differently but what are they hosting and what do they need from a hosting company.

I am certain that if you are looking for web hosting then BlueHost has a package to suit your needs.

Other Platforms To Blog From

There are many different types of blogging platforms out there. All offering different types of options and packages.

I am just trying to make things easy for you by telling you what I use and know something about.

I cannot speak for all the companies and providers out there because I have never used them. That is except Wix and a few hosting companies. Wix was pretty pathetic, to be honest.

The reason I choose WordPress to write my blog. Is because it’s the biggest platform for blogging in the world.

This means there is so much more information out there. There are so many plugins for everything or anything you may want to do. Have you seen fancy share buttons on a website you like..? I bet it is from a WordPress Plugin.

Also, the mountain of instructional videos on YouTube that will teach you everything you need to know is unbelievable.

Other platforms do not have the amount of help you may need. If you are new to website design and building I would stick to WordPress for this reason alone.

You can also easily move your website from one hosting company to another if you use WordPress and WordPress hosting companies.

Also, WordPress is Free, you still have to pay for Hosting and a Domain Name which costs around £12 per year.

Some hosting packages will give you a free domain for the first year with one of their hosting packages even BlueHost does.

But if you are a first-time customer when purchasing a domain name you can get them as cheap as 0.99p.

Always Purchase Your Domain Seperate From Your Hosting…!

I would always advise you to purchase your domain name from a domain name supplier that is different from your hosting company.

Have them both separate as sometimes a hosting company can make things difficult if you ever want to leave.

This has never happened to me but I have read about it in the past so for the price, why take the chance.

This gives you full control over every aspect of your website. If you ever want to move to new hosting then you simply point your domain to your new host.

WordPress Hosting For Your Small Farm Blog

There are many companies that offer WordPress hosting and it’s pretty cheap. I think really cheap.

The great thing about building your own website. Choosing your own hosting and domain name is that you are in control and not some web developer.

List of some Hosting Companies with great pricing.

• BlueHost – This is the hosting I use – Never had a problem
• Hostinger UK
• SiteGround
• JustHost – Have also used this hosting – Again never had a problem
• HostGator

Building and owning your own website is a real game-changer. You do not have to contact web developers to change this or that. You will also not be billed for changing small things on your website.

This is why I was so happy to learn how to use WordPress. If I wanted to make changes I could do it in five minutes.

You may think it is hard to learn but honestly, it is really easy. You will get to grips with it in no time and be well on your way to having your own blog.

Which Option Is Best For You..?

Well, this all depends on what you are doing with your farm. Are you just wanting to blog about your farm..?

If you are raising animals and selling their meat. You may want to start a blog and show your potential customers.

How you treat and raise your animals through images and blog posts. You can also show them videos which are easily integrated into your blog.

In this case, you just need a Cheap Hosting Package a Domain Name and a Blogging Theme.

Total cost around £200 for 3 years of hosting and a cool looking Theme like mine. You will have to pay for your domain yearly but it is around £12 per year.

Then if you decide to sell online in the future you can easily start an online store with Shopify.

If You Want To Sell Online

If you are selling fertile hatching eggs and other poultry-related products. Or if you are selling any other type of products that can be posted or mailed out.

You may want to start with a Shopify store. Or like me, you may want to start with both.

This is the great thing about being in control of your own online world it is all up to you. You can do anything you want and you can do it that very day and it won’t cost you a penny.

If you want to make changes you can and it will cost you nothing and can be done in minutes.

No more overcharging web design companies trying to get thousands per month out of you for a basic farm shop. Believe me, this is what they will try and charge you.

You can add any products you have available to your store in minutes. Start taking any orders and have them in the post for next day delivery. Any payments will go straight into your Paypal Account or Bank.

Shopify is the largest eCommerce platform out there, especially for new online stores. It is easy to set up and you even get a 14 day free trial with no credit card needed.

After that, the price is $29 a month which is nothing compared to what a web design company would charge to build you an online store. If you choose a web design company be sure to have several thousand just for a basic online store.

Another good thing about Shopify is that you can get a Point Of Sale Unit for your farm shop or farmers market if you have one. This integrates with your online store and any sales go straight into your bank account.

You can cancel your Shopify store at any time and you are not tied into a contract.

How To Start A WordPress Farm Blog

Just want to blog..? Using WordPress for your farm blog is pretty easy once you have your hosting. You can then download WordPress free to your hosting platform which will probably have c-panel.

Upload a theme you have purchased or you may choose to go with a free Theme. I recommend you purchase a ready-made Theme as this will make things easy for you and you get 6 months of support free.

There are plenty of videos showing you how to do this. The theme seller will probably have one. This is not a hard thing to do.

The support you get with a purchased theme will also help you if you ever get stuck. They will even go into your website and fix a problem if you have one.

C-panel is the backend of your website were WordPress lives. Once installed you will only see the WordPress panel as seen below when you log into your website.

WordPress DashBoard Above

This is where you will upload your Theme and make any changes to your website or post new articles to your blog. It is really that easy when you get to know your way around.

Now as I mentioned you can use one of the free themes that WordPress offers which are not that good but could be used. Or you can do what I did and purchase a Blogging Theme for a one-time payment of around £50 from a site that sells Themes like ThemeForest.

There are so many Themes to choose from and different types you will certainly find one you like. Always purchase a theme that has sold many times and has lots of good comments about it and you can’t go wrong.

Themes are basically ready-made websites that you can change to your own tastes. It sounds complicated but it takes around ten minutes to download the theme and install it into your WordPress hosting.

How To Always Recover Your Website

Now if you are new to WordPress Blogging. Then you are going to make mistakes. But this is not a problem when you are using WordPress.

As I mentioned if you have read the whole post that is..? WordPress has a plugin for everything. There is a Plugin called UpdraftPlus it is free to install.

Now as you learn to use WordPress and start making your website look cool. All you have to do is hit Backup in UpdraftPlus and it will backup your full website.

If you make a mistake after you have built a lovely website. As long as you have been making regular backups it’s not a problem. You just hit the Restore in Updraftplus and your website will be back to how it was. Before you made the mistake.

You can see I use it in the image of my blog dashboard above.

You can also back your website up to external storage like GoogleDrive who give you gigabytes of free storage space with any Gmail account.

Is It That Simple To Start A Farming Website

Yes, it is. The first step is to choose what you want from your website..? Do you want to blog or sell online or do you want both..?

Now you have made up your mind go with one of the links on this page and you cant go far wrong.

Once you have chosen your desired platform. Go over to YouTube and type in how to learn to Blog With WordPress or how to Build An Online Store With Shopify.

I promise you that you will find everything you need to know about either of the platforms. This is exactly what I did and I have never looked back. I even build Shopify stores for others and make a little extra on the side.

Learning How To Blog About Your Small Farm

If you are wanting to learn how to blog about your small farm then take a look at these guys. They have a channel on YouTube called Income School. You will learn everything you need to know about starting a blog from scratch even how to make money from your blog.

They explain lots of things around the art of blogging because it is an art. Like anything, you will become better at blogging the more you blog. It’s that simple. If you are not the best at spelling then you can download Grammarly the free version is all you need.

Once you are learning to blog you will want to learn about SEO. This will help you write great articles for your blog that will get ranked on page one of Google.

Neil Patel is the guy to watch he has his own Channel on YouTube called Neil Patel.

Watching these two YouTube channels alone will get you well on your way to blogging. Also earning from your blog, yes it will take a little time but so will building your farm.

If you are still not sure about using WordPress then check out channels on YouTube that teach you. But I will say this. The best way to learn is to follow along as you are watching.

If you don’t have WordPress or Shopify then you cannot follow along. Remmember you are in your farm for the long run and on those cold winter nights.

Well what better way to get through them than to write about your farming life..!

The post Why Small Farms Need A Website appeared first on The Small Farmer Life.

Huy guys this is just a quick announcement to let you guys know that I am now uploading videos a couple a week @SmallFarmerLife

From my new YouTube Studio which I built in one of my stables so that I could help you guys out with any questions, you may have.

Also making lots of videos covering lots of subjects on how you can make your small farm profitable.

Whether you have a large garden which you farm or a 10-acre plot I will help you choose the right produce to grow. Which will make the most profit when it comes to selling. And I know a lot about selling and have run and sold many successful small businesses over the years.

4 Things You Need To Learn When Starting A Small Farm

It’s all in the Perseverance, Knowledge, Marketing & Profit in that order.

Perseverance to start and carry on going through the tough times and people telling you that you cannot do it. If you don’t have this and like the comfortable feeling. That a 9-5 job gives you certainly don’t start a small farm.

Knowledge which you will learn from me and others and also from doing things yourself anyone that will say they will hold your hand every step of the way is just a liar. There are certain things you need to learn on your own. But knowledge is everywhere, especially on the internet and my favourite AudioBooks.

Marketing of your farming products and the best way to go about it and who to..? I know a lot about this subject and hope to pass that knowledge on to you guys. To make the most profit.

Profit at the end of the day is what we are doing it for. Yes, we can grow food and raise animals, but you still need money to purchase clothes and other goods not coming out of the farm. Like a van, truck or car.

If you can master these 4 simple steps then you will be successful in any venture you apply them too.

You will also find lots of How-To Videos, information around Planning Laws, Which are the best Animals to Raise, Crops to Grow and so much more.

How To Find The Cannel

Click the Link Here – @TheSmallFarmerLife to Subscribe & Press the Bell Button to be notified of new Videos I promise you that you will learn many things. Also, you will not make some of the same mistakes as me and others.

Hope to see all you guys there and thanks for supporting my small blog. Hope I can help you even more with the videos I make.

I also promise I will get better at talking to the camera lol… See You There..!

The post YouTube Channel Videos appeared first on The Small Farmer Life.

I have been busy around my small farm setting things up and with this world-changing COVID 19 epidemic, we are going through. Small farms have never been more popular.

I am really sorry that I have not had the time to write more articles, but this will all be changing soon. I will also be launching my YouTube Channel in the coming weeks.

But I would like to invite you to contribute to The Small Farmer Life Blog.

If you have a story or information that can help other people either start their own small farm or tell your a story on how you started your very own small farming lifestyle.

I invite you to write your very own post and I will post it on The Small Farmer Life Blog. There are lots of people out there that want to live this lifestyle and hear what you have to say.

If you can help them and have the time to write a small article then why not join in. People love to hear about other peoples ventures into small farming and are always sending me emails asking how they can get into this lifestyle.

Whether it’s how to find farmland, how did I start or get into farming, what animals should I farm, can I profit from a small farm the list is endless.

What’s Your Story..?

I and others would love to hear your story. You will be credited with writing the Article. But I do not want you to be putting backlinks after backlinks in there. Of course, you can link back to your own blog if you have one.

But and this is a “BIG BUT” it must be about farming lifestyles, animals, growing vegetables or something related to farming as a whole.

The small farming community is growing out there and people want to hear how others started. So why not tell them your story, you may think that no one wants to hear it, but believe me, they do.

How To Get In Touch

If you would like to tell your story or have something you would like to share with the small farming community. Just drop me a quick message and email over your story.

I will read it through and credit the story to you if you have your own blog I will link the story to your blog and this is how we can teach others. That a farm does not have to be a huge thousand-acre farm. A farm can be as little as a couple of rear gardens or community gardening plot.

If you would like to contribute then please feel free to message me. I look forward to hearing from each and every one of you.

The post Do You Live The Small Farmer Life..? appeared first on The Small Farmer Life.

But you still have your nights to write I hear you say..? Yes, this is true I still have my nights. These nights I have been using to set up my farm’s online store. Building your own online store is the same as writing your own blog.

But lots more images and lots more learning things like copywriting, product descriptions etc.

How To Learn All About Copywriting

If you are going to be selling your farm products online. Then you are going to need to learn how to write a product description and also copy.

If you don’t learn all these things. Then you will not have much chance of being found online. Now, remember most other farmers don’t learn this or pay out thousands and I mean thousands to have web design businesses do it for them.

I must state that web design businesses are not the same as a copywriting business. So why not teach yourself all of the skills you need.

Build your own website and online stores. You can join online training schools like “SkillShare” and you even get the first 2 months free. If you recommend a friend you can get even longer. These places are a gold mine for information.

Remember guys a farming business is no different from any other business.

You Need An Online Farm Store

I think in 2020 you need an online presence for your farm even if you don’t sell online. The web presence maybe just to tell your customers where you are based and what you are about..? You will also want to be registered with Google my business for all those lovely reviews.

But one thing is for certain you need that online presence. If not you will only have maybe, one or two outlets which could be farmers markets and friends.

But your online store can show potential customers what your farm is like and how you grow veg, greens, mushrooms and even keep your animals. This can go along way to converting a reader into a customer.

Starting An Online Farm Store Using Shopify

Starting an online store using WordPress is more difficult but can be done using WooCommerce. The learning curve will be much longer of course. So I think it is a bit too much for an online farm shop especially if you have no coding skills.

I have just started my farm shop on “SHOPIFY” it’s cheap and they take care of everything. I can link to my shop from my blog or start a blog from my Shopify store. The price of hosting and everything else you will pay for using WordPress will be about the same as Shopify. This is if you are doing everything yourself.

If you get a professional web design business to build your online store using WordPress then expect to pay thousands out.

Shopify VS WordPress WooCommerce

The difference being you will have your shop up and running within a week with Shopify. Mine is up and running now. But I am not promoting it as demand is outstripping my supply. WOW, this is a good position to be in trust me.

Also with me being such a perfectionist, I am learning all about “SEO” for Shopify. I have a little head start as I already know a bit of SEO from my other business site and this blog.

I don’t want to pay for Google Ads and would rather be found in the Organic search which is pretty simple for my farm business.

Shopify is a different platform so you need to see how it is done there. What is the point in having the online store for your farm, if no one can find it right..?

I know learning new skils is boring especially internet skills. Look on the bright side you will save yourself a fortune in Webdesign and Copywriting etc.

I like sitting in front of the log burner on the cold nights. Learning and putting into practice what I learn on my iMac.

Using SkillShare Is Like Having One On One Tuition

As I mentioned above you can learn everything you need to know from Skillshare. If you are a fast learner then you may learn everything in the 2 Month Free Trial.

It’s like having your own personal teacher walking you through all the steps. Plus you have the added benefit of not having other students putting you of learning.

Why I Have Not Opened My Online Store For Business

The simple fact is I sell Fertile Chicken Eggs, Chicks, Point of Lay Hens & Other Poultry Accessories. Well, I started selling on eBay and I cannot keep up with demand from just eBay sales alone. This is great but not so great that I have to give them a cut.

But what it does do is give me time to build my Shopify Store the way I want it. I do not have to rush making the store. My fertile eggs are selling really well on eBay. I will be micro testing other products on eBay also.

Plus eBay is an excellent way to get customers to your online farm shop. How you say..? well you slip in a nice little note with the order and a 10% discount for when they visit your online store.

eBay will always get on page one of Gooogle before you will organically. So why not take advantage of this and every sale you get on eBay you can advertise your store. Great plus after postage and packaging and eBay’s cut I still make £13.70 per 6 hatching eggs

Even after I open my online store I will still sell on eBay and Amazon why would you even think of cutting out 2 of the biggest players in the game.

Plus there are lots of other sites to advertise hatching eggs, chicks and point of lay hens. Sites like Preloved and Gumtree when people get in touch. Point them to your online store where they can use PayPal and have their fertile eggs delivered.

Gorilla Marketing is pretty easy for my type of farm.

After around 6 months my online farm store will start to list organically on the first page of google for my purebred chicken and other poultry. This is because I know how to build a great site as I have taught myself.

Meaning so should you, so stop sitting around at night watching TV learning didn’t stop when you left school you know. If you want your farm to succeed you are going to have to learn more than how to feed your hens or plant a seed.

So, guys, this is why I have not been writing for my blog recently, but stay tuned as I will be back. Sorry, Arnold …?

The post Winter Months In Farming appeared first on The Small Farmer Life.