Our journey into hutting

1st August 2023

Here's where we're at with our rewilding & hutting project. We have about 12.5 acres of land with an animal sanctuary and space allocated for overnight campervan parking in the yard. We eventually got planning permission for our hut during the pandemic and that hut was completed just over 18 months ago. It's now home from home on a regular basis. We then got planning permission for a further 2 huts, which are now built. The latter are for friends (old and new) who are genuinely interested in helping take this project forward as a hutting site, looking after the land and creating a woodland food garden.

I'm not selling anything, nor am I offering holidays - I'm offering a genuine opportunity for like-minded individuals to become part of our project, making the most of what hutting has to offer without the huge upfront costs of buying land, applying for planning permission and then building the hut. That's already been done here. The 2 newest huts are ready to become regular retreats for whoever wants to share in the fun and games of off-grid hutting in SW Scotland.

Our original plan was to let others build the huts for their own use, however, over the past few years of plotting and planning, taking into consideration Covid, Brexit and the cost-of-living crisis, all concerned pulled out at the last minute. So here we are - one hut in regular use and two awaiting life to be breathed into them - people to care for them and make them home from home at Frugaldom. As you'd expect, I have had countless timewasters thinking this is some sort of free holiday giveaway! We are not a charity, nor are we interested in entertaining freeloaders. We've spent too much time, energy, savings, blood, sweat and tears on this project to tolerate any more timewasters. So, if you are a genuine, serious hutting enthusiast with an interest in nature, wildlife and the environment, and someone who is willing to invest in your own future as a hutter, this could be your opportunity of a lifetime. I'd have jumped at a similar chance many years ago, had it ever been available. There are some simple conditions that would need to be met by whoever is staying as we have the sanctuary animals to consider - basic rules, like no smoking in or near buildings, no drugs, no illegal activities, no fulltime residencies, no fireworks, dogs kept on leads... simple, common sense rules to keep everyone and everything safe within a stress-free environment. If this is you, get yourself to Frugaldom to meet up and see the place for yourself, decide what you have to offer such a project and find out if our idea of hutting is your idea of hutting. Read the Frugaldom website, Facebook page or just search for us and you'll find us. I'm fed up repeating myself to no shows so please don't message or comment saying 'Send details', as I'll ignore it.

Who knows, you may find that you want to spend your spare time here as Friends of Frugaldom.

Further to my recent post on the thousand huts Facebok page, I will be posting details of open days for informal meet-ups at Frugaldom with fellow hutting enthusiasts. Details will be posted on my own Facebook page (@Frugaldom)

Hello fellow hutters! How are yout huts standing up to this prolonged and excrutiatingly hot, dry weather? Ours is creaking and groaning under the strain of drying, shrinking wood that we still haven't got around to treating. We've been too busy with other things but I do like the silvering of the larch cladding and don't mind the crackle effect on the decking posts. We opted for wooden window frames on the hut and with hindsight, I wish we;d opted for uPVC as the sun-dried frames scare me a little since having a window pop last year while the hut was still drying out. But we live and we learn... it's a bit like the wasp nests, birds nests and mice that are all still attempting to make their homes in my insulation while the wood wasps try to lay their eggs in preparation for giving me future scares when those things hatch out the woodwork.

Now we are almost halfway through 2023 and joy of joys, we now have three huts at Frugaldom. Here's a run down of what, when and where to refresh memories...

Scottish hutting has been around for a long time but it's only been within the last 10 years that huts have been incorporated into Scottish Planning Policy - thanks to the relentless and thorough campaigning by Reforesting Scotland's Thousand Huts campaign. We followed their progress and signed their petitions while looking for land. As luck would have it, huts were defined in the new planning policy around the same time we bought the land that is now known as Frugaldom. We started planting our woodland winter 2014/15 then, in 2016, submitted a pre-planning application, which was met favourably for much more than we have currently built.

The first holdup we had was the neighbouring land turning into a major development, often closing access whie works were carried out buiding a windfarm, then it was time for felling the adjoining forest, and then the pandemic happened! Our first planning application was submitted for our first hut during the pandemic, which meant a seven month wait for determination. Approval finally arrived the first hut was built by the end of 2021 and completed early 2022.

Forward to November 2022, I submitted a second planning application for two more huts of similar design. The planning officer finally emailed on 1st February saying happy to approve subject to agreeing to certain conditions, which we did, but it took until 31st May (or was it 1st June?) for the official decision notice to be announced and uploaded to the planning site. We had ordered the huts to be made in sections by our local sawmill so these were ready and waiting by the end of May. The ground was prepared for them in about a week and then it took the past fortnight to complete the actual builds, so here we are, now with three huts. The final piece of roof flashing was fitted on Tuesday.

Hut 1, the original one, is 8m x 3m with a full length covered decking

Hut 2 is similar design but measures 6m x 3 m with the same style covered decking

Hut 3 is our tiny hut of exact same design but measuring just 4m x 3m, plus covered decking.

I'm borrowing a quote from William when I say that I'm hoping that our huts (not yet finished) can become a meeting place for old friends and a catalyst for new friendships, too. I am hoping that everyone who is close to us can eventually have done something to contribute to the building of these huts. Even if it's just banging in one nail or screwing in a cup-hook, it counts. Hut 1 has been very well used over the past almost 18 months, the hub of our project supporters' community, tea room, escape, speakeasy, shelter, office, meeting room and space to sleep whenever we get the chance. And now we can offer others the same chance, in huts 2 and 3. They aren't quite finished as they are completely empty inside, just the bare boards and no stoves fitted yet but I'm sure that with a little help from friends using the huts, we can aim t get this done for winter. I'm hoping to find a few regulars so there's always someone 'resident' at Frugaldom - that would be the ideal situation, having like-minded friends helping out and meeting up for cabin camping weekends or treeplanting, pont pampering or even just to get together and sit out around a campfire, watching the stars while swatting the midges, baking potatoes or toasting marshmallows, depending on the time of year.

This is my story right up to day - we had the door of hut 1 rehung yesterday and I now plan on getting the hut painted with it's Osmo oil as soon as help arrives this weekend. Keep everything crossed that the weather remains dry for us. :)

My next comment on life as a hutter... I'm encouraging more friends and family to get involved!

On 1st November 2022, I submitted my planning application for two more, smaller huts - one 6m X 3m (internal dimensions) and an even smaller one of 4m X 3m (internal dimensions), each with a covered decking similar to the existing hut. I never did find a planning advisor but thank you Richard Heggie for being at the other end of my emails when I was unsure of anything. Scale drawings were done by a friend and the rest I managed on my own. There were a few hiccups along the way, mainly to do with not enough information provided to satisfy the planning department but after exactly 3 months, on 1st February 2023, Dumfries ,& Galloway Council Planning Department duly passed the plans and we now have the go-ahead to begin. We have a friend taking on the build of one while we concentrate on the other - it's not too late to get involved if you are part of our Frugaldom group helping support and grow the project.

Now begins the job of finding doors, windows, insulation, stove pipes etc. The huts are being built with locally felled latch and will look similar to the first one, as we really like the design.

Merry Christmas to you too Susan. Good luck with the new project and a visit is on my to do list for 2023

MERRY CHRISTMAS FELLOW HUTTERS AND HUTTING ENTHUSIASTS

After a couple of small repairs done by our hut builder, there are no leaks and, hopefully, no further birds or wasps attempting to roost in the roof.

I invested in a second 100w solar panel for recharging the leisure batteries, of which I now have three.Tomorrow, I'm having all the wires sorted out and drilled through the hut wall, rather than hanging them out a window, then the new panel can be connected. I bought 2 rolls of usb lights that are on sticky back tape, one bright white and one warm light (eBay purchases) and can highly recommed them. A USB fan runs 24/7 in the hope of preventing dampness,circulating air beneath the sleeping platform.

Problems wise - a few weeks ago, when the temps dropped below freezing and the hut wasn't in use, the gas cyclinders got too cold to use and the water butts froze. Solution to this is light the stove to warm up the hut, melt some ice and heat some water, but pay heed to my misakes - make sure the stove flue pipe is warmed up enough to draw the smoke up and out before going outside and closing the hut door... smoke alarm activation mode. Oops! We do have a fire extinguisher by the door and a second one in the furthest corner of the hut, plus smoke alarm and CO alarm. I'm reliably informed that keeping things aired, dry and not too cold is paramount, not just to maintaining a dry hut but also preserving battery life. I also lined a cupboard with inch thick polystyrene (old packaging) as it seems to reduce the chances of condensation and helps keep the milk cool.

Final bit news for my 2022 roundup of our adventure into hutting - another planning application was submitted to Dumfries and Galloway Council last month for a further two smaller huts at our site. Covid lockdown really brought it home when we were all prevented from meeting up and sharing indoor space with friends and family! This is my solution to that problem. I couldn't find a planning consultant so am attempting the application process myself with some guidance from a fellow member of this forum (thank you) and a friend doing the drawings for me. I've had a few minor hiccups along the way but have managed to overcome these so far. Hopefully, we should hear good news in the not too distant future. 22/2101/FUL for anyone wanting to see how it's going.

Onwards and upwards - planning on celebrating New Year at the hut along wih friends who will be parked up in their campervans. All the very best for 2023!

So far, so good - we now have a 100w solar panel and 2 x 115ah leisure batteries, which have been linked together. I'm hoping this can hold enough power to run the lights through winter as well as keep mobile phones and laptop charged, as it would then allow us some creative writing time throughout the winter months. My solar guy recommended as much battery power storage as possible and then think about a bigger panel if we need to use higher wattage items. Solar panels are often on special offer via a site named Bimble. It also has a handy little calculator feature to work out how much solar & battery power you need. There's also a handy amps / volts / watts calculator on the supercircuits site.

Thanks, this is a brilliant post plus comments and so full of things to learn. Learning is one of my favourite things and in such short supply in complex systems like Councils :-)

I'm also swithering about the extent to which I use my energy to challenge some of their inconsistent and to my mind unreasonable requirements (see my posts 'Bad neighbour development' and 'Planning Permission granted, with conditions'. I keep thinking the revised planning policy was intended to encourage Hutting for it's benefits to the health and wellbeing of people and the land, how has this got lost in translation?

I know that everyone is working under great pressure and we're living through such difficult times, so for me it's about how do I raise my concerns constructively and skilfully with my best intentions at heart. And being discerning about which conversations I enter into.

I'm looking forward to future posts, thanks again.

Quote from the main pages of this site: "for a more complex application, you may wish to engage the services of a planning consultant with a particular interest in huts." Where might I find such a person - does anyone know anyone who can help us at this time?

I had considered incorporating a 'living roof' and have been propagating sedum but as per the above... I now have a living roof. It's alive to the sound of buzzing, tapping and chirpy, chirpy, cheap, cheaping baby birds hatching in the insulation somewhere. And lest I forget... the woodpecker. I'd be as well letting the goats and ponies camp out on the decking. :)

THE SNAGS

Since having the hut built and now using it regularly, I'm able to pick up on things that, with the benefit of hindsight, I could have done differently. The first lesson learned was that it's not always the best idea to try keeping things local and using local materials, people and companies. I tried to keep everything local, including the timber - locally grown, felled and milled - and the glazing company. Perhaps a kit may have been easier than built off plans.

1. To my knowledge, the timber wasn't seasoned, treated or tanalised (or whatever) so as it dries out, it cracks quite severely and the beams warp slightly. I've had the company back to fix a few joints and am awaiting another visit to show them the next lot of cracks, warps and curiosities.

2. I hadn't read up on stuff like insect mesh and bird protection measures so I suspect my roof has now become a wildlife haven for birds and beasties. The roof is box profile metal sheeting that the sparrows are going in the ends and peck, peck, pecking at the insulation. It's the foil backed, expanded foam type and the birds love pecking the foam.

3. The hut is clad in larch externally but there's nothing to stop the wasps getting in between the cladding and up into the roof gap between the insulation and the wood - I hadn't heard of putting in a layer of insect mesh but strongly recommend that you do as we now have wasps in the roof.

4. Building in winter, open to the elements and surviving the storms meant saturated wood so the doors and windows had to be left open almost constantly and the stove lit whenever possible. A 5kw stove fires off quite a bit of heat despite the stove pipe going straight out the back of the hut and up the outside, rather than straight up through the roof, which is what I'd initially requested. (The company building the hut pretty much said no.) As the hut dried, the wood dried and contracted inside quicker than outside, resulting in one of the double glazed units blowing.

5. Don't think that because you are using local companies that they also do likewise... I had to wait 8 weeks for the windows and then another 3 weeks to get the cracked unit replaced.

6. Wood and warmer weather... everything seems to love larch, except the pine weevils - they love pine and we have pine cladding inside. The first 'visitors' we had were in the shape of wood wasps, hatching out of the floor. Fortunately, it just seemed to be the one board that had them in it but I've not checked all the others yet as wood wasps give me the heeby-jeebies. 😂 Then the pine weevils arrived and I haven't a clue how they got into the hut or if they were already there. You just hear a loud buzz as they fly from wherever and then a tap as they crash land. They play dead when you try to move them! That's been fun! Keeping door and windows closed didn't keep the snouty-nosed critturs out so I went back to leaving the door open. Several robins, chaffinches and 2 swallows later, the door is now kept closed until such times as I can get a midge curtain to keep everything out.

7. Our hut is close to a little pond. Point to note - if a duck lands and walks over your tin roof at 5am, you're going to hear it. 😂

Aside from all of the above, I love the hut and love staying in it most weeks. In the future design plans for another hut, the toilet will be nearer the main door, accessed from inside or outside, and I'd go for a slightly wider hut, to allow for two sleeping areas so friends & family could stay but if they really do want to holiday in a hut, there's space for them to build their own.

Hutting - what's not to love about it?

Just a quick follow-up on the rates thing. I still don't understand it but who am I to query the powers that be. Our hut build was completed around November 2021 but I didn't use it until February, as it had still to be kitted out and aired/dried properly. For this, the rates people charged me £75 for the premises being fully unoccupied! This had to be paid as it fell outside of the 100% small business rates relief, being only 50% for empty property relief. I don't have the energy or inclination to start arguing a point so I paid the bill but will know better in future to mark the structures as being in use from the day of completion!

Now actively seeking a planning agent for our next application so if anyone knows one who can fit us in then please get in contact.

We are now at a stage we can look towards submitting a further planning application so I'm now looking for a planning adviser who can act as agent to deal with the application. The guy we had dealing with the last planning app seems to have vanished so this has held us up a bit. We have plots 2 and 3 earmarked - one for a larger hut up to maximum 5m x 6m and one for a little hut of around 2.5m x 3m. No decision has been made as to who the new hut owners might be but the prospect of following in the footsteps of @oldtorrlee to have a small hutting community is looking promising. The yard is our designated aire for campervans, plus we have the tree planting, orchard, wildlife and animal sanctuary projects all on site. It's going to take a very special type of person to have their own hut at Frugaldom. They'll definitely need to like ponies and goats and be ok with all the wildlife we have here - adders included. We also have an environmental art project going on, plus occasional get togethers for our artist, writer and crafter friends. There could also be occasional volunteers during events such as tree planting or coppicing... it'll definitely take a very special type of hutter to be part of this.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I'm loving hutlife, even during the miserable weather, as the covered decking provides all the shelter we need to still sit out and watch the ponies/goats/world go by.

A week or so ago we had the guy out from Scottish Water to assess us for our water meter so he had a good look around and took many photos to show his bosses that there's definitely no water mains or connections anywhere near here. You'd think they could just look up a map to see where the nearest water main is and deduce from that, that we had no way of having any here. What an utter waste of time and money. Ho hum! Meanwhile, the Rates Assessor confirmed her calculations and explained that the figure of £2,500 includes all the other structures, yard, land and grazing we have here. Until now, I wasn't aware that all these things attracted a rateble value. We have now submitted the form for small business rates relief. More details about this stuff can be found in the section for rates.

Rates assessor has been in touch with me also, shortly after our planning consent was granted.

Next step... Still nothing from the rates assessors but had a phone call from Scottish Water to arrange a visit to assess us for fitting a water meter to our commercial store. Appointment made, although I did say we have no water mains here and no commercial store. As expected, protocol dictates that they send someone out to carry out the assessment anyway. I'll let you know how that goes at the end of the month.

Back on the topic of the rates valuation, I'm now wondering if someone there doesn't know what 24 square metres is and has read the assessment as 24 metres squared and thinks it's 24m X 24m. I see this has happened to others when those who should know, don't know what square metres are.

The D&G Council rates assessor visit resulted in a spectacular surprise when the valuation notice arrived. Our off grid, recreational hut measuring 8m X 3m has been recorded as a 'store' and given a rateable value of £2,500!! 😳 Being impossible to get anyone on the phone, I've emailed the address given on the valuation notice but am yet to receive any response. Naturally, I will be appealing this as it's just ludicrous.

Awesome write up, well done on both the write-up and the hut itself. I spotted some of those heat powered fans in Aldi at the weekend on special buys. dunno if there any good or not Much less whether they are cheaper thany any where else..

Thank you very much for the pictures. I was thinking of a similar set up for mine. Good to see how others have done theirs. Most folk worry about not enough heat but a stove in an insulated wee hut will be more than enough. Looks very cosy.

Excellent post. Well done for realising your hutting dreams. Can you show a picture of the outside of the flue, where it exits through the wall? I was thinking about doing my hut stove flue this way but have been put off. The plus is that you don't have a hole in your roof to worry about leaks in the future and, as you say, probably safest.

Good work. Hoping to build my own hut this year...

What a fabulous job Susan. It's been a long haul for you with plenty hold ups and obstacles but you got there! Good job you had lots of other stuff to keep you occupied when things were on a go slow!! A very happy hutting 2022 to you too

Inside is slowly being kitted out with whatever we can source as near to free as possible. I did concede and buy a new Thetford loo for emergencies, as we are an active project here and the pandemic has put me off shared toilet facilities. We do have a portaloo on site, which is regulaly serviced, but now have the 'luxury' of a private loo. A corner of the hut has now had a small cubicle wall built from leftover fencing timber - it looks a bit like a changing room with its curtain front but I'm hopefull of finding a small door to add soon - even a wardrobe door would suffice. We got an old sink unit, complete with sink, via Facebook local free-ads and friends built a unti for the sink from pallet wood, freeing up the actual unit for the gas stove, giving us storage cupboards underneath. The gas bottle and waste water container are beneath the sink and, as yet, the taps aren't connected to anything. I'm considering having the cold tap connected to the rain barrel, which could be run through a sphagnum moss filter (NOT for drinking) and having the waste pipe connected to an outside pipe into a soakaway but this will need to wait until next year. Lighting is current;y by rechargeable battery lighs and candle lanterns but I'm planning on having a portable solar system in future, running off a leisure battery.