Cave house with road on top.... avoid?

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dorisi
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Cave house with road on top.... avoid?

Postby dorisi » Tue Jun 07, 2016 12:32 am

We're thinking of buying a cave house near Baza.

The one we're looking at has an access road going over the back of it, leading to 5 other cave houses. Not much traffic, as these are mainly holiday homes. It is partially reformed.
I panicked after reading this on another forum:
" Another little anomaly, is when there is a road running above your cave. If you try and purchase a cave for reform which has a road running above it you will not generally be given permission for reform nor will you be given perdue to the safety factor. There is a cave below mine which falls into this catergory, so it has effectively been abandoned.

I think in general problems like these are pretty rare and most of the authorities are trying to regulate cave properties more than they have in the past. I have to confess I did not have any problems obtaining permission to carry out a reform on my property but they did inspect twice and came and checked my licence several times"

I read somewhere else not to buy a cave with a road running over it. Can anyone tell me why?

HELP! I'd be grateful for any comments
Last edited by dorisi on Tue Jun 14, 2016 2:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Torrox_campo
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Re: Cave house with road on top.... avoid?

Postby Torrox_campo » Tue Jun 07, 2016 9:31 am

I suppose the traffic noise, vibration and structure of the house being affected are reasons for the advice.

dorisi
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Re: Cave house with road on top.... avoid?

Postby dorisi » Wed Jun 08, 2016 11:23 pm

Thank you for your response Torrox_campo.
Yes...you're right. Allthough the road is little used now, it was pointed out to me that in the future large trucks may use it if people develop their homes further down the road .
I've since been advised to get a surveyors report before I commit any money. I think it's good advice.

dorisi
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Re: Cave house with road on top.... avoid?

Postby dorisi » Wed Jun 08, 2016 11:23 pm

Thank you for your response Torrox_campo.
Yes...you're right. Allthough the road is little used now, it was pointed out to me that in the future large trucks may use it if people develop their homes further down the road .
I've since been advised to get a surveyors report before I commit any money. I think it's good advice.

DannyandJosie
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Re: Cave house with road on top.... avoid?

Postby DannyandJosie » Thu Jun 09, 2016 2:26 pm

Hi there,

I am no expert but do have a cave house on the outskirts of Baza.

A couple of things to consider:

1. Does it actually go right over your cave ? The reason I ask that you may not have considered is that it is normal that you own the land directly over your cave property - it is after all your roof !

2. No one buys a property thinking that they are going to sell it. Even if the road does not get more traffic in the future, is it going to put off buyers ? The market is depressed enough without adding hurdles.

I think a surveyor is a must. Either check out the cave living forum which has thread on surveyors at http://caveliving.forummotion.com/. In addition go to Spanish Inland Properties website as there is a link to surveyors specialising in caves, the link is: http://www.spanish-inland-properties.co ... veyed.html

I can't recommend anyone myself but these may help.

Good luck

Danny
"When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself" Earl Nightingale

ebbnflow
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Re: Cave house with road on top.... avoid?

Postby ebbnflow » Thu Jun 09, 2016 8:16 pm

Something that would concern me is any development of said road in the future. Plus, having seen what some people who merely live below a road have to put up with e.g. mud and rocks being bulldozed off the road into their land.
The thought of new utilities being laid into the road is also a worry, least of all the noise, most of all the potential damage to your cave either by the works or later failure of pipes etc.
There is also the thought that the highways authority or local ayuntamiento own the road and therefore the land below it. (in contrast to the opposite said above, it would be interesting/scary to know which perspective carries weight, I suspect my latter offering)

barry
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Re: Cave house with road on top.... avoid?

Postby barry » Fri Jun 10, 2016 4:34 pm

The info given by Danny is not entirely correct, it is quite normal for you not to own the land above your cave. In your case you evidently do not as it has a road over the top. We have lived in our cave for over 9 years near Cullar, just down the road from Baza, when we bought the 'survey' carried out was of the extent of the land owned, the paperwork that explained this was next to useless but a quick walk with my neighbour soon established our above ground boundaries. A structural survey of a cave would be best done by an experienced cave builder/renovator and my preference would be a Spanish one. Please be very careful of estate agents recommendations regarding builders lawyers etc. By all means take their list of names but check them out by speaking to other people, asking around in bars shops etc, asking other cave dwellers. As to getting permission to reform it all depends on the authority whose jurisdiction it comes under, the 'what is allowed list' varies quite widly considering the caves are located in relatively small area of Spain. Good luck with your hunt, why not rent in the area for a while and get aa good feel for the area. We rent for 6 months in Cordoba province and ended up buying a cave a two and a half hour drive from where we had intended to 'lay our hat'.
Barry.

DannyandJosie
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Re: Cave house with road on top.... avoid?

Postby DannyandJosie » Fri Jun 10, 2016 10:39 pm

You never stop learning ... good info to know Barry.

Danny
"When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself" Earl Nightingale

dorisi
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Re: Cave house with road on top.... avoid?

Postby dorisi » Tue Jun 14, 2016 1:39 pm

DannyandJosie wrote:Hi there,

I am no expert but do have a cave house on the outskirts of Baza.

A couple of things to consider:

1. Does it actually go right over your cave ? The reason I ask that you may not have considered is that it is normal that you own the land directly over your cave property - it is after all your roof !

2. No one buys a property thinking that they are going to sell it. Even if the road does not get more traffic in the future, is it going to put off buyers ? The market is depressed enough without adding hurdles.

I think a surveyor is a must. Either check out the cave living forum which has thread on surveyors at http://caveliving.forummotion.com/. In addition go to Spanish Inland Properties website as there is a link to surveyors specialising in caves, the link is: http://www.spanish-inland-properties.co ... veyed.html

I can't recommend anyone myself but these may help.

Good luck

Danny
Hi Danny,
You're right, we're going to get a survey done.
The road only goes over the back part of the cave, and I've since discovered that we would own the roof right up to the road, so we can put a chimney/light tunnels in, no problem.

I think the road is narrow enough that it won't put off future buyers. No massive tracks could get down there, and I understand that the building communities are well adapted to this by having smaller vehicles and machines. Am I right?

Thanks for your reply and encouragement.

Dorisi

dorisi
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Re: Cave house with road on top.... avoid?

Postby dorisi » Tue Jun 14, 2016 1:52 pm

ebbnflow wrote:Something that would concern me is any development of said road in the future. Plus, having seen what some people who merely live below a road have to put up with e.g. mud and rocks being bulldozed off the road into their land.
The thought of new utilities being laid into the road is also a worry, least of all the noise, most of all the potential damage to your cave either by the works or later failure of pipes etc.
There is also the thought that the highways authority or local ayuntamiento own the road and therefore the land below it. (in contrast to the opposite said above, it would be interesting/scary to know which perspective carries weight, I suspect my latter offering)

Hi ebbnflow,
Thanks for sharing your concerns...all helpful.
Please see reply to Danny, same thread.
Luckily all utilities are already laid, ready for connection, even in the last cave house further down the road. I think the road is privately owned by the farmer who owned the whole parcel of land....will check.

Regards,
dorisi

dorisi
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Re: Cave house with road on top.... avoid?

Postby dorisi » Tue Jun 14, 2016 2:09 pm

barry wrote:The info given by Danny is not entirely correct, it is quite normal for you not to own the land above your cave. In your case you evidently do not as it has a road over the top. We have lived in our cave for over 9 years near Cullar, just down the road from Baza, when we bought the 'survey' carried out was of the extent of the land owned, the paperwork that explained this was next to useless but a quick walk with my neighbour soon established our above ground boundaries. A structural survey of a cave would be best done by an experienced cave builder/renovator and my preference would be a Spanish one. Please be very careful of estate agents recommendations regarding builders lawyers etc. By all means take their list of names but check them out by speaking to other people, asking around in bars shops etc, asking other cave dwellers. As to getting permission to reform it all depends on the authority whose jurisdiction it comes under, the 'what is allowed list' varies quite widly considering the caves are located in relatively small area of Spain. Good luck with your hunt, why not rent in the area for a while and get aa good feel for the area. We rent for 6 months in Cordoba province and ended up buying a cave a two and a half hour drive from where we had intended to 'lay our hat'.
Barry.

Thanks for the advice Barry,
It all helps to build the map of the area in my head...practical, physical and psychological!

I have had 3, admittedly short, visits to the area....just fell in love with it, and after viewing at least 30 caves.... we fell in love with this one because we can tailor it to fit us....we're on the sustainable, (and budget!) side of things... earth floors, lime plaster, simple living, low running costs etc etc....
In the country, but not far from help and supplies when we need them.

Yes...you're right, no one knows these caves like the builders who deal with them on a regular basis.

Really appreciate you and all the others taking time,

dorisi


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