n January 2021, Hannah and Dave Bullivant posted a leaflet through every letterbox along the main road in their village. The note asked the residents of Oare in east Kent if they could move their cars on a particular day to make way for a wide load that would be travelling through the village to a field behind their friends’ house.
There were a few things I was sad to part with, but I couldn’t tell you what any of those things are nowAs the conversation deepened, both families realised they could make this a formal – and mutually beneficial – arrangement. Hannah and Dave would buy and renovate a static caravan and live rent-free on their friends’ land, during which time they hope to save for a mortgage deposit.
It was winched into position 100 metres from the main house at the end of January 2021; Dave, a commercial music video director, had until May to make it habitable. He would be doing most of the work himself – learning on the job, with input from his friend , who is from a family of builders. “We benefited a lot from his knowledge – and his power tools,” says Dave.
At the same time, Hannah was responsible for drastically decluttering their rental home. “We had to get rid of half of our possessions, so we devised a rating system” she recalls. “It was fairly brutal. If an item didn’t score 10, we had to get rid of it.” Hannah – who also teaches decluttering and home-styling courses online – revelled in the task. “There were a few things I was sad to part with, but I couldn’t tell you what any of those things are now.
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