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House dilemma (another one!)

17 replies

SenoraPostrophe · 23/02/2005 22:20

Can't decide on this - need help!

We rent our house, but it has no garden and the office is now too small (we run a company from home). We've found a house - also rented - which has a garden etc, but I'm not sure I can face a move to another rented house: really wanted to buy one next. Here's the details:

positives:
garden & pool
space in basement for bigger office
central heating
some good friends live 2 doors down
handy for shops (they're not the same shops as we go to now though)
nice living room.
bigger kitchen

negatives:
garden needs completely re-turfing
no air con
smaller
more stairs to worry about (ds and dd are 1 and 2)
possible issue with gtting tv (wrong aspect for sattelite
basement needs several stud walls to make office useable
will need to buy lots of shelves.

I really can't decide. Houses like this don't come up for rent round here very often, but I can't help thinking that its worth holding out for something better. OTOH I would love a garden for the summer, and it would be nice to be near friends (current neighbours are quite stand-offish.)dh wants to move and we won't be able to buy for at least a year.

don't know!

OP posts:

Report

WestCountryLass · 23/02/2005 22:33

Personally I would not rent it as you are talking about spending a fair bit of money sorting it out what with the garden and office and you only have a year to wait before you can spend that money doing up something that is your own.

phatcat · 23/02/2005 22:33

tricky one - I'd probably be thinking along the following lines : what would be the cost of moving plus doing the changes you'd want to make; would you be able to get the garden usable in time for this year; would you intend to rent the new place for only a year, then buy and if so would it be better to save the dosh for buying your own place.

SenoraPostrophe · 23/02/2005 22:36

I think if we moved now we'd buy land and build our own house. Maybe. Plus we might not be able to buy in a year - depends on the business.

We would be just in time to plant the lawn for this year though - I should check actually. It's empty now though, so we could go and do it next weekend or something.

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LIZS · 24/02/2005 09:35

Go for it if you think the quality of your lives would be improved to justify it. We moved last summer, knowing it would probably be only for a year, but the extra space and garden has been great. Turf probably needn't be that expensive anyway unless the garden is huge. That way if you do buy land and build you have something to enjoy in the meantime and feel less pressured if there are any delays.Air con might be a downer though. btw it is amazing how they can fix a dish these days !!

SenoraPostrophe · 24/02/2005 22:01

well I decided to go for the house, went to the estate agent with the holding deposit in my hand, and she said that the landlord wants E2500 as a surety deposit (returnable after the first year - she's had problems with non-paying tennants apparently).

Can't do that - we'd have to buy a fridge, a washing machine and several dozen shelving units anyway. Wish they'd told us before we looked at it. Grrrr

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WestCountryLass · 24/02/2005 22:03

Oh no! I am sorry to hear that You'd think they would think twice as you have a family and were stood there with the money in your hand!

jamiesam · 24/02/2005 22:07

Does estate agent AND owner what you are thinking of doing to the house? Just wondering if you are thinking of spending money on it that would increase value, then you might be able come to some sort of arrangement? Like some of deposit being returned to pay for those things - so you're in control of when work is done?

SenoraPostrophe · 24/02/2005 22:26

jamiesam - the point is we don't have the money. The woman owns a lot of properties and doesn't seme to be that bothered though. I'm going to offer to pay 2000 if she buys a fridgefreezer and fits lights in all the rooms - maybe that'll do it.

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Willow2 · 24/02/2005 22:48

Just wanted to say how glad I was to click on this thread and not find KS' name at the bottom of it Couldn't have stood the stress.

SP, hope you get things sorted.

SenoraPostrophe · 05/03/2005 20:17

well, i took both kids into the estate agents (playing sympathy card), offered 2 months rent deposit instead of 5 and they accepted!

Can't decide if i'm really pleased or really scared.

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WideWebWitch · 05/03/2005 20:20

ha ha ha ha ha willow2! Me too! Glad they accepted Senora!

Jimjams · 05/03/2005 21:21

Brilliant SP!! Sounds lovely. I thought it was going to be ks as well

tigermoth · 06/03/2005 07:39

sounda like you really want this new house, in your heart of hearts sp, so I'm glad you have decided to follow it through. I think it's just so much nicer living near friendly neighbours, too. My sons, when toddlers, got used to strange stairs far quicker than I'd anticipated and kept amazingly safe on them. Hope the lawn turfing goes well.

hub2dee · 07/03/2005 06:23

Senora,

Didn't see this till just now, but I would have been advising a tentative go for it, so I am pleased it looks so positive. How exciting !

You can turf whenever it's not frozen, and it's better, I think, to turf when it's cold than when it's hot as the turf won't dry out so quick and die.

I laid turf last year from Coronet Turf - a farmer turned grass specialist who grows 'soilless' on s clever woven substrate thingy so the turf is much lighter but with fantastic roots. Quality is second to none in the UK, and I am a total plant snob.

Phone 'em up and check it will take your predicted wear - kids will kill finer seed mixes without sufficient 'harder' grasses like creeping fescue (I think)... it might be better to get stuff from B&Q etc. as it is tougher. I think their supplier is Qlawn. Whenever I check their stuff though it is so much poorer than Coronet's...

(They are in Basingstoke but courier to anywhere in the UK. I have no connection except as a previous customer).

I think a reasonable landlord would cover the turf if you lay it. Turf is reasonably quick to lay, but the soil prep must be immaculate, and you must be sure not to walk on it for as long as possible.

Ref: Other challenges...

Air Con: B&Q have some cheaper machines on special at the mo. Maybe grab one or two for the most important areas ?

Alternatively, if air con is in your 'must haves' for a future house, you could explore a fitted system designing it with the shortest possible duct runs so it can easilly be ripped out when you move.

Satellite: Could you contemplate ditching Sky and getting Freeview and saving 400 quid a year ? You'll be able to satellite the dish in the garden, at a low level instead of the house maybe ? Possibly run a conduit at the same times as the lawn ? Easy to remove later too...

Stud Walls: Get a chippy in for the day. (Whereabouts are you ?). Depending on joist accessibility / heating in concrete floors etc. a chippy can accomplish major stud wall antics very quickly, particularly if you don't need to liaise with a sparky for socket positioning etc. If it is temporary, you might not need insulation or even plastering, just depends on how immaculate you need everything. Do you need shelves in the basement ? If yes > integrate into stud wall uprights for incredible strength and v. quick build.

HTH

hub2dee · 08/03/2005 07:26

Bump for senora incase she missed it.

SenoraPostrophe · 08/03/2005 12:43

thanks for all the suggestions hub2dee, but most don't apply as we're in Spain, hence air con being so important!

No Sky = no UK telly (eeek)
I know I said re-turfing, but actually we need to plant palm grass. I must look into it more, but I don't think you can buy turf for that.

Good tip on buying air con units now though - should beat the rush in summer! Will check B&Q site as electrics are often cheaper in the UK.

I feel bad i didn't mention it now!

OP posts:

hub2dee · 08/03/2005 13:41

Not to worry, Senora. I was about to recommend a good chippy too, but it would take him a while to arrive at your front door !

Hope all the house stuff miraculously comes together.

Flip

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