Renovating house on a budget

[GSD20]

Just that really.

We are currently in love with a house that probably is a bit much for us but we are wondering if we can make it work.
The house is huge with a small bit of land and has lots of potential and scope but is stuck in a time warp. We could never afford it done up and it’s in a great location. The next cheapest house in the village is £100k more. All original features intact and has had basic work such as double glazing but needs cosmetic updating throughout. Thankfully structurally sound. Needs new flooring, dated wallpapers removing, old fireplaces knocking out etc. Probably a new kitchen eventually.

Has anyone decided to take on a project without a huge sum of money behind them? Did you manage by doing bits month to month or room by room?
How much do rooms cost to plaster and has anyone managed to update kitchens/tiles with paint rather than ripping them out and replacing them?

Am I dreaming or is it an actual possibility

We took on a renovation project We have the money behind us to do it ourselves however don't underestimate the work it's never ending and exhausting and sometimes soul destroying to come home from work for more work and doing"jobs" in your free time someone needs to be around for deliveries and trades people.Dp who is doing the work says guess how much you think it's going to cost and double it and beware of surveys The people before us who wanted to buy the house had an all singing survey and it only scraped the surface of what was needed On the upside though this home is our forever home and is truly stunning and Dp admits he is loving it really HTH

It depends how much you consider a huge sum of money, and what needs doing up.

We viewed houses where bathrooms and kitchens needed ripping out, walls needed knocking through etc

We are currently in a large house and it needs a lot of work, a LOT but nothing needs ripping out, not yet anyway apart from the garden. That's absolute hell.

We're on a budget, we are changing all the doors on the kitchen cupboards etc rather than getting a whole new kitchen. Got that down to about 5k, that kind of thing.

As for updating tiles, they aren't that expensive you can get some nice ones for not that much. Look into that.

We need a plasterer as well, I'm not sure how much that costs

Depends where you live i think we have just had plasterer round to quote for front room of a terrace £500 or less.

We've been doing house up for 6 years! Sometimes i save, once got a 0% credit card (needed to finish room before baby came!). Start at the top and work your way down. Bathroom and kitchen were worst as you miss them but boy i love my bathroom!

We have a renovation project and no money behind us. The first thing we did was get the roof done. Next we did the living room so there was somewhere nice to go. It needed replastering but at the time we didn’t have the money. I put lining paper up and painted it. Luckily our floorboards were in excellent condition so we sanded every room and varnished them. 8 years later they are slowly being carpeted. The hallway was luckily just a tin of paint.

Next was the bathroom. It took us two years to save and we had a wall knocked through. My bathroom is now lovely and very classical. We went for the best we could afford and it still looks like new.

The teenagers rooms have been done one at a time and have been replastered and carpeted. Our plasterer charges £80 a wall and ceiling.
The dining room got done next with paint. I painted an off white and added lots of colourful accessories.

The living room is next to be done again but this time it will be properly. The fire place is being fitted, it’s being replastered, carpeted and new sofas etc. This has taken 12 months to save up for.

Our bedroom is a huge job and we are looking at getting fitted wardrobes put in. That will take us another 12 months plus to save up for.

The kitchen is liveable (not my style but it functions okay) I can’t quite decide what to do when we have it done. We are thinking of having an extension so until I make my mind up we aren’t even thinking of it.

I’m not even thinking of the garden yet.

We have done this with no credit at all. We are very much in our forever home. Not the lottery winning house but we will probably stay here until we die. We have done what we can as and when we can afford it. I have been very careful not to decorate ‘on trend’ I can’t afford to change sofas and carpets because that colour isn’t in fashion anymore.

It can be a bit of a slog but I am so proud of our home. It was horrific when we purchased it and it’s unrecognisable now.

I just want to add that plasterers range in price all over the country. I live in Norfolk but a friend who lives in the north east pays £50 a wall.

It depends on what kind of finish you want, and how much time/energy you have to spend on it.

An awful lot of furniture/shelving/kitchen units can be knocked up using dismantled pallets which are often free on Gumtree.

People give away lots - just this week I've seen bathrooms, kitchens, brand new carpets, tables, chairs, half pots of paint, you name it really. And that's all free, provided you can collect it.