Anyone with house renovation experience fancy looking at this and giving their opinion?

[MintyCedric]

I will start by saying this is hypothetical and I probably wouldn’t go in for something needing this much work. I’m also not even on the market myself yet (having my place valued in a couple of weeks)

But I could potentially buy this mortgage free and make it completely my own…if my estimated costs are about right.

I’ve gone with average figures off t’internet and doing some of the work myself - I’m good for painting, wallpapering, tiling.

Rewiring 5k
Kitchen 6.5k
Bathroom £4k
Boiler and radiators £6k
Garden clearance £500
Plastering £2k
Flooring £5k
Chimneys £2k

£31k

Plus the cost of a couple of months furniture storage and AirBnB while the big/basic jobs are done (£4k).

Would leave me with about £15k for contingency and general decorating.

Am I way out?! Have never seriously considered doing anything like this before!

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/147416081?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

It is a truth universally acknowledged that every building job takes twice as long and costs twice as much as the highest estimate, even if that estimate was part of a joke. I think £31k would be very tight for somewhere you want to live yourself. It has wonderful potential but you can be pretty sure there will be something nasty and substantial that needs sorting along the way. If you can afford to take the risk and can soak up unexpected costs then Harrogate is lovely and it would be on my list.

Haha…that’s possibly very true.

I’m considering that very area of Harrogate - a house like that in half decent condition would be around the £250k mark.

I’d have a full structural survey done and in theory I could add another £35 to the budget and still half my current mortgage.

Also…I’ve never taken risks, but I’m menopausal and turning 50 next year which seems to have a prompted a healthy reset of my ‘fuck it’ parameters 😁

I would snap that up!

Consider a builders mortgage from Ecology Building society, that project is right up their alley and they lend in stages against future finished value.

I'd say 40-50k to make that nice, provided you don't go for luxury fittings. Try the Dutch Barn place in Bedale for super but value kitchens.

it will definitely cost more than 2k to plaster a whole house, it’s just cost us £1100 to plaster the hall and stairs! I’d put a further 10k away for contingency plans!

Having had our ensuite shower room replaced last year, which cost us £7K for nothing extravagant, I'm not sure what you'd get for £4k

I was basing that on hopefully just the ceilings needing redoing urgently tbf. Appreciate if the walls fall apart when the paper is stripped (although I quite like the blue one in the bedroom!) I would definitely need the contingency!

I’m a bit up in the air about what I’m doing atm (it would be a huge relocation for me) so the likelihood is it won’t be around when the time comes but it’s opened my mind to the possibility of taking on a project.

I guess it depends on your interpretation of ‘not extravagant’.

I had my bathroom redone just before Covid. Suite and fittings about £1k, tiling and flooring approx £250 and a local plumber/handyman fitted it all and did me a flat ceiling with new led lights for another £1k.

Looking at the website I bought my bathroom from there are still options in the kind of price bracket, although I probably would spend a bit more.

I’m pretty confident I could build my own kitchen units and just get someone in to cut and set the sink and worktops.

Depending on the state of the floorboards the flooring spend could vary.

Bathroom and kitchen I could probably lay my own flooring. Stairs and bedroom carpets I’d get a pro in for.

Assuming you don't need a mortgage as I'm not sure a lender would lend against that.

Looks like a fun project!

Lovely house with lots of potential in a nice area, go for it and bit by bit work through it.

Can you do any of the work yourself? Learn to plaster (it's not difficult), fit some or all of the kitchen yourself, clear the garden etc? You'll save so much money and find the process a lot more satisfying too.

Yeah I’m pretty handy. I’d want to leave plumbing, electrics and anything structural to the pros but the rest is could largely do myself.

Best mate is a gardener so might be able to tackle that between us.

I might phone up and ask some questions tomorrow…

@NisekoWhistler I wouldn’t need one for the initial purchase although would do so if possible to free up cash for renovation. Failing that, buy outright, do any major stuff then take out a small mortgage to cover the rest of the work once it’s in a fit state.

Gardening and plastering both could be a lot more, and you won't know until you get started.
-Plaster likely old like based plaster- by the time you've stripped the wallpaper you could find its all blown. 2k would barely cover a skin, you're looking a lot more, 1k per room maybe more or less to either start fresh with a scratch coat or dot and dab. You'll then need to be cautious as your likely to get mould/condensation issues, avoidable with some proper care, can avoid with lime but costs a fortune. Old houses need a lot of care and consideration in this area.

Garden you could do for free if you do it yourself and take the waste to the tip- save the budget for a nice patio or some plants.

I agree with what people say about the bathroom, you would struggle getting a bathroom for 4k, not impossible but you'd be looking at the absolute budget option for basically everything and shopping for a really cheap plumber (beware of cheap tradespeople- pay peanuts get monkeys and all). Sounds fine for now but be aware you might cos yourself more of you want an upgrade in the long term, e.g. you might have a freezing bathroom in winter and want some underfloor heating- you'll be ripping up flooring and cutting into plaster whereas it's cheaper to do from the beginning. Just something to bear mind.

You haven't accounted for any structural works- you have a healthy contingency but expect to need to spend it all.

It looks like a fun project. Budget might be possible if you're very careful and lucky not to get any surprises along the way.

Prices have gone up massively since Covid, and labour now too with cost of living crisis.

I think you have underestimated what needs doing and the cost of doing it . It looks like a lot of damp issues which are not usually easy or cheap to fix , it doesn’t appear to have any central heating or a boiler ( although the boiler may be in the external cupboard )prices have gone up a lot over the last couple of years but pre covid I would have expected to pay around 100k to get this up to a reasonable standard

Someone very savvy (who shops around etc) could prob do it for your budget but it would be tight and basic.

I agree it looks like there have been historic damp issues at least or a major leak. The condition of the ceilings also worries me so those will be the first questions and if the answers aren’t right it’s straight off the list.

Realistically it probably will have been sold to a developer long before I’m in a position to proceed but it’s opened my mind to the possibility of taking on a project if the price is right.

And if it’s still languishing on Right Move in a couple of months time…who knows?!

Tbh my current home is entirely kitted out with The Range, IKEA, Argos and Wilkos.

The only thing I spent big on when I moved post divorce is our beds…and I do like a bit of expensive wallpaper but would be going for a more neutral vibe that I could add to and build on for next home.

We have done renovation and if you shop about and diy, mates rates etc you are probably not toooo far off the mark
The one that stands out to me tbh is the plastering. All of the chasing out from the rewire will leave the walls a mess. I have scrimped on plastering in the past by patch up and paper over etc. It's not something I would ever do again. All the work going in to end up with a shite finish. It would be nearer 5k for a full plaster job I would've thought. Move out as well while it's being done if you can. You will spend 2 hours cleaning every single night. Complete waste of time, soul destroying.
They are lovely to look back on once finished though when everything is as you want it. Hope you get the house, it has so much potential

it has damp under windows and external walls. Either guttering and downpipes need replacing or rising damp due to no damp course. Decor would suggest that nothing has been done for 40+ yrs.
You may find after a survey that most of your budget is swallows up by gutting the house, new joists and flooring and possibly new roof.

It does look like a bargain but old houses that have t been updated since the 1970s are likely to be cash pits.

However, if you have the budget you can do the structural stuff and re-wire/re-plumb at a level that may save more money in the long run. It’s much easier to re-wire and re-plumb when the house is gutted.
Once you have the house water tight put in cheapest bathroom and kitchen you can find.
Live in the house for a while, and save up for what you really want.

I would extend the kitchen into the store room and add a downstairs loo. I’d also remove the long corridor from the back of the house and create an L shape open plan living area.
All this would be easier done at the start.
Spend your money on the layout not the fittings. It will cost you less in the long run.

Don't know about costs, but I love the house .

It has a lot of charm

That fireplace and hearth is VERY saleable!

In fact, both of them are but I meant the one in the back room.

This one near by ( sold) has similar layout and design but has been modernised worth a look for ideas.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/details/england-134194907-19677715?s=4ed8a78639349d86ea40abc9548ece0e6148b3f361742138b84368c249a5395b#/

I renovate quite a few properties at least one each year. It depends where you are in country as to the price. If you are North you may get rewiring for £5k but if in South add an additional £1k on. Plastering a house will be at least £3.5k. kitchen unless it's tiny will be at least £8k for a new kitchen but you could buy a pre used one and get it fitted for £3k. Bathroom I've just had my ensuite done bath put walk in double shower in, nice base, nice thick glass panel, new chrome towel radiator and wash basin with drawer under and toilet and new vinal on floor, panels around room, it was £4800. I also got my shower room refurbished and leak fixed, new quadrant shower, new toilet seat kept the toilet, new pop up plug kept the wash basin, new tap, wall cabinet, wall panels, vinal flooring only £2,028. Flooring can vary and it depends on the sizes of the rooms. I've always found carpets direct cheaper for carpets, they deliver and you find a carpet fitter yourself. You'd need to get all electrics done first.

On top of all that I would say that the chances of you not having to replace every pipe in the house is also pretty slim. I’d consider doubling your budget and hope for a bit of change

Wow, what a time warp. The kitchen is frightening though 😮