To give up on "perfect" for my Victorian house?

[WickedWitchoftheNorthWest]

After living in fairly new houses all my life, my DH and I fell in love with and purchased a Victorian semi. It's in good shape structurally but the interior is kind of a shambles. Lime green paint, smelly stained carpet, ten layers of old paint over everything, tacky wallpaper etc are just some of the monstrosities I'm dealing with.

We're getting rid of the worst of it and trying to figure out how much of the rest we can live with. Lime green actually looks kind of okay toned down with the right accessories, for example.

The question is what kind of finish to go for with the parts of the house we do fix up and how much to leave of the rest. Do we really want to be putting all our spare money into this house for the next several years? It's a big house so removing all the old layers of paint from cornices and skirting boards would probably cost £10k alone. Then there is lining paper on the walls. Do we leave it and paint over cheaply or do we strip it off, reskim, and get a great finish? But that would be pointless unless the skirting boards and cornices are done right. It almost feels like an all or nothing proposition.

So AIBU to just make things look okayish by slapping more paint over everything and accept the house has battle scars and will never (and should never) look like a Barrett home? Or do I painstakingly and lovingly make everything perfect and go broke in the process?

I moved from a Victorian house that I'd just about got finished (although no house is ever finished!) after 23 years. I'm now in a 1960s bungalow in a far 'nicer area' that we had to completely gut and re-do.

I'm looking for another old house. I loved living within the history... this feels too new.

I think throwing white paint everywhere is a good idea, it'll give you a blank canvas and make it feel more manageable rather than looking at every room wondering where to start. Plus you don't have to start on the cornices straight away as they won't stand out so much.

I love this blog the house is in G.Manchester, similar age to yours and they are doing it up slowly themselves

Oh and when / if you do put colour on the walls take it right up to the ceiling. Don't stop at the picture fails (pet peeve). They were for hanging pictures off not to visually reduce the ceiling height which is proportionate to the windows

Mind you DH is already talking about selling it and buliding somewhere modern and energy efficient and we haven't even moved in yet!

I should put up a few pics of mine to make you feel better but DS3 has run down the battery on the ipad.

I second (third fourth fifth) putting a neutral colour over everything until you are in a position to properly decorate. It will make such a difference and also enable you to see past the drama of the colour to the history and potential your house has for you to become a home.

Remember - only you have to live in and with it. And it can take time. And sometimes it'll be all too much. But take photos on your house renovation journey and you'll surprise yourself at how the little things all contribute towards the stamp on it being yours and it becoming your home.

Our family bought this house many years ago and renovated only (!) those things which were necessary in our view. Roof and guttering gone over, electrics and central heating replaced, floors sanded and polished, plumbing and bathroom/laundry fitments redone - all things which were best done when the place was empty.

For the rest of it, we made sure that the walls and ceilings were sound and then slapped on neutral or white paint everywhere.

Then moved in and started living. (I've also lived in a place where I started to strip all the woodwork down and I wouldn't wish the task on anybody.)

Is this your forever house though? If it is then do it one room at a time.

It's going to be all consuming though.

Just place marking as can't see pics on App.
We have an old house as well, love it.
We did the major work first, re-wire and completely new heating system, then painted everything neutral & got new carpets.
Doing everything bit by bit now. The walls will all need skimmed at some point in the future & theres artex on a few ceilings, it's a labour of love with an old house, always something to be doing.
We had woodworm in a bay window panel recently so have had that all treated & replaced, like I say, always something.

Unless the skirting boards are exceptional, I'd put new ones in but a similar height. I'd make a point of stripping off the lining paper from the walls and pay to get it replastered. It looks so much nicer and isn't that expensive for how much difference it makes. Stripping wallpaper doesn't take that long if you do a bit every night after work. I'd repaint the cornices or simply leave whats there. They don't look that bad, but I don't think the walls in their current state look good.

Will you be replacing flooring?

Mimi that blog is incredible! I just keep thinking "I could never do that" while reading it, though. DH doesn't really do DIY so I do it, and I don't have an "eye" for colour and decor and neither does he. Plus we're both impatient. Sigh.

Cheesy we've already replaced some smelly dog carpets and we plan to do the rest of the flooring in time. We put cream carpet in one lounge although I'd rather have gone for hardwoods, but the floored we got a recommendation for just never showed up and we got impatient. I want to do hardwoods elsewhere in the house and from the floorboards we've seen they're in good condition.

Sorry Chelsy not cheesy! Stupid autocorrect

Personally I'd save up and do everything over 10 years

Love Victorian houses, now live in a metro land deco house and miss the high ceilings!
My tuppence worth: be very specific when getting electricians quotes for rewiring what period features you want left undisturbed. My friend had channels for wiring cut through her beautiful cornices, and another had an original Minton tiled floor cut through by electricians. They will always go for the easiest route for them, so ask where they intend to put wiring in every room, we were rewired last year and it causes devastation regardless of how well you plan it, I honestly don't recommend redecorating at all until you have it rewired you will just end up redoing it.

DP is a joiner and is one of a dying breed that does a lot of period property repair (rather than rip out and replace coz it's easier). He sees a lot of people advised to replace rather than repair and often with an incorrect period style replacement not sympathetic with the house. It might be worth getting a good joiner in for an opinion, I would go for a time served individual rather than a bigger company, but I am biased!

I hate the "rip it out and replace" attitude.

Get a tester kit for lead paint, you probably have lots and if you do it is best to leave it and paint over,

Just painting over with eggshell paint from farrow and ball is quick and fume free as it is water based. It is also not high gloss so great for covering imperfections.

If the walls are lumpy you can get really thick lining paper, then paint/paper over that- will look really good and smooth.

Keep the skirting boards, original cornicing, picture rails and the doors. Original features keeps the character of a house and holds the value.
I'm with you owlcapone, why buy an old house and replace with all new stuff? You can get new stuff in a new house

OP your house is gorgeous!

I agree with the advice to pick your priorities and concentrate on them and to accept it will cost time and money.

Can I selfishly beg you not to go all vanilla everywhere though - Victorian and Georgian Houses really lend themselves to bold and vibrant decor and it makes me sad when I see bland neutral everywhere.

I love the house you linked to as well - personally that's my idea of lovely. Not perfect but very inviting.

Please don't rip out original skirting and replace with new. It's just not the same. I don't understand the mentality of people who do that. Buy a Barret house if you must have everything perfect.

We're nearly at the end of a 10 year project to renovate a Georgian farmhouse. I would get it rewired and replumbed Then do the painting everything neutrally and then do a room at a time.

Relining, if your walls aren't too bumpy, can give a very smooth finish if done well. Here's a window reveal that had walls so rough I could have lit a match on them (well, maybe). Unpainted lining paper here, 1000 grade.

I should say, I do this for a living.

Plastering is great and all, but generally will cost more than relining, is messier too and will need more coats of paint and always some filling, even if your plasterer is great.

If you're not great on choosing colour (neither am I) you could consider having someone do this for you for only a little more than going crazy on testers. I've used Lilou Interiors for a couple of rooms and really loved her results. In the process of getting her advice now for another room.

If you do need a tradesman, Checkatrade is a good place to start. All members are checked, vetted and monitored both by Checkatrade and each customer worked for. Yes I do belong, but not advertising myself, can only say that I get 95% of my business there and even one negative review would mean curtains.

Even kitchen units can be painted, ultimately. If you're into DIY and need serious painting tips and advice from people at the top of their game, Traditional Painter is the best site around and one I have learned many things from.

It will be a labour of love and a major time commitment to DIY. But bear in mind what other posters have said about Victorian houses. They aren't meant to be perfect and the odd bump etc does show character. Depends what's important to you.

I'll add a couple of tips:

1. Areas at eye-level are the most noticeable. So for skirting say, unless it really is knackered, why strip all the paint off only to put it back on again? Maybe concentrate your money and effort on the bits you'll notice more.

2. The Matt tip mentioned is a good one, whether on walls or woodwork, will really help hide blemishes (or rather, using a high gloss on woodwork will really show them up).

3. If you're painting yourselves, don't skimp on the paint (or your brushes). Spending a little more can pay dividends. Doesn't have to be Farrow & Ball! Plenty of places can match their colours. Holmans are paint specialists, give good advice and will deliver anywhere in the UK.

Oh, and if you're stripping wallpaper, best thing to try first is a good soaking. Have a cup of tea. Soak again. Try with a proper wallpaper scraper (Harris make good ones). If it's difficult, try another soak. Those pump up weed killer sprayer bottles (not the hand misters) are great for that and sell at Argos for less than a tenner.

Why? Because while steamers can be quick, on an old house they can also loosen plaster if held on too long. Not good. Best to start gentle. I've seen walls stripped in the same time by just waiting for the paper to soften than by getting all physical before it's ready to come off. Less gouges in the plaster too.

DH does up houses too. We've tended to do 1930's onward but basics are the same. My order of priority would be:-

1. Any serious structural defects - you don't want your bay window falling off!

2. Water and weathertight - check the roof, windows, guttering, damp proof course, any patches of mould and damp - problems with any of these could cause structural deterioration and knacker any new decoration.

3. Rewire and replumb - these will cause disruption and may well involve lifting floors, channelling walls etc. so should be done before decorating. Additionally, think about whether or not the heating needs replacing - even if you can't afford it straight away check with the plumber about the the pipework if he or she is replumbing anyway.

4)Flooring - do you have a tiled hall, our family home had one when I was a child (Edwardian rather than Victorian) and my parents had it refurbished and resealed for a fraction of replacing it. Do you want underfloor heating in the kitchen and bathroom; you need to decide that before the floor goes down.

5)Kitchen - I liked having the kitchen sorted early on and in our current house it was essential as the old one was unusable. It is the room that gets the most use.

6. Whichever room you spend the most time in / feel the most comfortable in. It will cheer you up to have a room which feels done where you can relax and forget about all the decorating still to be done.

Others may have a different view about 4-6 but I think most people would say 1-3 need to be done first.

if you can handle it just do 1 room PROPERLY at a time, stripping off old paint and wallpaper doesn't cost much more than slapping new paint onto the existing layers, just more time.

I would always resurface original floors if it's at all possible. We've had these (sanded and sealed) floors for umpty years and all they need now is the occasional new rug. I'll admit that it's sometimes hell to do in the first place but once done it's low maintenance and no wholesale replacement of fitted carpets ever required.

It also makes for a significantly easier life if you ever have to access piping etc. I recall a heating engineer, once, telling me about people whose houses had central heating and then laid laminate flooring. Apparently, certain standard types of plastic water pipes degrade and sag over time (even though they're high grade) and if you get a blockage or inadequate flow, the only solution is usually to have them out and replace them.

I don't know how true this is but it was enough to make me wince at the thought of a room's worth of laminate flooring being ripped up - and binned, I guess. All we ever need to do is to have a couple of planks taken up if there are any problems.

Thank you so much, and especially DaddyBeer. DH has agreed we will tackle the like green bedroom together this weekend with cheap and cheerful white paint in a matt finish.