To move to a Victorian house?

[TheLastStarfighter]

We are thinking about moving to a specific area of town, near the school, which are all Victorian detached houses.

We’ve only ever lived in our current house, which is a barn-conversion type thing. Basically a new build inside an old stone shell.

What do I need to know about Victorian houses? I love the big rooms with tall ceilings, but worry that they must be cold, and what about access to electrics and plumbing and the like?

Most of the ones coming on the market seem very well looked after with high-end modern kitchens and bathrooms, but what do I need to look out for? I’m worried that I’ll fall for the aesthetics and miss the pitfalls!

They are money pits, all repairs end up being expensive. There are cracks in the walls that have to be constantly filled and chimneys to be maintained. They’re usually cold and can be difficult to decorate. That said, I love mine! I had a wobble this year and seriously considered going to a new build but they’re just so soulless.

The damp proof course - is it up to date and under guarantee?

You don't need a DPC with a guarantee. You need a house without damp. My house has no DPC at all, but it's built with what is effectively engineering brick, and the ground conditions around it are such that water doesn't sit against the walls or foundations. It's been dry for 130 years or thereabouts.

I loved mine. 1880 end terrace 2 up 2 down with a 1960's extension. I knocked the internal extension wall out and made a full kitchen diner with doors onto garden. Fabulous space with the most adorable pantry (understairs cupboard which also had washing machine and tumble dryer in it!)

My lounge had original coving and ceilings in good nick. But the rest I ripped out and plasterboarded when the internal works were done. Fully insulated loft at that point plus double glazed sashes and it was never cold. Lovely in the summer and never hot either! Yes to purpose made curtains else they covered the radiator. Had the most beautiful fireplace.

Bedrooms had great storage cupboards and I put purpose built drawers / wardrobe into the recesses either side of the beautiful fireplaces!

Later on, when I thought I would have moved on to a bigger house, there was a recession so I converted the loft. That was a phenomenal space as well.

There are always quirky corners you can build something fabulous with. They are not necessarily cold and certainly not if modernised. Get proof of all the work done because shoddy builders in an old house do not make a good match.

Bad things... drains - they are built much nearer the surface and often cannot cope with modern water use. Add in a heavy rain fall and they simply blow..... However, depending on the year built, much of the drain network may be supported by the water board so def check this out too.
Water pressure - again, very narrow pipes supply your water (and the next six houses too). This is noticeable to a family used to a modern house such as don't flush the loo when someone is in the shower!

My house is currently boiling! I have a blanket and a kitten on my knee and am way too hot. We have very high Victorian ceilings. We also have modern, high insulation windows, a new boiler, good loft insulation. The house isn’t cold and draughty at all. The electrics depend on the house you buy. They’re not necessarily old because your house is old! It depends when it was last rewired. We have category 5 cabling and USB chargers throughout.

Get a survey done, do the work that needs doing. Your house can be both beautiful and cosy.

Just a word for the new builds - it really does matter what type you buy and where it is. All. I tori an houses were once upon a time new builds!
My husband was dead against new builds (hence why we lived in 'character filled' houses for decades, but when he found we could get one with style, real fires and big gardens, he was converted.

Yes to pp who said sink a lot of expensive improvements in at the start to make sure you convert the negatives in to positives, and upgrade your heating system if not already done. Importantly - check the roof. As I said - get a full structural survey to identify what might be hidden.

Good luck.

I live a a fairly big detached double fronted Victorian. Yes there are more repairs needed, and it is more expensive to heat as the room volume is greater. It's a trade off. A super insulated new build with few features and smaller rooms, or something with genuine character and space. My ceilings are 11' high. My living room is over 20ft by 16ft, as is my dining room and two of the bedrooms.
I added a bathroom, so now have three full bathrooms and a loo. Four receptions plus a kitchen. Cornicing, ceiling roses and skirting boards. I'm not going to get that in most houses built in the last few decades.
The downsides are lack of foundations, lack of insulation and brittle windows if original. Lack of built in storage. But the rooms are big enough that there are walls of wardrobe in every bedroom, and a walk in larder/storage room off the kitchen. I insulated the roof space, and when I replaced some floors added insulation underneath. I haven't turned the heat on yet as I'm sitting in front of my log burner. My kitchen is modern, my wiring is up to date and plumbing fine. Roof has been going strong for 150 years.
Have a survey. Expect repairs to be more expensive than the equivalent in a newer home. But what you gain outweighs all that if it's the style of house you love.

We have three storeys - four if you count the cellar - and everything we do on the outside of the house seems to require scaffolding.

Agree about finding ready made curtains long enough, although IKEA do long ones.

Wooden floors and open fires are lovely, but also draughty and dusty.

Depending on the house's orientation, they can be dark.

On the other hand, Victorian houses are very forgiving, they respond quite well to being rejigged to fit modern life.

What are the heatwave summers everyone speaks of. Surely you wouldn’t buy a house for the two weeks of the year when it’s warm.

Our 4 bed terrace costs less than our boxy 3 bed semi in heating. Also 99% fewer spiders.

I've almost always lived in houses of that age. Mostly rented from a housing association, who have a lot of that era housing stock (the larger ones usually converted to flats). Would a cost-conscious housing association buy all these houses if they were money pits? I think not.

Heating really doesn't seem to be a problem, but then I don't have much to compare to. Loft insulation and double glazing can always go in of course. Insulation and plasterboard can be added on the inside, though that takes a little space from the rooms and will hide any original features.

As far as other things go. While maintenance will of course be needed, I kind of think older houses have stood the test of time. It's been here for over 100 years and will probably stand for 100 more. Leaks are going to be the main thing to watch out for.

Last house was Victorian (now in a 70s monstrosity) and it had a good boiler and insulation, as well as new double glazed wooden sash windows, so was lovely and toasty in winter, but cool in summer. I am jealous, I miss mine!

In my job I look at lots of older properties with damp.

If you a renovating the property stick to heritage materials like lime plaster. This allows the building to breathe and you won't end up with damp issues.

Love my Victorian semi but get a thorough survey and check running costs as pp have said. Plus fitting everything when there's not a right angle in the place is always a challenge 😁