Can’t afford to decorate/maintain our house

[Polkadotskirts]

We are fortunate enough to own our own home, but unfortunately we cannot afford to decorate or maintain it to any sort of standard.
I keep thinking maybe we should go back to renting, at least then the landlord would maintain the property and keep it in a liveable condition.
We’ve got problems with:

Insulation
Plaster on the outer walls coming off and big indents starting to appear due to it being an old house (Victorian)
Mould and damp in every room
The actual decor of the house is terrible, carpets falling to bits, wallpaper coming off, painted walls with marks on and chips in the paintwork
A big damp stain on the ceiling of the kitchen where the bath leaked through at one time.
The back yard (we don’t have a proper garden) is overgrown, filthy and the paving slabs are all uneven (unsafe for our toddler to play out there).
The back of the house is unsightly with any previous paint on the brick peeling off and looking hideous.
The kitchen units all need replacing
Doors don’t shut properly so that further exacerbates the issue with keeping heat in rooms.
That’s not to mention all the skirting boards and doors need re-painting.

Looking back I don’t know why we bought the house in the first place, but some of these things like damp didn’t show up right away.

We literally can’t afford to do any of the repairs that are needed as we’re living hand to mouth every month.

Shall we just cut our losses and sell as a do me up job? Then start renting again instead?

You have lots of really good practical advice here.
I definitely wouldn't rent in your situation.
But if for whatever reason tackling sorting your house out, which will be high effort if you do it cheaply isn't for you then you could consider a flat which is lower maintenance.

Op you've bought the house and your in it.
Your mortgage is what it is, it might go up with interest rates, but it will come back down again. Rent will only ever go up, and keep going up.

So in a few years your proportion of income going on property will reduce as income goes up. Don't throw money away on lawyers and estate agents for nothing.

We are in October, forget the garden deal with in in spring.

Paint your living room sort one room that you want to spend time in. Do one room at a time.
See if you can adjust the hinges on the kitchen doors to line them up.

Check and make sure that you haven't got any leak or water getting in.

It sounds like you're overwhelmed and I bet you are not enjoying your home.

I would seriously consider selling and buying somewhere smaller and newer. Maybe a flat, the maintenance is much less work and you can often get more square footage for your money compared with a house. You may even find you don't have to go smaller, since you've got all that Victorian character to trade in. Talk to some estate agents.

Ask for B&Q vouchers for Christmas and birthdays

Paint everything white, rather than different colours everywhere

Lots of DIY tasks are time consuming rather than expensive. Ask friends to come and help, and offer to help them in return. Instructions on YouTube

Freecycle

Declutter

Get one room done, to inspire you to carry on

If you are living hand to mouth in an owned property, there is NO way you will have the money for a rental. The rental cost of a 2 bed flat where we live is nearly three times the cost of the mortgage on our house (3 bed)

We moved from rented to owned, and any problems were SO MUCH more frustrating in rented. Knowing that you were paying the landlord lots of money and they were dragging their heels about repairs is a very difficult feeling to live with.

I'd either make the best of your current home with the suggestions on this thread, or explore how you could buy a home in better condition.

Sadly renting in the UK you may end up in a house the landlord doesn't maintain, paying a lot, and with limited options to move somewhere better. I wish it wasn't that way.

Don't be downhearted by things being messy, looking awful, needing work. As a previous comment says, it used to be normal for a first home to need a lot of work! That's how you get on the property ladder. Forget the instagram "everything looks perfect" culture we're surrounded by.
The mould is what you need to prioritise first and you can sort that yourself with a scrubbing brush and bleach. You need to ventilate properly - windows open for some time every day, even in winter. It's healthy to get fresh air in too. Everything else can be done as/when you can manage it.
Insulation, make your own draft excluders - getting rid of any old clothes? Stuff them into a pair of tights and you've got a draft excluder for a window sill or bottom of a door.
Look out for what you can get for free. Do you have any kind friends or family who can help you fix things or do little jobs to help? Don't be afraid to ask for help.
Borrow a crowbar and take up your back yard paving slabs if you think they are dangerous. (But are they really "dangerous"? My parents love to remind us of how they used to play on bomb sites post-war!)
Kitchen units - fix them rather than replace! If the doors don't shut properly check the hinges are level and tight. Or, get rid of all the doors and use the cupboards as open shelving.
Any decoration can wait until you can afford it. Shops like Wilkos are cheap for paint and decorating supplies.

*The back yard (we don’t have a proper garden) is overgrown, filthy and the paving slabs are all uneven (unsafe for our toddler to play out there).

It would cost nothing to clean it up yourselves and relay the existing slabs straight and even.

A mortgage payment is usually cheaper month to month compared to rent. Renting could cost you hundreds more a month, if I were in your position I'd be very reluctant to rent, you were very fortunate to have deposit.
Since renting will cost more, why not use or put aside the extra you'd be paying for rent towards improvements? Mould treatment followed by anti mould paint etc.

Could you sell it as a doer upper and then use the money to put down a deposit on a newer house? Maybe a smaller new build?
It does sound like your house has a lot of issues and damp especially can be expensive to fix if there's an underlying issue such as roof/chimney/leak problems. But not all houses have these issues. In my experience 70s houses need minimal maintenance and are pretty sturdy. Or a new build, but they do come with snags.

It would be the damp that would worry me, especially as all else could be fixed. I would focus on this first.

It may well be the ventilation and/or heating that is the problem. However this may be only part of the problem.

In a previous house we had rising damp which we tackled by getting Holland air bricks installed (i don't work for them) it cost a few thousand, but getting something like this done can only increase the value of the house.

Yes, to cheap insulation measures.

The garden definitely can be fixed. It is an ideal time to start that and personally I wouldn't want to move if there was a garden if I owned the house. It could be a long term project and hobby/interest, and you could look foward to the spring/summer. Gardening in the winter can also be nice, in wellies and stuff - as long as you have hot soup etc to come in to.

Like all the other jobs, do a bit at a time.

You could post on another thread with pics of the garden and I'm sure we could give you inspiration and tips as to where to start. If you are just learning there may well be existing features in the garden you could work around.

Next door is certainly worth a try. You could even ask if someone is willing just to come and look at the garden to give ideas. Someone who is retired might be willing to do this. I would.

As mentioned, good clean but not before the damp expert comes, as they may need to see the issues first hand.

You could advertise on Next door for left over paint.

Garden furniture can be made out of pallets etc if needed.

It could be an exciting project for you all, just don't despair.

One thing at a time.

Surely you cAn cut back the garden yourself ? Even with a pair of scissors and do a little bit every day ! It sounds like you have given up ! Decor doesn't have to be expensive , you can up cycle me things from charity shops etc . Have a look in marketplace and get some frenchic paint as look on Pinterest for ideas!

Also re the heating and insulation.
Yes to draught excluders out of tights/jumpers etc.

Also though, looking at updating your boiler. boilerquoter.co.uk/british-gas-boilers-offer/

There may be government grant towards it.
Even if you sell the house updatiing the boiler is going to save your money and add to value of it. And they can do you a calculation about how much you might save.

Selling up and buying a smaller but well decorated flat would be expensive (estate agents costs, legal fees, stamp duty if you buy again and removal costs) and you could use the money saved by not selling up to buy some cheap paint.
People often have spare paint left over so ask on your local Facebook free and recycling site. Places like Wilko sell their own brand paint which is cheaper than going for branded names and it will do the job fine. Cheapest to buy would be large tubs of white Matt.
If paper is peeling remove it, then wash and sand the walls and just paint. Gloss work can be done cheaply by lightly sanding and the super soaping before putting on a coat of gloss. Again look at wilkos own brand and one tin will go along way.
Any ceiling stains can be death with cheaply by mixing some PVA glue with a little white Matt to block the stain and then given a top coat of Matt. Much cheaper and just as effective as any stain blockers.
The garden just needs you to tidy, lift and relay the stabs if they are that bad and won’t cost much more than time and maybe a bag of sand and cement.

Link to grant to get boiler replaced free of charge put your postcode in to see if you are eligiblewww.boilergrants.org.uk/#:~:text=%20Free%20Boiler%20Grants%20Under%20the%20Governments%20ECO,to%20complete%20the%20installation%20of%20your%20new%20boiler.

www.boilergrants.org.uk/#:~:text=%20Free%20Boiler%20Grants%20Under%20the%20Governments%20ECO,to%20complete%20the%20installation%20of%20your%20new%20boiler.

Could you sell and buy somewhere cheaper?

Lots of good advice here.

Are you in that stage of life where you have bought a house and have childcare costs?

How old are you? If its stage of life...it will get easier and if you sell you will have lost stamp duty.

Sorry, I also think you'd regret it but I understand how tempting it must be to cut your losses. Energy bills going up must feel like the final nail in the coffin.

What is your personal situation? Do you have a partner? Children old enough to help?

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

I’d take a second job or as much overtime as possible rather than give up security of an owned house given you have children.

This in a nutshell. No guarantees as a renter any landlord will update your kitchen or maintain the property.

Firstly you need to understand your damp issuesr
www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/managing-damp-in-old-buildings.html

Deal with issues like damp first. Find the cause and then bleach etc then paint (last). You say the issue is external walls . Are you detached? Check roof, gutters and so important the pointing. Repoint using mortar (did you have a survey done when you bought the place?).

Are you sure it's had a proper damp-proof course? If not this would explain most of your problems.

Did you do a structural survey? Because you may have comeback against the surveyor if s/he missed things. If you didn't do one, never make that mistake again. Agree with all the other advice that has been given - crazy to give up home ownership if you can manage to hang onto it.