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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

£60k ? Am I crazy ?! Or AIBU?

116 replies

Toomanyshillings · 25/12/2023 11:46

Please help give me some perspective as I’m driving myself crazy !

Maybe, subconsciously I don’t think I deserve nice things ? But a part of me thinks ‘this isn’t my forever home’ I may only be here for 5 years (mortgage term), but then maybe I’ll be here longer. ?

Our house needs a full renovation, kitchen is tiny and the rest of the house is very dated.

I am spending £60k on the work which includes:
small side extension
wall between kitchen and dining room knocked out to have kitchen/ diner. I will still have a separate lounge.
new (small) utility room and downstairs loo and shower
new bathroom
new kitchen with quartz / Neff appliances etc
loft board boarded up for storage

the AIBU is that I keep thinking am I spending too much ? I could just get a standard kitchen fit instead of going for what I really want ?

Will I be the money back when I sell ?

part of me wants to just spend as little as possible but I know I wont be happy with the finish

So confused 😐

OP posts:
LividSleep · 25/12/2023 11:48

Sounds like you’re getting loads for £60k.

Absolutely no point doing a half arsed job. Get what you love.

Movinghouseatlast · 25/12/2023 11:49

It will make you happy every day, so if you can afford it go for it.

I made a few compromises in my kitchen that irritated me so much that I ripped part of it out and replaced it.

Buy cheap, pay twice...

ComtesseDeSpair · 25/12/2023 12:03

What’s the point in having money in the bank whilst the place you spend most of your time is just “this’ll do” rather than “I love being here!”? No, you very possibly won’t increase your home’s value by the exact same amount as you spend on the work, but what a dreary way to approach life. A lovely home should be an investment in your own happiness as much as any kind of financial investment.

IMustDoMoreExercise · 25/12/2023 12:04

I would only do all this work if it was my forever home.

Once you have done the work, could it be your forever home?

IMustDoMoreExercise · 25/12/2023 12:06

Also, that is a lot of work for £60k. Is it being done by family? If so, ignore my earlier reply I would get it done as you will likely recover it when you sell.

Bananawotsit · 25/12/2023 12:07

even if it isn’t your forever home - you don’t know what is around the corner. I think making it a place you love living in for the next 5 years is worth the money but you need to accept you may not “get it back” when you sell as who knows what the market will be like in 5 years time??? it’s still worth it because if you have the money - you are worth it!

Pootles34 · 25/12/2023 12:07

That's an absolute bargain - houses do need money spending on them unfortunately!

tara66 · 25/12/2023 12:08

Only you know your financial situation - no one can advise if you are spending too much.

SunSparkle · 25/12/2023 12:09

You might not see it back on the valuation so if that’s why you’re doing it, you are being unreasonable. But if you’re doing it for you, and you will love it everyday, and you don’t mind if you lose money on it in the short term, then you aren’t unreasonable at all

caringcarer · 25/12/2023 12:11

Sounds like you're getting a good deal. Is it a quote rather than an estimate?

whiteshutters · 25/12/2023 12:11

If it is only going to be for 5 years then I would be hesitant but if you need the space now then maybe. Consider the values of the properties in your street. It's better to be the worst house in the right street than vice versa. It also however depends on the value of your house so what % of that is this.

Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky · 25/12/2023 12:11

I had my kitchen done, there was a couple of things I was on fence about out - £400 for pull out bins in a cupboard and £2.8k for quartz vs 500 for laminate worktops.

I did pay out in the end - I had wanted kitchen done for years and so I just went for what I wanted rather than feeling regret.

Voodoochile · 25/12/2023 12:13

I moved into a five year plan home in 2000 and moved out in 2016! It was never quite the time to move so I sat tight until moving became something I had to do as we were bursting out of the place. And the one thing I know for sure is that the kitchen where I got carried away in 2003 brought me smiles and happiness every single day til I moved out.

Glenthebattleostrich · 25/12/2023 12:14

You're going to be using it daily for the next 5 years. Go for what you want/ love.

We compromised on our first kitchen and spent 10 years hating it. Just had a new one fitted and absolutely adore it. I bow sit in it and am so happy.

So spend the equivalent of £33 per day (60k over 5 years) to live somewhere that makes you happy.

Birdcar · 25/12/2023 12:14

You're getting a lot for your money.

Pelham678 · 25/12/2023 12:15

It's bound to add some value to your house, so take that into account. You would have to get some of the work done to enjoy the house for the next five years at least. It's always cheaper proportionately to get all the work done at once than to get some done now and the rest later if you decided to do that. It will make your house so much nicer to live in for the next five years and beyond.

Alcyoneus · 25/12/2023 12:17

OP, no one can possibly say without knowing about your neighbourhood, which part of the country you live in, how much your house is worth pre-renovation, what is the ceiling price of houses on your street, size and layout of your house. You will het lots of pointless response. None will be any real help but might make feel better just asking the question.

Globules · 25/12/2023 12:17

I agree with PPs that it's a lot of work for the money.

If it isn't going to get you in debt, or make things really tight, then go for it.

I am currently 5 months after my extension and kitchen/diner was completed. I love it every day and smile every morning when I make my first cuppa. It is done completely to my spec and there's nothing I would change.

I think you'll regret a half job and it's a long time to wait with no job. If you can afford it, do the full thing.

Income · 25/12/2023 12:17

Adding an extra toilet and a utility room would mean it was worth £60k+ more than selling where we are.

If you can afford it then go for it.

5 years is a long time spent wishing you had more space/a decent oven.

PamelaParis · 25/12/2023 12:17

That's a crazy amount to spend on a house you might only be in for a few more years. You'll never make it back when you sell.

brawnthesheep · 25/12/2023 12:18

Where are you that you can get this for 60k!!!!!!

3WildOnes · 25/12/2023 12:22

brawnthesheep · 25/12/2023 12:18

Where are you that you can get this for 60k!!!!!!

This! We paid more than double this for what sounds very similar. If you can get all that for 60k then I would go for it but I guess it depends on the housing market in your area whether or not it is a sound investment. Where I live you would definitely make your money back.

TinySaltLick · 25/12/2023 12:24

That sounds astonishingly cheap, I can't see how anyone could do it properly for that figure! Is it a family member doing it for costs only?

GoingDownLikeBHS · 25/12/2023 12:25

Is that £60k your only savings? To the penny? Or can you comfortably afford to spend it? Do you also have a contingency budget on top? I spent a similar amount 5 years ago doing basics like damp, new windows, new bathroom and decorating/flooring and 5 years on we are trying to sell our house with people telling us it’s a “fixer upper”. However the house was difficult to live in before so I had to spend the money. Btw our initial budget was £30k! (And it was our life savings)

Notcontent · 25/12/2023 12:25

Are you sure you can get all that done for £60k??? Where I am that would be £150k.