How much to renovate this abandoned house?

[Heew]

Inspired by a thread I saw earlier this week

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/146722958#/?channel=RES_BUY

I have seen this house and to me it has tonnes of potential. I really want a home that is rural but not remote and close to a nice town.

How much do you think it would cost to do this house up?

If we bought for asking, we would probably have around £300k to play with. I’m really excited about the potential. But am I being very naive?

I know you can’t know for sure due to the unknowns - ie structural integrity. But just a guesstimate.

Thanks!

I’d not touch that, it’s listed, which is going to mean you need to jump through major major planning hoops. You will burn through 300 in no time.

It's the listed but which would worry me x

I picked up on the grade II listing but tbh have not done any research at all re what that means.

Bummer

300k isn't going to be anywhere near enough.

A house like that will be a money pit, and you should walk away. If you buy it, I guarantee you will regret the day you ever decided to put an offer in.

Op it will need a new roof. Done like for like. The walls are crumbling, you can see the floor coming away from tnem, most rooms have signficant damp and the windows will need replacing. On top of this it will need a full rewire, lighting, and heating installed. It’s a huge huge job. And it will have to be done in conjunction with the conservation officer and planning to bring it back to its original condition. Even the blurb says it is likely dangerous and you can’t view without a member of staff.

buy one renovated in your budget,

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/148509740#/?channel=RES_BUY

At least 4-500k for a decent refurb. As its listed everything will cost a lot more. And that place needs everything from new roof, to new floor joists etc.... walls may need rebuilding due to the cracks etc.....

Have a very very thorough survey if you do decide to go ahead as well.

Avoid gr2 listed

Get a really high quality independent builders survey. You could easily sink £300,000 into this and still have a lot to do. If that makes it habitable and you are up for a long project then go for it.

We have grade 2 listed and it hasn’t been a problem. It just means applying for listed building consent as well as planning permission for any changes, but replacing like with like needs no permission. If you are happy to spend money on wooden windows anyway (I prefer them) then the restrictions are choices you would make for yourself.

The main barriers with this house are (a) it is currently uninhabitable so may be unmortgageable, and (b) you have no idea whether it is structurally sound without a proper survey.

It's a lovely area, but as others have said Grade 2 can be a nuisance. Cheshire East council are in a right mess and teetering on bankruptcyso getting anything organised through them is virtually impossible these days.
What are the plans for the barns that are on site if the purchaser doesn't buy them? That would really concern me

Roll up roll up, place your bets, will it sell before it falls down🎲

Are you able to partly renovate it yourself? If the drip feed is that you are a master brick worker and your husband has been a carpenter for 25 years then maaaaaybe. Although anything can be learned if you are motivated enough.

But some of the photos are a bit scary - that room with the cracks and bulging fireplace suggest expensive structural work.

It’s beautiful and I would be seriously tempted too though.

Listing per se wouldn't worry me. It will cost a fortune and be a nightmare but what a brilliant project for someone with an inexhaustible supply of money and patience. eg I assume those "store" rooms have no foundations and are single brick etc etc etc.

Not at all. I just painted my shed and was thoroughly impressed with myself for that accomplishment.

Gutted. Love the location and rural feel. The perfect house is still waiting for me to find it I guess

The thing is once that £300k is gone there would be literally nothing else. No family or friends to borrow from at the last last moment a la Grand Designs. So that would terrify me.

Might still be worth going to see & if you really love it, getting a survey.

A house like that doesn’t have to be interiors magazine perfect the day you move in. Could be be a 10+ year project?

Grade 2 listed isn't a major issue, check the listing but it's likely to be external appearance - so you'd likely have limited choice when it comes to windows, bargeboards, and external paint colour choices. Just as long as it's they EA isn't being shy with the details and it's not 2* with a specific element detailed within the listing.

I'd be more concerned by the "remaining barns on site" which are excluded from the sale, and what might be developed by another party from those.

Rennovation wise, I think you'd be budgeting £300-600k depending on the level of finish and specification you wanted, plus whatever structural work a survey turned up. As a minimum there's a re-roof, full strip of the walls, rewire and new services to go in.

Are you relying on a mortgage? If you are, I don’t think this would be viable.

Sadly for the vendor, the house isn't an asset. It's a liability reducing the value of the plot, because it cannot be demolished, but is in such poor condition, it will require 500k to make it habitable. You need to do the maths. What would it be worth if refurbed and landscaped? Then take at least 15% off that (developer profit) and 500k for refurb, and that's your offer price. I think this would be worth £1m finished, so it's currently worth £350k. Offer that, explain why, and they can always say no.

If they say yes, you have £550k. But you'll need an architect with specialist experience to run the rebuild. You will Live in static homes in the garden for two years as well unless you have somewhere else to stay.

I presume you don't need a mortgage? Fairly certain thar isn't mortgageable as it doesn't have a functioning kitchen.

yes that will be cash buyers only, they can mortgage down the line when it’s habitable with a working kitchen but initially it is cash buyers and cash investment.

Pick a number and double itz then do that again, then walk away unless you're a builder.

It looks as if could be potentially amazing and sounds wonderful in theory but I can smell the damp from here.

Is there a body of water nearby? Looks like flooding potential.

It could be a runner if ythere is development potential. I could see someone buying it and immediately applying for planning permission to add a new house next to it. Add the house, sell it, use the capital to fund the improvements to that house and the barn.