Would you move because of this? Or get it fixed?

[Usbt1000]

I am a single parent and have no support childcare wise. I feel this is relevant as I feel very alone in making big decisions like this. I feel totally responsible for DD’s future and obviously where she lives is important.

I moved into this house 3 years ago when dd was 1 and when ex left us. I bought it for 500k and it’s now worth around 520k based on recent valuation. It is a four bed detached with all new fittings (not a new property). Has some character and large driveway and decent sized garden and bedrooms.

I like the house but it does have its issues, the garden needs landscaping and the bathroom upstairs is small with a larger one downstairs. No utility room. Just little things like that. The major thing is this…roof probably needs doing probably reasonably soon and it has asbestos cement sheets under the tiles which would need to be removed. Had quotes for a new roof and it’s around 20k with cement sheets removed too.

The entire thing is making me anxious. I would love a newer house that’s a similar price with maybe a little less garden and trading smaller rooms for a utility and already done roof. There’s only a few of these in the village that are newer so unlikely to come up at the same time I sell, then I would be stuck having to move further out to a larger estate for a similar house.

I just feel really confused and conflicted and part of me is worried that perhaps the house won’t even sell. It’s a little unusual, it is on a cul de sac of four houses and set back off the road but central to the village. It’s large downstairs but more of a dormer style upstairs though the bedrooms are big.

Anyway, just don’t know what to do. Feel so stressed doing it all alone.

Agree with this. With 4 rooms you can easily use the smaller as a utility room and if it backs onto a bathroom wall with water supply you can easily convert it into an upstairs utility room which will be even more desirable.

I have a period house centrally located which I bought many years ago, at the same time I also considered a new build in a state that had the same number of bedrooms, a bigger kitchen, a utility room, off street parking and a bigger garden just 15 minutes drive away. They were exactly the same price, I decided for the period one because it is in walking distance most of the city’s attractions.

All these years later my dear old house is valued at 40% more than the old new build. My retirement plan is to sell it, “downsize” to a same size house in a new area and put the rest towards my retirement fund.

Having said that…there have been some repairs to my period house over the years that have put me in the same dilemma. I’m glad I stayed put but I cannot deny I have had many times when I said “one more repair and it’s put for sale!” So I wouldn’t blame you if you call it a day.

Your house sounds lovely, OP. I love something that's a bit different and have an aversion to 'rectangle rooms' which is likely what you'll get with a new build. £20k over a lifetime isn't much. As PP have mentioned, moving costs a fortune (I downsized last year around the same price range and moving costs alone were around £20k) and you could possibly move out while the asbestos is sorted?

@geumsun thank you so so so much for your post. It’s made me understand this a lot more and given me some much needed perspective. How would I know for sure whether they are asbestos cement sheets? The roofers said they thought they were but would need testing to be 100% sure. They are just these cement sheets under the tiles at the edges? I get so anxious about it all.

It’s mad to be looking for a 4 bed unless you’re planning to have more kids! How many spare rooms do you need?

Who cares what she ‘needs’ if a 4 bed is what she wants and can afford?

OP - I’d get it fixed rather than move to a new build.

@Usbt1000 is your roof actually leaking or are you just worried about it?

Even old roofs can be kept going for a long time with a bit of maintenance. Your house sounds lovely and I wouldn't want the hassle of moving myself.

The asbestos concrete is perfectly fine if left alone and not broken up. It's pretty well the safest sort of asbestos product as all the fibres (which is the danger with asbestos) are encapsulated, so this shouldn't worry you too much either.

I hope @geumsun made you feel calmer about the roof.

I can't quite work out why exactly you want to move. Because of the roof, garden and internal layout? Tbf those are not small things.

It sounds like you like the location of your current house and buying another would probably mean moving somewhere you like less? Location wise- how near is school or nursery to both potential places? Where are dd's friends most likely to be in future? I don't know how far apart your currwnt and potential new houses would be but when kids get older having schools and friends walking distance apart is brilliant.

Can you work out what it would cost in £ to move? Stamp duty, estate agent fees, removal costs etc. Compare to the cost of roof repairs.

Plus the upheaval and uncertainty of finding a buyer, finding something to buy, trying to match up all the timings.

How big is the garden and what sort of landscaping, or what scale of landscaping, would you need? Is that urgent or can it wait? Or does the garden just feel too much overall?

Have you seen any houses you would actually like, and how does the price compare to the likely cost of yours?

Sorry I've asked millions of questions but maybe some of them might help clarify things in your mind.

if you try to sell remember that potential buyers will do a survey and it will highlight the roof issues so this will be reflected on the offer.

It might not be an issue if you want to buy a smaller and cheaper property but it means you won't get £520K for your home. You will also have the cost of moving, solicitor, survey for your next home and so on.

So do your sums carefully before making a decision.

We had concrete sheets removed from a garage to do a conversion.

No big deal. The sheet is tested to confirm which asbestos type it is then we got quotes from specialist asbestos removal companies. One was half the price of the other and then the builder coordinated with them directly over the timing and we paid them on completion of their work.

Your location sounds perfect and it’s like to be cheaper to do some internal rearranging to achieve a utility room than move.

If you found a 3 or 4 bed that was cheaper and in a great location that was perfect and cheaper then I would look at selling.

Either way I would do the roof.

20k for a roof being redone is a bargain. Getting rid of potential asbestos as well, even more so.

Be careful of buying a large new build. It has taken me over nine months to sell our 'executive' house. Luckily we haven't lost money but we certainly haven't made any!

OP there are companies who test for asbestos. It's very simple and doesn't take long. They take some tiny samples, send it to their lab and a few days later you get the results. They provide a certificate which says you have or don't have asbestos which you can show to potential workmen. (We had an internal leak, the emergency plumber wouldn't look at it until we'd had an asbestos check as he was 'sure' the ceiling contained it. It didn't so he had to come back and do the work!)

I'd convert the downstairs bathroom into a utility keeping a downstairs toilet. Extend the bathroom upstairs by taking space from one of the bedrooms if possible. Why does your garden need landscaping?

There are a few internet based testing firms now. You order a testing pack from them (will include mask), take the sample yourself and post it off. Could you get a step ladder and take a small sample from the lower end of the roof verge? If not, you may want to call an asbestos contractor out to take the sample. Alternatively, as the roof is old, just assume it is asbestos.

In my 60s house I have found it throughout the roof, eaves and soffits, under the bathroom floors and in the soil stack. In my previous 40s house I found it in the roof, boiler cupboard and cladding a steel beam. In my house before that (Edwardian but later roof work) it was in the roof tiles - no verges as terraced.

Testing is always worthwhile and there are different types of asbestos, some are more dangerous than others. But cement sheets are a low risk type (chrysotile). Not to be confused with insulation boards which are more dangerous (amosite).

Only do the roof if it needs doing, don't touch it because there is asbestos - that's fairly normal still 👍