anyone renovated a wreck? advice please

[freefruit]

OK
By current estimation the only way we will ever own is if we get a wreck and renovate (that's if we can beat the builders to it)

I'm talking about terraced house lived in by eg a little old lady and not touched for decades.

So it would need rewiring new roof plastering flooring decorating new kitchen bathroom(s) etcetc.

Are we likely to find any hidden surprises was there something you found when you did it that you'd never even heard of IYSWIM

Is anyone prepared to tell me what kind of stuff needs doing and give an estimate of costs and how long it took?

I'm guessing we can't live there at the same time (littel children so prob not wise)

Is that kind of thing something you wouldn't touch (terrace) I'm thinking by choosing that kind of house it's kind of safer!

I've done this a few times and is a very sensible way of building up equity in a house (or preserving what you have). A small terrace is an ideal property as the work will be reasonably limited and there are no problems with other leaseholders/the freeholder etc as there are in flats.

Whenever I look at an old place, I always assume it will need everything in terms of replumbing and rewiring and I also imagine that every room will at least need skimming if not a full replaster. You may get away without a new roof (in fact probably will) but if there is any sign of water damage, make sure that the roof timbers are in good order - replacing tiles is one thing, replacing a whole roof structure is another. You also need to think about damp and spraying for woodworm.

The hidden surprises can be subsidence or sagging roof (which a surveyor should pick up on so always get a survey) and then things that only become apparent once plaster is off walls - lintels that haven't been put in correctly or aren't big enough for example. To be honest though, if you think in terms of everything will need doing, and it's not just a case of slapping in a kitchen and some new paint then you should be alright. If the walls are all original and the houses either side are standing you shouldn't be in too bad a way.

One thing I would recommend is once you have settled on a house, download as many floorplans for similar style houses for sale and decide what layout you want. Terrace houses are quite adaptable and some people have much more imagination than others so see what's out there that you can steal be inspired by for your own home.

Good luck.

Half way through ours! (10 year project)

Full structural survey is vital. Also try to look at houses when raining - we went for a second look at one we were planning to offer on, but then MrNC went into the loft and got very wet!

A house that is structurally sound but needs 'updating' even if that means rewiring and new heating system, is very different from one actually falling apart. If you don't know what you're doing and have to live in it while it's done up, I'd avoid the latter.

And declutter as much as you can beforehand, as you'll be living in one less room than you own for a lot of the time!

Ds was born when we didn't have a roof, and had to sleep with circular saws going. We've used Babydan fence/gates to keep toddlers out of work zones, and it's been fine - they're used to seeing all the furniture moved around the house and think it's very exciting. If you have a loo to use while the bathroom's done, then living in at the same time is doable as long as you're not at all houseproud.

8 areas done, 8 to go...

We did this with a 1900s terrace in London. 1950's renovations had mutilated out all the original features so we had to take a view on what to restore and what to simply get from Wickes. If you are in an area of similar houses keep an eye on the skips, just after we finished our project the house across the road threw out all their original doors .

Agree, the ideal would be one that is structurally sound but just oldfashioned. New roofs and underpinning get very expensive. Unless your surveyor specifically picks it up, expect to need dampproofing, rewiring, replastering/patching and new windows (you can get double glazed wood sash ones), although an original slate roof could be re slated with new flashing.

The advantage is that those houses were simply built, solid brick walls, simple boarded floors, plaster not plasterboard, it's easy to do the work yourself. Good luck - it was the best investment we ever made.

wow thanks guys
lol at the wet mr nc do you really have 16 rooms?

ca i ask how did you find the property? were you known to EA? I'm worried that builders get all the good ones and if they havn't got there first then there is something wrong

I'm also worried about doing anything ourselves since we don't own we don'tget much practice with a hammer and nail never mind a circular saw and roof flashings!!

Any idea about timings for some of this stuff

I don't know why some people can do DIY and others can't. Even though ours was the first house we bought we had decorated before and DH was pretty handy at woodwork/putting up shelves etc. I wouldn't take a project on if I was going to leave every bit to builders, it would cost a fortune. But I guess the professional developers have preferred builders they work with.

Decorating, basic carpentry, tiling etc are not that hard to learn, just leave the plumbing/electrics/plastering to the professionals. Have you got dads/mums/friends who will pass on skills?

The Collins DIY manual is a good Bible for what you might need to do, you can soon size up a job and say "I'll have a go at that" or "no way I'm touching that".

If you aren't living in it, maybe 6-12 months? If you are living in, count in years.... (but this is obviously easier to fund if you are earning as you go)

I am just in teh middle of this for the 11th time!I must admit you do eventually become adept but for the 1st go I would say
Be sure you know your limitations and don't be too ambitious unless you have plenty of money and time to invest.get a really good surveyor from day one and use that as a guide for the bare bones work.make sure the roof,walls,electrics,plumbing,structure are tip top before you even think about interiors.If you can don't live in the 1st fix this sounds expensive but over the years I have learned that builders get A LOT more done in an empty house and in the long run its cheaper.Don't be seduced by the tv programmes etc as they are heavily editted and rarely show the real stress of it all.BUT you do get the house you want and can make money.After 7 properties(3 just simple refurn and 4 a bit more)we were mortage free so although it was v hard work it did pay in 7 byears what usually takes 25.It can cause strain in relationships and we fought a fair bit at the beginning because when you are inexperienced seeing the end is hard but now we can see the vision it is easy.If you have a busy social life kiss it goodbye for a while but if after all this you still want to do it I can thoroughly reccomend it as a way to get what you want and the sense of achievement is huge when you finally finish.The most important thing is getting the order of works right nothing worse than undoing stuff you have already done so get a good book and a great builder!HTH

freefruit - yes, the house was a large 4-bed semi, then it got incompetently extended and a granny flat made out of the original kitchen and outside loo and some of the extension. So we first redid all the heating system (the boiler was 25 yrs old and outside...), then the flat (bedroom, kitchen, lounge, showerroom) ASAP so we could rent it out, then secondary glazing and fixing windows, then the bathroom.

Then embarked on a loft conversion when I was pregnant because the roof really needed repair by then and everyone said to do it before babies. Builder went bust... two years later we have finally done the two bedrooms up there and ds's room, but still have the loft bathroom (currently full of tools etc), three bedrooms, hallways, lounge, dining room and kitchen to go, and that last will be really costly as the whole back of the house needs rebuilding. So another 5 years at least.

The new shed and another bedroom should be done by Christmas, and then we'll do basic decoration and save up for builders for the kitchen.

We knew it would be this long, but it was the only way to afford a house this size in London, and it will be fantastic eventually (it's already lovely and great for parties as all the carpets are pre-ruined!) We don't plan on doing it again, although we might consider doing up a house we aren't living in.

But we did have problems finding a house we wanted that wasn't a total wreck or snapped up instantly by developers, usually wanting to turn it into flats and paying more. We got this one after developers had faffed for a year and finally decided it wasn't quite worth it because of the rebuild needed. Lots of people got put off by the granny flat, but it's made it feasible for us and it's great having a friend so close. Although there was the tenant from hell...

I do rather envy my friend down the road who has the already-done-up version, but without the flat or loft, and we couldn't have afforded it, so that's that.

Blimey citrus I salute your patience!