Hmm... Which order??

[Fiddlestickler]

We've FINALLY exchanged on our new house, after much wrangling, and have a month now before completion to get sorted. It needs a complete rewire (about £3k), and new damp proof course and replastering downstairs (about £2.5k). We also want to add a kitchen extension (which won't need planning permission), a new bedroom over this (which will), new bathroom, and extension to lounge. That's the dream plan!

Now we have to work out when to do it and how to afford it. We're on a fixed rate til April 2014, when we plan to remortgage. So, our options are:

A. Do electrics, dpc and plastering and wait to do the rest

B. As above but also do kitchen

C. As above but also do bathroom and new bedroom

D. Increase mortgage in April and do whole lot at once to get it out of the way.

We want, ideally, the most practical and cost-effective solution. Any advice much appreciated - the most we did to our last (first) house was paint it!!

we will hopefully be in this position soon. I'm planning a then sort the extension later

Do the lot to get it out of the way, else ime you'll never do it.

I would do C if I could afford it

Surely you can't do anything until completion? You don't own the house til then!

D :)

Was it someone independent that told you you need a new damp proof course?

Obviously this is for after completion!! But it'll take a while to get quotes etc so I want to be prepared and start researching builder, architect and so on.

Survey brought up damp and electric problems so we got electrician round to do a report and damp proof expert to look at that.

But was he a damp proof expert that sold damp proofing? I don't want you to get ripped off.

If you invite someone into your home who sells damp-proofing, you can expect him to tell you you need to buy damp-proofing.

In most cases and damp will be caused by condensation, leaking pipes, drains or gutters, or soil and paving pushed against the side of the house raising the ground level and blocking airbricks. Cure these defects before you waste spend money on chemical injection.

Get a builder round (not someone who sells damp proof courses) and ask him/her to tell you if you need damp proofing or whether it's any of the problems Piglet mentions. Have you looked at the roof, can you see any slipping slates? Where is it damp?

What did the survey say about the cause of the damp?

Re DPC,I had a company round for a room that we were renovating that hadn't been used for a while and he got very high reading a quote for work.I then got another company round again high readings but this guy though it may have been because the room had not been used or heated for a couple of years,he then suggested a 'drill test' which sounded complicated!Popped out to his van ,came in with an electric drilled and basically drilled a couple of holes in the brickwork,brick dust came out dry as a bone!
Room was just needing heated and ventilated !
He was a true gent as he said he would not have wanted to do unnecessary work!

And quoted for work

Good point. We'll get another builder in before we do anything anyway.

Bloke said the last dpc hadn't gone back far enough (which the vendors agreed with) and it was plastered before it was dry, so walls aren't wet but plaster is. He said dpc injection would be £400 ish and the £2.5k is for downstairs (kitchen, hall, dining, living rooms) to be replastered.

I'd go for A: live in the house and be sure your plans are what you want for the long term and work with how you live in that house before committing yourself.