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My heart is ruling my head!

30 replies

animallover85 · 29/05/2014 14:57

My husband and I have seen a house that I've completely fallen in love with, despite the fact it is completely the opposite of what I thought I wanted......low maintenance, modern, open plan, energy efficient.....

Am I being a complete idiot?

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-30616416.html

OP posts:
BumWad · 29/05/2014 15:18

Ha!

It is gorgeous OP. Go for it!

Not as fantastic as yours but we are in the process of purchasing a 110 year old house. We are sacrificing the garden space for the character and it was definelty not the type of house I expected to live in but now I am soooo excited about it! with the damp and everything

animallover85 · 29/05/2014 15:42

Thanks! I'm worried about the damp and cold in the winter and it only has storage heaters and electric underfloor heating in some of the house. With it being listed I'm worried about whether we would be allowed to put in radiators as I really feel the cold and have had storage heaters before and didn't get on with them. Does anyone know how easy this would be to do?

OP posts:
HaveToWearHeels · 29/05/2014 15:45

It would be a no for me. I love period houses but Georgian or Edwardian. I can appreciate it for what is is but could never live there. The thatch and garden put me off.

MuttonCadet · 29/05/2014 15:48

It's beautiful, but the. I did exactly what you're thinking about - and I couldn't be happier.

If you've got fires you're fine and a grade 2 listing isn't too extreme on internal changes.

If it makes you feel better we've got electric only, single glazing, septic tank......

lessonsintightropes · 30/05/2014 01:25

It's beautiful. Heart over head every time Grin

bellabelly · 30/05/2014 01:28

BUY IT!!!!!

starfish4 · 30/05/2014 09:07

If you want heating, do check out what's allowed. My cousin bought a listed building in a village without a gas supply and wasn't allowed an oil tank (even hidden) in the grounds.

If it ticks your boxes, ie space and you can live there a long time, then it's certainly worth taking the time to consider. Do still have a look at any other houses that would fit into your original wants & needs, that way you can way up what you really do want.

Gatekeeper · 30/05/2014 09:16

it would be a "no" from me too. I don't like the way the garden is and you will get run off coming onto the patio area and because it is in a dip, those downstairs rooms facing the dip will not get very much light

Kitsmummy · 30/05/2014 09:22

Oh it's gorgeous, I was expecting to see a hovel, go for it!

ChippyMinton · 30/05/2014 09:30

No. Thatch, that slope from the back garden that will send water into the house walls, it's right on the road - how busy does it get in summer?, plus it looks as though it's been done up with a quick coat of paint to sell - look at the ceilings for example.

TheLeftovermonster · 30/05/2014 10:35

I wouldn't. On the road, no garden, high maintenance, etc.
It would be great for a B&B though.

PeterParkerSays · 30/05/2014 10:51

Where would you park?

Also the thatch might cause insurance problems as it's a fire hazard.

don't rush at it, but it's worth asking more questions.

Rockdoctor · 30/05/2014 12:22

It looks lovely but you need to ask a lot of questions - most of which have been covered here. If you do go ahead then get a proper survey from someone that specialises in historical buildings. If it has been done up to sell using inappropriate materials then you will pay for it later (I speak from experience….). Also consider what happens if you need to sell in a hurry.

IHeartKingThistle · 30/05/2014 12:29

If you've always had heating you won't believe how coldit is in an old draughty house. We moved from a Victorian house to a 70s house. The layout is great for kids and I'm warm and happy!

OhBabyLilyMunster · 30/05/2014 12:30

Oh god its beautiful!

rhubarbcrumbleplease · 30/05/2014 15:22

It's gorgeous. The pluses would over rule the minuses for me.

burnishedsilver · 30/05/2014 15:48

I'd love it for a Summer holiday but hate to live in it.
I think you'd regret it once the reality of winter hit.

GrendelsMinim · 30/05/2014 15:55

You should be fine to install central heating, although you may well need to have the pipes running over the walls rather than chased into them. I can't see anywhere obvious to put your boiler, but no doubt there's a useful space somewhere. Ours is under the stairs.

It will be cold and somewhat damp, though, I suspect, given that its set into the slope like that. On the other hand, if you run your central heating throughout the year, you can keep it at a nice temperature and see off the damp. (But this is expensive, obviously.)

You can also install secondary glazing, and that will tackle some of the draughts.

However, for central heating, is it on mains gas? Or would you be needing to put an oil tank somewhere? That does look like it would be awkward, with the lack of space. You might also want to check out past threads where people have moaned about the costs of buying heating oil.

On the question of costs, you might also want to think about maintenance, when the thatch was last re-done, approximate costs for re-thatching (£10,000 every 20 years, someone told me?).

I say this on every thread, but if you want to buy it, buy the SPAB Homeowners Book and read it first, and then if you do buy it, go on the SPAB Homeowners' Weekend Course. This will save your sanity when all goes horribly wrong.

Rockdoctor · 30/05/2014 17:27

I think the best bit of advice that I read on these pages re: listed buildings (probably from Grendelsmum), was that if you are not prepared to live in it as it is, then you probably shouldn't buy it.

GrendelsMinim · 30/05/2014 17:32

Thanks Rockdoctor - the advice was in fact from GrendelsMum's sister (GrendelsAunt?) a Listed Buildings Officer who said it would save people an awful lot of upset and stress about not getting LBC.

Hope your own house is going well :)

ShoeWhore · 30/05/2014 17:34

It's beautiful.

Have you checked out the cost of insuring and maintaining the thatch?

The only other thing I would say is how much natural light does it get and when? We rented an east facing cottage with hill behind and it was fab in the mornings but winter afternoons it was so dark and miserable.

OwlCapone · 30/05/2014 17:38

Also the thatch might cause insurance problems as it's a fire hazard

There are thousands of thatched properties.

I've seen a few on house renovation type programmes recently and I'm sure they said the maintenance was less than people think and about the same as a tiled roof.

OwlCapone · 30/05/2014 17:45

Parking does look like it will be a problem although, from street view, there may be space up the side road for a small car.

HerRoyalNotness · 30/05/2014 17:50

It is lovely, but being on the road like that would put me right off.

Pabboo · 30/05/2014 17:57

It's Cornwall. Let's face it, it's not going to get terribly cold - I think you'd be ok with heating. The old fashioned build should retain heat in winter and cool in summer, which you will need.
Make sure you have spare cash for redoing the thatch when it is due (and check when that is) and the extra it will cost on insurance.
You can renovate over the coming years to make it more eco efficient as well - a quick google will give you some ideas.
Not sure about the slope into the patio area as a potential water run off as someone else has said.... It would be worth checking that with the surveyor.
Try and see it in a dark and grim day so you see how it would be in winter with little light.
Good luck with whatever you decide. I love it, but DH would say no because he doesn't want the hassle (redoing, insurance, possible mice problem) of thatch.