Rough (Cautious) Costs Please

[TooTiredToThinkOfAUsername]

I know you won't be able to be accurate without actually seeing the house and measuring up, BUT I was hoping for a rough guide to costs for various works we'd like to do on a house we are about to buy.

• Replacing one window

• Enlarging another window

• Re-carpet house (4 bed semi)

• Convert current bathroom and shower room into a bedroom; Convert a different bedroom into a bathroom. Basically, moving the bathroom!

• Changing the current old style boiler to a combi boiler and removing the water tank.

And obviously the finish on all of this would affect the cost enormously too. We haven't got much cash spare, but would like a smart finish. We wouldn't be doing the work ourselves, but paying some professionals. I would like to know what is a realistic amount to get a good quality result but not a really flash high-end outcome (as we can't afford it).

Thank you!

Not much idea about the rest, but we had quotes for replacing one pretty average size window with local independent double glazing firms and they were £485-£515. Obviously it would depend on the size and bays would cost more.

I would think around £3k for boiler?

Thanks EarSlaps - that's a positive start :) I'd imagined a grand per window!

I'm going to say £10 000 total. Depends on area. You can save on materials but labour is usually £££

Moving the bathroom won't be cheap. That's a big layout there due to moving pipe work. If you are on a tight budget, could this be re thought?

If not, for what you want done to a decent standard, ball park £15-17k?

That's SE prices, with you doing minimal work.

The bathroom/bedroom thing could be easy, could be an expensive nightmare. It depends on where your plumbing/soil pipes are in relation to the proposed new bathroom. If there is plumbing close by it should be relatively easy and quite cheap as you'll just be extending it but if it is on the opposite side of the house to the rest of the soil/plumbing you could be looking at a much bigger bill.

As for windows, it depends on what you've got in mind. Hardwood sashes are a lot more than UPVC casements for eg.

I think £10k might be a bit of a squeeze for a 4 bed done by trades to a mid-high end finish.

I would be inclined to agree with finola, somewhere from £15k+ depending on your finish, sq footage and what building work is needed.

Is that £15-17k for everything I've listed Finola? We could not move the bathroom BUT the current set up is a bit odd:

The fourth bedroom is half way up the stairs and has a window from it onto the stairs. This is what we thought we'd make into a bathroom.

Currently there is a bathroom and a shower room right next to each other and we thought we'd make this into one bedroom.

Writing this now, (having actually exchanged!) I'm starting to think it might be a bit odd whatever we do :D oh well!

Thanks Donthate - we're south east, south coast so it won't be on the cheap end of things :

Thanks everyone for your thoughts... Squeezy - that could potentially be an issue re pipes as we'd be moving bathroom to the next "corner" of the house ("corner" because on the shared wall of the semi), BUT the kitchen and downstairs loo are underneath so maybe the pipework might not be such a nightmare after all?

If there is plumbing underneath the new room it isn't a big problem but is still more ££ than simply replacing a suite in an existing bathroom.

Ok - thanks Squeezy - hopefully not too much of a nightmare. But I'll take on board that it might be worth reconsidering and keeping bathroom where it is...

Though we would still need to redo bathroom as it has seen some serious use!

Re location of fourth bedroom - could that have been the bathroom originally? Sounds like the traditional location for the bathroom in older semis / larger terraced houses. Could that make a difference to costs eg that it's being reinstated to original location so pipework should be in right place? Caveat I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Hehe Awkward caveat :)

I don't know - but I do know that the house was originally one big house then split into two... it is 1930s.

It is odd but I do quite like that in a funny way :)

We did this, london pretty nice finish

Boiler 3k because we had to install new pipes. We got quality boiler
Carpets - just use floorplan and shop. 2 to 3 for us
Windows - want wooden aluminium or upvc? Big range
Bathroom - we knocked loo and bathroom rooms together - bath, shower, bath furniture were a mix of duravit and less both, high end tiles. Cost 6.5k. Moving bathroom could cost.

So 15k more realistic from those sums if you want high quality finish.

Ps apols for typos iPhone plus toddlers

Thanks crazyhead that's encouraging :)

3 to 5 k for boiler. More if much associated pipe work needs changing throughout house ie up to 10k for essentially replacing the whole heating system. 3k will be fine if totally straightforward I think. Nearer 4 or 5 to allow for a few complications. Eg we once found out we needed a gas pipe re run.

I'd allow 750 per room for carpeting.

We paid 13k for putting a new bathroom in a completely different place. It couldn't connect to existing soil pipe so that included digging a new drain. That's not including the actual suite and tiles.

I'd then allow best part of another 5 to turn existing bathroom back into a normal room. I may be being over cautious on this but my rule is everything is always a lot more than you think.

I'd say anything between 500 to 1k for window. So much depends on what level of style/quality. Can prob be less. More if timber. For decent PVC I'd say about 700.

Not sure about enlarging window. If it's simple probably only a few hundred more? If it involves lintel supports god knows.

I think in London prices btw.

Should add, our bathroom was no where near any existing plumbing at all. So new water pipes had to be run under other rooms etc etc. sounds like your situation would be similar.

Oh wow Sleepy - could be a lot more :/ and you probably are right that everything costs a lot more than you think / hope / want...

A wise person once said "when costing building work take the highest number anyone mentions, even if mentioned in jest, and add 50% on top". I'm with Sleepybean - it's not only the work you are doing, it's the knock-on effect. Ie if you enlarge a window you're going to have to redecorate the room, which may involve reskimming the walls, and if you're doing that it probably makes sense do some electrical work and put in more power points, and you'll definitely need to get new curtains. Think high - I'd be putting aside at least £20k for that lot, probably more.

I reckon £20k unless you are doing any of it yourselves

Watching your journey with interest TooTired - similar situation with 1930's semi needing new carpets throughout, new kitchen, prime for a side extension, weird tiny bathroom for 5 beds! But not yet exchanged so trying not to mentally move in yet ;)

Ah - new kitchen! Yes that is needed here but we've put that off for now. Definitely cannot afford that.

Hmmm... figures getting higher... eek!!! And according to Purple sounds like we should be looking at £30k! I'm not sure whether to be excited, scared or overwhelmed. Probably all three.