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Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

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Original poster

Thinking of buying this whopper - how much to do up?

96 replies

Boobz · 29/05/2016 16:23

Edwardian renovation project

I know it's like, how long is a piece of string, but if we wanted to modernise throughout (new kitchen, bathrooms etc), make the lower ground floor a proper livable granny annex type thing, and eventually do a loft conversion, how long/how much are we looking at?

Has anyone done similar? Any good websites I should be looking at for before/after inspiration?

Would you live in whilst the work was being done (3 kids under 8) or no way jose?

OP posts:

IceMaiden73 · 31/05/2016 09:59

It's beautiful

I think I would get a builder out when you visit to give you an idea of costs

pinkdelight · 31/05/2016 10:14

I know it looks close on the map, but that house is a fair trek from the High Rd. It's up hill and most of the length of the Common. A nice walk, but as I said, a ballache. The tube/bus/walk lifestyle is a big compromise compared to the tube-and-your-there lifestyle. I'm not dissing it. It's what I've had to settle for, but because we couldn't afford a house on the tube and I WFH and the kids go to school locally. Sorry to bang on, just compounding the 'head' voice, because I fear the heart will wane after that commute (don't even get me started on the unreliability and crowdedness of overground trains at those stations versus how fab it is to join the tube at Brixton).

Wellwellwell · 31/05/2016 10:31

I would go for two but only at the right price. You would want to be sure that it is just cosmetic with no rewire, heating issues etc. But new decor doesn't need to be too expensive and sounds like you would have costs for 3 which wouldn't necessarily add value.

Needmoresleep · 31/05/2016 10:52

Boobz, my younger is on the point of leaving school. Prep was a door to door bus, so we first used an au pair and then they started going on their own when aged about 10 and 8, though we would see them onto the bus which was also used by other families. They would have been a bit older before coming home on their own together. We had the advantage that the elder stayed on till 13, so the younge r had someone to travel with.

DD took a bus then changed to the tube at Victoria when she was 11. Almost all secondary children travel on their own, some with quite complex journeys. However both travelled to some out of school activities, eg half term football courses, on their own from about the age of 10. They need to practice.

That said parents vary a lot. There will be some still driven to school at 16. Whilst others are allowed to head off to meet friends in the Kings Road or Westfield on a Saturday, whilst still at primary. (Not mine!)

ApocalypseSlough · 31/05/2016 16:31

Boobz DD did a similar journey via Victoria, it's a nightmare interchange.
In the mornings it can take 20 minutes to get off the train and onto the Tube and in the afternoon trains are infrequent. You're looking at an hour+ door to door if your DCs are going where I think they are I'd prioritise the house over school and consider other schools.

Original poster

Boobz · 31/05/2016 17:46

Hi Apocalypse - they have been already accepted into the South Kensington site of the Lycee so we can't choose another school at this point (and we don't want to - that was our first choice so we're really pleased they got in!)

I think we will have to prioritise house location over house size though - that's the way I am leaning towards...

OP posts:

Needmoresleep · 31/05/2016 20:28

Apocalypse, DD did not have a problem at Victoria. I think she worked out to exit the station and then go in via a side entrance by the bus station rather than follow the crowd. It also depends on what line you want. District going west is easier than trying to transfer to the Victoria line. And it should all be better once the improvement works are complete.

TfL journey planner is pretty accurate. It suggests much less than an hour.

We certainly preferred the journey west than trying to slog down to Dulwich. Especially once we realised there were pretty constant road works on the bus route DD would have used.

herethereandeverywhere · 31/05/2016 21:17

Need I'm raising 2 children (4 and 6) in SW London and I cannot drive so use public transport everyday. I commute from Balham to Blackfriars 2 days per week. I see parents trying to cram their kids onto rush hour tubes. I see kids so short that commuters assume the space over their head is the space for a whole adult and they try to shove into that space. We may have differing opinions but my view is based on plenty of every day experience.

The commute from Brixton is much less unpleasant that the possible journeys from Streatham. The change at Victoria is not quick. Some days it will be fine, some days it will be so overcrowded they close the platforms.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 31/05/2016 21:25

It's the right price for the area, not necessarily anything wrong with it. Is it in the conservation area bit of Streatham, that might dictate who you use to do things like windows.

whois · 31/05/2016 22:04

I wouldn't live there if I had to do the commute you're thinking your children will do.

If you can get a big enough house walking distance to the tube it will be so much better.

pinkdelight · 31/05/2016 22:58

need I have no axe to grind in suggesting Dulwich schools and clearly OP is committed to the lycee in South Ken, but just pointing out that Dulwich private primaries are neither a slog nor a trek from that Streatham house but merely the closest logical suggestion, which is why I mentioned them. And a short hop at most.

Original poster

Boobz · 01/06/2016 10:42

Well that was decided for me then - I can't get there until late tomorrow (7pm) and the estate agents don't do viewings that late, and anyway, I "won't be in the running if my house isn't under offer".

Still seeing the 3 Brixton properties though.

OP posts:

Fairylea · 01/06/2016 18:05

I used to live in SW16 and I know lots will come on and flame me but there is absolutely not a chance in hell I would live there unless I had absolutely no choice whatsoever (I moved to south Norfolk when my daughter was 3). Streatham / Brixton is very unsafe for teens growing up and coming back late at night - I was mugged along Green Lane walking back from work at 6pm at night (fairly main road, I was followed back from Norbury train station - a train I took from Victoria, said people got on at Clapham junction).

whois · 01/06/2016 18:20

and anyway, I "won't be in the running if my house isn't under offer"

You might find that is the case in lots of properties unless you're the only / clearly highest bidder.

ApocalypseSlough · 01/06/2016 18:25

OP I hope you find a good house for your commute.
Fairy South London is not unsafe for teens! There are many many mumsnetters here and our posts reflect the usual parenting concerns of teenagers. If anything we have fewer concerns as there's so much to do, such great transport links and such great schools.
Any parenting choice has its pros and cons. Among things I don't have to worry about I include access to services- medical, educational, transport, cultural, not growing up in a bubble, poor schooling, getting into cars with drunk boys etc.

stareatthetvscreen · 01/06/2016 18:38

haven't rtft but look at the properties sold bit on details page - prices are not that high for that road

would you get your money back on first house?

Moving15 · 01/06/2016 22:55

When an estate agent says that significant modernisations is needed it means the house needs a new roof and the drains are collapsed and the cellar has a stream running through it. I think you would easily spend your 250k on this place and more! Is it worth the years of dust and grime?

whataboutbob · 02/06/2016 10:35

The lycee has a sister primary school in Clapham. Could your kids go there?

TheCrumpettyTree · 02/06/2016 10:49

Clapham is much closer, and rather nice. Especially the Junction. Good pubs reminisces back to child free drinking days

Original poster

Boobz · 03/06/2016 00:13

You have to specify a first choice for the Lycee and we chose South Ken as it goes all the way up so kids wouldn't have to move school post primary. And it has bigger intakes for the older years so more chance of getting them - which paid off as they have been awarded places. All the places have been allocated now so we couldn't swap even if we wanted to - the Clapham places have been allocated already too.

I have no issues about safety for Brixton - I've lived there when I was younger prior to Streatham and never felt unsafe.

So an update - the Streatham house was out of the running because they couldn't show me around basically, due to timings... but I saw the 3 Brixton houses tonight. Loved Kellet Road (the second link) but he is waiting for an asking price offer and we can't afford it. The second house was also good, but would need a LOT of work and given it's right at the top of our budget we'd have no money left to do it up. The third house (last link - but not the wrong last link, IYSWIM) was also lovely but felt a lot further away from the tube - a 20 min walk (more with kids probably) so we'd have to hop on one of the buses going down Brixton hill to get to the station in the morning (there are millions of them and the journey is 3-5 mins so not really a big problem)... but she has already had an offer accepted on another place so wants a buyer who is ready to go and we haven't got our place under offer yet. And it definitely felt like the 3rd best of 3.

So I think I need to be patient and get ours under offer before seeing any more. If we get more for ours than we are expecting then perhaps the first 2 houses become more plausible, but they will probably have gone by then....

OP posts:

TheCrumpettyTree · 03/06/2016 03:18

OP you're making me miss SW London!

Original poster

Boobz · 05/06/2016 10:25

Good news - my tenant is going to move out earlier so we can hopefully get it under off by the end of June. Which has made me put a cheeky offer in on Kellett Road - which I'm sure will be rejected, but at least it registers our interest... hopefully when we do get our place under offer and we know that we can go a bit higher, we can up the offer...

OP posts:

Coconutty · 05/06/2016 10:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Boobz · 10/06/2016 09:22

Yes Coconutty - we have defo decided on Brixton.

Offer on Kellett Road rejected as predicted, but I now know what they will accept to get it off the market, so I know exactly what we need to sell our place for to achieve that...

Flying to the UK next Weds to get our place on the market as the tenant is moving out a bit earlier than expected, woop, which means by this time next week at least we will be on the market! Will price competitively to sell so hopefully we haven't missed out on Kellett Road just yet...

Hayter Road is still a possibility, but it needs so much doing to it, we'd have to get it for about £150k under the asking price so we'd have enough cash to do everything that needs doing, and it seems unlikely they would go that low.

Randomly another house on Leander Road has come on for £75k less than the Leander Road house above, but they still have 4 bedrooms so would make much more sense to buy that one and use the £75k saving for loft extension/redecorating...

Decisions decisions...

OP posts:

whois · 10/06/2016 11:12

I liked the Leander Road house 1st hosue a lot, except that total waste of a double bedroom for a massive bathrorm. Loved the kitchen diner.

Bit of a walk to the tube tho?

Do you have a link to the new one? For 75k less you could do the loft extension how you want it and redecorate, like you say.

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