We've finally got the money to buy and have found a place but its in a bit of a state as its been an abused rental property which has had no work done on it since it was built 15 years ago. It's our first non-rental and we need some renovation advice.
They've got light grey carpeting throughout which is filthy and worn. The decorating choices are a little questionable and so a repaint is in order (fortunately they stuck to light pastels - no black or red 'feature walls' but some big print wallpaper feature walls instead).
The kitchen carcasses are water damaged and have blown in places as have the bottom of the cabinet doors. The worktops are laminate and in a similar state. The ultility room cabinets and worktops are hanging off the walls.
All the white goods are wrecked with seals ripped and rust is several places.
The ensuite and bathroom are a little tired but everything works and there are no obvious leaks.
The boiler is 15 years old and was completely refurbished for sale (we've put aside £3500 for a replacement when it breaks - should we just bite the bullet and replace it or see how long it lasts?).
Fortunately there is no serious building work to do, just interior stuff (cabling, decoration, flooring, kitchen and utility).
We've still got out work cut out.
I'm going to cart off the dead white goods to the tip and remove the kitchen/utility room units and worktops myself (leaving hob oven and sink alone unless I can simply unplug and remove the oven - a kitchen fitting team can get rid of these as I'm not confident about plumbing/gas).
We want networking cable with sockets near the main BT socket downstairs, in the lounge, office, kitchen and on the upstairs landing (in case we want to add an wireless access point up there).
We're planning to put down a hardwearing textured wood laminate in the hall, lounge, and dining room (easy to clean due to marauding children). Rugs in the lounge for warmth (and replaceability).
We're putting Karndean vinyl tiles in the kitchen and utility room (fewer smashed plates and warmer than regular tiles - no need to get down to scrub grout).
We're getting new units, wall cupboards, sink and worktops for the kitchen and utility room from www.diy-kitchens.com/
New white goods from wherever is cheapest (we need oven, hob, dishwasher and washing machine).
We're getting carpet for the office, stairs, upstairs landing and bedrooms - Any recommendations? (no cream carpets as we've hated the ones in our rental place and they're impossible to keep clean)
We need to get some fresh paint up - no idea about colour, how do you choose when there are 100 shades of pale grey alone?
We're in rental and I work full time (7am-7pm with some work to do at home plus some work to do one the week). My wife works one day a week and looks after our one year old for the remaining 6 days a week. We've got a one month overlap of tenancy and ownership to get all this done and move in.
Family have offered to help with painting and moving. We're planning to hire a cable thrower for the networking ports, plasterers to cover up the mess the cable fitter makes, independent flooring/carpet fitters to do all the floors (~ 65m^2 downstairs and slightly less upstairs) and a kitchen fitting team to take care of the kitchen. My wife can be around on occasion but I can't get on site except in the evenings for an hour or two and for a few hours on the weekend.
Should we look at getting a project manager to keep on top of it all?
I think the work (if we paint on the weekends) should take about 2-3 weeks (4 at a stretch).
Do any experienced renovators have any tips for planning/managing this project?