Is this too much work?

[Maturestudent82]

Knaphill, Woking, Surrey, GU21
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-50032923.html

I absolutely love the look of this property, but am I totally mad to consider it?! I know it needs a lot of work but I think it had huge potential.

Depends upon your history, skill level and access to trusted traders. I could do it now having done up two houses (total modernisation, new electrics, roofs, bathrooms, kitchens, heating, flooring, extensions etc) and DH is v handy. As a first project perhaps not.

Needs a decent budget too.

I don't know about the price, not my area but the house looks fine, they've part done the bathroom. It doesn't look that old. Does it need new boiler? I'd go for it, I've done a much worse one and haven't regretted it.

I think it’s doable , yes, electrics needs checking out, then new kitchen and bathroom, that’s easy enough, then it’s floor coverings and decoration, check for damp obviously.

Windows seem fine but boarded up, maybe needs new windows. Probably about 50 grand max if no nasty surprises. But I think you could make it habitable easy enough. You could probably get away with 20-30, depending on what kind of finish you’re after.

I don’t think you need access to builders. Someone like Wickes will do your kitchen and bathroom, plenty of double glazing folks around, as are electricians and damp proofing.

Flooring and decorating is also easy enough.

I think as long as you have the budget it would be fine.

It looks like a new toilet and sink is there already. I would be questioning why the owner started there but hasn’t done anything else. Do you have a decent budget to do the work?

No, it's not provided you have £50k up front to do the work in a reasonable timescale, and you can afford to live elsewhere for a few months while hoards of builders traipse through it.

*hordes!

Yes you’re right bathroom looks done. Maybe just tiling and flooring,

Boiler is a good one to check.

It doesn’t look that old. Other than the kitchen much of it could be cosmetic. I don’t think it’s too much work at all.

No, it's not provided you have £50k up front to do the work in a reasonable timescale, and you can afford to live elsewhere for a few months while hoards of builders traipse through

Why would hoarders of buildes be traipsing through it?

That kitchen could be done in a week, inc removal of existing one, the boiler would be less than a day if it needs doing, damp proofing or electrics, if required also fast, and then the rest looks cosmetic.

The only question would be the windows. They look sound from the inside, but possibly not.

A house that has been neglected for decades may have many hidden problems (overflowing septic tank, ancient plumbing and electrics, rot, damp, leaks etc)

We almost bought a house that had been neglected like this and really dodged a bullet....it ended up being knocked down and rebuilt (by someone with a much bigger budget than us)

It doesn't look as though it's been neglected for decades though - the décor is relatively up to date. Looks as though someone started renovation then couldn't complete it. That could be down to personal circumstances rather than anything to do with the house.

I agree that you could do it for £50k and I also agree that you would need to be able to love somewhere else for a few months while it is being done as it's currently uninhabitable. As others have said, electrics need checking as will the plumbing alongside all the cosmetic stuff

Looking at nearby properties for sale / under offer, could you throw £50k at it without hitting the ceiling price? I'd just check that thoroughly first.

bluntness - I would guess it needs a rewire (I would do this in any home where the wiring hadn't been replaced for a while), maybe new central heating (though those rads could be new), some replastering, plumbing work, replastering, then a new kitchen, second fix joinery etc.

That's quite a lot of mess and quite a few trades to bring it properly up to scratch - it could be done quickly, but that would require several trades working together at once, hence my "hordes" comment.

As long as you get a good survey done I'd go for it. On the face of it the house looks decent enough . No idea if that is cheap enough or not though.

I also agree that it looks like renovation was started and then stopped. I wonder if they uncovered something during the works?

I also don’t think it looks like it’s been neglected for decades, it looks to me like someone started the work, ripped everything out, inc kitchen, replaced bathroom and then stopped. Possibly due to a change in circumstances, who knows, but worth asking.

It might not need any of that stuff whisky owl though, much of the work looks cosmeti. The windows would be my concern, one bedroom has a window sitting on the floor, and they are boarded up, so could be a major issue there, or they could have been replaced already. You can’t tell without viewing,

Yes, sure, we're all working in the dark from a Rightmove listing - it needs to be viewed, preferably with a reliable and honest builder.

For rewiring, the sockets that are visible wouldn't meet current regs, so I'm pretty sure it hasn't been done for a while. There also aren't many sockets for a modern family which would be another reason for redoing it. Speaking from bitter experience, if you want a house done up properly it's far, far better to get all the major work done at the start when it is unoccupied than to rewire/replaster by inches later on. (This is what my DH should have done when he bought the house we now live in )..

To me it looks like a repossessed property. The mortgage company normally send in their maintenance people to board up the windows and drain down the heating and hot water systems (hence the "do not use " tape on the bathroom fittings).
My only concern would be what the shed is made of.
Apart from that it looks in reasonable condition for its age and type of construction. Also worth considering is that it's easier to renovate a property that you're not currently living in than try to live with work going on around you.
If it is a repossession then you may get a bargain because mortgage companies are keen to release the money that they have tied up in the house.

My DC don't know what it's like to live in a house that isn't undergoing major renovation. We've just had the whole roof replaced (currently have no ceilings upstairs either) at the same time as ripping out the bathroom. They love the process but even I admit that moving out would be easier.

Just a thought, but I don’t think a property is mortgageable without a working kitchen. You would have to check that your mortgage lender would consider the kitchen working.

Just a thought, but I don’t think a property is mortgageable without a working kitchen. You would have to check that your mortgage lender would consider the kitchen working.

This is very true. We need to borrow a bit more from our mortgage company to complete our renovation which is a whole other story but we can't do that until we have a working kitchen and bathroom (which will be next week thank goodness) despite them valuing the property pre renovation less than 6 months ago at less than 40% loan to value.

Our house was like that when we bought it. It's dead easy. Spend a week ripping everything out & start from scratch. We did the painting ourself but paid for people to fit the kitchen, bathroom & carpets. We also had to replace the boiler, radiators & electrics. Without the carpets it was around £19,000.

It looks like an old probate house that's been cleared.

The sellers have done the barest minimum to the kitchen and bathroom so that any buyer can get a mortgage.

I'd be very wary as they may not even be plumbed in.

It looks like it is half done but then the owner died/ran out of money. It's possible that the most expensive work is already done like structural work/electrics/roofing etc. I think that it really depends on how much ready cash you have and what has already been done. If the work is purely cosmetic plus windows (but the looks of it) and you can afford it I say go for it.