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Could you fix this house with £50k?

49 replies

Bettiedraper · 30/04/2018 12:51

www.madisonoakley.co.uk/property/dorset-street-oldfield-park-bath-2/

Considering whether it would be a good investment/rental…

OP posts:
wowfudge · 30/04/2018 18:22

It needs everything doing. If you could get everything done for £300k plus purchase price then you could probably make a decent amount on it. It practically needs rebuilding!

wowfudge · 30/04/2018 19:11

Including purchase price, obviously!

EmmaC78 · 30/04/2018 22:22

I wouldn't take that on as a first project to be honest. You really need to know what you are doing with something like that. I have dine up 9 or 10 houses and only now feel confident in knowing what to do. I don;t think £50,000 would do it either. I have just spent £30,000 on something that is much smaller and in much better condition.

Bettiedraper · 01/05/2018 10:26

EmmaC Thanks for the insight. Taking all the advice here into account I should probably give this one a miss.

OP posts:
Namethecat · 01/05/2018 10:35

New windows,take all plastering back to brickwork,new dampproof, rewire ,all plumbling. Take down flat roof extension. Redo better to double height. New bathroom, new kitchen, new central heating.Get someone to look at roof as possible new roof ( could also mean roof structure ) Possible new drainage. Phew ! Run away now.

Bettiedraper · 01/05/2018 10:41

Namethecat It sounds like it would be easier to tear it down and start over!

OP posts:
Namethecat · 01/05/2018 10:42

Also reading the bumf it boasts being in the family for 60 years. Tbh I sold my mum's house a few years ago and that had been in the family for 55 years and it was in a move in condition, so staying the obvious the terrible condition tells me that it has been neglected for all those years so on that news I'd run a mile.

Bettiedraper · 01/05/2018 10:45

It's hard to believe two people were apparently living here until very recently.

OP posts:
Namethecat · 01/05/2018 10:49

I think the right word is surviving ! It wasn't a home it was a hovel. Poor people of they had family still they should be ashamed. No elderly ( assuming) person should live in those conditions - bless them.

Ebeneser · 01/05/2018 10:50

That's an absurd amount of money for such a grotty little house.
Personally I wouldn't bother.

Benandhollysmum · 01/05/2018 10:50

it will cost you more, for one the old bax gas fire And boiler that’s going to cost to upgrade..I mean you can keep it if it’s sound but be warned they don’t make parts for those old gas fires anymore that’s why councils ripped them out and replaced them with electric fires..
Then you need to check for damp..the roof etc that will be were most of your money goes..
U could probably do the majority yourself to upgrade it internally to make it visually appealing..like rip out worktops and install new ones that will save you money if you have the patience and a knack for diy or know a good builder that’s a friend
It could be very possibly to stretch 50 grand to upgrade the house but when it comes to gas and roofs get the professionals in otherwise it will end up condemned

SoupDragon · 01/05/2018 11:28

U could probably do the majority yourself to upgrade it internally to make it visually appealing..like rip out worktops and install new ones that will save you money

Unless the OP is a plasterer or has one in the family, there is no way that is a DIY job. It is not a case of ripping out worktops, it needs an entire new kitchen (and bathroom)

parkview094 · 01/05/2018 11:43

There's a lot of emotion and feeling being employed here. Take a very objective look at the work you think needs doing. Make a note of everything and cost it out on paper. Then get a local builder to verify your numbers or visit with you to spot anything you've missed.

It's very easy to be put off by dirt and grime making things look much worse than they actually are.

Damp:
Damp seldom requires 'a new damp proof course'. Often there is a simple fix - normally repairing gutters / rainwater pipes or potentially lowering ground levels. All relatively simple and cheap to fix. This won't be true all the time, but don't see damp and run a mile. Try and see if you can figure out the cause - sometimes it really is very obvious. Without seeing the house - it looks like there is damp in the front room on the wall against the house to the RHS. From the front view - next door has a new rainwater downpipe there. Is it leaking? Is there a problem with the drain? Has the downpipe been installed to fix the historic problem?

It looks like there is low-level damp at the back of the house but the guttering is blocked. This could be all that's causing it and would be as simple a fix as clearing the gutters (or replacing).

There is some damp evident in the fireplaces - but this is classic where a fireplace has been blocked up without insufficient ventilation being installed. The fix could be as easy as opening up the fireplace again, or just installing a grill.

Electrics. You'll see there are 'modern' recessed sockets, so this house has been rewired in it's life. Have a look at the fuse board to take a view on how recently. I'd factor in a re-wire in to the budget but you may find it just needs an upgrade rather than a full rewire.

Heating: There is at least partial central heating already in the house. I can't see a picture of the boiler or find any mention of it. Certainly the HW tank is in a useless position, so I'd factor in the cost of a complete new system.

Roof: The roof does indeed have a slight sag, but to my eye looks to have been replaced relatively recently (last 30 years?). It seems to have been re-tiled in concrete which I suspect replaced an original slate roof. Concrete is heavier and so often causes sagging. From the picture of the loft, it's possible that a couple of supporting joists have been removed to make way for the boarding out. This could be as simple a fix as adding back 2 supporting joists, if it indeed even needs doing. A very simple job, although a builder would confirm.

Kitchen and Bathroom. It's clearly going to need both. However, it doesn't matter if the existing kitchen / bathroom is a horrendous grotty mess or a slightly out-of-fashion, but well maintained 1980's affair. Your cost to replace will likely be similar in either case.

Decor: Like the kitchen/bathroom - it doesn't matter how horrendous the current decor is, or if it's just out-dated. The cost to reinstate will be the same. I don't see any reason why the plaster would need to be taken back to brick. In certain areas you may need to, but equally, assuming the damp is cured this may just be a case of stripping the wallpaper and potentially skimming.

Windows: Look good to me? They seem to have been replaced with double glazed units and whilst they're perhaps not the prettiest, seem to be very serviceable?

The 2 big unknowns for this house (from the photos) IMHO are the dodgy extensions to the rear. Building work often causes costs to spiral. If it's just a case of removing the offending structures, it won't cost much, but if you start to need to be rebuilding things cost will increase significantly.

The 2nd and biggest problem is for any house that hasn't been maintained. Damp problems especially, if unchecked for a long period of time can cause more major problems.

For a first time project, you may be on safer ground going for something that just needs cosmetic redecoration. That said, any property development is a calculated risk. By getting a surveyor or builder to accompany you on a viewing you should be able to make an informed decision.

Don't be put off by squalor internally. This could potentially be a solid little house.

Benandhollysmum · 01/05/2018 11:54

What’s plastering got to do with ripping out worktops and replacing them yourself? better to get someone who can tile once the worktops are installed..
I fitted my own worktops I didn’t need to plaster

Ginorchoc · 01/05/2018 12:06

I took on my first house, and lived in it at the time, I had a bucket of water to flush the toilet and a kettle and microwave for several weeks, looking back now I must have been crazy! However it had no structural damage and the damp was down to being empty for a few winters, and lots of it was animal waste, it had no back door.

Ok this was in 2004 but I cost me 12k to transform it. I bought a kitchen from B&Q, ex display for £500. New bathroom was the biggest expense. Ripped out all the carpets and had a decorator in for two weeks stripping, filling in holes and painted it all in white. We did a deal so he did it around other jobs so it was cheaper. Extended the work by a week. A couple of new windows and a two doors needed. The local glazier did it cheaper on a weekend so again I accepted his hours around other jobs. Sold it a year later for a decent profit via new build exchange. It can be done if you’re creative.

Ginorchoc · 01/05/2018 12:09

Meant to add it was in very similar condition, it was very grim, also chap who lived there all his life was a heavy smoker. The whole house was in a thick sticky yellow state.

SoupDragon · 01/05/2018 12:12

What’s plastering got to do with ripping out worktops and replacing them yourself? better to get someone who can tile once the worktops are installed..
I fitted my own worktops I didn’t need to plaster

Have you actually looked at the house the OP is talking about? Doing a little spot of diy will make no difference to the budget.

JustSeeingHowManyCharactersWeC · 01/05/2018 12:16

The rads look fairly new but all seem to be placed in front of fireplaces and not under windows. You could easily sink £5-10k into the heating system alone. Probably a full rewrie too. Plus anything structural. Even making good of the walls could be thousands for plastering. Then you have installing and fitting of bathrooms, kitchen, decorating, flooring... plus the ramshackle extensions on the back could be of an age where asbestos was used so that's ££££ to get that professionally removed and disposed of.

I'd say £50k would be fine if you were in the trade, but I'd want a buffer too.

EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard · 01/05/2018 12:36

As others have said, this looks like a project for someone experienced and with good contacts if not in the trade. For a first time effort with no practical knowledge, I wouldn't take it on.

Benandhollysmum · 01/05/2018 16:57

Rather than be a smart bastard bringing nothing to the post but copying what I type..go on impress us with what you have? Or u just a bored housewife looking to argue withpeople online?

CoffeeIsNotEnough · 01/05/2018 17:09

If you don't have local contacts with builders you won't get that done for £50k in an expensive town like Bath.

HMOs aren't banned in that area but you do need to apply for permission to change it to one. That has costs, and the application can be refused.

I wouldn't take this on as a first project.

Amunamun · 01/05/2018 17:24

It is a ruin...I would definitely bring an expert to inspect the property. I don't think so that 50k is enough.

QuiteUnfitBit · 01/05/2018 18:35

HMOs aren't banned in that area I think the council would be minded to refuse permission, because there're >10% HMOs in that area. In fact, I think the house next door is an HMO?

Bettiedraper · 01/05/2018 18:38

Coffee Bath council brought in new regulations regarding HMOs last year, and this property would not get planning permission as there are already too many HMOs in the vicinity (one of the new rules).

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