How much to completely refurb and extend...

[MothershipG]

So I have seen a great house but it needs a lot of work which will, I think, take it out of our budget so I'm not sure if it's even worth getting a builder out.

We're in London and these are my guesstimates based on work we've had done on our current house but it would be great to know if I'm in the right ballpark.

The house is approx 1725 sq ft so 160 sqm, it needs -
rewiring - £10,000
new boiler, upstairs radiators - £15,000
bathroom in loft - £15,000
family bathroom - £10,000
single storey wrap around extension to include new kitchen and shower room - £70,000
Redecoration throughout - £10,000
Total - £130,000

Does that seem realistic?

And we'd have to live in the house while this was going on so at least 6 months of misery. But then it would be marvellous!

Just thought of something else...new flooring throughout another £20,000?

Your list is realistic - but you'll need to add some.

You've been generous on some line items when listing the costs (in particular I don't think a new boiler and new rads will cost as much as you've estimated, and you could get away with less on the bathrooms), but that's appropriate because there will be jobs you have completely overlooked in your list - perhaps new floor coverings in some rooms/staircases, replace some windows, query improving the insulation, some areas requiring fresh plastering. And if you are moving walls around, it will be hard to keep costs down on the bathrooms and finishes (one change will lead to another, which will lead to another etc). So I don't imagine you will get change from your £130,000 estimate on internal works.

There is likely to be some external works which you will want to do to - e.g. external painting, patio, garden levelling, new fence?

A structural survey may well turn up some other issues that you would want to get fixed whilst you were doing the internal works.

You also need to professional fees (architect, structural engineer, building regs, and possibly party wall surveyor).

Then you need to add VAT to all of the above.

Flooring is relatively easy to estimate if you know the square metres.

You have to factor in the cost of the basic materials (timber, carpet etc), extras bits (underlay, trims, and re-doing skirting boards for timber floors), and then the cost of labour (which often doubles the former costs).

Is the loft already constructed? When was it done - i.e. how good is the insulation? Our loft was already constructed but we had to add a huge amount of insulation (as well as refurbishing the ensuite bathroom). It was worth it though - it is now our master bedroom and lovely in all seasons.

By the way - unless you have a big team (which is hard to fit in a residential house project, especially if you are living there) it will be more than 6 months of building works for a wrap around extension, three bathrooms, and a kitchen, plus refurbishment, floors and decoration throughout.

with regards to living in the house during the works, you'll have to think whether it is practical for the builders to have the water back on every day, and how you would manage without a kitchen for pretty much all the time that the wrap around extension was being built.

£70k for the extension if it is to include the kitchen and shower room plus fitting sounds light.

I would have thought the extension alone could be the best part of that.

Boiler and rads sounds expensive, we've replaced 6, added a new one and changed from traditional system to combi plus replaced a load of lead pipe for about 4.2k. We're in the NW but not an especially cheap part (although still cheaper than London I know).

Replastering? New windows? Internal doors, skirting boards etc

How big is the extension? Will ou need structural steels? £70k could be light depending on finish, glazing, appliances and what kitchen you go for...

70 sounds too low for the extension. We’re in Surrey and a back and side one storey extension (so smaller than yours) without kitchen has been coming in at quotes over 100.

Thanks for all your replies.

It's a lovely house and could be a fabulous house but I think it will be too much to take on.

We really couldn't afford to not live in it and it sounds like it would be too much to live through as well as the cost.

I've attached a copy of the floor plan with my scribbled additions in case anyone has any better ideas. We are a family of 3 adults and 2 older teenagers so the idea was to make the garage a bedroom for my Mum.