Moneypit Owners Club - anyone want to join me?

[Daisypullsitoff]

So we recently moved into my dream house - original Victorian floor tiles, towering ceilings, original fireplaces etc etc. And I'm freaking out. I just keep seeing more cracks, missing tiles and the mountains of dust I'm going to have to spend hours every week vacuuming! I think it's a natural wobble now that the excitement of moving in has worn off (and we found out yesterday that the basement is not 'converted' as we thought and would better serve as a paddling pool). But I've seen lots of interesting threads on here with people dealing with similar issues and I wondered if there was a way of bringing some of us together to swap tips/nightmares etc.

So my first question if anyone is reading this:

Do you just learn to ignore the cracks? And the dust? Or do you spend your life constantly repainting and dusting??

Thanks @user and @Hasthemarketsplit
I think it must be the dodgy batch of oil, but we always use the same supplier , and use a lot of it as we run a business from here

Yep , I’d definitely not have one again , I know they’re good for drying clothes ( as I hear it all the time ) but so is a tumble dryer 😀

Thanks Bluntness100 we are well versed with power tools, my husband is like a big kid. His latest acquisition is a mini digger. I've not worked out why yet. We've managed to keep on top of most of the bits that are 'done' but there are several areas that have been left to run wild that we are trying to claim back. It's difficult to know what to do with them. We are getting there slowly though (I'm muttering, "long term project" again now).

I hated the aga when we first moved in and skirted round it for six months as I was so terrified of it but I love it now. I was really upset when I had to turn it off. There is just something very homely and warming about an aga kitchen (we'll just gloss over the gas bill!)

We have lived in our 1930s house for 15 years. When we moved in we thought it was well-maintained. I realised after a year that the whole house needed sorting and it took DH about 3 years! Things we have done so far:-

New roof + plus all timber sured up and/or replaced and old kitchen chimney stack(death trap) removed.
All rooms completely gutted and brickwork stabilised with rebar, repointed brickwork, rewired, new radiators etc ( all done by DH) He taught himself online and practises in the garage.
New kitchen(DH)
New bathroom( plumber)
Gardens lanscaped (DH)
Electrics all replaced as gone along plus mains box. All carpentry(skirting etc) new doors fitted(DH)
New gates and front door custom made by DH as all odd shapes that would cost a fortune custom made.
The house still looks scruffy and in need of work. We are eying up new builds atm and may move.

It has been a difficult house to live in.

Atm we have the floor up in the hallway and DH is making the floor and joists solid to tile.

Good luck! If you don't want to throw money at the house you will have to learn some of the trades yourself. I have been lucky in that DH loves doing this and likes a challenge.

Loving the idea of learning how to plaster. Think it’s going to be an ongoing challenge. Also very keen to learn some very basic electrics, plumbing etc

Yes my DH practised in the garage and just went for it after watching loads of youtube videos. You can not tell the difference between him and a professional. I do think it is confidence really.

I have been reading with interest. I don’t live in a money pit fingers crossed ( an Edwardian flat) but I really like AgathaF’s principle of learning home maintenance skills and doing jobs yourself. I’m about to do a one day plumbing course after a series of disappointing jobs especially with poorly fixed leaks which have resulted in expensive ba5room damage . That’ll be a taster, if it goes well I’m plannning on maybe doing a more extensive course.

@daisypullsitoff I am no expert, but I believe homes are a bit like humans, they need to “perspire” and laying carpet in a cellar as previous owners did has to be a bad idea ( as you have found) as it’ll impede water evaporation.

I'm having the same wrangles about buying a grade 2 listed property with 2 basement rooms that have been used as 'rooms' for many years with electrics, beds, musical instruments etc, but a distinct smell of damp, with no tanking. To be honest, these 2 additional rooms are the reason to potentially purchase this house as opposed to others similar as I figured once properly waterproofed it's great additional space. They are prepared to take an much lower offer but I'm worried that the work may exceed £20k which would take me over budget as there are a few other bits and pieces that will need doing. It will cost £100+ each specialist to get some quotes before I buy, but concerned that once i've purchased and instructed work, it may cost more than quoted. All experiences and advice on damp 'habitable' basement greatly received!!! Thanking you in advance :)

The current owners run a dehumidifier constantly and do any 'scrape and repaint' remedial every few years themselves. Neither of these things I'd like to do... I'd rather the basement be as reliably dry as possible.

We are in the process of renovating the dream Victorian moneypit.... also taking on the cellar! Great head height and seemed crazy not to put in a movie room/playroom. We've drylined it, laid insulation, screed, put in a window to the back and an extract fan.... now just need to sort the TV!

I also like the idea of learning skills. My husband and I are crap at it.hes a bloody engineer too. Says every time he does something he devalues rhe house so he'd rather not bother, it genuinely takes me to get the drill out and say I'll do it, before he gets off his backside,

I have to organise tradesmen and when they are here he buggers off.

Our walls are in a shocking state, all bumpy uneven plaster due to age and some of it blown, but I've decided it is just part of the character.🤣

Great idea! We too have a money pit, in the form of a quirky 30s number.

Windows, boiler, plastering, bathroom, decorating, radiators, general rectifying of shit DIY by previous owner, major landscaping (to be done), kitchen overhaul (to be done), insulation (ongoing)...

Thankfully husband is a very meticulous and thorough researcher, and has done a massive amount of work himself. He draws the line at major plastering and electrical, and any gas work, but he's been marvellous at everything else.

It's a bit like wedding and new baby tax...renovating a house, just bloody double the number 😩

I’d love to learn some diy skills!

Our current projects are: getting the heating flushed out, doing some cosmetic work in our kitchen (new doors and extractor hood), doing our two ds’s bedrooms inc decorating and furniture, and dealing with a nest of jackdaws in our unused chimney stack.

Things we’d like to do but just can’t afford yet: getting a stained glass window encapsulated into a double glazed panel (quote of £3k not including the DG unit!), rendering, sorting our front drive out, new windows....
The list is endless!

Woah averagebear, encapsulating a stained glass window with double glazing?! I didnt even know you could do that. We are looking at how we make our bedroom windows more soundproof as we are in a conservation area but quite a busy road - we both hate the idea of secondary glazing (never heard of this either until recently) but not sure what the alternatives are.

Bluntness my DH is the same - “Hm, yes I can do that” - Ok but will that be anytime this year? Or shall we get a quote? “Hm yes maybe”. Ok I got a quote, it’s a lot so I’m going to have a go myself. { Huffily } “No no, I said I would do it, I just haven’t had time yet and I can’t do it when the kids are here, you’ll have to take them out. Well yes there is a test match on”...

egdehsdrawkcab could I ask approximately how much that work on your basement cost? And were you given any guarantee on damp isssues?

whataboutbob fair point and I like the imagery of a house perspiring

We are paying approx £80K for all the work in the house.... to do the basement has been about 15K so far and definitely the highest price per room - I still need to have a new staircase and cabinetry built in so perhaps another 3-5K to go. And that's in London....

But it's a no brainer really. It's a playroom for now, TV room when they are teens, and an extra bedroom at Christmas (super cool corner sofa-bed coming from IKEA).

No guarantee re damp, but we've had a sika coating applied to all the walls, to ceiling height, our DPM is knee height, and they've got insulation under the screed too so we are hopeful it won't be damp.

I must say it wasn't in bad nick when we found the basement - very dry given the house hasn't been touched for more than 25 yrs.

Probably worth a quick plug here for a source of advice I have found really valuable while doing up our 'project'.

The Period Property Forum has people who know how old houses work and can offer useful advice (no connection but am a forum member).

www.periodproperty.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=1

Daisy we have considered secondary panes in this one window, except the woodwork is now suffering with some serious damp. Our stained glass is one of only two original features in our house (it’s a 1950’s house) so we’d like to keep it, but I don’t think we will be able to justify the expense before it becomes necessary/urgent. In the winter it literally flows with water/condensation (as do all our windows). There are companies who will strip it out and clean it up then create a block panel that then a window company can then use in a DG unit. But it’s obviously specialist work and pricey, and our window is huge!

In response to your question, I know people who have secondary on their windows as like you they are in a protected area, it actually looks pretty good (not like the clunky sliding glass panels people used to have!)

Can I join too? The reluctant owner of a large Victorian money pit, needing everything done and complete with the hideous 1980's extension.
So far have three rooms meticulously renovated...the rest are a bombsite...I'm doing most of the work myself apart from plastering as I have tried and failed on that count. You tube is your friend when it comes to learning news skills.
I'm already starting to seriously worry about the winter...last year we sat with coats on indoors despite the heating being on. I have bought a massive 12kw woodburner but there is no way the room it's to go into will be ready by winter...argh.

Daisy, we're in a conservation area too. I spoke to the planning department about double glazing and talked to them about energy efficiency etc, to encourage them to give us permission to have double glazing put in. There were also some other old properties within the conservation area of the village that have had double glazing put in so I suggested that a precedent had been set and that as long as they were like for like, ie wood frames in the same design and painted the same colour, then we should be allowed double glazing. Surprisingly they were quite happy for us to go ahead. They came out to look at them as they were being fitted. So worth a conservation with them. There are also companies that do slim-line double glazing which is designed for conservation areas as it is less obvious than normal thickness double glazed sealed units. As far as I know, most planning departments will allow those. The downside is that they are not as efficient as normal thickness double glazing, but better than single if that is your only option.

@daisypullsitoff There are a lot of slim profile, flush, double glazed windows on the go these days. There is a firm called 'Heritage Windows', but lots of others do similar. We replaced 30's timber leaded windows, with beautiful decorative glass top lights, with flush uPVC double glazed units. We spent a lot of time procrastinating over them (would we ruin the house etc), but they actually look fabulous. You can have a 'wrap' to give a timber effect too.

We debated encapsulating the decorative top lights, but ended up matching the pattern and colour perfectly into the new units. Although we now have a garage full of original glazing...apparently we're going to do something with it!

Definitely worth a bit of research 🙂 If you lived in Lancs I'd recommend the firm that did our windows.

Us! We bought a place that had developers all over it. Total renovation from new roof to new drains AND EVERYTHING in between. Pointing, windows, plaster, every pipe, every wire... 5 months in and no room is finished. We'll be moving in with no kitchen and no. Bathrooms ready.

Another money pit owner here! It's Victorian. We've put in a new kitchen and two new bathrooms, rewired and replumbed, underpinned a bay window, repointed the whole house, new flooring everywhere. Still need:

• new windows
• new guttering
• garden wilderness needs to be landscaped
• another damp cellar here! We've been quoted a few grand to run a pump into front garden. Just plan to use it for storage.

It's all white atm so also want to redecorate everywhere. Will take years...

Just been told a bay window needs 'looking at' (support wise). Will the front of the house fall off? Feel so stressed and worried about money. Was it worth it? We left a beautiful home...