Complete home renovation

[Lindag98]

Hello!

I have just bought a 3 bed victorian end of terrace property in West London - it requires a full renovation:

• rewiring
• central heating system installation
• replastering of all walls and ceilings
• damp treatment to multiple walls
• new carpets/flooring
• re-roofing
• new kitchen
• new bathroom
• new boiler
• new water pipes
• wood boring beetle treatment

And since it needs so much work anyway, I was thinking of doing a rear extension and loft extension at the same time

Does anyone know any reliable building firms and any ideas of rough costs? Are we talking 50-100k or more like in the 200k range?

I would appreciate any advice people have- this is my first property purchase and I couldn't really afford a 3 bed in west London that was in move in condition!

Very, very rough guesstimate based on research I did for our own house in 2017 - we've been DIYing a lot of it instead. Your quotes may be more if you are closer to the centre of London:

• rewiring about £4k
• central heating system installation as in, completely from scratch? Not sure. A new boiler is £3-5k, but obviously extensive pipework will add more
• replastering of all walls and ceilings - depends a lot on room sizes, ceiling heights etc. Lining paper is a cheaper DIY solution
• damp treatment to multiple walls - why is it damp? Patio or driveway breaching your damp course? Rising damp? Leaking roof? Leaking pipes? Cost will depend on the cause of the damp - or if it's water coming in via the roof, fix that and let the place dry out and it might be fine
• new carpets/flooring - depends on your taste and who is laying it - maybe a few k for very basic carpet, underlay and sheet vinyl, a lot more if you want Amtico throughout
• re-roofing - we paid just under £10k for slate. Will depend on your roof size, state of disrepair etc
• new kitchen - again, depends on your taste. Budget IKEA with fittings and appliances - maybe under £10k. DeVol is a lot more
• new bathroom - £5-8k for a basic suite and tiling if nothing is moving
• new boiler - £3-5k
• new water pipes - no idea
• wood boring beetle treatment no idea

I'd say minimum £50k for the basics, more if you are going for a higher spec (and assuming no other issues are found).

Other threads on here have suggested extensions in London are pretty pricey (we were considering a side return). I'd be surprised if you got much change from £100k for a rear and loft extension (unless one or both is quite small or you just have a basic shell and DIY the rest).

Again, this is a very basic guesstimate and you'd need to get proper quotes as it could vary a lot of there are other issues.

Thanks!
Yes will need new pipes.
Damp will be a combination of penetrating damp from some leaking pipes and very likely rising damp too.

Any suggestions for reliable building firms?

Sorry I can't help with builders - we're DIYing (and the opposite side of London).
When we were looking for a roofer we asked neighbours, friends, family & work colleagues for recommendations - people will usually share if they've had a good experience (or anyone to avoid!!)

I think probably £50-£100k for the renovation, though could be more especially with issues like damp, but if you do the loft and extend you’re probably heading towards £200k. This is a guesstimate based on our own extension and loft life conversion in 2015 and renovations planned for a new house. I’m not sure how much London will add to this. And those calculations are not based on high end kitchens etc - just middle of the road.

I just googled replacing water pipes (as I said, I hadn't a clue on cost). There's a plumbing website that says "Average price of new steel pipes in a four bedroom semi-detached house is around £20,117 for the entire plumbing system. Average cost of installing new copper pipes in a four bedroom semi-detached house is around £13,954 for the entire plumbing system."

www.homeadviceguide.com/plumbing-prices-and-costs/

Ouch. Do they definitely need doing?

We've just done a full rewire and replacement heating system in our quite large 4/5 bed on the Surrey/London borders, and that was £5.5k for each (plus light fittings/radiators). Then you need at least a partial replaster in those areas, and then you need to get it decorated (or decorate it yourself). I've project managed the renovation we're doing to save costs and it's come in at about £40k for those works, redecoration, new window, new (cheapish) kitchen from DIY Kitchens. I don't think you'll see much change out of £100k, without the extension - particularly if you're planning on getting someone to manage the whole project for you.

Full renovation plus loft and rear kitchen will be north of £200k in London

We had our 3 bed terrace in Herts re-wired and re-plumbed (central heating and water) for approx 3.5K each, but they are both tradesmen we know. I think we would have paid 5-6K for each (especially the plumbing) if we didn't know them.

Get a few builders in for quotes and then add at least 50% to it and double the time they say it will take.
I’d say up to £100k for the reno using mid range kitchen/bathrooms and another £100k for extension.

Have a look on Facebook for recommendations...does your area have a private group? That's how I get my trades done now after struggling for years as a single mum with little diy experience. Some don't work out, most do