Renovation project - where to start, and how much

[catinthehat09]

I have seen a house during my rightmove browsing that I cannot stop thinking about it, however it needs a lot of work. Me and my husband can decorate, but that's about it.

We have a baby, though we could stay with family whilst big renovations are being done.

Has anyone an idea how much this might cost to bring into a liveable state? I don't know if I'm being a bit of a idiot thinking I could manage it. Many thanks for any advice given

www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/54402267?search_identifier=bc4ca7532a4234c649024edaaa2b1763

It really depends whereabouts you are and how much you want to do. It looks like you at least need to have it full rewired and replumbed, you will need a new kitchen, full decoration, possibly roof and you may discover things like damp which can be expensive to fix. You might be able to reuse the bathroom suites. At the bare minimum I would be guessing around 50K... but honestly it all depends on how handy you are, if you want to move walls etc.

Thank you! No walls moving, we'd go for a DIY kitchen or IKEA kitchen, which would hopefully keep costs down. We're in West Yorkshire.

I'd say closer to £100k. With a baby you will probably not have much time to do a lot of work yourselves, though stripping down is non skilled and you should do that at least.
Get a full structural report, and that should tell you the condition of electrics and plumbing roof etc. These alone can cost £££ to get up to code and roof many thousands. If it is structurally sound great, but labour is a huge factor. Bring a builder to a viewing and ask him for worse case scenario - I tell you it's always worse case.

That is absolutely gorgeous! I would agree you would need at least 50k. First stage would be a full structural survey which will highlight the important stuff - there's no point in decorating until you are completely structurally fixed up including plumbing and electrics.

Do your homework with contractors! Bad ones are a nightmare. Good ones are worth every penny.

I can see why you fell in love with it!

Does it need rewriting/ new boiler/ damp proofing ? If those things are fine and not knocking down walls I'd say around 50k.
20k kitchen, 5k bathroom, 3-4K flooring, 3k redecorating then the rest.

Actually looking at the pictures again you may not need a new bathroom

Zooming in on the photos looks like there are signs of damp in a number of rooms which may or may not be a big deal.

It won't be cheap to fix it up, that for sure. It's going to need rewire, replumb, replaster, dedecorate, new flooring, new kitchen, new bathroom as definite. Then maybe new windows and any remedial structural work. 50k would be the happy day figure

I’d agree that you’d need a structural survey. There are definitely signs of water ingress and damp which suggest that roof repairs/new roof might be needed.
Then new windows, cavity wall insulation, possibly damp proof injections and repairs to the render and you’ve spent £40k already.
On the inside could you just concentrate on the essentials? You could live with the bathroom for now so just a kitchen and some redecoration of the living room and the bedrooms you need would put you on for now.
It’s a lovely house though and a lovely area (we have family who live very close by!)

Actually, the windows look ok so that might be a win already!

It’s a beautiful house. I can see why you like it so much. Have you viewed it?

The photos show signs of damp to my Homes Under The Hammer trained eye. And that can be costly to fix but not always, depends on the cause.

I’d get a builder over to price up before making an offer. I wouldn’t rely on architects for that info. We gave our architect a clear budget of £250k for our renovation. Multiple quotes have come back and it looks like it would be more like £400k if we go ahead with the plans at the moment!!

Looks 1930s so may not need a full rewire. Check out whether all rooms have radiators. The main cost concern for me would be the source of damp and the windows, which might be related. Those are Crittall windows which are amazing if they can be saved, but often have deteriorated too far. Budgeting £1k per replacement window is a safe bet, unless you want to fit ugly PVC ones.

Looking more closely, the damp only seems to be related to the bay window at the front. This is a VERY common problem with houses like this and no big deal to resolve. If you think the roof can survive 5 years then you'll be in good shape to live there.

For me the dilemma is how to renovate whilst leaving open the possibility of an extension after 5 years or so.

it's not dissimilar to condition of our house at purchase. i'd allocate a minimum of £1000 per room if you are just decorating and not needing to employ any trades (exc kitchen and bathroom obv). if you want nicer light fittings and curtains etc than your b&q, ikea basics you will need more.

i have a very handy husband who gets on with stuff without any chasing from me and also has a job that is month on month off. without this, we have a baby and a toddler, our progress would be slow. i imagine doing a m-f 9-5 and spending evenings and weekends grafting stripping wallpaper is a recipe for misery once the novelty has worn off.

Hi everyone, I just wanted to say a big thank you for all of your replies. As much as I love the house it is probably a bit of a stretch financially at the moment (and probably not the best time to take something so big on!)

What a lovely house :) Having spent twenty years throwing money at our renovation, I'd never recommend it to anyone.

It is important to 'waterproof' a building and I was told to work downwards from the roof, check the loft, do the gutters etc first.

I think these quotes are way off, you can get a great kitchen put in for less than £20k, for instance. And it does not cost £1k per room to decorate if doing yourself.

Get some quotes in via my builder to get an idea of coats in your area but be aware that you pay a premium for a main builder and its cheaper separating out each job and getting each trade to quote.

It depends how much work you are willing to put into getting quotes and sourcing materials and fittings. I do all that myself and have saved tens of thousands over the years.

Gorgeous house, it could be absolutely lovely. I wouldn’t expect to get much change out of 80/100k, maybe more depending on what is causing that damp.

Lovely house, but it needs a decent amount of money/time spent on it.
Ideally would be extended (it's not very big for a growing family if you want to settle there long term) and the garden landscaped.

I know you're not looking to buy it anymore, but I would have estimated at least £30-40K to make it liveable, watertight, wiring, roofs, heating, windows and door restored, damp proof.

Then the sky's the limit on fittings, plastering, decorating, landscaping. But imagine another £30K-£50K would be conservative.