House needs renovating but I don’t have a clue.

[inheritance987]

I have inherited my Great-Aunts former council semi.

I do really love the house as I have loads of fond memories but the house hasn’t had any work done to it while I’ve been alive (I’m 28) - swirly carpets, green bathrooms, quite a few cracks along the walls - it’s all very 70s.

I literally have no idea where to start. I’m currently unemployed but hoping I should have a job in the next couple of months but it’s very average income.

I really don’t know where to start - the carpets need to go as a splash of paint to tidy up the walls will still look horrendous. The house is a weird layout so is it worth saving to knock out walls (don’t know how to do that!) before buying flooring.

As far as my DIY skills go I can just about wallpaper/paint a wall. I’m not an idiot but just hoping I can learn as I go (but if anyone has any advice please throw it at me!)

Does the house need any wiring done? How are the windows? Heating?
Whats the cause of the cracks?

Renovating costs a lot of money and I would honestly start with the biggest jobs first. You dont want to change floors and paint only to have to possibly do it again if you need to take on a big job of rewiring, adding central heating, knocking walls down etc.

My recommendation would be to find out and make a list of everything that needs doing and then figuring out the best order of doing the jobs.

What are your plans for the property? If it's to do up to sell then often people prefer an unmodernised property as they can do it to their own specification.

@SoliThe wiring is good as that and a boiler was only done last year.

The windows are okay - double glazed but years old. Same with the central heating - we radiators are on the list.

We need to redo the plumbing before we tackle the bathrooms.

The cracks I have no idea - they’re mainly upstairs and I’m not sure if it’s just the plaster or if they’re something more sinister.

We had a surveyor round when we noticed cracks in our upstairs walls. You might want to do the same if you are worried about them. Generally if they are smaller than the edge of a 10p coin they are nothing to worry about.

Carpets are last on the list. Decorating is second last. Make sure everything else has been done beforehand.

The cracks were in the interior plasterboard btw

@DrDreReturns that’s good to know, I’ll have to double check with a 10p but i think we should be okay.

@Lightsabre no plans to sell right now - my great-aunt really wanted it to stay in the family and for it to be a family home. I may rent it at some point therefore we need to make sure everything is spot on but we’ll see

I think the main thing is not to rush into it.

You need to decide first if you’re going to do any structural work - as no point thinking about flooring or decorating until you do that.
Perhaps get some builders round for quotes for the structural stuff? and take it from there.
I’d do a spreadsheet with different phases of the project and budget/costs.

A good start would be to strip wallpaper etc even if you've no immediate intention of re-papering. If the paper is old and painted over, it could well be hiding damp or damaged plasterboard. Don't forget ceiling paper too! You really don't want to be re-plasterboarding rooms that are full of new furniture, new carpets, etc as it's a very messy job (inc the hallway etc that the plasterers would use for access).

I'd get an electrician in to test the circuits and see if there's rewiring needed as a first step. If there is, do that first as it makes a hell of a mess.

Then think about getting a builder in to quote for remodelling the downstairs. If the downstairs is usable, just old fashioned, then save up for the downstairs stuff and think about what to do upstairs.

You could tackle that room by room, replaster, decorate, carpet. Maybe do your bedroom first so you have somewhere nice to escape to. Bathroom would cost a bit more but you can take your time to shop for bargain fittings, tiles etc.

Rip everything out. Get the carpets up etc. You need to check the condition of floorboards and if you are rewiring and replumbing some floorboards need to come up anyway. You can also see if there's any damp. Go into the loft and check the underside of the roof. Is it properly felted and is there any insulation?
Make sure plaster on the walls are sound. If you are knocking walls down- try to only do not supporting walls otherwise you will need a rsj and a structural engineer involved as well as building control. Hairline cracks are nothing, anything bigger and it may be wise to get a survey done.
There's a lot of work and money that you need to spend on the structure, layout and utilities before you can think of painting and redecorating. Do this groundwork first and you should prevent any problems (though houses always need maintenance).
There are also regulations for renting: be familiar with those.
Rewiring and replumbing can cost £££. If it's sound and you are just reorganizing the bathroom not a big deal. Replacing radiators is not too expensive either. But little things here and there add up.
You can do a great deal yourself. But start with a clean slate and then do the preparation required. I know B & Q has a lot of online tutorials.
Exciting project and good luck! One tip: get your neighbours onside from the start - a pre-emptive bouquet of flowers seems to go a long way.