Ceiling speakers

[CookieDoughKid]

I'm in the fortunate position in buying a lovely home. It's a period house from late 1800s and has been modernised. In a number of rooms including living room there is state of the art ceiling SONOS speakers (the kind built in and flush). Personally they are not my taste but I can live with them especially if they produce a nice sound and I am sure the sellers invested significantly in this sound system. The sellers are asking for £1500 to buy it. However if we don't, then I think they'll remove the speakers. Each speaker is 20cm or 8 inches in diameter approximately. Some rooms have 6 speakers! Where do I stand with this if we choose not to buy. Can the sellers leave big holes in the ceilings to each of the rooms?

If you don’t want to buy them then ask them, via your solicitor, to remove and make the ceilings good. It may be cheaper for them to leave the speakers.

@Authenticcelestialmusic

If you don’t want to buy them then ask them, via your solicitor, to remove and make the ceilings good. It may be cheaper for them to leave the speakers.

Why would they have to make good?

I asked DH who is a hifi buff. He says Sonos are expensive (£500 a pair for speakers?) so it's a fair price. (He wouldn't choose one but would probably use it if already installed). It won't cost 1500 to patch the holes but would be better if you can get vendor to do it. (Anchor a circle of plasterboard with ply behind and skim over with filler).

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'll ask the solicitor to find out where I stand. Thanks Nono for your husband's advice. Probably be we will try to negotiate a reduced cost as we want to be reasonable too. Will update when I have more news!!

they should definitely make good the holes if they take the speaker system.

Filling the holes is no small job. I agree with celestialmusic

I’ve sold two houses with Sonos speakers in the ceilings and they were just included as part of the fixtures and fittings. We were no more going to take them with us as take the kitchen cupboards. They would have to make good the ceilings, same as if you take down shelves etc.

Making good holes like that isn't as simple as it sounds. The patches will crack after a few months and you will see round patches which will be obvious. We had similar (not from speakers though) and ended up rebounding the ceiling as despite the latch, and then refilling and trying everything they crack as they cannot be anchored properly to the surround boards which inevitably move ever so slightly.

I would insist the speakers remain..whether you lay is another question but they are a figment to the house in my view. The associated Sonos equipment won't be so factor in buying that, although you don't need sonos.

We have a similar system ...combination of wired and wifi based. Wired is definitely better so maybe just make use of it. Ceiling speakers are no where near as good as normal standing ones but to most people the sound is fine and means you don't have standing speakers littered around or on walls

There is no way I would be paying for a) the speakers or b) the making good. I think they are cheeky for asking. If I were selling the house I would just be leaving the speakers because of the headache of repairing the ceiling. I agree that the patches will crack and look awful; if they repair and make good you should consider having the ceiling lining papered.

Generally fixtures & fittings are “everything that wouldn’t fall out of the house if you picked the building up and shook it upside down” so sounds like this should be f&f. Taking them out will involve the whole ceiling needing redone, we have smaller circular holes in one ceiling from having electrics re-wired, they’ve been patched but it’s a far from perfect finish, but we’re living with it for a few years as the whole room will be redone then anyway.

I would maybe give seller options of leaving the system in place in good working order and including as f&f in agreed purchase price, or removing & making good including reskimming the entire ceiling, not just patching it.

I’d buy it , it’s definitely worth the money they are asking, but then i always have music on in the house

I suspect they will leave the speakers and take the rest of the kit. I had sonos ceiling speakers in my previous house... When I moved I left the speakers (and didn't ask for extra... They were part of the fabric of the room) . Took the amplifiers they were linked to with me though.

Update: solicitor clarified that the speakers are fixtures and would need to stay. We negotiated on chattels, so I ended up paying for Sonos but got a top of range fridge freezer, a Rangemaster , washer dryer, x 4 bar stools and bizarrely 5 chickens and a pen thrown in for completing early!

Thrown in at no charge I mean. Thanks for all your help folks 🤠

🤣 5 chickens and a pen

Congratulations on your new house OP!

Amazing! Do the 5 chickens provide eggs?

Just to clarify is that a pen to keep the chickens in? Or a fancy Parker fountain pen?

Sounds like you’re happy with the deal, congratulations! Have you completed?

Congratulations on the deal! Sounds like the sellers were very generous

Yes the chickens provide eggs and the pen to house them in! Thx for your support 😌.

Speakers should not be in a ceiling, that is the incorrect angulation to start with. Sonos and such like is branding and convenience. Get them to remove and get a handyman in to make good of the enclosures.