Wwyd - renovating old Victorian property

[whenitsover]

So a house has come up on the market which needs a lot of work - new kitchen, bathroom, wiring, boiler & heating throughout. It’s also screaming out for re do too - knocking down walls, moving bedrooms and even an extension. I’ve attached the floor plans.

I’m thinking of knocking down the kitchen and adjoining room into one and then extending out into the garden. Re the garage / courtyard just open it up to store more cars and space for a shed. Upstairs id like to change the bathroom into a bedroom
And also and another bathroom somewhere?? Also thinking of a balcony out from one of the bedrooms overlooking the garden?

2nd floor I’m thinking of leaving as is.

Wwyd? And how much do you think it would cost?

Well you'd be practically rebuilding the house. I can't help thinking it would be easier to buy one you like!

Where would you live whilst all that work was being done?

But to answer your question I'd say minimum £75k, depending on fixtures and fittings.

I know..atm where I live there isn’t much property on the market to my liking…this one is the right location, has a good footprint. Plus the garden is amazing.

Properties on a similar budget just don’t offer the same size, so feel whilst this is going to be hard work and a pita, long term it will be a better investment.

We would stay in our current house whilst this is being done up.

I was thinking around 100k all in all…but 75k is a much more workable budget.

I’d get a structural engineer used to working with listed buildings in to look before knocking down walls. The kitchen wall appears to have a chimney breast incorporated into it and knocking it down could cause roof to collapse and/or outer walls to lean outwards/collapse.

I’ve got contacts of an architecture firm and builders who have done work in the local area. Is it normal to asking them to view property before placing an offer?

Yes you’re right the chimney breast in the kitchen so that will either need to stay (hence my thought about extending) or inserting a rsj.

I don’t know if normal in UK, but it can’t hurt to ask. Especially if being able to renovate is key to your decision to make an offer. Would you still make an offer if you couldn’t do the changes you want? If you wouldn’t, couldn’t hurt to ask owners for access and pay architect/builder to do a quick survey and assessment for you.

We renovated a 5 bed, 3 reception Victorian house 5 years ago. 'Only' did a full rewire, full replumb, new kitchen, woodburner, insulation, some work in the garden, installed a new shower room, plastered and decorated/new flooring throughout. Didn't touch the bathroom, WC, windows or roof, did nothing structural and we lived in it throughout. We went for a mid range finish and this was up north and I'm quite budget conscious . Just doing that cost us £65k so I would say you'd need a lot more than £100k especially in the current climate. Would I buy it? Yes! I love a Victorian project property!

Over £100k, and possibly well over, though it depends on your finishing - you could spend £100k just in the kitchen.
That looks like a huge hallway - I'd knock all those walls down for a huge open plan space incorporating that hall. You have enough square footage you don't need to extend. Upstairs I can't tell what that little room is at the front, but you could turn the long thin bedroom into a bathroom, that tiny room at the front to a shower room.
And yes totally normal to get a builder or architect to come view with you, though expect to pay them a fee.

It really depends on what the survey says, if there is any rot in the beams, damp or a bad roof then it will cost a lot more.

Not really relevant but that floor plan is giving me a headache. Is there really no door to the sitting room? And why are there windows in the kitchen and breakfast room that are looking inside the house? I thought it was a kind of courtyard but until I saw the windows looking out into the garden.

that's more than a £100k in the current climate!

I live in the North West and have spent 40k on new kitchen, bathroom, rewire and plastering. Things keep coming up in our old victorian house that just keep costing more and more.

Things to bear in mind are the full rewire and plumb could mean ceilings down and floors up. A structural engineer will need to check if steels are needed. Things really add up.

Where are you located? If in the South East, I reckon it could be around £180,000 inc VAT. If your figures add up, go for it!

A builder may want to charge for a quote but it could be money very well spent.

Architect and structural engineers fees, strip out and demolish walls, possible steelwork, rewire, replumb, carpentry and woodwork, flooring, plastering, bathrooms, kitchen, decorating, curtains/blinds. Appliances, sanitaryware, radiators or underfloor heating, tiling etc etc. Skips etc. Plus the cost of moving out if necessary of course!

Bear in mind materials are skyrocketing at the moment. Some things have tripled within 6 months. Like a pp said, there are always unexpected costs.

I love Victorian houses and would be my dream home! They can be stunning if the costs stack up.

Argh, missed your extension bit. That could be up to about £80,000 depending on size. As a side note, whatever the builder quotes add at least a third again to cover unexpected costs.

We are spending about £150k on extension and moving some walls. Big steel needed for the back of the house, underpinning the neighbouring wall, re doing back garden because of drains. That doesn't include the new kitchen but does include 2 new bathrooms.

There was a lot of groundwork.

We got a builder and an architect to look round before we bought it. The estimates were £70K. But that was pre Covid.

Costs have gone up a lot.

Just done this for my dd, no extension and dh did 90% of the labour for free, so basically a back to brick full refurb cost 65k, paying for labour would have been close to double that

Thanks all - have a second viewing arranged for the weekend and will have a builder join too.

So it’s hard to decide what elements can be done now and what can be done later - to help manage the cash flow! Will talk over the builder what the options are. Not sure our budget will currently cover all expenses as I would hope, especially given the cost of raw materials whilst also paying mortgage on our current property.