Ball park figure for carpets and professional decorating

[Livedandlearned]

We are buying a three bed semi. It's an ex local authority house with a small extension that has a small downstairs loo and a utility room.

I want to redecorate and carpet the whole house before we move in because if we don't do it now we won't do it for years.

I have £25k to spend but also need new internal doors fitted plus new sockets and light fittings.

Will I have any change left in my purse?

I know no one knows the exact answer but can anyone offer a rough guess

How is the actual wiring, you mention new sockets and light fittings, if the consumer unit is very dated, ours was from the late 80s we couldn't have new sockets until that had been updated, we had a new consumer unit, garage re wire, cooker socket, additional sockets in most rooms and it cost just under £3k. If your wiring is old, definitely consider a rewire before any decorating as it is a very messy disruptive job.

Decorating is always too expensive ...when you can do it yourself- it's the only one non professionals can make a good job of

Non professionals can make a good job of anything………it just takes a lot longer………. I’ve also seen some crap ( professional 🙄) work in my time too . Just because someone is a professional it doesn’t mean your going to get a good job.

Good point re the wiring, I'll add that to my list.

I would decorate myself if I was any good, I can't do the bit above the stairs, plus I work shifts and have little energy on my days off but I will certainly have a think about doing some of the easier jobs myself

I would say that £25k is more than enough for redecorating and carpets, but you might have to shop around to get decent prices.

I think it’s a generous budget for what you need

I’d expect: 3k carpets (not high end obviously), wiring - depends what you need, decorating- again depends if just repainting or more to it but you could eg get someone to paint whole place white & do your own wall colours later

It's a generous budget for decorating etc but I just want to be prepared for things that might come up such as electrics. Basically I want to do it all while I have the money and try to save the rest for future house needs.

I'm a first time buyer and have no idea what the survey will highlight as it's an ex local authority house that has housed the same family for 20 odd years. So it could go either way.

When was the property built? Bear in mind that the survey will always say lots of things are wrong so don’t be alarmed:)

If you paint your hall rather than paper it, you can possibly do the tall bit of the hall with the extending handle 2.4m roller from b&q,£18 with three heads. Depends on ceiling height right enough. It could do for your ceilings too.

Painting yourself takes a while but if you buy a paint sprayer you could do it much quicker. Or have a paint party with friends who do a room each? Should be easy if you have no furniture or anything in yet.

Papering can be tricky. But it becomes easier with practice. Don’t do it when it’s freezing as it won’t stick to the walls. Unless you already have heating in the house which is fine for decorating.

Get it all done before you fit your new carpets so you keep them in good condition.

I’ve no idea of costs but painters are dear. Also hall stairs and landing carpeting can cost the same as your living room. It’s a bigger space than you’d first think! So keep that in mind. I’d get some quotes as it very much depends on the carpet.

House built in 70s. Seems well maintained in general but I need to be prepared and I'll be back here if I have any questions about any issues that the survey reveals.

Thanks for the useful decorating tips, I would definitely rather save the money than spend it if I can.

An important decorating tip is don't go for the cheap and cheerful paint that claims its 'professional quality' it often isn't , it's thin and doesn't cover and you will have to do more coats, go for the best quality you can.

Will do pickuptruck see this is exactly what I mean, I want to do it all properly now so it doesn't need doing for years