Viewing a grade II listed property

[MintTeaLady]

I’m going to view a grade II listed property tomorrow and I’m sure the general reaction will be to run very fast in the opposite direction as the energy rating is the worst I’ve ever seen.

Even though I know it’s ridiculous to be considering it, what sort of things should I be looking for? I’ve viewed plenty of “normal” properties and I’m fine with having to do work on houses to bring them up to scratch, but I’m out of my depth with listed buildings.

I know I won’t be able to get away without posting a link, so here goes: www.propertypal.com/695635

Good point about EPC and rental actually. Not sure if it is the same in Ireland but the rules in England are changing in a couple of years and it won't be possible to rent out anything less than EPC c from about 2024. That might be why they are selling. It would be extremely hard if not impossible to get a grade 2 listed place to that spec.

We've just renovated our grade 1 listed house, and that went rather smoothly (I was scared to bits of the listed building officer, but he turned out to be very helpful and all of our 5 planning applications got approved). I think the main question is whether you like the original floorplan, features and building materials, as this is where they will limit you. They'll want wooden windows, lime plaster, slate roof tiles, cast iron guttering. Removing structural internal walls will depend on the officers opinion, so no guarantee. They usually are happy for you to rectify any previous sins and to carry out like for like repairs without paper work. If there have been previous breaches of the listed status/building regs, you usually can take out indemnity insurance through your conveyancing solicitor. To get warm, a working woodburner is a good start. You could consider secondary glazing for the windows (we went for removable plexi glass, it's virtually invisible), loft insulation, and if the house needs replastering, you could insulate the external walls in the process. We used cork underneath lime plaster. Warm rugs and thermal curtains, or you might be lucky and find wooden shutters, and it should feel pretty cozy in winter. We also have underfloor heating in the kitchen and an airsource heat pump. With the outbuildings, you could consider solar panels to run a heat pump, or a pellet boiler. I can't believe E is the highest you can achieve by retrofitting.

Have a surveyor check the roof among other things. And importantly, the house is close to an airport so check how close the flight paths are; listen out for planes while you are there; and find out if they do night flights. It’s no fun being under a flight path if you value your peace and quiet.

Sorry OP. I think it looks awful. The first word that springs to mind is liability.

I love the space and all the f&b/edward bulmer colours. If you have lots of savings and disposable income, go for it. When my husband died I had to sell our listed II railway station because I didn't have the funds to run/maintain it, I really miss it. Unfortunately I sold to a cheeky robber - but he has the funds to maintain it and from his on line listed building consent, looks like he'll be spending about £500K.

Have you had a look at the Listed Property Owner's Club?

www.lpoc.co.uk/

Thank you all so much for the wonderful advice. I am armed with a list of questions.

What an excellent point about the EPC rental changes. I need to find out if they are applicable for NI and whether there is an exemption for listed buildings.

@girlwhowearsglasses I must dig around for that thread. I’m sure the other MNer did not buy it as it’s still in the ownership of the same family. The house, the family and the village are all intertwined. It’s been on and off the market for about ten years, so my expectations of this viewing turning into anything are very low.

@MariaDingbat I had naively assumed that secondary glazing would be approved with consent. Thank you for pointing out it’s not that simple.

@Salome61 yes, thank you. I found that link recently and it looks like they could be very helpful. I’m sorry for your loss, and then to lose your house too must’ve been very hard.

I’ll update after the viewing. I’m going to see a “normal” house too so I’ll see how my heart feels!

The issue with that property is not it’s listed that’s in reality fairly irrelevant, unless you wish to change the structure. The issue is it’s incredibly dated so it’s not been maintained properly on all likelihood, electrics, plumbing etc, the hidden costs.

in addition there could be issues with the tennents.

It’s gorgeous. It’s not dissimilar to my own house, which we bought a decade ago. The listing wasn’t an issue; we got in an architect who specialises in restoring heritage places, because in addition to our grade 2 listing, we are also in a conservation area and a National Park, so there were three sets of rules to abide by.

So he did the drawings and made sure to talk the talk about authentic materials, working in sympathy with the period of the house etc etc. Everything we applied for we got. This surprised us, to be honest! But virtually all of the modifications were internal, and I think they care less about that.

It was a cold house when we moved in. Friends visiting used to keep their coats on (we got used to it - you do). But putting in new, thick insulation in the roof made a phenomenal difference. I couldn’t believe how much. It gets properly warm now, and in winter we light the big open fire in the lounge and are completely toasty. Thick interlined curtains, as mentioned by pps, are also a must.

But, the cost. Oh my god the cost. Everything will cost more than you think. It will be a bottomless pit. Leaky guttering and down pipes need replacing? Must be cast iron, and ours has lions’ heads all the way round. Stuff like that is a shocker.

I do love it here though. Totally worth it.

The issue is it’s incredibly dated so it’s not been maintained properly

It’s traditional rather than dated. The radiators are modern so it’s unlikely to have plumbing issues. Unless it’s got round pin sockets there’s no reason to think the electrics haven’t been maintained. All that will come out in the survey anyway. Did your heart yearn for it @MintTeaLady?

I think it's beautiful (though I dislike the decor, but then, I almost always do). You'll need a fair bit of money to do the renovations I suspect you may need to do. Even decorating and carpeting won't be cheap. But the proportions of the spaces are great, and I love the exterior too.
Personally I wouldn't take on a listed building, because of the costs (I have had family who owned a listed house), but if I could afford it, that one would tempt me.

Stand aside!
I'm putting an offer in!
That house is gorgeous!!

(ok, I'm not really, but it IS lovely)

I'd love to know if you liked it OP.

Sorry for the delay in updating. It was everything you would hope for.

As you walk in, you get that amazing feeling of being in an old beautiful well-cared for house. It has all the original shutters and a his and hers sitting room. It’s almost like a museum. The military uniforms used by the family from 1910 are displayed.

The owner was just about to turn on the aga for this winter (it heats the water but not the radiators). They have considered other heat sources like wood pellets, but mostly it’s been too costly to install a new system so they haven’t.

It has SO much potential. The outbuildings are just crying out for development. Despite knowing that it could be a money pit, I think it’s very well priced really.

I couldn’t buy it from the owner. He seemed so sad to be selling. His children aren’t interested in keeping it in the family and his wife is ready to move onto living somewhere that requires less upkeep. I had the most fascinating conversation with him (he does all the maintenance himself and re-roofed it 15 years ago, and he told me about keeping horses there in the very centre of the village as a boy). I am hopeful that someone else will buy it and love it and make it successful - the house deserves it.

I wouldn’t rule it out in the future. It’s just not for me right now.

But why isn't it for you right now? I think you will regret not buying this dream home.

Just noticed it is now under offer! So someone must have liked it as much as you OP.

Oh my goodness that's a beautiful house and so, so cheap! Obviously that's because of where it is but if I could commute from Ireland every day I'd be all over it!

I'm glad you liked it and had a nice chat with the owner. Good luck with your future viewings.

Like your vendor's wife, after twenty years of throwing everything we had at the maintenance/repairs, I also wanted to move somewhere smaller and warmer when my husband had a heart attack, but he refused to consider it. Our house was far smaller at 264 sq m, disused railway station, and the roof needed doing but Network Rail wanted a fortune to stop the trains whilst the scaffolding went up, so we just kept repairing it. My husband died aged 63 mowing our front lawn and six years on, I'm so glad he didn't know that I had to sell cheap at auction as most viewer feedback was 'too much work'.

I’m so delighted to see that it’s under offer. There was a couple who viewed it the day before us and the estate agent was hopeful that they would be interested. It is a bargain for what it is and the potential for what it could be. It has been under offer before but never actually got to the survey stage apparently!

I’m also a bit sad for the owner though. I think it will break his heart to leave it after it’s been his only home his whole life.

@sunshinesupermum I know it’s not for me as my heart is in its sister property. Unfortunately that house is in complete disrepair, with a hole in the roof and every single window smashed by vandals. I’ve been trying to convince the farmer who now owns it to let me take it off his hands for a few years. I’ll manage it one day.

@Salome61 I’m so sorry that you lost your husband at such a young age. I hope you now have the comfortable home you’d like after all those years of maintaining your railway station house.

Good luck with the farmer! Hope you get it.