Potential house purchase - How much would this cost to update?

[Greenfairydust]

In the ongoing saga of my house search, I have now found a 2 bed semi built in 1998 in a quiet part of town I am really keen on.

The owners have left their kids in charge of the decoration it seems :) (think stickers & pink painted walls...) so I would need to paint most of the rooms again.

The house also has a tired bathroom so I would need to replace that and I also wanted to remove the carpets and have wooden floor or at least laminate in place.

It seems like the cost of material/workmanship have gone up sharply in the past couple of years so I wonder how much this could cost.

Anyone has a rough idea of what I could be looking at (South East) if you have done a similar project recently?

This will influence the offer I make although the house is already reasonably priced for the area (£260,000).

Does the price reflect the work needed? How long has it been on the market?

Well a new bathroom is about £10k, maybe not quite so much if very small.

Redecorating is just the cost of the paint (unless you are paying someone to do it for you). In which case perhaps £1000 per room (London).

Flooring is however much the flooring you choose costs times the size of your home. Laminate is generally £20-£30 per sqm and engineered wood is more like £70+. Plus fitting of course. Take your your room measurements to a flooring shop (don't forget the stairs) - or get one round to measure for you - and they will work it out for you and then you can decide what you can afford. Sometimes people save money by putting laminate upstairs and keeping the posh wooden floor to the downstairs only.

@SpaceCandyCoconut

Thank you!

Yes it is a small bathroom and I am in Kent rather than London.

10k would really be a lot for me but that bathroom really needs changing.

I am starting to wonder whether it is worth looking at slightly more expensive houses that have already been done!

At least it gives me an idea of what offer I could make on this house.

Generally, and recently, decent houses are not that much more expensive as fixer uppers, however with this ‘return to normal’s in the housing market, fixer uppers should start dropping in price a bit more.
The exception is people who have gone all ‘designer boutique’ on their fittings and are trying to recoup their expenditure off the next buyer.
As the say, there’s no such thing as a cheap boat.

If you decide to make an offer be aware that telling the agent you are not offering the asking price because you want to change all the flooring and the bathroom when there is nothing wrong with them they are just not to your taste is not likely to go down well with the seller. You've said yourself it's fairly priced.

None of the things you mention are 'must-dos' - they are your personal preference. I imagine the need to repaint and update bathroom will be reflected in the price which as you say is reasonable for the area.

For what its worth here in Hampshire we have recently paid a rate of around £700 per room for painting (plus cost of main paint). This was for for 2 rooms in a Victorian house with high ceilings and coving- I imagine doing more rooms in a more modern house you would be able to negotiate a better deal. Alternatively do it yourself for minimal cost!

If it was me I would go in at the £240,000 level and be prepared to move to £250,000 as final offer.

You can pick engineered flooring up for half of what's quoted above. Obviously it's not going to be high end, but nice enough.

The bathroom can be done cheaper, depending on whether you fully tile etc.

If you really like the house I wouldn't write it off if it's reasonably priced. It sounds liveable, and you can decorate over time, it doesn't have to be done immediately. If you paint yourself you'll save loads, which you can put towards the stuff you can't do.

@WeAreTheHeroes @cammara

Actually having viewed the property today, rather than just the images and video on the agent website it needs more work than the clever editing had suggested. I knew the estate was on and had seen the house from the outside, but the inside is a mess!

The past two tenants have done some damage and the landlords does not seem to have kept the property well maintained.

Everything needs painting and the carpets are stained so are not usable in the slightest and the bathroom needs full refurbishment.

But it also needs a new boiler, the so-called double-glazed windows look like they had not been updated since the late 1990s so might have to be replaced to. There is an odd worktop in the kitchen where a table should be and that needs taken out. I notice there is a damp patch on the bathroom ceiling where an old fashioned vent is so it looks like water is leaking from the roof into the vent. Also some signs of damp near the entrance door.

I really why so many landlords don't maintain their property and actually felt a bit sorry for the tenants.

So I am torn. The estate itself is really convenient, peaceful and maintained really well by the council and residents and there is no estate charges so that is good but my god the house is a mess and work definitely has to be done before I can move in.

The painting and flooring don't worry me too much as I can get that done for a reasonable price but I am worried about the potential more extensive work in a house that really has not been kept well. I assume they have all the necessary certificates in place for gas and electrics and the tenant said she has been happy to live there for almost 5 years but still...

All of those thing don't need doing immediately in order to make it habitable. Sandpaper and paint is relatively cheap and you could do a room every couple of months. Save up for the rest. The bathroom can't be that bad if it is only just over 20 years old and could be spruced up - you're not dealing with lead piping and and an avocado suite. Replace the shower and taps, get it re-tiled, new flooring, job done.

Regarding the windows... I suspect a lot of properties built in '98 still have their original windows. I know mine are at least that old and still going strong. I've had to replace the glazing in 1, as it had blown and misted, but that wasn't too costly.