Period property full house renovation - who wants to place a bet?

[Labraradabrador]

meeting with builders this week to discuss budgets, and I promise to update once we get the quotes. Trying to mentally prepare myself- what would you expect this to cost:

Grade 2 listed 6 bed detached stone house in the SouthWest, approx. 4,000 sqft. We have received planning permission, and have had full structural review by an engineer that confirms everything in good shape (as much as possible to tell). We have not yet had electrics fully tested - we think they were updated early 90s, but not sure and this is a bit of an unknown.

on the list:

• full decorative refurb of whole house (remove carpets and refinish underlying wood floors, remove wallpaper, paint, new doorknobs, light fixtures, etc.)
• new cast iron radiators in most rooms - this might get reduced depending on budget
• add wall lighting to two rooms (so presumably also replastering)
• Full refit of kitchen and 3 bathrooms - aiming for higher level of finish without going bonkers on brand name fittings
• some minor internal changes - combining a couple of small rooms and removing a staircase, moving location of one bathroom.
• open up 2 fireplaces and install log burners
• some windows could use a light refurb - debating whether to get fancy secondary glazing that will fit the existing frames, but depends on budgets.

so how much will this hurt? Obviously we had discussed budgets before we bought, but in the 2 years since everything has gone bonkers. I’m also not sure how much I trust the architect’s budget sense anyways.

would also warmly welcome any recommendations on suppliers if anyone has refurbed a period property recently.

excited but terrified to hear responses…

£300k assuming no re-wire, new boiler etc. I think the cost of the kitchen and bathrooms alone will be more than £100k and 4000 sq ft is large.

I’d guess 400K + VAT. I think some of the estimates here have been very conservative, especially considering the bathrooms and kitchen.

Madness!

I'm mid renovation, turning a 5 bed detached back into a 5 bed detached after decades of being three flats.

Complete internal redesign, installing internal staircase, everything is new, there's not a thing we can keep, full electrical rewire, plumbing, kitchen, utility, 3 bath rooms, plastering every single wall, work in the garden, reconnecting gas supply, all new appliances, boiler etc etc etc

Will come in circa £80k including architect and planning.

Also south west but not listed

I honestly can’t get my head around how utterly shite the finish will be.

Needless to say, you will say that it’s going to be amazing etc etc

but it simply won’t be. Not a chance.

@Anotherusernamethisweek

how much did you buy the property for?

On another thread you started on this property you say • in all honesty we will probably need more than the £80k so he will more than likely be contributing to the renovations in the future.

oh and that your partner will do the painting and fit kitchen cupboards etc

so not quite the picture you present here! 😂

If people are paying 400k for what is a relatively standard refurb, I think I need to get back into the building trade again.

More than 2 years!!

£400k + VAT + 10% minimum contingency. Not including the kitchen.

So are you going to go ahead now you know that the consensus is multiples of £100k OP?

@Whatislove82 have I upset you? 😂

😂

just chuckle when you describe something as “madness” and then leave out some pretty pertinent detail to your quote!

@Whatislove82 actually things change, we didn't do the loft conversion we going to and the builder is fitting the kitchen but yes we will probably paint ourselves.

I came on to say £300k; we did something similarish a few years ago. But then I spotted that it was listed……

i would guess 350-400 ...

I'm impressed that you've been able to get listed buildings consent to move internal walls about. Jealous even!

Before you do anything with open fires/woodburners get an appropriately qualified sweep to examine the chimneys.

While your house is still (I am guessing) empty and about to be transformed do spend a couple of hours figuring out where/how you would live in the rooms. I remember being a bit blasé about where we wanted light switches and power points when we rewired a townhouse (having both lived in 1 bed flats). Saying that, most of our lights have Hue lightbulbs and are controllable by phone or a remote so maybe it isn't as annoying now. Also think about broadband/cable and sort any garden electrics (front and back) while you have an electrician on site It would have cost us another £10-£20k, and made a big mess, but I wish I had dug up some of the floor to extend U/F heating when we fitted it into a new extension.

How are you going to heat the house? Oil? I'm just conscious that our current plumbing won't work with an airsourced heat pump.

I think you'll get change from £1/2m (how much will depend on how efficiently you manage the project and trades) BUT you probably won't be moving in until the Autumn.

No idea on costs, how long is a piece of string. Was just coming on to say that if you think the electrics were done thirty years ago, then have a full rewire. While you're facing this much disruption, what's a little more?

I think you could, depending on finish, do it for under £200k - if there's no nasties crop up.

5 bedroomed big period house.

Our kitchen was £35K (not including fitting), 2 x bathrooms, £25K. Whole house repainting (there was a lot of wood and all the rooms ending up having lining paper put up) about £10K. New woodburner installation £4K. Refurb ground floor parquet about £6K. New carpets £5K.

@Madcats

I'm impressed that you've been able to get listed buildings consent to move internal walls about. Jealous even!

i suspect it’s all very theoretical at this point!

Are you not able to do a lot of these things yourself? Is that because it’s listed?
We are renovating but have opened up fireplaces ourselves. Windows and log burners done professionally.
Insulation and kitchen done ourselves. Taking down a wall ourselves. Would never pay anyone to paint or put flooring in. Will be paying someone to build a bathroom but will probably tile and put shower etc in ourselves. Honestly very little diy experience just learning as we go. I’d imagine all in we will spend £30k

Most people would be able to do that sort of thing, if they had to. Vanishingly few would do it to any sort of professional standard.

I would be looking at the higher end of all the figures quoted above. I think unless you have half a million sat in the bank you will be running out of money half way through. I doubt anyone is going to quote a fixed fee for a long job these days so if the job takes a year, it will cost 20% more than any original quote.

Most people would be able to do that sort of thing, if they had to. Vanishingly few would do it to any sort of professional standard.

You'd be surprised. I've started following a lot of Instagram accounts in preparation for redecorating a house. Some of the things people manage are impressive. That being said, with a house that has the implied price tag of OPs house, people will expect a certain standard of finish in some areas. Painting not so much but things that are expected to last like flooring and tiling, I'd leave to the professionals if it were me.

I hope the price of the house reflects the apparent £400k renovation plus 12 months disruption/being unable to live in it.

This is why the older run down properties, and I’m including the stuff last renovated in the 80’s and 90’s, are going to plummet in price. Recently they’ve been on for maybe 5 to 10% less than a more recently renovated place, but that has to change.

We just did a 3200 sq ft listed house (in London) that needed more structural work than it sounds like yours does. I'm also surprised (and envious!) that you've been able to get planning consent on removing a staircase and walls-are the architect and structural engineer confident that won't lead to structural issues? And are they confident there's not wood beetle damage etc? We had quite a few surprises along the way, so I'd say, no matter how carefully you've investigated, be prepared for some to crop up and ratchet the costs up.

Personally, I think it's a false economy to do all that and not do the electrics at the outset if it was done that long ago. It will be a much more efficient house if you grit your teeth on that now.

Anyway, I'd say you'll be quoted 300k, but expect it to be closer to 4-500k in the end.

It sounds like such an exciting project!