To reno or not to reno?

[Mylittleoldbabeee]

To get the space and style of house we want, we can only afford a property that needs work. We simply can’t afford one already done, unless we change area or we buy a smaller house.

We have seen two houses, exactly the same, one which is very dated and one completely done up. We can’t afford the done up one, but could buy the dated one and have around £100k to do the work.

DH doesn’t want to buy the dated one. He has no vision past what he can see and when I said well we can’t afford the done up one, he said well that’s our reality. I was like yeah I know 😂 Current house is too small and we do need to move (have buyer ready to go) so.

WWYD?

firstly, how dated - could you live in it whilst renovations are done either in one go or in stages?
are there any major projects to do - extension, roof, electrics, plumbing etc - to do or is it just to make the place to your liking and to modernise it

"I shot a man in Reno - just to watch him die" - Johnny Cash

Hi @SallyLockheart it is definitely liveable, needs new boiler, possibly rewiring, and then decorating throughout, new kitchen, new bathroom, old sash windows need some TLC. It looks like it was all fully done in the 90s and hasn’t really been touched since.

What's your life like? If you have ten kids, are chronically ill and work full time then no I wouldn't do a renovation project.

Sounds like my house!

@Comedycook two small DCs work full time as does DH. But both fit and healthy 😂 for now anyway!

I would go for the Reno project, but you have to both be fully onboard, otherwise it may cause tension when things go wrong, cost more etc. and they will. Do you need to live in it while the renovations are going on? Don’t underestimate how difficult that can be, if you haven’t done it before, dusty, dirty, cold. But worth it to get what you want.

You need to embrace the philosophy of only do the bits you need to and don't constantly add on extras because "nice to have"/"might as well" - before you know it you've added 50% or more to the cost of the job.

Just one example from your second post: rewiring. If it was fully done in the 90s to the proper standards back then, I don't see why it would need a rewire in 2023. If it was last rewired in 1953 then yes.

Liveable means you can do a little bit at a time over a much longer period, to spread out the costs and the hassle of it. You're not having to blitz it back to the bricks and start completely over.

Thanks @Roselilly36 we have family with plenty of room who we can stay with locally for a few weeks/months if we need to. But no external walls are coming down or extensions. One bathroom would be working and fine.

@MaybeSmaller thanks, tbh I have no idea about these things and have sort of gone in assuming that everything needs doing! But a very nice old lady loves there quite comfortably at the moment!

Oh, definitely don't assume everything needs doing - this can't be seen as a derelict shell if someone is living there quite happily at the moment!

TBH I think doer upper needs to go back to its original meaning - moving into a less than perfect house and improving it over a period of time - not razing it to a complete skeleton (throwing out baby with bathwater) and then spending a six figure amount building it back up again!

I'm on my fourth renovation because it's the only way I get to live where I want. 😊

Your project doesn't sound too extensive, no building works so I'd go for it. Can you 'paint your dh a picture' room by room? Get him involved in the detail?

Yes @MaybeSmaller DH is expecting it to be perfect straight away. It’s basically what most people would call ‘your nans house’ and it’s cosy and fine but dated.

@MintJulia we would need to take down 2/3 internal walls and put a new kitchen and bathroom in, plus decorating. DH is saying it will take months and we won’t be able to live with it. I’ve asked him to talk to his builder mate so we can get an actual idea of costs, neither of us have a clue.

We've just offered on a do er upper and tbh it will be a bit by bit job. We both work 2 dd at primary school and we realise it's going to take a while but equally excited to make it our own.

sounds perfectly doable. you don't say how old the house is but if it is pre 1930's, do consider insulation as much as possible so you have a warmer house.
short term, white paint brightens everything up and if the kitchen is outdated, cabinets can be painted by a handy DIYer and can spruce it up for a year or three. Your budget sounds ok for what needs doing, even with current inflated costs, provided you aren't going for everything to end.

The way prices of work/materials are at the moment, buying a doer-upper or extender is unlikely to be cheaper overall than buying a 'made' house. It seldom is at the best of times unless you're doing lot yourself.
Pros of a doer-upper- you can save money though only if you do a lot yourself, you get it done to your taste, and to your standards- you know it has all been done properly if you choose to do it properly. You can spread the costs so if you're short of the money now and can wait and are willing to live in a part-done house, then you can do more as money becomes available.
Cons- it generally takes twice as long and costs twice as much as your estimates. 😬It's usually more expensive overall if you do a really good job on it than buying a house already done, though of course that house may have had some defects covered up.

You need to work out those pros and cons, and to know yourselves as a household- e.g., can you cope practically and mentally with long term mess and disruption? Do you mind having workpeople in the house a lot? (the type who won't let workmen use the loo are heading for trouble on a major renovation).