Tell me the worst bits - and best bits! - of living in an 18th century grade II listed house.

[MovingToPlan]

I know houses this old can be quirky, interesting, money pits. I'm really keen to understand the daily life experience of owning a house like this. Have you managed to update the interior (new kitchen or bath?)

We've viewed a house like this recently and I'm thinking of making an offer. 😊

Gosh this post made me laugh in recognition- I do have a very old house and my absolute favourite thing is to do poncetastic Christmas decorations and hosting.

OP I adore my ancient house and consider any extra trouble the listing causes well worth it.

@bigpawsjames You need one of these. No mice here or Christmas tree robins.

We have several mousers in the family, so no worries there! 🐱

Do we need a specialist surveyor?

Friends of ours are selling their (utterly stunning) listed house now before all of the environmental regulations inevitably come in regarding insulation, heat pumps etc. They have decided that it already costs an arm and a leg to heat etc, despite spending fortunes on trying to make it as efficient as possible - and with net zero targets getting closer, they are not prepared to shell out even more money - or make it unsaleable in the future by hanging on to it.

I don't know if they are being particularly Eeyoreish about it, but it was an angle I hadn't considered. (We are trying to sell MILs Grade II listed cottage in a conservation area in a sought after town - and can't sell it for love nor money. It does need a LOT of work doing to it, but we thought it would be snapped up; interest rates, cost of materials and the listing are huge impediments to the sale currently).

I've dropped out from buying a 17th century cottage. The need for LBC was overwhelming.

I needed it for:
Broadband as box would be seen on the outside of the property and not able to have it elsewhere.
Opening up the inglenook fireplace which has been blocked in by previous owner.
Putting in a downstairs toilet.
Getting a new back door as current one could be smashed through in a few seconds and no safe way of locking it.
Opening up the coal shute to get air into the damp cellar which had been concreted over by previous owner.
No satellite dish is allowed although an ancient tv aerial hangs dangerously on the roof with cable disconnected from house.
I was told it could take months to get consent and I couldn't manage without broadband.
I've now bought a new build and every time I drive past the cottage I feel so relieved that I didn't buy it.
I really hope yours is less daunting OP.

@MovingToPlan we are having the most detailed survey done . It's around £1000 but compared to the price it's nothing to be sure that most things are ok or not .

Yes all the structural changes you heed it for. Although we didn’t need it for broadband or sky dish, it’s at rhe side and rhe conservation officer said it was fine, it would just have been admin for the sake of it to apply for consent.

some sound funky though, you wouldn’t need consent to open a fireplace unless it was closed at rhe time of listing, same as the cellar.

We had no issue with broadband, satellite dish is a no here. Rest of things for listed buildings consent you fill in a form and then a month later get a yes unless its something changing things then it gets more complicated. I'm not recommending this but for minor things like painting a front door or broadband a lot of people don't bother here and as long as in keeping with house nothing happens, may vary by area, ask a neighbour as a guide. You obviously could get issues on sale if its something a survey would pick up.

Cold, damp, constantly needing money spending on them.

The chain jangling ghosts are the worst bit.

Yes ideally specialist surveyor and solicitor with experience of listed buildings.

If you have a phone line going into the house, you should be able to get reasonably high speed broadband assuming your house is close enough to a BT cabinet.

We plugged in a few wifi boosters into our plug-sockets in a couple of rooms and the garden shed.

A local museum managed to get permission for ultra thin double glazing, as did a neighbour further along the terrace (though the windows they replaced weren't original and were rotting). Some conservation officers are fussier than others.

Tell us about your "dream house", OP.

Phone line had gone and no sign of where it had been. It needed a listed garden path and listed paving to be removed and replaced after broadband wired in.

Some properties are just a nightmare however beautiful. It was my dream home.

I think the house is lovely, warts and all, and the garden is even lovelier, but it isn't a "dream" house, because you make your dreams wherever you are. Having said that, I can envision summer parties in the garden and feel like I could be a good caretaker for the property while I'm there, and that idea pleases me.

Two people have offered on the property today, same price, and we've been asked to come back with our best and final offer tomorrow. Having just done this from the other side with my own property, I know how easy it is to miss out on being the winning bidder.

I was going to say I'm trying not to get too attached but that's silly, I already am! We shall see.

Agree with this- no consent needed for satellite dish, door colour etc. Often a quick chat with the listed building conservation officer will confirm that somethings ok.

We've not found it onerous or difficult at all

Old houses are "hard to heat but hard to beat", I always say!

I lived for a few months in a beautiful (rented) Georgian town house, part of a long London terrace. Sound proofing with next door was awful and the whole house creaked constantly, every time someone in an adjoining property moved about. Very atmospheric though; like something out of Diickens.

Please don't buy one unless you're willing to live with some privations that come with an old house. I've seen many ruined with unsympathetic interiors, original layouts messed up, basements dug etc. if you want a mutitide of en-suites or a home gym in the basement, buy a new house.

No we haven’t, we had to seek permission for structural stuff. But they were very clear, the government directive is these homes have to be lived in.and they want to support home owners to do this.at the same time preserving the fabric for historical interest. Because the government can’t afford to maintain them for us. They need home owners to do it, and part of that is accepting they need to be suitable for modern living.

so that means sure you can have a sky dish or broadband, redo your dated kitchen or bathroom, or shove up some wallpaper.

but you want to knock through. Change the windows, knock bits down, extend other bits, remove the original features.change the exterior, That’s a talk to us. Seek permission situation.

And you shouldn’t buy a listed building if you wish to do that and not seek permission and you should expect to do it sympathetically and in line with keeping it aligned with the original building.

a listing is because a building is of historic interest. It’s to maintain it for future generations, so replacing your dated 80s kitchen, or your Wickes bathroom , shoving up a sky dish, or having WiFi is irrelevant. Changing the structure or removing original features is hugely relevant.

Thanks so much to everyone on this thread. We weren't successful in our bid for the house, so back to the drawing board for us!

Sorry to hear that @MovingToPlan - anything else on of interest? Or are you going to hold off looking till after Christmas?

Anyone mentioned ghosts yet?
You may have one or two of those

Thinking of a thatched house, what are the drawbacks for you ? The one thing slightly putting me off is that you apparently get monster spiders ? That plus the fire issue.

We're going to stop looking for now, there's nothing available we like and it feels a bit like gnawing on an old bone!

We have the time. Something will come up.

We get a lot of spiders but the spindly legged ones. The insurance is the worst. It is 10 times what we paid for a non-listed 1800s cottage. And to be allowed a fire/log burner, we needed a camera report on the chimney lining, and a 2m chimney.
But it is super warm in winter and nice and cold in summer.

No no no no no.

All of EVERY listed building, no matter what grade, is listed., and changes need listed building consent.

Please stop peddling this damaging myth. Unlawful work to any listed building can result in enforce t action up to an d including prosecution, and the penalties are unlimited fines and up to six months imprisonment.

Thank you Anna. I don’t mind the spindly ones (Cellar spiders I think you are talking about ? The ones that spin around in their webs? ) It is the enormous Cardinals I live in fear of..

It’s you who is peddling the myth. Structural changes or changes that remove original features need permission, you don’t need permission for replacing your bathroom, kitchen, decorating etc.