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Would you buy a half done house? Wwyd?

13 replies

toomanytonotice · 20/05/2024 11:32

Seen a property. Owners have started on a huge refurb project, but for whatever reason haven’t finished.

hasn’t been maintained in 30 years.

owners have started with a big loft extension, but that’s all they’ve done. So everything from new windows, new family bath, kitchen, decor, possibly electric, damp proof etc might need doing.

problem is although it’s now got a big loft bedroom with en-suite, 2 double, one single and family bath on first floor, it feels unbalanced. Ground floor is an ok sized living room, tiny alcove kitchen and small diner.

Looking it as a buyer leaves a dilemma. We’re a family of 5, so great as kids can have a room each. But the kitchen is so small cooking and eating will be a squeeze. No room for a dishwasher or tumble dryer for example.

Dh is saying there’s no point refurbing the rest, it’s throwing money away. As a house with that sort of bedroom space will need living space to match, so at some point it will need the planned downstairs extension doing. We don’t like the current plan, as it just massively extends the kitchen into a huge open plan entertaining space. I’d want a downstairs cloak and utility room adding at least. Cost will be enormous.

would you buy it? Would you do the extension or a simple clean up and redecorate existing?

4 bed houses in London are rare, and obviously it’s priced to reflect it still needs work. I would rather look for a 3 bed with better downstairs space, as kids are young and can share for now. Or get a similar 3 bed where we can get the downstairs extended first, then a loft when kids are older.

Sorry it’s long!

OP posts:
CrotchetyQuaver · 20/05/2024 11:57

I'd want to know before anything else that the work they've done meets current building regs, ideally signed off. If not then I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole

titchy · 20/05/2024 12:00

If you can't afford to extend as well as finish the refurb then avoid. If you can afford to extend and extend well, and you get it for a reasonable price it sound like it could be a great investment and a real 'wow' house long term.

MabelMaybe · 20/05/2024 12:04

it depends on what they have planning permission and architect plans for. Then, the quality of the work done to date.

Alicewinn · 20/05/2024 12:36

Can you reconfigure the downstairs for now rather than add an extension?
have you got a floorplan?

toomanytonotice · 20/05/2024 12:51

Thank you. this has helped.

i agree with @titchy that long term it could be a “wow” house. It’s a great opportunity to get something reasonable and do up.

however. I think it’s going to cost a minimum of 300k. 200k for the building, another 100k for refurb and fittings. Long term it is doable, but because we need to do the building work first, it means we need to live with the crappy bathroom and kitchen until we can get it all done at once.

if the rest had reasonably been maintained and livable it may have been an option. If they’d have done the downstairs building work first it would have been an option, as we could have refurbed as we went and done the loft last.

i think we’ll look for a similar house and look at doing the same, but ground floor up. Then we’ll
have lots of room downstairs for living space while they’re young, and when the middle one hits 8 or 9 and needs their own space we can look at the loft.

OP posts:
toomanytonotice · 20/05/2024 12:56

Alicewinn · 20/05/2024 12:36

Can you reconfigure the downstairs for now rather than add an extension?
have you got a floorplan?

Ideas would be appreciated!

this is the floorplan for downstairs…

Would you buy a half done house? Wwyd?
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Alicewinn · 20/05/2024 13:05

Where do you exit to garden?

toomanytonotice · 20/05/2024 13:11

Double doors at the back of the dining room…

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Alicewinn · 20/05/2024 13:12

I think from a quick glance you could improve massively by taking these walls out but I'm not sure where garden access is.

Would you buy a half done house? Wwyd?
Alicewinn · 20/05/2024 13:18

toomanytonotice · 20/05/2024 13:11

Double doors at the back of the dining room…

Got it, ok. Yes i'd DEFINITELY move the kitchen back then and take those 2 walls out, i just did similar it cost about £11k including steels. If you can salvage any of the appliances, that is really the expensive bit then just buy new cabinets, (Howdens, Magnet - beg them for a trade account - get discounts). Put the dining table/island facing out to the garden, stick the oven in the chimney breast, extract up the chimney.

toomanytonotice · 20/05/2024 13:21

That’s interesting, thank you.

i’ll see if I can find their plans on the planning portal- if the walls are load bearing it might show.

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titchy · 20/05/2024 15:10

I wouldn't do that actually! Longer term the obvious extension is across the entire back, with a glass roof/roof lights. Turn the current kitchen into a utility and downstairs loo. Current dining room open plan to extension but with study corner. Rest of dining room and extension is kitchen/dining/family. Would be fabulous!

toomanytonotice · 20/05/2024 15:41

titchy · 20/05/2024 15:10

I wouldn't do that actually! Longer term the obvious extension is across the entire back, with a glass roof/roof lights. Turn the current kitchen into a utility and downstairs loo. Current dining room open plan to extension but with study corner. Rest of dining room and extension is kitchen/dining/family. Would be fabulous!

This sounds much like what they’ve said they have permission for. 6m out, across the entire back. Kitchen to the left, with dining/socialising to the right. Bifold doors across.

like you I’d want a utility, downstairs loo at least, if not a shower. Dh plays rugby and it would be so much easier to have him straight in the shower, kit in the washer, rather than drag his stinky muddy self upstairs. I don’t understand why they wouldn’t include this in the plans.

making space for a study is also a good idea as increasingly I’m working from home.

i agree it would be fabulous but we’d need to live with it for a couple of years while we’re still paying nursery fees, and the current state is awful. I suppose we could at least get family bath and bedrooms on the first floor done, but then all the windows need replacing so we’d have to do that first…and live without a dishwasher and tumble dryer!

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