Should we take on this renovation?

[HouseofHills]

Hello,

I would love some advice from experienced renovators!

DH and I both have busy jobs and no DIY skills, experience or connections. We’re currently TTC.

We’ve just sold our first flat and are looking for a house which we can make a long-term family home. We’re struggling to find something we like in budget and in the location we want. We weren’t looking for a renovation but came across this house which we love in our ideal location: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/148399262

We love houses with character and the idea of being able to put our own stamp on a house and have it exactly how we want it! But is it worth it?

How much would it cost to renovate a house like this and how long would it take?

We’ve recently had a big jump in income so we can get a large mortgage but don’t have a lot of savings due to previously being on much lower incomes. This means we have a budget around £800k but we don’t have a lot of capital to fund a renovation immediately (we’ll around 70k left after deposit and stamp duty on this house). So, we’d probably have to prioritise renovating some rooms and live in part of the house while saving more before finishing it.

Houses like this in the area are around £1m if completely renovated so we could never afford a house like this without renovating. But is it worth it?

I would love tips and advice from anyone who has been through something similar!

It is/was a beautiful home.
My concern would be the things a full survey could check out:
Structure/roof/ damp etc. Is the basement sound?

You'd need insulation, double glazing and central heating. That's your budget gone!

Is it listed? Wouldn't want it, if it was .

I can see why you'd be tempted. If you can afford it and you've got the energy, then yes, it could be fantastic.

I love it!

I am somewhat horrified by the suggestions that the beautiful windows need replacing - if it were mine I'd be far more likely to consider secondary glazing. Improves the insulation, but also you get to keep the gorgeous period glass, it's far better from an embodied carbon standpoint, it's cheaper, and it lasts really well.

Forgot, roof needs checking. Windows, maybe look into renovating and adding double glazing to preserve it. Wooden new sashes are very expensive. You'd be looking at 30k if new wooden windows. And I'd definitely not go for a cheaper pvc type option in this beauty.

I was expecting a lot worse.

No kitchen pic as has been said so I expect that looks incredibly dated.

Artex/asbestos ceilings can be skimmed or boarded.

Absolutely love some of the features, particularly the windows, hallway area, it all looks dated but reasonably clean and livable so go for it I say, just take your time.

Budget to get up to spec guesstimate:
50k if c/h and electrics ok or
minor probs.
80k if not.

OP, there is a difference between it needing decoration, and a renovation. From the photos I can only see decorative order.

Have you checked the age of the wiring, the distribution board, the boiler, the plumbing? Are the windows of recent double glazing? Are there any blown panes? Is the loft insulated? And the hot water tank? How old is the shower pump?

Look at all the radiators and the carpets underneath. Look for signs of drips, leaks, rusty patches on the metal work.

Check the exterior doors closely. Are they secure? Sturdy locks? Is the pointing in need of redoing? Is there any damp? Is the roof sound? Has it been replaced since new?

No photo of the kitchen? Will it need replacing, or will new unit doors and possibly worktops suffice?

Given the age of the house, I would be tempted to have an asbestos survey done.

Having said all of that, it is a beautiful house.

Whatever you expect to spend (and I don't know your desired level of finish), double it. I'm just finishing a 10 year renovation and it has cost me about £120k. New roof, rebuilt extension, rewiring, replumbing, all new windows and exterior doors, new kitchen, refurbed bathroom. Twice what I originally thought.

If you can live with mess, are resilient enough to stick at a project when you are tired and fed up, work well as a team, and you don't mind having no fingernails for a decade 😁 go for it.

I'm in the US and one thing very different is all those bedrooms and one bathroom? But it definitely is a grow into house.

As dated as the house is it will take a lot of money to update. The first thing I would do, after adding bathrooms, would be to convert the dining room to the living area and open the walls on the rest of the floor.

Do it, it’ll be amazing once done

I'd factor in the cost of adding a downstairs cloakroom, 1 toilet in a house of that size (and upstairs) isn't enough. When the kids are older you'll want at least two!

But I too would buy this house, it looks beautifully looked after and has amazing propertions.

It's a lovely house with lots of character and doesn't need very much work at all. I'd snap it ups.

On second look, it’s big, so my guesstimate might be a little under unless you get stuck in yourself.

Also, with my Sarah Beeney hat on, I’d say the kitchen is small, knock through to morning room and open up into living room too. That’ll be £££.

Doubt it’s listed as that would normally be mentioned in the blurb. It doesn’t seem quite the vintage or style to be listed imo.

Edit to add: Whoah to the size of that cellar! You could open up a small club in there

I think you’ll find it needs a ton of work. “In need of modernisation”, small kitchen with no pictures, “traditional range”, no downstairs toilet….

Looks great!

There's no EPC certificate and no mention of a heating system (gas/oil/fireplaces)? Just remember that a big house can cost a lot to keep warm.

There are radiators visible in some rooms.

I do agree that what isn't shown is probably important - nothing shown of the attic room as well as the kitchen. You can see that from having a viewing though.

Traditionally English houses only ever had one bathroom. It’s not uncommon to find them still on the ground floor (off the kitchen!) in some Victorian properties.

Having more than one bathroom has only really become a thing over here in the last 30 years (but an under stairs WC has been popular for longer).

Wooden new sashes are very expensive

If doesn't have sash windows.

That is my dream home and project.

I’d buy that in a flash, just get someone like Wickes in to do the kitchen and bathrooms, you can decorate a lot of it yourself as you go, redo foooring as you go, that is a gorgeous house, I’d bite their hand off.

Thanks so much for your input everyone!

To me decoration is just painting / new carpets / new wallpaper, which is why I described it as a renovation. It’s hard to know exactly what will need doing until we make an offer and get a survey done but some things we noticed:

• Single glazing - we love the windows so wouldn’t replace them as PP have said but would add secondary glazing
• Damp in the basement so we’d likely need to get this tanked?
• Damp on some walls so we’d probably need to get a damp proof course?
• Likely to need rewiring and likely to be other issues that come up in the survey as it’s a probate property

In terms of what we’d like to do:

• Add an en suite and downstairs loo
• Knock through the 3 conjoined rooms into one open plan kitchen/living/diner
• New bathroom and kitchen
• Redecorate

These can be done over time though.

Agreed.

Looks great. It's a long term home your income is up so you can wait for a few months, save and do some work.

Its totally livable and you can tackle it stage by stage / room by room.

Basement Would be low on my list.
Personally I'd start at the top and work down.
Bedrooms are "cheap" to redecorate and make it feel like home.
You can save and do the ensuite then do the downstairs in one big go in a few years.

Not sure damp proof coursing is recommended on old houses. But maybe I am getting that confused with insulation. That old house group I recommended will confirm what you need.

Damp on some walls so we’d probably need to get a damp proof course?

Chemical injection DPCs aren’t really all that. You need to address the cause of the damp (guttering, poor ground level drainage etc). That’s one thing I’ve learnt on here from PigletJohn.

Tanking the basement, as long as it’s an empty space might not be too bad cost wise.

Honestly op I think there will be a bidding war for That. If you want it offer and say it’s conditional it coming off the market.

Gorgeous house!

What a fab project! Absolutely go for it, a renovation is one of the best things I have ever done. Had a baby in the middle of it, it did slow down work so I would advise doing things like the kitchen and a bathroom beforehand!

I've looked on Street View and I think the roof does need some repair as there seem to be a few missing tiles (I wonder if this or maybe a guttering issue caused the staining on the bedroom wallpaper in the photos) but it looks the same as the neighbour's roof so doesn't look bad. From the photo of the rear of the house on the listing it does look like there might be an issue with the ridge tiles over the little roof and the bedroom isn't shown in the photos.

You have to go see it really.