Buying a house

[shininglight16]

We're in the process of purchasing a house and are upsizing from a flat so quite excited and looking forward to it.

Just curious what you think of the price of the house and how much would you have offered for it. We're going to be getting some work done, i.e. getting a new kitchen, bathroom, renovating the conservatory, improving the garden, changing the layout a bit to make bedrooms bigger etc.

I would really appreciate it if you could give some tips looking at the floorplan and tell me what you think of the price. Is it a good buy?

https://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/68118770/

Thank you ladies!

I don't know if it is cheap or not for the area, but as others have said, the bathroom and kitchen would put most buyers off as there isn't much you can do with them without knocking down walls. How long has it been on the market?

Also, please do not think that you can extend the kitchen in to the conservatory as it will be freezing for most of the year. We have a conservatory and we only use it between May and September.

Yes, labour and materials costs have gone up dramatically since Covid.

I've read that article too...it's heartbreaking.

Can't thank you enough for the extremely well thought guidance! This is why I wanted to reach out on this forum as I knew there would be people like you, sharing some sound advice.

We intend to invest a lot of time on getting references, physically seeing the builder's work, getting multiple estimates and quotes for different jobs. We don't want to get burnt, it's a shame that so many builders out there are looking to rip off their customers.

You're on point about the fake reviews, our so called family friend who's a builder had also asked us to post a fake review from him. I've been on various sites where I've seen fake reviews posted, I know it's going to be a big challenge for us to find the right tradesmen.

To find tradespeople, work of mouth is always best. If you don't know anyone local that's had work done (and it doesn't need to be big stuff - often you can get good info from a good plumber for example) then join some local FB groups and do a search on recommendations. People obviously will suggest their mates but you'll also see people give negative experiences of suggestions if deserved so it can be more balanced than the big review sites.

It will move to reception 2 along with a dining area. That's what we were thinking. The original kitchen can turn into a bedroom with ensuite bathroom. Would need a new separate bathroom as well, have ideas around that without breaking walls.

Ah, I've been doing that and it's so damn hard. So many people recommending friends/family. It's hard to gauge who's genuine and who isn't unless we physically go meet people and speak to them/see their work.

We have a friend who's in the building trade, he's not a close friend but were thinking of reaching out to him. Just unsure if he's the right person though.

Wow, what did they get done then that they had to spend 200k in total?

If you're relocating the kitchen (and the bathroom?) you'll be adding extra costs as you'll need a lot of plumbing done. I really don't want to sound like a negative Nancy but doing that for 40k sounds really tight!

Re FB recommendations, you do need to sort of the chaff, but it gives you somewhere to start - you'll need to meet them and talk through the work regardless. Look for names that come up frequently from different people - eg I used a brilliant joiner that was recommended to me by someone I trusted directly, but I often see him come up on FB groups when someone wants a kitchen fitting and it's various people saying it.

Why did you buy a bungalow?

That looks like a lot of work. I am tired just thinking about it 😅

Unfortunately, a good builder can charge double because there a lot of people who are prepared to pay for the best.

A small bathroom can easily cost over £30,000 so if you are doing up a whole house, it can cost well over £100k depending on the cost of the fittings.

Have you checked that you will be able to have sewage pipes along that side of the house and how much it will cost?

Yes we have.

Accessibility was our main reason.

Don't worry about sounding negative, I like to be told upfront what a person is thinking or has in his/her mind. I have been thinking a lot too and I know it's going to end up being a massive project if we decide to go with all the work. If not, we'll just do the minimum required.

We intend to invest a lot of time on getting references, physically seeing the builder's work, getting multiple estimates and quotes for different jobs

This will not be as easy as you think.

It won't be easy at all, I never said that. I'm overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work that will need to be done beforehand.

I'm pleased you know who difficult it will be. It can be difficult just getting a builder to come round and quote and if someone does come round, they often won't even send a quote.

Unfortunately, the good builders have jobs lined up for years and don't even advertise, they get work via recommendation from previous customers.

My relative is an excellent carpenter (not in the UK) and he never advertises and has to turn away work as he is so busy.

It's happened to us 😔 we've had to chase people up in the past. My husband is relatively calmer since he has some technical knowledge about the building industry but getting the right labour is so crucial. I hope we find decent tradesmen 🤞

I would change the layout to this. Of course, my budget is imaginary, so I have no idea how much it would cost or if it is worth it for the ceiling price for the area. Front left bedroom gets a wardrobe where front door was. No more pokey added entrance. Lean to becomes a proper extension and you have a nice size kitchen out to garden. Noisy appliances move to a utility. You could do a sliding / pocket door between the kitchen and living room to have open plan or separate spaces as desired.

This is great, thank you so much!

What if we do not break down the kitchen and lean to wall and turn the existing kitchen into a 4th bedroom with a small ensuite? Would that be a better idea?

£475k looks about right but do check that you will get pp for extension. Have neighbours done what you hope for? I think you run the risk of spending more on improvements than a valuer would consider worthwhile.

not big enough.

Sorry you mean the bedroom wouldn't be big enough or the kitchen?

It’s not a big enough space for the sort of bedroom that warrants an en suite.

Fair point, which is why we were thinking of extending at the rear end.

Another question, would a conservatory or a large kitchen with an island and roof windows add more value to the house? I've heard mixed reviews about this in the past.