Beautiful property how much to modernise ?

[CurtainGreen1981]

So DH and I considering this house only just onto the market today. I said to DH it needs at least £200k spending on it, new kitchen , all bathroom, not sure what to do about windows etc.

www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/154193579

Thought welcome.

So I think over-priced by about £100k?

It doesn't 'need' it, in that the kitchen and bathroom look fine and just a touch dated - I'd get the kitchen sprayed and then just replace the tiles/decorate, tbh. It's hardly hanging off the walls! Bathroom I'd probably change. Can't tell if it needs new windows, but they look sympathetic to the originals so I wouldn't change them unless they were broken. I can't see how that adds up to £200k, though, even if you did get all new windows, a new kitchen and new bathroom???

It's a beautiful house that would look even more gorgeous decorated but otherwise mostly left alone. If you want something modern are you not better buying something modern?

It depends on whether you’re going for a rewire, a re plumb, double glazing, adding an extra bathroom on the top floor.

Is the roof in good nick? Building costs are (excuse the pun) through the roof at the moment. I’d have a proper survey done and then you’d have a better idea as to what needs doing.

I was expecting a lot worse, it does look very well looked after, so I guess mostly cosmetic work which shouldn’t cost £200k unless you’re completely remodeling rooms. It is indeed a beautiful house. I do know the area a bit and at that price point I think an offer £100k under would be considered a serious offer.

Gorgeous house, the windows are beautiful what do you think the issue with them is?

Yes the kitchen and bathroom could be modernised but they’re in good condition, livable with initially. I’d want to life in it a bit a get a feel for it before ripping anything out, but I can’t see what you’d spend £200k on particularly unless you’re planning on ripping it unnecessarily back to plaster, rewriting and starting from scratch…? (And I don’t think it needs that!)

200k!! Could do it for a lot less! It’s a period house. Don’t wreck it.

Not modern as such, perhaps is decoration then, I was thinking a modern kitchen extension.

Drove by today but on a busy road, is a very desirable area. This row of houses has been a couple come up recently, but we've had to do work on our house to get it in order to sell.

Not ours yet! Ok will have a think.
Windows I guess is part of the original property. Ok thanks

As long as the electrics are fine, all the changes are cosmetic - goodness knows what you want to spend £100-£200k on. Please do not buy a property with original features and then proceed to do a "modern" renovation.

New kitchen if you want, new bathrooms, new carpets/flooring. Paint and/or new wallpaper.

You are trying to justify offering less by saying it needs more work than it does - to some people that is move in condition.

I live in a big Victorian house. It is very hard to get them like a new show house without spending a lot but then you lose the character. If you want a perfect house probably step away.

Looking at this one - it's all done up. But don't want semi. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/151266080

I don’t personally like the kitchen 🙈

I'd be more concerned the energy rating is so poor than what the kitchen and bathroom look like.

It probably Edwardian or a bit later. Definitely not Victorian. I could easily spend £100,000 plus on it! The kitchen is not great and the conservatory is yuk. You would not want the dining room at the front and the internal cloakroom is awful. Changing all of this into a better space costs money but could be worth it. Don’t change the windows but the fireplaces are naff!

I love the first one! Yes, it needs some redecorating but the second one has been ruined in my opinion - it's hideous and just very samey, you could buy a Barret-box with that decor, it will date and there is no going back from that. If you want that style please don't wreck an old house with it.
I live in a similar house to the first although a bit updated, also on a busy road, in a different area which has been a wonderful family home. They are wonderful to live in.

@Janedoe82 it's very modern , white. Hmmm. Well still got a little bit more to do on ours before we can go to market. DH preference is first one - Road was busy today though.

It seems DH is on the same page as most of you guys! He said similar about the semi, he didn't like the panelling.

Both are G on energy and yes bills. At the moment we are in a smaller property, but we've re-wired and re-glazed and done the roof on it. However it's becoming too small. And looking at schools these are both in catchment for great schools.

Both look fine, not to my taste, but you’re the one who will be living there. Houses are so personal, you’ll be living in it so just do the work you can afford and feel comfortable with. Many period properties people do up to look ‘period’ are often from a very different period to the house - but who cares, then next people who buy it will probably change it anyway. Once you’ve bought it, live with it for a while and then see what you want to do.

If it were me I’d want a bigger kitchen, I’d move the downstairs loo into the utility room using all that space and the conservatory for a more open plan feel. Also I’d look at putting a bathroom on the top floor.

I like the first one, as pp said, kitchen needs just a facelift and the rest is just decor. I hate the look of the second house, all the character has been ripped out and it's so boringly fashionable and cold looking.

What a shame. They've ruined this beautiful house with those awful, clinical modernisations. Looks like a lab rather than a home. The rooms that gave g been modernised are much nicer!

I think it’s lovely and it’s liveable so you wouldn’t need to do it all straight away

Move to Scotland. You can get a castle for that price & free uni

Probably £100k+ with the cost of building works, and actual new kitchen. Cost of decorated if you aren’t repainting or wallpaper every room alone. Cost of new fireplaces in keeping with building age, as those ones aren’t to my taste.

I would want to knock the kitchen and current living room into a larger open kitchen diner at the back. But no actual extension. There’s two rooms at the from to use as living rooms.

BUT I think it’s in good condition, so mostly these changes would be for personal preference. However one thing is the energy rating, why is it so low? If it’s because windows need extra internally double glaze as current single that would increase price a lot. And maybe there’s very little other insulation ie in loft

The house certainly doesn’t NEED 200k to modernise it
but you could could spend 200k depending what you WANT to do

with period properties there’s a fine line between modern and vandalising
people take breathtaking houses and convert them in to grey and glass soulless boxes