House not updated since 70s

[Sparkymoo]

House needs rewiring as plugs are still in skirting, new kitchen, bathroom, has central heating but imagine it is very old, at least two windows are showing movement, one ceiling has had a previous leak and big stain, ceiling in front bedroom has had part of ceiling replaced so maybe a problem with roof (done to get sale through as the rubbish is currently in the garage), complete redecoration.

It's perfect location, great garden, doesn't smell of damp at all, enough space and storage, would likely be our long term home.

It's also first home, we have a six year old, no local family support, enough money to do rewire, fix ceilings and windows but would have to wait a year for kitchen, another year for bathroom and what would we do for very dated decor in the meantime?

Feels like too much to take on but partner keen.

@MadMadamMum wish I'd organised a builder to come with us today. I basically said yes to a second viewing to shut partner up and then over weekend I thought maybe I should approaching positively and really explore the option and anything I learn could always be applied to another house. Estate agent not rushing us.

Very similar situation, thought it would be a case of updating and living in chaos for 6 months with a toddler. Reality is it's 18 months down the line and still chaos. Lived off an air fryer for 8 months. We've learned a lot of new skills and I know it'll be worth it in the next couple of months but we were definitely naive as to what taking down the wallpaper would reveal and how much time l effort and money actually would be involved.

I also think it depends on how you as a person will cope with it. It has been fundamentally incompatible with my personality type as I need clean, order and chaos to feel happy so the last 18 months have felt like I'm living my life in limbo unable to enjoy anything and it has definitely been tough on us as a couple

@cinammonfishsticks this is absolutely my fear, thanks for sharing. And I'm worried about things like plastering that you can't see.

Wish I'd posted here as soon as we saw itz you are all being so helpful, thanks you!

Agree. I've tolerated a very dated 60-year-old kitchen for 27 years now and lived to tell the tale.

Our house hadn't been updated in 50/60 years, wood chip and florals as far as the eye could see. It was a bit more work than we'd been looking for but we're really glad we bought it and were able to do everything the way we wanted rather than paying a premium for someone else's refurb. It did take time, we lived with the kitchen and bathroom for a good 18 months but it was fine. The house was nice and clean, just a bit old and threadbare. Good luck!

We missed one bad job - a wall of spiky aertex - it was actually painful to lean on. But we bit the bullet and sanded it off - masks on, patio doors open, hall door shut and taped. Nothing was as bad as that. We also had swirly 70s carpets, an ancient kitchen in a dodgy little extension that had clearly been moved from the old kitchen and refitted there - gaps everywhere- and a bathroom with a yellow suite with a rusty patch in the bath and brown and yellow patterned tiles on every wall. But - it was ours. It took us 7 years to save up to do the kitchen and another three to do the bathroom. When DS was house hunting we showed him the photos of him in the old bathroom and hammered it into him that old rooms like that are not a problem. Get the house that needs work in a good location - go with Kirstie and Phil’s rule.

Plastering is not too expensive even if the whole room needs doing.

@Maray1967 OMG! You SANDED off artex!!! 😱Had you tested it for asbestos beforehand? If you need to remove it in future, there is a gel you apply and leave on a few hours, then the artex can be almost peeled off.

OP- We have been renovating 3yrs now. Ours was the worst house on a great street. It was actually derelict, not lived in 8yrs, smashed windows, completely overgrown garden etc, but structurally sound. It was unlivable, so we bought a very old static caravan, and lived in that in the garden. It meant we had somewhere to escape to, plus could cook, wash, sleep etc without dust. There is a huge amount of dust and it gets absolutely everywhere- even rooms that are supposedly sealed!

-I assumed the whole thing would take 1yr for structural work, but I've never renovated to this scale. It took 2yrs before we could move in. We still have lots to do, but mainly decor/furnishings and garden things now.
-DH and I did what work we could, but its a balance. We both work full time (no kids) and in some cases, its better/quicker to pay a tradesperson to do the job in 2 days, rather than us learning the skill, buying the equipment and taking a week to finish the job.
-Often when things start getting removed, more issues can be seen underneath. Its part of if it and can be frustrating.
-Don't underestimate how much trades will ask you questions. Do you want the bing bong or the wig wan??? Huh? Most of ours were approachable and would explain what they meant. It was only the plumber who we had issues with. DH did an incredible about of reading up, even just to learn the terms.
-The cost of building materials has tripled on some items!
-Its been worth it, but just much more expensive and taken longer than expected.

I wouldn't.

A house like that would benefit from a full refurb to bring it up to current energy ratings. That is really difficult to do in a peace meal fashion. It's more suited to a buyer who can gut it before they move in.

'Worst house on the best street' = great, no matter how much work is needed. No longer throwing money away on rent and instead using it to renovate is a no brainer.

If you get it for the right price, go for it.

It sounds like you have the money for unexpected issues, which you will find, so it will boil down to whether or not you want the hassle of such a big refurb. Dont let your Dh persuade you move to house you’re not sure about. Mine did that, I thought I’d grow to love it but never did. By the time we left I hated it 😂

Sounds like the house we’re in right now that we purchased back in 1991. The property hadn’t been fully renovated in nearly 40 years. We discovered the kitchen was installed in 1957 and it was falling to pieces so it was the first thing we changed - we only put a cheap MFI display kitchen in as we knew years later we’d want to reconfigure the house!

We were in the same predicament as you - do we refurbish all at once or do it in stages? We opted to do in stages to be honest but given the age we had to do it fairly quickly - kitchen was falling to pieces, property needed a re wire, installation of central heating and replaced the carpets as the owners before were heavy smokers and no amount of cleaning was going to get rid of the stench! We also installed double glazing and repainted room by room.
Bathroom was only 10 years or so old at the time so we didn’t need to do that!

With young DC to consider, I’d definitely get the ‘larger’ jobs done first especially living in a rental - it makes it easier but also expensive! The re-wire is the important one and heating too so you have hot water etc.

Not checked scientifically, but our builder who owned basically the same type of home and had dealt with it many times told us it was fine - not dangerous. Anyway it was 30 years ago and we’re both still here! We masked up and got on with it. It wasn’t a whole wall, just the edge parts surrounding a patio door.

Was the gel around thirty years ago!! If so, I wish we’d known about it!!

And we’re actually in the process of moving - buying a very run down bungalow that hasn’t been touched since the 1980s, this time as circumstances are different and we have the funds and also want to do it all before we retire is to do all the work before we move in! We’re moving to one of our other properties whilst this is done so we have better flexibility now..

It may not need a full rewire. Mine needed a partial rewire and a new consumer unit and wasn't desperately expensive.

Have a closer look at the central heating pipes if you can. It turned out mine were a different size than is used now with modern boilers so had to have a complete repipe. However, as I have quite a big void under the floorboards it wasn't that difficult a job or extortionately expensive. Have a look at the downstairs floors to see whether that is the case with yours.

I've done it a couple of times and won't lie, it is hard. However, even if a house looks reasonably move in ready, inevitably you are going to want to change things, probably decorate, etc. At the end of this you are going to have exactly the house you want and will have learnt a lot in the process.

Been to see it again and it has a baxi boiler that was installed in 2017, new board for the electrics as that had to be updated to allow for a stair lift to be put in. Few more issues arose about windows etc, it's. Stud wall between kitchen and dining room so could knock through more easily. Have lots of photos to send to a family member to look for me but am feeling a lot more warm to it.

Partner also being clear about planning and spending to get things sorted and not dragging heels. Also estate agent told him clearly it was a doer upper so that helped!

Big thing still roof, looks original.

That's not necessarily bad. I lived in a house from the 1850s that still had the original roof and no problems. I've been in my current house for ten years, 1950s build) and am only now having to get any roofing done and that is mainly repointing the ridge tiles. If it looks decent from the outside, try and have a look at the condition of the joists and the roof from inside.

Just one point, a lot of surveyors will say in their reports that they couldn't access the roof space. I've been there every time a home I've been selling has had a survey and they never tried, even when I left the loft hatch open with the fold down ladder ready! These were the full inspections not just the housebuying report (or whatever they are called now). You may need to specify you want this done or request that a friendly roofer does it for you.

@ForPearlViper helpful on the roof info, thanks

I think this could be because people are buying a house at a later age? Bought my first home when I was 36, what people would call a starter home. Still living in it, four years on.