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Costings for a doer upper

32 replies

TryingToGetOnTheLadder · 15/11/2025 13:15

Looking to take on a project. Does anyone know rough figures for the following (east midlands):

  • needs all new windows and doors - 2 doors and 7 windows
  • new boiler
  • new fences (terrace garden so long)
  • garden currently slabbed, would look to grass that
  • New carpets

plan to do majority myself/family have offered too

house itself looks structurally good, no damp seen, they do have a stair lift, is that likely to be removed or would it be left for me? Is that a big repair? Looks like its attached to the staircase and wall

they seem to have an obsession with plug sockets. Counted seven double sockets in one room!

house is clearly an old persons house and a smoker (very pungent on viewing it). Is the smell easy to remove?

hoping to do it up and move in 5 years (or sooner)

OP posts:
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HellsBalls · 16/11/2025 21:25

House 2 has some horrible, but thin, rendering over the brickwork. May or may not be an issue. Condition looks ok.
What is obvious is it needs a new bay roof. Most likely, looking at the state of the felt, and the quite low lead flashing, I’d hazard a guess the wooden boards (under the felt) will need replacing as well. At that size of roof, should be done in lead/tin or ‘fiberglass’. Lead would be my first choice. Also the woodwork needs replacing. I don’t see where the bay roof water goes. Is the guttering missing? Or does it somehow drain into that down pipe on the right?
Take a look up and down the street and see what other people have done. Ideally there’d be a way to do it in uPVC. Not as pretty but maintainence free.
The lower damp hopefully can be sorted by addressing the ground level outside. Is it suspended wooden floors? A picture of that area would help. The skirting has been replaced, maybe because they were rotten from damp. If the skirting was rotten, maybe the floor was also damaged.
Chimney damp, I don’t know. Is the chimney in use?
Upstairs below window damp, as per PP, probably bad fitting. It seems to be sat on original ‘stone’ sill or plinth, most likely the seal has gone there. Make sure the new window comes with its own sill to cover over the original.

TryingToGetOnTheLadder · 16/11/2025 22:52

HellsBalls · 16/11/2025 21:25

House 2 has some horrible, but thin, rendering over the brickwork. May or may not be an issue. Condition looks ok.
What is obvious is it needs a new bay roof. Most likely, looking at the state of the felt, and the quite low lead flashing, I’d hazard a guess the wooden boards (under the felt) will need replacing as well. At that size of roof, should be done in lead/tin or ‘fiberglass’. Lead would be my first choice. Also the woodwork needs replacing. I don’t see where the bay roof water goes. Is the guttering missing? Or does it somehow drain into that down pipe on the right?
Take a look up and down the street and see what other people have done. Ideally there’d be a way to do it in uPVC. Not as pretty but maintainence free.
The lower damp hopefully can be sorted by addressing the ground level outside. Is it suspended wooden floors? A picture of that area would help. The skirting has been replaced, maybe because they were rotten from damp. If the skirting was rotten, maybe the floor was also damaged.
Chimney damp, I don’t know. Is the chimney in use?
Upstairs below window damp, as per PP, probably bad fitting. It seems to be sat on original ‘stone’ sill or plinth, most likely the seal has gone there. Make sure the new window comes with its own sill to cover over the original.

Looking at the photos when the person bought it, i honestly dont think they ever moved in. That was 5 years ago. Shes not from this country. I think its been pretty much empty

OP posts:
HellsBalls · 17/11/2025 07:26

It would certainly be cheaper to buy a great £180k house than this one for £160k.
Realistically the days of doer uppers being worthwhile have gone.
What about the electrics in this house? Plenty of double sockets in every room? How are the ceilings? Flat or artexed?
Care to post a link?

HellsBalls · 17/11/2025 12:40

Actually, I sleuthed it and found the advert (second page of second search!)
The chimneys damp is undoubtedly because the 4 chimney pots are open/uncapped. If you bought it, you’d have to remove the pots or pot a proper cowling on each one. This needs scaffolding, maybe a day’s work for 2 guys. Guesstimate £2k. Then they will dry out on their own. As the neighbours have already capped theirs, they may have removed the chimney breasts which would make it more expensive to remove yours, if you were thinking of doing that.
There’s also a chimney in the back bedroom not shown on the plan. That could come down, but again maybe 2k.
Generally it’s a typical uncared for terrace. It does need a rewire as in some rooms there is only one socket. The plumbing is surface mount. There are skirting boards missing and badly laid carpets, someone has pulled out fitted wardrobes maybe, and as you’ve seen the need to re-carpet most rooms, and decorate all over.
Other bay windows also have no guttering, looks like they just rely on the overhang.
It is a good size etc, I can see why you like it.
Assemble your arguments why it’s not worth 160k (bay roof, damp, rewire, chimneys, single glazing, obvious repairs like skirting) and make your offer.

MsJinks · 17/11/2025 12:55

I had to have my late mum’s stairlift removed pre leaving- it leaves no damage, surprisingly, as it’s only attached with more minimal screws than you’d imagine. On the wall this is similar to a bannister having been fitted/removed, and the stair treads have very, very little screws and it just leaves the carpet looking indented, similar to heavy furniture so it comes out over time - more or less instantly on my mum’s flooring.
If they leave it behind either try to find out who fitted it and get it removed for free (Stannah did ours) or try we buy any stairlift - you’ll get no return on the original outlay, neither would the purchasers.
Id ask them to organise it (it was very straightforward) and don’t worry there’ll be any damage - our buyer inspected the stairs post removal and was surprised (he couldn’t get more money off!).
You shouldn’t do it yourself due to electrics - my daughter did have to reduce her house slightly though once though due to the spare electrical fuse mentioned on the survey - random and didn’t happen to me, though maybe as removed after survey.

HellsBalls · 17/11/2025 13:09

@MsJinks good point, that’s worth at least another £500 discount.

DrPrunesqualer · 17/11/2025 20:32

HellsBalls · 17/11/2025 12:40

Actually, I sleuthed it and found the advert (second page of second search!)
The chimneys damp is undoubtedly because the 4 chimney pots are open/uncapped. If you bought it, you’d have to remove the pots or pot a proper cowling on each one. This needs scaffolding, maybe a day’s work for 2 guys. Guesstimate £2k. Then they will dry out on their own. As the neighbours have already capped theirs, they may have removed the chimney breasts which would make it more expensive to remove yours, if you were thinking of doing that.
There’s also a chimney in the back bedroom not shown on the plan. That could come down, but again maybe 2k.
Generally it’s a typical uncared for terrace. It does need a rewire as in some rooms there is only one socket. The plumbing is surface mount. There are skirting boards missing and badly laid carpets, someone has pulled out fitted wardrobes maybe, and as you’ve seen the need to re-carpet most rooms, and decorate all over.
Other bay windows also have no guttering, looks like they just rely on the overhang.
It is a good size etc, I can see why you like it.
Assemble your arguments why it’s not worth 160k (bay roof, damp, rewire, chimneys, single glazing, obvious repairs like skirting) and make your offer.

We had a cherry picker when our chimneys were lined and pots repaired.

Cheaper than scaffolding

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