Victorian Terrace Renovation Tips

[RoCoSlow]

Hello, first post here. We moved into a Victorian terrace in Twickenham a few months ago. Nothing’s been done to it since the ‘80s (apart from a dodgy back extension…) We’ve made it liveable but are about to embark on a proper renovation project (!). Any tips from your projects? Feeling a bit overwhelmed by how much there is to do!

If I was starting again in my victorian terrace I would go on a course to learn how to plaster walls and ceilings.

Do the things that make it weather proof and safe first. Consider things like a modern hot water system and boiler. We replaced a nearly 40 year old boiler which worked perfectly (very little to go wrong) however it was so inefficient compared with a new one. We have mains pressure hot water now and have been able to remove the old water and header tanks. No pump needed for attic bathroom.

When it comes to decorating, do one room at a time otherwise nowhere will be finished and it will be soul-destroying. Kitchens and bathrooms are key rooms so spend time planning and getting that right before you do work. Get recommendations for tradespeople. Local Facebook groups can be good for this. Just watch the people recommending a particular person aren't just family members! Don't use the likes of Checkatrade.

Calculate your budget - then double it!

Aside from the practical stuff like plumbing and electrics, in terms of renovation don’t underestimate how much bigger Victorian doors, skirting boards etc are. We wasted days trying to strip them. Eventually we gave up, ripped them all out and sent the to be dipped (including all the fireplaces) and put them back in. They came up beautifully.

Buy The Victorian House Manual by Ian Alistair Rock, it will be you bible. We completely gutted two Victorian houses my main tip is don’t be surprised buy what you find underneath, such as rotten timbers, damp and blown plaster. Each job unearthed another job. In our cases we just went for it and removed plaster from walls and ceilings. Also, modern plumbing fixings won’t match up with Victorian ones.
once finished you’ll feel very proud of your beautiful home.

Strip it back to brick, complete rewire and plumbing, stick some insulation in and replaster.

Oh yes. Insulation, insulation, insulation!

Big thing for me would be the water mains if it is still on the old lead. Ours went (thankfully outside of the house) and when I did the work to pull it all up and replace there were many dodgy parts inside the house. One bit of it was propped up on some bricks and when I took the bricks away the pipe was so brittle that it sprung a leak. I think we weren’t very far from a flooded home catastrophe.

As per above, whenever you do something expect to also do a whole load of other stuff. When pulling up floorboards for instance to run new mdpe water mains I discovered a few of the joists were rotten. I also replaced the 1960’s wiring and all the plumbing under the floor which had certainly seen better days. If you can build the DIY skillet to do this stuff yourself you will save tens of thousands. It’s not terribly difficult, YouTube is your friend. It is in my view about pre-empting problems before they can happen.

Always remember old buildings need to breathe so watch out for
people selling you crappy non breathe-able insulation.

You'll end up with mould and rotting timbers

Let it breathe
Suggest getting professional advice and people in the know. Books by SPAB or SPAB scholars
not standard builders
It’s a shame local councils didn’t do that before they spent millions on insulation that has led to rot

Also suggest fully breathable paints
ie Nothing with glue substances

Remember no room is a regular shape. You need a kitchen and bathroom fitter that completly get that and be prepared to pay. My kitchen looks like a prefect rectangle, until you look closer at the counter tops!

On the other hand, it’s toasty in the winter and so cool in the summer.