Complete renovation - how expensive?

[bringonyourwreckingball]

I am looking at this house This house which basically needs gutting and starting again. I would be looking to achieve something similar to This. Can anyone estimate a ballpark figure what that might cost? Assuming not premium spec but not basic, I’m not going to do any of the work myself and I don’t know anyone in the trades so no mates rates. I just want a feel for whether it’s even worth thinking about as I do like the idea of making it completely mine (starting again after a very nasty divorce).

Is there a reason for that area of Sheffield/south Yorkshire? You're paying mostly for location there.

I'd get a damp survey, there's no obvious cracks, houses like that (like mine) have been stood for 100years and require maintenance, but they're solid.

I'm further out than you/that house and paid 1/4 in COVID for something similar. Hence asking about the location.

Yes I need to stay local for my friends/kids friends/family and to a degree work. I have always lived this side of Sheffield, I know the location is expensive, that’s not the issue. I recently lost out on a fully renovated but not entirely to my taste house close by so am just wondering whether I could do this up to my specifications and still bring it in under/around what I would have paid for the other one. The market is also weirdly buoyant round here compared to elsewhere, everything is going to sealed bids.

To be fair it doesn’t look horrendous but I would get a full survey done.

I’ll make a random guess of

Around 80-100k, assuming no structural issues.

Depending on if you keeping the layout the same and it needing new heating/electrics. I would say 70-100k depending on what type of finishes you want. If you’re wanting the garden done and new windows add another 20k.
it doesn’t look too bad to me but would get a good survey don’t incase it has any hidden nasties!

If you wanted to change the layout so that it was the same as the "finished" house then I would say £100-150k. I'm not local but have just finished a renovation project.

I would also say that if you were doing the layout changes then it would be very difficult to live on site while work was ongoing, especially if you have children.

It looks very damp, so it depends where that’s coming from. Looking at the attic photos, it’s either had really bad condensation or the roof is leaking somewhere.

If it’s not damp, I bet you could modernise it for £25k…depends how far you want to go with windows, etc.

I’ve renovated two period properties. I would estimate £125-175k, depending on the situation with the water system, boiler, electrics and windows.

@Didimum you would struggle to spend that much on a terraced renovation in sheffield.

I spent £100k for gutting, plus cost of kitchen on top of that, in 2020. Prices have risen massively since then so I’d figure £150-200k.

Honestly dont do it

We did, we bought a house in a similar state of repair and we knew about the problems... we were so so naive. We are 80k in and it needs another 10 to finish it. ( we are a town near Hull so similar prices to Sheffield) We have had to replace the roof, full damp proof course and new double glazing though and this alone was about 35k in total.

It is very difficult living in a building site. Tradesmen can be difficult, it soon feels like a full time job getting quotes arranging things etc. It is a lot. Especially after work having to sort stuff out.

We dont have the money currently to finish the house yet bit I dont even care, 3 years we have been at it ( 30% of the work we have been able to do ourselves) and I am done. I honestly would never do this again. unless you are married to a builder or can throw a ton of cash and keep throwing the money at it. Nightmare

The house looks like its got penetrative damp, the dorma has seen much better days and if you view do check the double glazing is not blown. Check the pointing/ state of brickwork too. To plaster , redo skirting/ joinery and replace socket covers , painting materials and flooring in a room you are looking at about 2 -4k per room.( depending on spec) We got a diy kitchen and although that saved money by the time you have paid the tiler, electrician etc etc it still cost 20k. Bathroom just materials alone was 3k..

I think i have PTSD from it to be honest

You really wouldn’t if the needs aren’t purely cosmetic. 4 bedroom with loft and cellar. Plus you should absolutely always budget at least 10% more than quoted for every job.

@Didimum we did a very large 6 bed back to brick terraced renovation with a new roof in sheffield about ten years ago and it was £100,000. It was pre covid so prices were cheaper but it was probably 2.5 x bigger than the house the OP wants to do. The costs of materials in a property this size are just not that expensive and there usually isnt space for an extension.

We are doing a reno in sheffield at the moment so these are curent prices.
So if i round things up, you are looking at roughly £10,000 for new electrics if needed,
£10,000 new heating system,
£10-15,000 new roof
£10-15 new kitchen
£15-20 for two new bathrooms
Not sure how much plastering is nowdays but it should be well less than £1000 a room so maybe £5-7000? (9 rooms)
Decorating maybe similar for a really high end finish.
New floors maybe similar.
Windows look ok
So if we assume the top end of what i have estimated thats a total of £91,000.

I genuinely cant see what they could manage to spend an extra 35 - 85,000 on?

Windows look very dated UPVC. Would assume you would replace in a complete reno. Eight windows, including a bay. Would definitely reserve £20k for those.

Plastering is at least £1000 for a medium sized room – average is £1100 for a small room in East Anglia. Plus hallways and stairs, which you haven’t factored, so £9k is the more realistic cost.

So that’s £113k, and I said always budget 10% contingency. Not a struggle to reach that at all.

Regardless, we don’t have to agree.

Windows are less than £1000 each in Sheffield so maybe £8000 max and plastering is cheaper than £1000 a room here too. Last year we were quoted £800 per room for large 4 by 5m rooms, 3m heigh plus ceilings Its just cheaper to do stuff in south Yorkshire than it is in east anglia.

Builder here. Without walking round it nobody can give you a real figure, but this is how I'd break it down for a full gut on a 4-bed terrace with a mid-range finish and no layout changes. These are very rough guides and prices vary a lot by area and spec:

• Full rewire: £6k to £9k
• New heating and plumbing with a new boiler and radiators: £8k to £12k
• Replastering throughout: £8k to £12k
• Kitchen, fitted, mid-range: £15k to £25k
• Bathroom: £8k to £12k
• Windows, if they need doing: £8k to £12k
• Flooring, doors, skirting and decorating: £10k to £15k
• Skips, making good and the bits nobody budgets for: £5k or so

That lands somewhere around £70k to £110k before anything structural, the garden or moving walls about. Then add 10 to 15% contingency, because old houses always hide something once you start stripping out.

The one I'd look at hardest before bidding is that attic. If the staining is from a roof leak or failed felt, a full re-roof on a terrace can add £10k to £15k on its own. If it's condensation, it could be much cheaper (ventilation and insulation). The same goes for damp at ground level, which can be anything from a blocked gutter to replacing floors.

With sealed bids, if you can get a builder to walk round with you on a second viewing, it's well worth it, and a Level 3 survey once your bid is accepted will tell you what you're really dealing with before you're committed.

Making somewhere completely yours after a rough time is a lovely thing to do. Just go in with a contingency so it stays exciting rather than stressful.

Oh i am so glad a man came along and basically said exactly the same thing i did a couple of posts ago. Phew what would we do if there weren't men on here to help us to undeeatand complicated things like renovations...

The builder was just giving his helpful opinion........honestly so uncalled for

50 quid. Maybe more.

Minimum 100k.

I'm in the middle of renovating a property now and I don't recommend it. It's a lot of stress.

Look at the difference in cost between the one you want to buy and the one that's been done up. It's about £150K. Those owners will have added in an element for the stress and inconvenience of the work but they will have spent well over £100K on renovations.

You need to budget for over £100K. You need a full survey before making any offer. There could be damp, total rewiring, new boiler and central heating, double glazing, bathrooms and kitchen and that's without knocking down walls to open it up downstairs.

What a nasty comment.

How do you know it's a man?

Look at your list again- A kitchen for £10 or £15? So cheap!

And no one sells a do-er upper for exactly the cost of materials.

They factor in their time, hassle, maybe renting somewhere while the work was done.

It's not a simple 'It cost us £90K to do it up so we'll sell for £90K over what we bought it for'.

Just because they're a builder doesn't mean they're a man!

OP there seems to be an issue with damp in several rooms.

I would get a full survey and also make sure you arrange for a builder to also view the house and give you an idea of how much the work would cost so you can revise your offer.

If there are local Facebook community groups ask for recommendations about local builders.

Also remember that what usually happens when you renovate is that you start finding other issues (old botched DIY, work previously done by cowboy tradespeople) so your budget is likely to be more than planned.

Consider as well what you could do yourself (painting, decorating, the garden) to reduce the costs.