I'm buying a Grade 2 listed do-er up-er!
Discussion
Rangeroverover said:
Good Luck, I bought this 3-4 years ago, thus far I'm about £140k into the refurb..........almost there. Even though I deal with property for a living, the difference when I saw the house without the vendors lovely furniture not in place was extraordinary......Good luck
sorry forgot to add this, gave £395 for it now worth about £650k and am about to get planning to turn the stable block into a 2 bed cottagehttp://wilkinsongrant.reapit.com/wgcrps/public/det...
VeegasRS6 said:
CaptainSensib1e said:
Congrats on the purchase, looks great. Where is it located? Only ask as I am also in North Somerset 
Ilminster, South Somerset. We've got family up near Cheddar. Lovely looking house OP!
Some of the older thatched roofed buildings in the Sumerton area are stunning.
mfmman said:
I really like those South Somerset old market towns. I'm in Bristol, but would love to live in Martock, Langport, Somerton etc
My sister lived in Somerton many years ago, a beautiful English village, and great fun in the White Hart - IIRC it was just after Princess Di was assassinated so 1997? I'd just arrived home from a six month stint in Thailand and to witness a proper English summer, walking their dog morning noon and night, a great place.Some of the older thatched roofed buildings in the Sumerton area are stunning.
Lovely looking house, and a great challenge.
Good luck with your Listings Officer - ours (in N. Wiltshire) is a royal pain.
Looking at your pictures, a couple of woodburners in the main living rooms would be a great way to keep fuel bills under control. You'll need permission, but whilst you're doing chimney work, it's the best time to fit liners.
There's a company called Ventrolla http://www.ventrolla.co.uk/repair/sash-window-repa... who may be helpful refurbing your windows which will cut down the draughts a bit. You'll probably get little joy asking for double glazing though despite the advances in ultra thin units available.
Good luck with your Listings Officer - ours (in N. Wiltshire) is a royal pain.
Looking at your pictures, a couple of woodburners in the main living rooms would be a great way to keep fuel bills under control. You'll need permission, but whilst you're doing chimney work, it's the best time to fit liners.
There's a company called Ventrolla http://www.ventrolla.co.uk/repair/sash-window-repa... who may be helpful refurbing your windows which will cut down the draughts a bit. You'll probably get little joy asking for double glazing though despite the advances in ultra thin units available.
TheExcession said:
Lovely looking house OP!
Some of the older thatched roofed buildings in the Sumerton area are stunning.
Certainly a lovely part of the country. mfmman said:
I really like those South Somerset old market towns. I'm in Bristol, but would love to live in Martock, Langport, Somerton etc
My sister lived in Somerton many years ago, a beautiful English village, and great fun in the White Hart - IIRC it was just after Princess Di was assassinated so 1997? I'd just arrived home from a six month stint in Thailand and to witness a proper English summer, walking their dog morning noon and night, a great place.Some of the older thatched roofed buildings in the Sumerton area are stunning.
to the OP.Thought I recognised the road in your pic.
You've got a good 'Bradfords' just down the road.
I'm the other end of the by-pass.
Short update as I've had a couple of days off and starting to get things done.
All of the very nice vanity sinks are off the walls in the bedrooms and the tiles have been started to be pulled dow. All of the old curtain track and curtains (that the last owners kindly left) that haven't been touched or washed for 35 plus years
have also been taken (ripped) down, spider carcasses and all.
I've also just finished putting up 50 metres worth of dog proof fencing in the garden and associated posts so hands are starting to feel like I've been pounding the posts with the palms.
Changing the 3x toilet seats was a nightmare, as no modern seats properly fit, so all manner of bodgery was employed to get them on as well as a wide selection of "tools"
|http://thumbsnap.com/wU0CwZQQ[/url]
The house itself has a very nice "feel" to it, and surprisingly warm, the cast iron radiators absolutely belt out heat and retain warmth for about 3/4 hours after the heating goes off. Cast iron baths are interesting to use, a mix of rough patches and friggin smooth, dependent if your having a bath and getting your arse sandpapered or showering and ice skating around in them.
Best find so far, the original servants call bell system is still fully operation (just needed the fuse sorting in the relay for it) and Mrs Veegas has threatened to punch me on the nose if I continue to press it when she's downstairs and call for tea and toast
2nd best thing, getting my book collection out, which has been in storage for the last 8 months. Its like rediscovering old friends.
Thanks all for the kind wishes and hello's, I'll do some proper replies at the weekend.
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All of the very nice vanity sinks are off the walls in the bedrooms and the tiles have been started to be pulled dow. All of the old curtain track and curtains (that the last owners kindly left) that haven't been touched or washed for 35 plus years
have also been taken (ripped) down, spider carcasses and all. I've also just finished putting up 50 metres worth of dog proof fencing in the garden and associated posts so hands are starting to feel like I've been pounding the posts with the palms.
Changing the 3x toilet seats was a nightmare, as no modern seats properly fit, so all manner of bodgery was employed to get them on as well as a wide selection of "tools"
|http://thumbsnap.com/wU0CwZQQ[/url]The house itself has a very nice "feel" to it, and surprisingly warm, the cast iron radiators absolutely belt out heat and retain warmth for about 3/4 hours after the heating goes off. Cast iron baths are interesting to use, a mix of rough patches and friggin smooth, dependent if your having a bath and getting your arse sandpapered or showering and ice skating around in them.
Best find so far, the original servants call bell system is still fully operation (just needed the fuse sorting in the relay for it) and Mrs Veegas has threatened to punch me on the nose if I continue to press it when she's downstairs and call for tea and toast
2nd best thing, getting my book collection out, which has been in storage for the last 8 months. Its like rediscovering old friends.
Thanks all for the kind wishes and hello's, I'll do some proper replies at the weekend.
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Sorry for the very length period since the last update, I've been pretty much flat out.
I'll do a proper photo update this week, but one of the earlier posters commented on the speed with which projects like this soak up time and money, which was absolutely spot on!
Quick list of things done since March,
Total rewire of the house.
Hive heating controls installed.
60 plus meters of dog proof fencing installed.
4 sets of sash windows recommissioned
2x doors rehung
3 rooms redecorated
2 carpeted
Dangled off the roof to unclog the rain hopper in a thunderstorm, with a friggin white water river going on inbetween the valleys of the roof where I was standing / wading. (not looking to do that again!)
Lost an 80million year old fossil in pond.
Bathroom completely stripped and replastered, including removing the 28 stone cast iron bath with a 12lb sledge hammer.
Loads more, but they'll no doubt come to me when I have a look through the photos.
I'll do a proper photo update this week, but one of the earlier posters commented on the speed with which projects like this soak up time and money, which was absolutely spot on!
Quick list of things done since March,
Total rewire of the house.
Hive heating controls installed.
60 plus meters of dog proof fencing installed.
4 sets of sash windows recommissioned
2x doors rehung
3 rooms redecorated
2 carpeted
Dangled off the roof to unclog the rain hopper in a thunderstorm, with a friggin white water river going on inbetween the valleys of the roof where I was standing / wading. (not looking to do that again!)
Lost an 80million year old fossil in pond.
Bathroom completely stripped and replastered, including removing the 28 stone cast iron bath with a 12lb sledge hammer.
Loads more, but they'll no doubt come to me when I have a look through the photos.
Update time: current on public transport to go and look at a car so seems like a good use of time.
Right bathroom first;
Yea gads, I've never been so frustrated by every single thing that I've attempted to do. The wife and I started out by thinking it would be a relatively simple strip of the walls, redecorate and fit new sanitary ware.
Not even close. The wall paper was 11 (yes eleven) layers thick.
On the external wall, the paper was also holding the plaster up, so as the paper came off, loads and loads of the plaster came down too!
We've plasterboarded, boarded and plastered the walls.
Now the bath - all 28 stone and bolted to the joist delight that it was. I considered getting some mates round to remove it out, but we have a fairly tight dog leg into the room, having measured it would have gone - bit up on its short end. I decided to scrap that and go with a bit more therapeutic way of taking it out.
Sledgehammer, lump hammer, chisel thick wool blanket, 32oC heat and an hour later, jobs jobbed
Decoration is nearly done and the plumber is coming back next week to give me a hand connecting up the two vanity units and free standing bath. There is a mix of imperial, metric, Victorian random size, leadpipe waste, cast iron soil and other general bodgery that I'm trying to recitify.
I'm slowly coming around to the conclusion that it's going to be easier to replace the whole heating and plumbing system at some point.
I'll do another post with the next lot of photos.
Right bathroom first;
Yea gads, I've never been so frustrated by every single thing that I've attempted to do. The wife and I started out by thinking it would be a relatively simple strip of the walls, redecorate and fit new sanitary ware.
Not even close. The wall paper was 11 (yes eleven) layers thick.
On the external wall, the paper was also holding the plaster up, so as the paper came off, loads and loads of the plaster came down too!
We've plasterboarded, boarded and plastered the walls.
Now the bath - all 28 stone and bolted to the joist delight that it was. I considered getting some mates round to remove it out, but we have a fairly tight dog leg into the room, having measured it would have gone - bit up on its short end. I decided to scrap that and go with a bit more therapeutic way of taking it out.
Sledgehammer, lump hammer, chisel thick wool blanket, 32oC heat and an hour later, jobs jobbed
Decoration is nearly done and the plumber is coming back next week to give me a hand connecting up the two vanity units and free standing bath. There is a mix of imperial, metric, Victorian random size, leadpipe waste, cast iron soil and other general bodgery that I'm trying to recitify.
I'm slowly coming around to the conclusion that it's going to be easier to replace the whole heating and plumbing system at some point.
I'll do another post with the next lot of photos.
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