House renovation and garage build
Discussion
Because I know how popular build threads are on here!
My girlfriend's grandfather passed away last year, leaving the house he's owned since the 50s to the family. As the house has always been the focal point for the family, they decided they would prefer it to stay in the family and we were asked if we wanted to buy it. Our medium term plan was to buy a house together (she's lived with me in my flat for 6 months) in that area of town anyway, and as the house has the essentials (off road parking and a garage) so we've decided to go for it.
The only problem is that as it stands it is a 90 year old man's house, albeit a 90 year old man who looked after his house meticulously until he wasn't able to anymore. So we're going to have to do a bit of renovation, which is something that neither of us have done before but we're both looking forward to it, especially as her family have said that we can get the work done before officially buying the house (I need to sell my flat to go towards the deposit) so we won't have to live in it while the work is going on.
So far I've had my friend who is an electrician round to look at the wiring and he has confirmed that it will need a rewire, as some of the wires are aluminium, we thought this would be the case anyway. We've also had a look at kitchens and bathrooms and both seem to agree with what we want, which should take some stress out of the process. The first unexpected problem has been found, the wooden garage is on a bit of a slant, so we'll have to add a new garage onto the list of jobs, but that isn't really important at the moment and means that I can get my perfect garage etc.
Our next steps are:
Get a quote for getting the kitchen redone - We've got a local company coming round to look at it later and give us suggestions, they've already said they'll be more expensive than the sheds (who we will probably get a quote from to compare) but seem to be much higher quality.
Get the heating/hot water checked out - We might need to get a radiator added in the dining room.
Price wise we are paying about £40k less than other houses similar, but already modernised houses in the area, but including garage further down the line we will probably spend that much, but get the house as we want it.
Any tips/suggestions, especially for what order things should be done, electrics/floors/decorating/windows/fitting gas fire etc would be much appreciated and I'm sure I'll have a load of questions as this progresses. Likewise if anybody can recommend good tradesmen in the Coventry area, that would be great!
04/02/2014 - I have changed the thread title as the thread now includes my garage build from February 2014/page 10.
My girlfriend's grandfather passed away last year, leaving the house he's owned since the 50s to the family. As the house has always been the focal point for the family, they decided they would prefer it to stay in the family and we were asked if we wanted to buy it. Our medium term plan was to buy a house together (she's lived with me in my flat for 6 months) in that area of town anyway, and as the house has the essentials (off road parking and a garage) so we've decided to go for it.
The only problem is that as it stands it is a 90 year old man's house, albeit a 90 year old man who looked after his house meticulously until he wasn't able to anymore. So we're going to have to do a bit of renovation, which is something that neither of us have done before but we're both looking forward to it, especially as her family have said that we can get the work done before officially buying the house (I need to sell my flat to go towards the deposit) so we won't have to live in it while the work is going on.
So far I've had my friend who is an electrician round to look at the wiring and he has confirmed that it will need a rewire, as some of the wires are aluminium, we thought this would be the case anyway. We've also had a look at kitchens and bathrooms and both seem to agree with what we want, which should take some stress out of the process. The first unexpected problem has been found, the wooden garage is on a bit of a slant, so we'll have to add a new garage onto the list of jobs, but that isn't really important at the moment and means that I can get my perfect garage etc.
Our next steps are:
Get a quote for getting the kitchen redone - We've got a local company coming round to look at it later and give us suggestions, they've already said they'll be more expensive than the sheds (who we will probably get a quote from to compare) but seem to be much higher quality.
Get the heating/hot water checked out - We might need to get a radiator added in the dining room.
Price wise we are paying about £40k less than other houses similar, but already modernised houses in the area, but including garage further down the line we will probably spend that much, but get the house as we want it.
Any tips/suggestions, especially for what order things should be done, electrics/floors/decorating/windows/fitting gas fire etc would be much appreciated and I'm sure I'll have a load of questions as this progresses. Likewise if anybody can recommend good tradesmen in the Coventry area, that would be great!
04/02/2014 - I have changed the thread title as the thread now includes my garage build from February 2014/page 10.
Edited by Craikeybaby on Friday 23 March 12:54
Edited by Craikeybaby on Tuesday 4th February 10:51
Might be helpful if you could show pictures?
Old house to me would be wiring/new lights at the same time, underfloor heating, check the state of the boiler, check the state of the plaster, kitchen improvements, bathroom improvements, maybe a new bathroom too.
But it really does depend on the current state.
Old house to me would be wiring/new lights at the same time, underfloor heating, check the state of the boiler, check the state of the plaster, kitchen improvements, bathroom improvements, maybe a new bathroom too.
But it really does depend on the current state.
A few pictures:
After spending a few hours at the house last night I've been convinced that we don't need to knock the kitchen and dining room into one big room, which should save us some money, as it was looking increasingly complicated.
We are certainly getting a full rewire and new kitchen. However, I hadn't thought of underfloor heating, are there benefits other than freeing up wall space by losing the radiators?
After spending a few hours at the house last night I've been convinced that we don't need to knock the kitchen and dining room into one big room, which should save us some money, as it was looking increasingly complicated.
We are certainly getting a full rewire and new kitchen. However, I hadn't thought of underfloor heating, are there benefits other than freeing up wall space by losing the radiators?
My take on underfloor heating is this.
Can be done off the boiler with actual water or off electricity, it rises all over the room rather than one spot next to a windows, keeps your feet warm whilst gently heating the room, electric underfloor heating can be put on to a zone system so only the rooms you are in get heated.
Radiators??? Who uses them anymore to dry clothes etc???
With them generally near the window some heat gets lost through the window itself, the heating of the room means those next to the radiator are roasting, whilst those on the other side of the room are luke warm, underfloor heating (water/electric) eliminates this.
If you have a small kitchen, budget for washer/dryer to use on the days when drying outside is not possible...
Do you have a floor plan?
Can be done off the boiler with actual water or off electricity, it rises all over the room rather than one spot next to a windows, keeps your feet warm whilst gently heating the room, electric underfloor heating can be put on to a zone system so only the rooms you are in get heated.
Radiators??? Who uses them anymore to dry clothes etc???
With them generally near the window some heat gets lost through the window itself, the heating of the room means those next to the radiator are roasting, whilst those on the other side of the room are luke warm, underfloor heating (water/electric) eliminates this.
If you have a small kitchen, budget for washer/dryer to use on the days when drying outside is not possible...
Do you have a floor plan?
pmanson said:
Should be a great project...
All I can say is flood wire it with CAT5/6 and Coax - everywhere you think you'll have a TV/PC/Other device and a few more for good measure.
I was already planning on getting CAT5 to a few places, I assume I'll need some sort of router/hub to control all the connections, I was going to get cables for the rear speakers of my surround sound set up wired in too.All I can say is flood wire it with CAT5/6 and Coax - everywhere you think you'll have a TV/PC/Other device and a few more for good measure.
Du1point8 said:
My take on underfloor heating is this.
Can be done off the boiler with actual water or off electricity, it rises all over the room rather than one spot next to a windows, keeps your feet warm whilst gently heating the room, electric underfloor heating can be put on to a zone system so only the rooms you are in get heated.
Radiators??? Who uses them anymore to dry clothes etc???
With them generally near the window some heat gets lost through the window itself, the heating of the room means those next to the radiator are roasting, whilst those on the other side of the room are luke warm, underfloor heating (water/electric) eliminates this.
If you have a small kitchen, budget for washer/dryer to use on the days when drying outside is not possible...
Do you have a floor plan?
It turns out the guy that is going to check our heating out next week, mainly does underfloor heating these days, so if we do need a new boiler (theres a back boiler installed at the moment) we will ask him about underfloor heating. There's a lead pipe going to the current boiler, so I understand that will need to be replaced.Can be done off the boiler with actual water or off electricity, it rises all over the room rather than one spot next to a windows, keeps your feet warm whilst gently heating the room, electric underfloor heating can be put on to a zone system so only the rooms you are in get heated.
Radiators??? Who uses them anymore to dry clothes etc???
With them generally near the window some heat gets lost through the window itself, the heating of the room means those next to the radiator are roasting, whilst those on the other side of the room are luke warm, underfloor heating (water/electric) eliminates this.
If you have a small kitchen, budget for washer/dryer to use on the days when drying outside is not possible...
Do you have a floor plan?
The kitchen guy we spoke to yesterday seemed really good, we're going to see what designs he's come up with next week. He said, he will be a bit more expensive than the DIY shops etc (we will be getting them round to quote too) but as we are planning on staying there for a while, I think I'd rather spend a bit more to get the quality.
The only room which needs a radiator has french windows (second picture down), so radiator will be on one of the other walls, we will also be replacing the gas fire in the room.
The kitchen is fairly small, but much bigger than where we live now, but there still won't be room for a dryer, I've got a washer dryer at the moment but never really got on with it, there is a big verandah at the back which could be good for drying.
Making a floorplan is on my list of things to do, I'm getting to grips with Google Sketchup, but slowly.
Edited by Craikeybaby on Tuesday 20th March 17:08
Yes, it is the gas pipe to the boiler. As we are already planning on moving the gas hob to the other side of the kitchen and probably fitting a new boiler (am I right in thinking back boilers aren't a great idea?) I agree that fitting new gas pipes will be a good idea before we tile downstairs.
We met with the kitchen designer yesterday and it actually turned out to be cheaper than we expected, about £10k, which includes taking all the old tiles off the wall and replastering, sorting out the ceiling (which is horrible polystyrene tiles, with a step under where the landing is) and solid wood worktops. My only concern is that the integrated dishwasher is unbranded (although has a 5 year warranty) but all the other appliances are known brands. The only disagreement between me & the girlfriend was what sort of extractor we want, which tbh neither of us are that fussed about. Our next step is going to be to get a kitchen quote from one of the sheds and see how that compares.
Tell me what he is doing as that seems quite a bit.
My friend is getting a new kitchen done now as part of the flat renovation.
kitchen bits = £2000
Appliances = £depends on taste
Rip out old one = £depends if you don't mind getting dirty
put in new one with electrics/plumbing/flooring/plastering does not equal £4k - £6k
My friend is getting a new kitchen done now as part of the flat renovation.
kitchen bits = £2000
Appliances = £depends on taste
Rip out old one = £depends if you don't mind getting dirty
put in new one with electrics/plumbing/flooring/plastering does not equal £4k - £6k
just for reference my mate just did one too, his costs were (approx)
Kitchen bits and installation £2500
Kitchen Sink and Tap £500 (he went a bit mad)
Corian Worktop Fitted £1000
Glass Splashback Fitted £400
Appliances - all top end £2000ish
Paint/Tiles/Decoration - £1000
Removal of old kitchen £100
Total cost £7,500 and this was for a large kitchen, and it looks quite stunning.
So i'm not saying £10k is too much, but i'd expect something rather special for it.
Kitchen bits and installation £2500
Kitchen Sink and Tap £500 (he went a bit mad)
Corian Worktop Fitted £1000
Glass Splashback Fitted £400
Appliances - all top end £2000ish
Paint/Tiles/Decoration - £1000
Removal of old kitchen £100
Total cost £7,500 and this was for a large kitchen, and it looks quite stunning.
So i'm not saying £10k is too much, but i'd expect something rather special for it.
Thanks for the input guys, the rough breakdown is:
Cabinets - £2,500
Sink & taps - £500 (we're going for a cheaper one anyway)
Appliances - £1700
Gas fitting - £200
Over boarding ceiling - £200
Plastering - £600
Tiling - £500 (removal of old tiles on walls & floor and fitting new floor tiles)
LED underlights - £200
Fitting - £1400 (including new door into cupboard under the stairs)
Then VAT on all that.
We're going to Magnet tonight to see what they can offer, although pricing up a kitchen on their website that we liked came to about £9,000 anyway.
We've also used Mavenlink to set up a project plan etc, at the moment we're planning on moving in by August and think this seems reasonable.
Cabinets - £2,500
Sink & taps - £500 (we're going for a cheaper one anyway)
Appliances - £1700
Gas fitting - £200
Over boarding ceiling - £200
Plastering - £600
Tiling - £500 (removal of old tiles on walls & floor and fitting new floor tiles)
LED underlights - £200
Fitting - £1400 (including new door into cupboard under the stairs)
Then VAT on all that.
We're going to Magnet tonight to see what they can offer, although pricing up a kitchen on their website that we liked came to about £9,000 anyway.
We've also used Mavenlink to set up a project plan etc, at the moment we're planning on moving in by August and think this seems reasonable.
Over the long weekend we made a bit more progress, mainly with getting my flat on the market (estate agent coming over later on) and getting our heads around what we want to do with regards to heating.
We have found out that the back boiler is part of the gas fire, which was fitted in 1973, we even found the handbook!
Old back boiler by Lewis Craik, on Flickr
Even though both the fire and the boiler are working fine, we are probably going to replace the boiler with a combi boiler (we just need to work out where we will be fitting it) as we are having gas work done to move the hob to the other side of the kitchen and we'd rather get all of the big jobs done before we move in.
Any advice on combi boilers and how much work is involved in moving the boiler to potentially the other side of the house would be great!
We both like the look of wood burning stoves to replace the gas fires in the living room/dining room, although we will probably leave those for when we have a bit more money, it's nice to find something we want to do which isn't linked to something else!
The minton tiles under the carpet in the hallway seem to be in good condition, so we will be removing the carpet and leaving them, as they are a good period feature of the house. The livingroom/dining room also have nice wooden floors under the carpets, which I like, but my girlfriend isn't so keen on.
We have found out that the back boiler is part of the gas fire, which was fitted in 1973, we even found the handbook!
Old back boiler by Lewis Craik, on Flickr
Even though both the fire and the boiler are working fine, we are probably going to replace the boiler with a combi boiler (we just need to work out where we will be fitting it) as we are having gas work done to move the hob to the other side of the kitchen and we'd rather get all of the big jobs done before we move in.
Any advice on combi boilers and how much work is involved in moving the boiler to potentially the other side of the house would be great!
We both like the look of wood burning stoves to replace the gas fires in the living room/dining room, although we will probably leave those for when we have a bit more money, it's nice to find something we want to do which isn't linked to something else!
The minton tiles under the carpet in the hallway seem to be in good condition, so we will be removing the carpet and leaving them, as they are a good period feature of the house. The livingroom/dining room also have nice wooden floors under the carpets, which I like, but my girlfriend isn't so keen on.
Edited by Craikeybaby on Friday 1st February 22:53
A word of caution about buying the house on the cheap, and also not buying it until you have finished the work on it. Whoever currently owns it could be liable to inheritance tax and capital gains tax, and selling it on the cheap could be considered tax fraud possibly.
Looks like a nice project though
Looks like a nice project though
Craikeybaby said:
Thanks for the input guys, the rough breakdown is:
Appliances - £1700
We've also used Mavenlink to set up a project plan etc, at the moment we're planning on moving in by August and think this seems reasonable.
Source your applicanes yourself there are so many comparison sites out there this is a must. Find what make he is sourcing and you will beat his prices on the internet. Appliances - £1700
We've also used Mavenlink to set up a project plan etc, at the moment we're planning on moving in by August and think this seems reasonable.
I don't know what Mavenlink is but I hope this isn't expensive.
My tips for a project like this rip everything out yourself tiles off the walls, kitchen units, tiles off the floor, wallpaper, carpets, everything that isn't connected to a water suppy or gas supply rip it out yourself. Beers for mates is a lot cheaper than a day rate for a builder. Then when the trades do come in they have a blank canvas to work with.
Plan, plan, plan and then plan again - it appears so much of what you want to do could be done better by doing structural, wiring & plumbing first, then getting the kitchen done. If I was changing as much of the house as you appear to be doing I'd only get the kitchen company to fit the kitchen - I wouldn't dream of them doing the ceiling as well.
Clear out as much as you can yourself before letting any trades start, then get a builder who can manage the trades and a couple of prices for the whole job unless you can PM yourself.
Lastly don't try and move in first - do all the changes while you're not living there.
Clear out as much as you can yourself before letting any trades start, then get a builder who can manage the trades and a couple of prices for the whole job unless you can PM yourself.
Lastly don't try and move in first - do all the changes while you're not living there.
amirzed said:
just for reference my mate just did one too, his costs were (approx)
Kitchen bits and installation £2500
Kitchen Sink and Tap £500 (he went a bit mad)
Corian Worktop Fitted £1000
Glass Splashback Fitted £400
Appliances - all top end £2000ish
Paint/Tiles/Decoration - £1000
Removal of old kitchen £100
Total cost £7,500 and this was for a large kitchen, and it looks quite stunning.
So i'm not saying £10k is too much, but i'd expect something rather special for it.
£2k for appliances "all top end" is way off, I'm pricing up our kitchen with Neff appliances at the moment and have got to around £8k just on those.Kitchen bits and installation £2500
Kitchen Sink and Tap £500 (he went a bit mad)
Corian Worktop Fitted £1000
Glass Splashback Fitted £400
Appliances - all top end £2000ish
Paint/Tiles/Decoration - £1000
Removal of old kitchen £100
Total cost £7,500 and this was for a large kitchen, and it looks quite stunning.
So i'm not saying £10k is too much, but i'd expect something rather special for it.
Craikeybaby said:
After spending a few hours at the house last night I've been convinced that we don't need to knock the kitchen and dining room into one big room, which should save us some money, as it was looking increasingly complicated.
Can I ask why not? It sounds like you have a small-ish kitchen so this would offer more space. Also, whilst not to everyone's taste, it's a very modern look which might pay dividends when you come to sell or have a family. If you're doing all this work anyway, now's the time to do it.Muncher said:
£2k for appliances "all top end" is way off, I'm pricing up our kitchen with Neff appliances at the moment and have got to around £8k just on those.
£8k on appliances sounds huge! We stock most of the major appliances including Neff an I am struggling to see how you are getting that high unless you are installing numerous ovens, warming drawers etc!?Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff