Edwardian houses - improving insulation & Maintenance issues

Edwardian houses - improving insulation & Maintenance issues

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Timja

Original Poster:

1,921 posts

208 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Love the style of older properties and have seen an Edwardian detached house which is large but quite tempting.

The size doesn't worry me but the heating, general running costs and potential maintenance bills are a bit of an unknown for me.

I realise it will vary from house to house but does anyone have experience of an older 100+ year old house in terms of the potential big bills that could come up, things to look out for when viewing and specifically an idea of any ways to improve the insulation as I believe they have solid walls and no insulation. One house we have seen has double glazing but otherwise is original as far as i know.

Has anyone added internal/external insulation to an old property? Any advice and feedback on how it helped with bills?

jason61c

5,978 posts

173 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Timja said:
Love the style of older properties and have seen an Edwardian detached house which is large but quite tempting.

The size doesn't worry me but the heating, general running costs and potential maintenance bills are a bit of an unknown for me.

I realise it will vary from house to house but does anyone have experience of an older 100+ year old house in terms of the potential big bills that could come up, things to look out for when viewing and specifically an idea of any ways to improve the insulation as I believe they have solid walls and no insulation. One house we have seen has double glazing but otherwise is original as far as i know.

Has anyone added internal/external insulation to an old property? Any advice and feedback on how it helped with bills?
I wouldn't bother, for the cost, the potential damage it could do/can do is massive.

dazwalsh

6,095 posts

140 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Thing with old houses is when you start peeling back the surface you find out new levels of botched repairs, rot, damp, dodgy electrics and plumbing, seagulls the lot. I would avoid unless you plan to gut the place and start fresh. That's the only way really your going to get insulated walls, floors etc.

Yazar

1,476 posts

119 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Timja said:
Love the style of older properties and have seen an Edwardian detached house which is large but quite tempting.

The size doesn't worry me but the heating, general running costs and potential maintenance bills are a bit of an unknown for me.

I realise it will vary from house to house but does anyone have experience of an older 100+ year old house in terms of the potential big bills that could come up, things to look out for when viewing and specifically an idea of any ways to improve the insulation as I believe they have solid walls and no insulation. One house we have seen has double glazing but otherwise is original as far as i know.

Has anyone added internal/external insulation to an old property? Any advice and feedback on how it helped with bills?
I live in one! Look for any structural damage/get a survey. Don't overly worry - remember that it has been stood there for a hundred years, and will be standing there in another hundred years too!

The period style is worth it. I lived in a Victorian prior too.

Modernization big Bills:

Roughly £1k if you have a lead water pipe and want it changed, check the water pressure before buying so if low then showers will be crap. Mine was high even on lead.
Roughly £1k if you want to have gas meter moved outside
Roughly £1k if you want to have elec meter moved outside
Roughly £3-5k to get a rewire if hasnt been done, depending on what you want done (you can get an electrician to safety test the electrics and advise if it needs a re-wire or not, but best get it out of the way).

New Kitchen- depends on how fancy you want it, and if you are fitting yourself or not.
New Bathroom -as above.

With the two rooms above, walls maynot be straight inwhich case best to dotndab new plasterboard so at 90 degrees when the kithen bath etc are fitted.

Heating- how new is the boiler and cylinder.
Check for any asbestos.
Decorating- if wallpaper and you strip, be prepared for rough walls. So may need it skimmed. If you are happy with good enough then diy the skim = cheap as chips (I am doing this way) or if not Plasterer cost. Or can skip with lining paper.
Roof- I still have the clay tiles and no leaks although spent £500 on leading the sides of the roof, check accordingly as a new roof will be a few k.
Check drains are ok
check guttering hasnt been left leaking for a decade

Insulation wise, there is a lot of fuss made over the single brick solid wall insulation that period walls have. I looked into it and the payback to recoup the £10k+ external insulation is many years so I wouldn't bother. Maybe worth doing the living room exterior walls with insulation backed plasterboard.

Insulation itself is relatively cheap- its the labour that adds to it, so diy and simple. I have insulation in the loft already and have insulated the first floor with Rookwool (£250 for my terrace) and will be doing the ground floor too, but the former was done more for sound proofing and the latter for underfloor heating.

If your old and feel the cold then insulation is a priority, if young and house is relatively in the south of the country then not end of the world, just ad TRVs to each radiator so you are not needlessly heating all the house all of the time.

It may sound like a lot of work, but basically just do a bit over time, starting with the one which creates the most mess (re-wire, any re-modelling such as knocking walls/chimneys through).

Edited by Yazar on Thursday 26th February 16:30

Uncle John

4,271 posts

190 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
I was in the process of buying a lovely Edwardian house until I got the survey back.

The main thing wrong was that it needed a new roof and all the associated fascias and not to forget chimney repair in the very near future..... but there were lots of other things. DPC's covered over, bodged repairs and a 150ft Edwardian wall that needed attention as it was about to fall over.

As has been mentioned, what else would you find as you peeled back the layers???

Needless to say I walked away and IMO a lucky man. Could've been disastrous.

andy43

9,552 posts

253 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Run.
But if you already own it and it's lime plastered or rendered - or both - do not believe anybody who says you can insulate the walls and not have problems down the line.

hidetheelephants

23,778 posts

192 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Uncle John said:
I was in the process of buying a lovely Edwardian house until I got the survey back.

The main thing wrong was that it needed a new roof and all the associated fascias and not to forget chimney repair in the very near future..... but there were lots of other things. DPC's covered over, bodged repairs and a 150ft Edwardian wall that needed attention as it was about to fall over.

As has been mentioned, what else would you find as you peeled back the layers???

Needless to say I walked away and IMO a lucky man. Could've been disastrous.
None of those look like walk away material, just negotiating points; you need to bear in mind that some surveyors are proper doom merchants, especially when looking at older property. When I bought my first flat, you'd have thought the place was falling down from the survey; other than some minor roof repairs all the work I carried out was cosmetic(admittedly a lot of cosmetic work) in 4 years of ownership.

Mr GrimNasty

8,172 posts

169 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
andy43 said:
Run.
But if you already own it and it's lime plastered or rendered - or both - do not believe anybody who says you can insulate the walls and not have problems down the line.
Yes you can, far less problematic than cavity wall insulation.

buggalugs

9,243 posts

236 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
We are in a c1898 detached 4 bed. It does take a bit of heating in the winter. We had british gas throw in a load of free loft insulation last autumn though which made a massive difference. Well I say throw in, I spent a week looking like chimney sweep clearing out the inch deep dust, soot and rubble first. You don't get that in a Barratt.

The walls are solid 3 bricks deep so no insulation for us.

Little things make a big difference like blocking the chimneys when not in use, closing the thick curtains without covering the rads. I have the heating ballanced to leave the halls a little cooler and the rooms a little warmer.

Sure there's a few bits around the house that aren't ideal but you think well, it's been like that for the last hundred years so why worry. If you're a worrier then a newer house might be better.

Over the year the gas & electric averages £170/mo at the moment.

fido

16,752 posts

254 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
I have a 20s property, just after that period, and the tall ceilings do not help with heating the home. Ground floor is quite cold, but the biggest improvement made by the previous owner was a new roof which keeps the top floor and attic quite toasty. So either plan for a complete refurbishment of roof / loft extension or find somewhere else, as others have said.

Yazar

1,476 posts

119 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
hidetheelephants said:
you need to bear in mind that some surveyors are proper doom merchants, especially when looking at older property. When I bought my first flat, you'd have thought the place was falling down from the survey;
yes

Exactly the same for me. As a ftb I was panicking, best thing I did was pick up the phone and chat to the surveyor in person where I got a proper chat as opposed to the report which is solely designed to mitigate any remote future liability.

hidetheelephants

23,778 posts

192 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Yazar said:
hidetheelephants said:
you need to bear in mind that some surveyors are proper doom merchants, especially when looking at older property. When I bought my first flat, you'd have thought the place was falling down from the survey;
yes

Exactly the same for me. As a ftb I was panicking, best thing I did was pick up the phone and chat to the surveyor in person where I got a proper chat as opposed to the report which is solely designed to mitigate any remote future liability.
On the plus side the scary survey frightened off all other prospective purchasers and gave me leverage to knock a few grand off; result! hehe

HootersGsy

731 posts

135 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Another in an old house. Just completing some repair works which estimated at £15k.... current estimate, £40k after finding rather more wet rot than anticipated.

Oh well.

When it comes to heat retention, insulate then try to cut down draughts. Our house is quite warm apart from when there's a strong wind whistling between the floor joists!

jason61c

5,978 posts

173 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Anyone who says run deserves to live in a faceless whimpy house.

They need love and care but will outlast anything built recently.

Don't insulate as you need to see if the walls are built using lime, also if lime plastered, or if it should be? Lime is such a great finish compared to gypsum etc.

Don't be scared, do research, take your time and view it as not an owner but a custodian.

Timja

Original Poster:

1,921 posts

208 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Thanks for all the replies (especially the details yazar), good getting both for and against view points.

Would of course get a survey, but I know they like to cover themselves in case something does go wrong so I sometimes question how good some of them are! I know the house has had the lead pipes removed already and looks in good order so hopefully been well looked after,

It is a real difficult one of whether to get the character and difficulties that come with old places (although fortunately it is outside the conservation area/not listed if anything did need doing) or get a more dull 1960's on property with more usual modern construction!

Going to look around some more places at the weekend including 2nd viewing of the Edwardian place so can compare with a 1960's and 1990's place too.

The Edwardian place has garaging for 3 cars and parking for loads which does appeal! haha!

Uncle John

4,271 posts

190 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
hidetheelephants said:
Uncle John said:
I was in the process of buying a lovely Edwardian house until I got the survey back.

The main thing wrong was that it needed a new roof and all the associated fascias and not to forget chimney repair in the very near future..... but there were lots of other things. DPC's covered over, bodged repairs and a 150ft Edwardian wall that needed attention as it was about to fall over.

As has been mentioned, what else would you find as you peeled back the layers???

Needless to say I walked away and IMO a lucky man. Could've been disastrous.
None of those look like walk away material, just negotiating points; you need to bear in mind that some surveyors are proper doom merchants, especially when looking at older property. When I bought my first flat, you'd have thought the place was falling down from the survey; other than some minor roof repairs all the work I carried out was cosmetic(admittedly a lot of cosmetic work) in 4 years of ownership.
Jeez, so you think I just walked away without negotiations? Thanks for your informed input but when the roof estimate was 60k and the sellers wouldn't budge on an already very high asking price then I deem that walk away material. Let some other mug buy it and fund their lifestyle, and deal with all the grief of the repairs.

Moominho

893 posts

139 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
jason61c said:
Anyone who says run deserves to live in a faceless whimpy house.
This. I love Edwardian houses, the style, the grandeur, the imposing look. I can't currently afford one (not where I live anyway), but it's my ultimate property goal. I can die happy if I live in one.

Be careful, but there is a reason they have been standing for so long. All the best, I hope you find a good one.

Moominho

893 posts

139 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
jason61c said:
Anyone who says run deserves to live in a faceless whimpy house.
This. I love Edwardian houses, the style, the grandeur, the imposing look. I can't currently afford one (not where I live anyway), but it's my ultimate property goal. I can die happy if I live in one.

Be careful, but there is a reason they have been standing for so long. All the best, I hope you find a good one.

cranford10

350 posts

115 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
we have a 6 bed Edwardian detached and in my opinion, you just have to appreciate that it is 'different' to a new build. It is draughty and with solid walls & we cannot have insulation but the upside is that in Summer it is lovely & cool.

we average C.£220 pm over the year for gas & electricity but we have a Rayburn in the kitchen that contributes to this and as we are about 50 meters from the sea, so get more winds than you might.

The high ceilings, larger rooms and sense of history all mean more to me than slightly lower bills and so I just put a jumper on !

Croutons

9,807 posts

165 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
Ours is '20s and I there is a lot of sense here.

I can say that whete we are the period look increases in price more than 60's or new builds in the area more than offsetting higher heating bills, and occasional irritants. Like the £5k roof guess which ended up being £15, but it will last for ages with a complete 25 year guarantee on it. It was >90 years old when anything was being done to it for the first time- try that with a Barratt house!

But as they don't make 20's houses any more, where we are they are valued at nigh on double the 60's infill, and with one of those in original nick you'd need a wire, boiler and all cosmetics...