Victorian detached houses.
Discussion
We bought a 5 bed c.2500 sq. ft. Victorian detached last December & have found it surprisingly reasonable to run, although the whole house was already in very good condition.
Gas & electricity is around £170 a month in winter & less than half that in the milder months, although that's mostly down to the size of the place & having 15 radiators scattered about.
We bought it because we love the proportions of the place & the period features, & that's more important to us than saving a few quid on fuel bills.
Depthhoar said:
.......generously proportioned rooms, beautiful high ceilings, elaborate cornicing, dado rails, high skirting boards, box sash windows, proper solid wood panelled doors......
....all that,
but a nightmare to maintain and heat.
Definitely this....all that,
but a nightmare to maintain and heat.
When the oil for heating ran out due to a dodgy fuel gauge, the place was absolutely bitter, but is toasty when its running.And nice to live in
blade7 said:
Are they generally a money pit to run and maintain, and always a work in progress ?
I would say that there is no mystery to it.It is just solid brick walls, floor joist. ceilings and a roof. If you buy it without any structural issues, strip back to brick any areas that need doing, replumb/wire if needed and insulate each floor then no reason for it to always be a work in progress or ongoing maintenance money pit.
hyphen said:
I would say that there is no mystery to it.
It is just solid brick walls, floor joist. ceilings and a roof. If you buy it without any structural issues, strip back to brick any areas that need doing, replumb/wire if needed and insulate each floor then no reason for it to always be a work in progress or ongoing maintenance money pit.
The problems are roofs can be easily over £100k on slates alone/it's cheaper to demolish and build a new house in its place if work is stacking up. It is just solid brick walls, floor joist. ceilings and a roof. If you buy it without any structural issues, strip back to brick any areas that need doing, replumb/wire if needed and insulate each floor then no reason for it to always be a work in progress or ongoing maintenance money pit.
Welshbeef said:
The problems are roofs can be easily over £100k on slates alone/it's cheaper to demolish and build a new house in its place if work is stacking up.
£100k for a roof? OP run away as quick as you can 
I was assuming the discussion was about the normal detached Victorian houses you find scattered amongst the semi & terraces around London, as opposed to anything larger.
hyphen said:
I was assuming the discussion was about the normal detached Victorian houses you find scattered amongst the semi & terraces around London, as opposed to anything larger.
It is, and it's not anywhere near the smoke either. Had a close look at the slates using binoculars 
and they didn't look too terrible. I'd have hoped not using Welsh slates £15-20k if it ever needed doing.Edited by blade7 on Sunday 11th December 15:54
blade7 said:
It is, and it's not anywhere near the smoke either. Had a close look at the slates using binoculars and they didn't look too terrible. I'd have hoped not using Welsh slates £15-20k if it ever needed doing.
Why would you even consider Chinese slates over Welsh? and they didn't look too terrible. I'd have hoped not using Welsh slates £15-20k if it ever needed doing.Edited by blade7 on Sunday 11th December 15:54
C Lee Farquar said:
Welshbeef said:
The problems are roofs can be easily over £100k on slates alone/it's cheaper to demolish and build a new house in its place if work is stacking up.
Really? I assume you're including the price of a new Porsche in that.Welshbeef said:
blade7 said:
It is, and it's not anywhere near the smoke either. Had a close look at the slates using binoculars and they didn't look too terrible. I'd have hoped not using Welsh slates £15-20k if it ever needed doing.
Why would you even consider Chinese slates over Welsh? and they didn't look too terrible. I'd have hoped not using Welsh slates £15-20k if it ever needed doing.blade7 said:
It is, and it's not anywhere near the smoke either. Had a close look at the slates using binoculars and they didn't look too terrible. I'd have hoped not using Welsh slates £15-20k if it ever needed doing.
That price is probably about right for using Spanish slates... just remember to budget for it every 10 years or so! and they didn't look too terrible. I'd have hoped not using Welsh slates £15-20k if it ever needed doing.Edited by blade7 on Sunday 11th December 15:54
Surely all the slates don't need replacing? Just claim as many back from the old roof and top up with reclaimed ones. Spanish or chinese slates on an old house looks piss poor IMO.
I've a Georgian place and sure the gas bills can be epic (biggest was £450 in a month) but electric if you are not using it for heat is no different to a modern house. Victorian places offer what nearly every modern house cannot, which is space/character/feel. If you can find a place that has been modernised inside but with sympathy for the character of the place you'd get (almost) best of both worlds.
I've a Georgian place and sure the gas bills can be epic (biggest was £450 in a month) but electric if you are not using it for heat is no different to a modern house. Victorian places offer what nearly every modern house cannot, which is space/character/feel. If you can find a place that has been modernised inside but with sympathy for the character of the place you'd get (almost) best of both worlds.
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