Second time refurbishment - 1930's house
Discussion
kiethton said:
_Neal_ said:
Interesting thread, property looks like it has tons of potential both inside and out - looks like an excellent choice, and sure it'll be great once finished. Hallway and garden are stand-out features for me. Sorry if I missed it, but where did you end up moving to in the end?
In terms of discovering what needs doing it sounds like a similar sort of tale to when we moved in to our 1930s semi (Petts Wood, Kingsway etc - small world!) back in 2015. Same owners for a long time, some comedy carpet/avocado bathroom suite action, and we thought it didn't need TOO much doing. Obviously it turned out it needed every room replastering, new windows and a new kitchen, flooring throughout etc etc etc. Really nice to be able to make it your own though of course.
ETA ours also had the owners' beds in the main living room when we viewed it!
Thanks, small world!In terms of discovering what needs doing it sounds like a similar sort of tale to when we moved in to our 1930s semi (Petts Wood, Kingsway etc - small world!) back in 2015. Same owners for a long time, some comedy carpet/avocado bathroom suite action, and we thought it didn't need TOO much doing. Obviously it turned out it needed every room replastering, new windows and a new kitchen, flooring throughout etc etc etc. Really nice to be able to make it your own though of course.
ETA ours also had the owners' beds in the main living room when we viewed it!
We're over between Sanderstead and South Croydon, Croham Hurst and Lloyd Park
In a way it's a benefit, we would have ended up decorating everything anyway, might as well add value (hopefully) from doing so ourselves!
When I next get a moment I'll try and share the plans/hopefully get some ideas on near-term plans for the Living room, dining room and kitchen and then longer-term thoughts for the garden rooms and extension.
They are pricey, agreed! However, there's an overselling of copper that is very much due to exactly as you say "real plumbers". Easy to charge people money for brazing copper as it's a skill, when modern tech (like JG Speedfit) allows DIY. I found that having the parts and labour cost of copper vs JG was identical. When I started running the JG myself, it became a lot cheaper.
Protectionism. Some things are just obsolete.
Protectionism. Some things are just obsolete.
Edited by Harry Flashman on Saturday 2nd April 22:52
Harry Flashman said:
They are pricey, agreed! However, there's an overselling of copper that is very much due to exactly as you say "real plumbers". Easy to charge people money for brazing copper as it's a skill, when modern tech (like JG Speedfit) allows DIY. I found that having the parts and labour cost of copper vs JG was identical. When I started running the JG myself, it became a lot cheaper.
Protectionism. Some things are just obsolete.
It's not difficult to use copper elbows and push fit are over 4 times the cost. They also take up much more space usually meaning a less than ideal installation.Protectionism. Some things are just obsolete.
Edited by Harry Flashman on Saturday 2nd April 22:52
If plumbers can do it so can anyone
AyBee said:
Just found this thread and spent the end of last week going over your last renovation. Did you manage to make the £50-75k increase in value that you were expecting on your last flat?
Nearly - the pandemic induced race for space and changes to BTL impacted it tbh - the flat was bought for £267k, work cost c£30k and (mostly) completed in 9m, sold for £335k so a little way off in the end. We had a mortgage valuation of £350k which was done in 2016, right at the end of the boom-time for flats the lack of demand and oversupply (everything in our old area was a flat) took c10% off every flat in the area between 2017 and 2020.When it came to selling the (larger) flat next door sold for £355k and as that went under offer we used the mini boom in demand to sell ours, leveraging some of their interest. This was great as theirs then went on the market for rent - thankfully the week we moved out a family of 5, 3 kids under 4, moved into the 700sqft 2-bed next door, the flat which shared a wall with our bedroom....
ClaphamGT3 said:
To do all of that in any way approaching properly is going to be north of £750k - and still leave you with a compromised layout with the house sitting on the wrong part of the plot.
Given that there is no intrinsic architectural merit in the property and the changes that you want to make are so fundemental, you'd be better off dropping it and building the house you really want on the plot
Not sure to be honest - I think the layout will work well when finally done and I'm conscious to keep as much of the design in-keeping with other houses on the road as possible. Given that there is no intrinsic architectural merit in the property and the changes that you want to make are so fundemental, you'd be better off dropping it and building the house you really want on the plot
There is also the debate about leaving the last of the big works - the loft - to the future as to be brutally honest, its just not needed - especially as we aren't planning a football team.
However, a formal living room (existing front of house) a kids/messy living room (current dining room) and then a small snug in the back of the open plan space should work very well. I'll also get a garage to house a new toy - the lotus went last week
rustyuk said:
Harry Flashman said:
They are pricey, agreed! However, there's an overselling of copper that is very much due to exactly as you say "real plumbers". Easy to charge people money for brazing copper as it's a skill, when modern tech (like JG Speedfit) allows DIY. I found that having the parts and labour cost of copper vs JG was identical. When I started running the JG myself, it became a lot cheaper.
Protectionism. Some things are just obsolete.
It's not difficult to use copper elbows and push fit are over 4 times the cost. They also take up much more space usually meaning a less than ideal installation.Protectionism. Some things are just obsolete.
Edited by Harry Flashman on Saturday 2nd April 22:52
If plumbers can do it so can anyone
Personally I don't use push fit in a space I won't be able to get to again.
They've got a rubber seal, and at some point that rubber is going to perish and cause problems. It'll be interesting to see if this does become a problem when fittings start hitting 20+ years old...
Although for accessible locations, temporary work, or even a house you intend to sell, nothing wrong with them.
It's definitely worth learning to solder though if you're doing a full renovation. Get a decent torch that runs on mapp gas and start practicing, it's really not that hard and to be honest I think takes me about the same time as using push fit. A decent collection of heat mats and/or old tiles are also invaluable for soldering close to other materials.
Harry Flashman said:
Do you two know each other? Serious question, honest!
Ha - no, although I note we also both like E39 BMWs - on that note and off topic, Kiethton were you the one who posted on here about an accident in your E39 by Chislehurst pond, or am I misremembering? Anyway looking like really good progress and loving that old 1930s tool find.
_Neal_ said:
Harry Flashman said:
Do you two know each other? Serious question, honest!
Ha - no, although I note we also both like E39 BMWs - on that note and off topic, Kiethton were you the one who posted on here about an accident in your E39 by Chislehurst pond, or am I misremembering? Anyway looking like really good progress and loving that old 1930s tool find.
Another update from the last week or so.
First job was to clear the garden - luckily had a few friends available so they were utilised to make a fire, in ~3 hours and with just the one annoyed neighbour the garden was cleared of the stacked vegetation
From this - (video if you click)
Via this:
To this:
After being set on Sunday late afternoon the embers were still warm/smouldering on Thursday morning!
First job was to clear the garden - luckily had a few friends available so they were utilised to make a fire, in ~3 hours and with just the one annoyed neighbour the garden was cleared of the stacked vegetation
From this - (video if you click)
Via this:
To this:
After being set on Sunday late afternoon the embers were still warm/smouldering on Thursday morning!
I also took a few days off work before the Easter break to spend some time working on the house. Most notable things are:
Floors upstairs were previously bare floorboards but they were warped, uneven and in the case of the bathroom rotten.
One day was spent ripping them all up, clearing the accumulated rubbish between the joists and laying new caberfloor boards. Although not perfect and there is a small height difference between the new and old floors it it's now significantly less squeaky, less draughty and the 2mm step should be totally invisible by the time the underlay/carpets go down. Leaves me well practiced for the next job - taking the same flooring up, insulating and caberflooring downstairs...
M
Floors upstairs were previously bare floorboards but they were warped, uneven and in the case of the bathroom rotten.
One day was spent ripping them all up, clearing the accumulated rubbish between the joists and laying new caberfloor boards. Although not perfect and there is a small height difference between the new and old floors it it's now significantly less squeaky, less draughty and the 2mm step should be totally invisible by the time the underlay/carpets go down. Leaves me well practiced for the next job - taking the same flooring up, insulating and caberflooring downstairs...
M
The sharp will have also noticed that all of the architraves/skirting have also been removed in the most recent pictures.
Although we're about to press the button on £10k's of double glazing (all windows/doors which won't be touched by the planned extension) we are now also thinking to get a plasterer in to make all walls/ceilings good after the windows followed by new doors/skirting/architraves throughout so our intention is to get as much mess made now to avoid it all happening later.
As a result we've paused all of the decorating side and a lot of the work done until the windows go in (likely July) is likely to be semi-invisible:
Insulating under suspended timber floors downstairs with 100mm celotex, running new wires for new lighting circuits/sockets, building some statement ceilings in downstairs rooms etc
As a result with not much changing visually the thread may end up going quiet for a few months.
Although we're about to press the button on £10k's of double glazing (all windows/doors which won't be touched by the planned extension) we are now also thinking to get a plasterer in to make all walls/ceilings good after the windows followed by new doors/skirting/architraves throughout so our intention is to get as much mess made now to avoid it all happening later.
As a result we've paused all of the decorating side and a lot of the work done until the windows go in (likely July) is likely to be semi-invisible:
Insulating under suspended timber floors downstairs with 100mm celotex, running new wires for new lighting circuits/sockets, building some statement ceilings in downstairs rooms etc
As a result with not much changing visually the thread may end up going quiet for a few months.
Edited by kiethton on Tuesday 19th April 15:00
Not too much has been happening at the house, mainly due to a mixture of golf competitions, work ramping up (now back to the office) and holidays.
Most recent progress has been to get all of the doors, skirtings and architraves off across the whole house, pending replacement in due course. I'm considering swapping over the door frame liners at at the same time to make fitting the new doors easier. We've also fully stripped the living room of all the 1960's coving and multiple layers of wallpaper!!!
I've also blocked the fireplace in the living room. Firstly taking out the (bodged) bricks, finding a mummified bird before building a shelf to catch any debris, a frame, fitting insulation/foam to the gaps above and plasterboarding over:
We've got the new windows being fitted in a few weeks time so I've also been making room for that (and preparing for the mess it'll make). As a plasterer will be needed I've been a little more liberal in my chasing out for sockets, about to get even worse as I'll be installing these this weekend:
Should hopefully mean my wife feels a little better staying here when I'm away with work/friends. Other pressing job is to take up the floors across the living room, dining room, hall and kitchen to insulate under. As it's such a large job (electrical connections need to be run at this point, radiator tails moved, pipes lagged and conduit for future-proofing laid) I've been putting it off due to the need to commit a number of consecutive days to each room!)
Most recent progress has been to get all of the doors, skirtings and architraves off across the whole house, pending replacement in due course. I'm considering swapping over the door frame liners at at the same time to make fitting the new doors easier. We've also fully stripped the living room of all the 1960's coving and multiple layers of wallpaper!!!
I've also blocked the fireplace in the living room. Firstly taking out the (bodged) bricks, finding a mummified bird before building a shelf to catch any debris, a frame, fitting insulation/foam to the gaps above and plasterboarding over:
We've got the new windows being fitted in a few weeks time so I've also been making room for that (and preparing for the mess it'll make). As a plasterer will be needed I've been a little more liberal in my chasing out for sockets, about to get even worse as I'll be installing these this weekend:
Should hopefully mean my wife feels a little better staying here when I'm away with work/friends. Other pressing job is to take up the floors across the living room, dining room, hall and kitchen to insulate under. As it's such a large job (electrical connections need to be run at this point, radiator tails moved, pipes lagged and conduit for future-proofing laid) I've been putting it off due to the need to commit a number of consecutive days to each room!)
I might be a bit late with the LED recommendation for your hallway, but I've just done something similar in my extension.
I've used LED strip to go round the reveals of the Velux using plaster in profile. I used COB LED strip as it gives an even light without any spotting, but you might not need that if it's going to be diffused by the coving. I got the strip from Amazon.
I bought this Mean Well LED Driver HLG-240H-24A 240W 24V from UK LED - really helpful guy who can answer any questions. There's about 20 metres in total all driven off the same driver with no dimming at the ends, so plenty powerful enough. You'd need to work out your watt consumption and spec a suitable one.
It's controlled with a normal light switch with a Shelly dimmer wired in. This effectively turns normal switches smart, so you can use the switch as normal but still control the lights using your phone, Alexa, or run automations - for example turn off automatically five minutes after switching on, or come on at sunset.
I've used LED strip to go round the reveals of the Velux using plaster in profile. I used COB LED strip as it gives an even light without any spotting, but you might not need that if it's going to be diffused by the coving. I got the strip from Amazon.
I bought this Mean Well LED Driver HLG-240H-24A 240W 24V from UK LED - really helpful guy who can answer any questions. There's about 20 metres in total all driven off the same driver with no dimming at the ends, so plenty powerful enough. You'd need to work out your watt consumption and spec a suitable one.
It's controlled with a normal light switch with a Shelly dimmer wired in. This effectively turns normal switches smart, so you can use the switch as normal but still control the lights using your phone, Alexa, or run automations - for example turn off automatically five minutes after switching on, or come on at sunset.
matt666 said:
I might be a bit late with the LED recommendation for your hallway, but I've just done something similar in my extension.
I've used LED strip to go round the reveals of the Velux using plaster in profile. I used COB LED strip as it gives an even light without any spotting, but you might not need that if it's going to be diffused by the coving. I got the strip from Amazon.
I bought this Mean Well LED Driver HLG-240H-24A 240W 24V from UK LED - really helpful guy who can answer any questions. There's about 20 metres in total all driven off the same driver with no dimming at the ends, so plenty powerful enough. You'd need to work out your watt consumption and spec a suitable one.
It's controlled with a normal light switch with a Shelly dimmer wired in. This effectively turns normal switches smart, so you can use the switch as normal but still control the lights using your phone, Alexa, or run automations - for example turn off automatically five minutes after switching on, or come on at sunset.
Very helpful thanks - not yet sorted this (we've decided to limit this to just the living/dining rooms) and they're not yet being sorted - I'll be doing the first fix wiring in coming weeks and will give it all a look so I know what to connect when we get thereI've used LED strip to go round the reveals of the Velux using plaster in profile. I used COB LED strip as it gives an even light without any spotting, but you might not need that if it's going to be diffused by the coving. I got the strip from Amazon.
I bought this Mean Well LED Driver HLG-240H-24A 240W 24V from UK LED - really helpful guy who can answer any questions. There's about 20 metres in total all driven off the same driver with no dimming at the ends, so plenty powerful enough. You'd need to work out your watt consumption and spec a suitable one.
It's controlled with a normal light switch with a Shelly dimmer wired in. This effectively turns normal switches smart, so you can use the switch as normal but still control the lights using your phone, Alexa, or run automations - for example turn off automatically five minutes after switching on, or come on at sunset.
matt666 said:
...I've used LED strip to go round the reveals of the Velux using plaster in profile. I used COB LED strip as it gives an even light without any spotting, but you might not need that if it's going to be diffused by the coving. I got the strip from Amazon.
I bought this Mean Well LED Driver HLG-240H-24A 240W 24V from UK LED - really helpful guy who can answer any questions. There's about 20 metres in total all driven off the same driver with no dimming at the ends, so plenty powerful enough. You'd need to work out your watt consumption and spec a suitable one.
I don't mean to distract from the OP's thread - have you got any links please?I bought this Mean Well LED Driver HLG-240H-24A 240W 24V from UK LED - really helpful guy who can answer any questions. There's about 20 metres in total all driven off the same driver with no dimming at the ends, so plenty powerful enough. You'd need to work out your watt consumption and spec a suitable one.
Ranger 6 said:
I don't mean to distract from the OP's thread - have you got any links please?
LED strip - https://www.amazon.co.uk/PAUTIX-Flexible-Cabinet-L...Driver - https://www.ukled.co.uk/mean-well-led-driver-hlg-2...
Shelly dimmer - https://shellystore.co.uk/product/shelly-rgbw2/
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