Detached Victorian renovation, London.
Discussion
TV room begins to take shape, sort of. It's a small room at 3m x 3.5m, in dark green. I bought this tan leather G Plan electric reclining sofa on ebay - it was an absolute bargain - 3 months of use by the last owner, and just under a fifth of the brand new price. It will form the heart of my room, which will be pretty blokey in design - dark green walls, tan leather sofa, mahogany coffee table and brass accent lighting, with framed art/film posters on the wall. Carpet is to be dark grey to mask the inevitable whisky spills.
I'd have liked something a bit more stylish in there, but frankly wanted a reclining sofa for watching TV. These G Plan ones aren't as ugly as the usual fare.
The three seats bolt together to form the sofa, and the outer two recline. The electric mechanisms work perfectly, the leather is lovely, and it looks and feels really high quality. It is also the most comfortable thing I have ever sat on. Can't wait for my first film night.
Untitled by baconrashers, on Flickr
I'd have liked something a bit more stylish in there, but frankly wanted a reclining sofa for watching TV. These G Plan ones aren't as ugly as the usual fare.
The three seats bolt together to form the sofa, and the outer two recline. The electric mechanisms work perfectly, the leather is lovely, and it looks and feels really high quality. It is also the most comfortable thing I have ever sat on. Can't wait for my first film night.
Untitled by baconrashers, on FlickrEdited by Harry Flashman on Tuesday 28th November 15:01
No photos for you guys, just some musings as we get towards the end of this project.
The budget is about on track, remarkably. We have probably have had about £5k worth of unexpected work on this house, from fixing the roof to dealing with soil pipe issues etc, so that is not as bad as it could have been. I have specified lots of extra work: when we first bought the place we were going to leave some rooms and bathrooms undone, but we decided to dig deep and do it all now. Hopefully when we are finished, we can breathe a bit easier and get the outside slowly done over time.
Our move in date is pretty much 3 months and 1 week from the day we started work, immediately after buying it. This is not at all bad for the amount done, I think.
There have been some frustrations.
- The kitchen company. They were perfect in my last house, but this time round, they sent some doors and worktops that warped. Their customer service is great, and they replaced these quickly. One issue was that we simply did not trust their oak worktops, and upgraded to Zebrano - they have never been able to give us a date for the arrival of these, telling us each week that it would be next week. After 5 weeks of this, in the end we specified another wood they had in stock. This means the kitchen is still not finished.
- Sash windows. A very expensive part of the refurb. We are using a one man band and his work is excellent, but they have taken more time than planned, and are still not in. He will still be working after we move in. I should have just stuck with the original plan of secondary glazing: but then, I have security worries, so refurbing and securing them seemed necessary.
- Heating system. Whilst it was newly installed in 2014, it has needed some tweaks, and is still not perfect. I suspect the winter will be spent fettling it. It is a big system with 24 radiators, and I do not think that the pump will be man enough for the job. We'll soon find out...
- Flooded cellar. That's going to have to be re-tanked in the summer. Not looking forward to that bill.
- Foul water drains. They need some work. One for warmer weather when we are digging up garden and driveway anyway.
- BT/Openreach. Absolute clowns. This house is meant to have fibre. It doesn't. It won't for some time.
- Roof. Has been bodged. £2k of unexpected remedial work needed in Jan, and frankly probably a re-roof in the next 5-10 years.
- slugs, huge spiders and giant anthills. All will be KILLED WITH FIRE.
There have been some great wins too:
- The builders. I would use these guys any time.
- The house itself is an absolute belter, and that has become more apparent as it gets refurbished. I knew that in my head when we bought it, but as it starts t feel like a home, I have developed an emotional attachment to it unlike any other property I have owned. I really hope that it doesn't turn into a maintenance nightmare.
- The garden is also really, really special (for London, anyway), Cleared out, it has all the promise of a properly secluded haven.
- our new next door neighbours seem like really decent people; time will of course tell. Our first party should see if they still like us or not...
- the restored floors are absolutely lovely, and give the house a much more period feel than I had intended, which we will adapt to.
At this stage, you just want to move in and even the smallest things that delay that become disproportionately annoying! I am also sure that other things will become apparent once we have moved in and started using it as intended.
The budget is about on track, remarkably. We have probably have had about £5k worth of unexpected work on this house, from fixing the roof to dealing with soil pipe issues etc, so that is not as bad as it could have been. I have specified lots of extra work: when we first bought the place we were going to leave some rooms and bathrooms undone, but we decided to dig deep and do it all now. Hopefully when we are finished, we can breathe a bit easier and get the outside slowly done over time.
Our move in date is pretty much 3 months and 1 week from the day we started work, immediately after buying it. This is not at all bad for the amount done, I think.
There have been some frustrations.
- The kitchen company. They were perfect in my last house, but this time round, they sent some doors and worktops that warped. Their customer service is great, and they replaced these quickly. One issue was that we simply did not trust their oak worktops, and upgraded to Zebrano - they have never been able to give us a date for the arrival of these, telling us each week that it would be next week. After 5 weeks of this, in the end we specified another wood they had in stock. This means the kitchen is still not finished.
- Sash windows. A very expensive part of the refurb. We are using a one man band and his work is excellent, but they have taken more time than planned, and are still not in. He will still be working after we move in. I should have just stuck with the original plan of secondary glazing: but then, I have security worries, so refurbing and securing them seemed necessary.
- Heating system. Whilst it was newly installed in 2014, it has needed some tweaks, and is still not perfect. I suspect the winter will be spent fettling it. It is a big system with 24 radiators, and I do not think that the pump will be man enough for the job. We'll soon find out...
- Flooded cellar. That's going to have to be re-tanked in the summer. Not looking forward to that bill.
- Foul water drains. They need some work. One for warmer weather when we are digging up garden and driveway anyway.
- BT/Openreach. Absolute clowns. This house is meant to have fibre. It doesn't. It won't for some time.
- Roof. Has been bodged. £2k of unexpected remedial work needed in Jan, and frankly probably a re-roof in the next 5-10 years.
- slugs, huge spiders and giant anthills. All will be KILLED WITH FIRE.
There have been some great wins too:
- The builders. I would use these guys any time.
- The house itself is an absolute belter, and that has become more apparent as it gets refurbished. I knew that in my head when we bought it, but as it starts t feel like a home, I have developed an emotional attachment to it unlike any other property I have owned. I really hope that it doesn't turn into a maintenance nightmare.
- The garden is also really, really special (for London, anyway), Cleared out, it has all the promise of a properly secluded haven.
- our new next door neighbours seem like really decent people; time will of course tell. Our first party should see if they still like us or not...
- the restored floors are absolutely lovely, and give the house a much more period feel than I had intended, which we will adapt to.
At this stage, you just want to move in and even the smallest things that delay that become disproportionately annoying! I am also sure that other things will become apparent once we have moved in and started using it as intended.
Edited by Harry Flashman on Thursday 30th November 14:28
Thank you for all of the updates, Mr F.
I for one have thoroughly enjoyed following the thread. It has given me a really good insight into the renovation of a Victorian home. I'm forever watching Homes Under The Hammer, Grand Designs etc but reading the step-by-step ups-and-downs have been a real eye-opener.
I for one have thoroughly enjoyed following the thread. It has given me a really good insight into the renovation of a Victorian home. I'm forever watching Homes Under The Hammer, Grand Designs etc but reading the step-by-step ups-and-downs have been a real eye-opener.
Really enjoying the thread, thank you!
I know it is cruel, but I do get some satisfaction watching molten aluminium being poured into an ants nest. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGJ2jMZ-gaI (I have had a lot of stuff destroyed by ants)
Regarding tanking the basement. Does it need tanking, or will fixing the drains help clear this? - stewjohnst in the thread Georgian House Renovation Up North - 5 Years and Counting - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... had a flooded basement and traced it back to the drains being blocked.
Really hope you can settle down and calm down once you have moved in.
I know it is cruel, but I do get some satisfaction watching molten aluminium being poured into an ants nest. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGJ2jMZ-gaI (I have had a lot of stuff destroyed by ants)
Regarding tanking the basement. Does it need tanking, or will fixing the drains help clear this? - stewjohnst in the thread Georgian House Renovation Up North - 5 Years and Counting - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... had a flooded basement and traced it back to the drains being blocked.
Really hope you can settle down and calm down once you have moved in.
z4RRSchris said:
looked at this house myself, really nice to see what you have done with it.
Did you?? I'd love to have a chat, given that this is what you do for a living. Please PM me if you are happy to discuss its pros and cons in your eyes. Not for disclosure or advice, just interest, as this is to be (hopefully) our long term family home.Peanut Gallery said:
Really enjoying the thread, thank you!
I know it is cruel, but I do get some satisfaction watching molten aluminium being poured into an ants nest. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGJ2jMZ-gaI (I have had a lot of stuff destroyed by ants)
Regarding tanking the basement. Does it need tanking, or will fixing the drains help clear this? - stewjohnst in the thread Georgian House Renovation Up North - 5 Years and Counting - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... had a flooded basement and traced it back to the drains being blocked.
Really hope you can settle down and calm down once you have moved in.
I think that's probably right. Thames Water are coming to assess the leak anyway, as they reckon the water table here should be better managed, so they likely have a problem somewhere. This whole area has been suffering from burst mains and all sorts of problems for about a year, at least...I know it is cruel, but I do get some satisfaction watching molten aluminium being poured into an ants nest. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGJ2jMZ-gaI (I have had a lot of stuff destroyed by ants)
Regarding tanking the basement. Does it need tanking, or will fixing the drains help clear this? - stewjohnst in the thread Georgian House Renovation Up North - 5 Years and Counting - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... had a flooded basement and traced it back to the drains being blocked.
Really hope you can settle down and calm down once you have moved in.
By the way, on ants, this is even more mental:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFg21x2sj-M
Edited by Harry Flashman on Thursday 30th November 15:32
All (well, some, anyway) weirdos from the internet welcome! Already met one (FBP1, contributor on this thread and general good chap) whose advice has been really useful. Least I could offer for contributions on a thread that saved me tens of thousands of pounds of VAT and thus allowed me to get this project done...
Heh. Spot on!
If Chris was looking to develop and sell it, he probably made the right call. Despite their size, these houses in my area are not worth the £2.5m they'd be worth a mile away in Balham, or even half a mile away in Streatham Hill proper. This is the last slice of Zone 3 SW London where such a house can be bought for under £2m, and there's reason for that - Dulwich to the East has been nice for ages, and Streatham Hill to the West is getting nice quickly.This border area between the two is still a bit rough around the edges, in the manner of Peckham to the north.
He'd have probably spent a similar (or a bit less less as he can use economies of scale with his suppliers) amount that I have, due to buyers wanting decent kit inside, which means he'd be breaking even in today's market. This house was priced for the fact that a lot of major work had been done, where a developer would make a lot of their margin I suspect?
This house should be worth what I paid for it (including stamp) and what I put into it when I'm done. That's no margin for a professional developer. For me, it doesn't matter as I want it for my home and can hope that if I have to sell it, hopefully no sooner than in a decade's time, it should be worth more if the area gets better.
It could have been converted into flats, but for some reason Lambeth are not that keen on allowing that in my neighbourhood at the moment, despite the housing shortage. There are many of these that were flats being converted back to houses, though, weirdly.
Or, as you say, he looked at it and thought "that place is a wreck, has Japanese Knotweed, and only a cretin would take it on". Enter yours truly.
If Chris was looking to develop and sell it, he probably made the right call. Despite their size, these houses in my area are not worth the £2.5m they'd be worth a mile away in Balham, or even half a mile away in Streatham Hill proper. This is the last slice of Zone 3 SW London where such a house can be bought for under £2m, and there's reason for that - Dulwich to the East has been nice for ages, and Streatham Hill to the West is getting nice quickly.This border area between the two is still a bit rough around the edges, in the manner of Peckham to the north.
He'd have probably spent a similar (or a bit less less as he can use economies of scale with his suppliers) amount that I have, due to buyers wanting decent kit inside, which means he'd be breaking even in today's market. This house was priced for the fact that a lot of major work had been done, where a developer would make a lot of their margin I suspect?
This house should be worth what I paid for it (including stamp) and what I put into it when I'm done. That's no margin for a professional developer. For me, it doesn't matter as I want it for my home and can hope that if I have to sell it, hopefully no sooner than in a decade's time, it should be worth more if the area gets better.
It could have been converted into flats, but for some reason Lambeth are not that keen on allowing that in my neighbourhood at the moment, despite the housing shortage. There are many of these that were flats being converted back to houses, though, weirdly.
Or, as you say, he looked at it and thought "that place is a wreck, has Japanese Knotweed, and only a cretin would take it on". Enter yours truly.
Wow. So similar sized houses in the nice bit of Streatham (a mile from us) are a lot more money than ours. Location, Location, Location
£2.5m asking, smaller internally, semi, and smaller garden.
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
If looking for investment potential buy with your head, people, not your heart!! Be a long time (if ever) until our place is worth what houses a mere mile away are worth...
We wanted a long-term home in the area I know, so probably made a poor financial decision because we wanted a detached Victorian with a secluded garden. Which happens to be a couple of minutes from my favourite pub.
£2.5m asking, smaller internally, semi, and smaller garden.
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
If looking for investment potential buy with your head, people, not your heart!! Be a long time (if ever) until our place is worth what houses a mere mile away are worth...
We wanted a long-term home in the area I know, so probably made a poor financial decision because we wanted a detached Victorian with a secluded garden. Which happens to be a couple of minutes from my favourite pub.
Edited by Harry Flashman on Friday 1st December 14:03
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