First house - what to do with information from seller's

[dingg]

My previous ch system was installed for over 30 years, in the time I lived there I replaced 3 thermocouples and one circ. Pump and a ball cock in the header tank.
It never missed a beat.
In efficiency terms probably not the best but I think it would have went another 20 years with the same minimal maintenance costs.
Thorn emi boiler

[Sheepshanks]

Bussolini said:

fido said:

All depends on how much you want to spend. I did a complete overhaul for £20k:- system boiler with 250l Megaflow, new bathroom, every single rediator was flushed, checked or replaced. Some of the pipework could be pulled apart with bare hands. I could have spent £5k less or 5k more but with an old house you have to expect the worst. However the nature of leaks means that any mistake upstairs will cause damage below so better to start with the upstairs first. First thing I did were the windows (where needed), a spare room with electric shower so I could still live there whilst works were done, bathroom and heating, then decorating and electrics in the rest of upstairs rooms.

Edited by fido on Wednesday 11th December 15:35

Hmm. The house is currently perfectly liveable (provided the central heating continues to work...) but ultimately every room needs decorating. I am not convinced I really want to plough 40k-60k+ into it any time soon ...

Daughter’s 3 bed terrace house had a completely new CH system - rads, pipework, WB combi boiler and their expensive Wave controller, for £4K inc VAT. Had a couple of quotes for similar amounts.

[Grandad Gaz]

I think the OP needs to start looking at new builds

[selym]

croissant said:

LaurasOtherHalf said:

If someone tried to chip me on price over those grounds I’d tell them to foxtrot oscar and put it back on the market.

Exactly this.

The guy is a first time buyer, entering into a bit of a minefield. I don't read it as wanting to knock something off the price, more trying to understand the mechanisms of who is responsible, what is fair to ask for, what to do yourself and what to ignore.

As for boilers, I moved into my first house in 96. It had an old Thorn boiler - really old - and as I was posted away I rented the place out and had a service plan put in place. The damned thing never went wrong; British Gas warned me when it did fail it'd be beyond economical repair but it kept soldiering on. I sold the house last year and had it serviced prior to marketing - still solid as a rock. The boiler might be somewhere you can save money on and plan to upgrade 5-10 years down the line.

[superlightr]

Grandad Gaz said:

I think the OP needs to start looking at new builds

I wouldn't touch a new build at all - shocking the ones we have seen and dealt with professsionally. Rabbit hutches and crap parking/access roads, not built well.

OP if the house is 100+ years and you love it - buy it.
Do it up over the years you live there a bit like us oldies did in the past !!

We bought our first house and literally just had a bed and kitchen equipment. We bought 2nd hand furniture. We then did the place up - avacardo green bathroom does grow on you but we were pleased to rip it out. I learnt how to tile. The brick effect around the elc heater in the sitting room went after a few years with the help of my Dad. Learnt how to paint and wall paper etc.

Get the basic house right and you wont go to far wrong.