Renovation

[timbobalob]

Morning all,

My wife and I are looking to move and have reserved a new build in a new village (with assisted move etc). In the process of waiting for ours to sell, we've been evaluating what we want and the compromises that we would be making with said new build - smaller house/garden and having the garage away from the house with no power (it would be crossing boundaries), which must be a sin on here

We're now looking the other end of the spectrum - buying a run down (possibly repossessed) property with the plan to renovate and make our family home. The ones that I've found so far are in nicer areas with much bigger plots and obviously the potential to add value is far greater.

Just a few questions though (all with the assumption that our house has sold)

• Are mortgages still available as normal on a repossession (if it's structurally sound)?
• How free are we to move walls/bathrooms etc inside an existing house without planning permission?

I also came across a barn for sale ready for conversion with consent for turning into a dwelling (currently just a structurally sound shell) -

• Do you think we would be able to get a standard mortgage for this or would be a speciality one, then a homeowners loan on top to complete the development?
• Where is the line between moving walls about in an existing house and putting up new ones (and possibly floors) in a building like a barn?

Neither property would be mansions and there would be a lot that we could do ourselves, bar the specialist work.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Tim

[herbialfa]

Moving any internal wall does not require Planning permission.

However you would need Building Regs!

[timbobalob]

Good point! Must have been what I meant...

[prand]

Think very hard before considering a barn conversion. Then forget you ever thought of it (unless you have all the time/money in the world, and are a master builder yourself).

[MikeyT]

prand said:

Think very hard before considering a barn conversion. Then forget you ever thought of it (unless you have all the time/money in the world, and are a master builder yourself).

I'll second that - there was a lovely *barn* ripe for conversion a few miles from us that the wife and I saw. £250,000 ...

Too much for us - wife's hairdresser bought it - well, the prices she charges, she'd be one of few with the money - anyway - three years on - the thing is nowhere near being finished, they have had problems with the windows about three times - all new oak ones ffs - problems with the roof - other bits as well - I reckon she has sunk over £400,000 into it so far and probably still another £200,000 yet to go - inc landscaping, her posh kitchen etc ... and if she is lucky it may be worth that she has spent on it - these things are money pits.

Edited by MikeyT on Friday 9th April 17:02