Owning your own home

You'll also really wish you'd got someone else to do it around about halfway through the process, would be my prediction anyway.

The renovations are going well then?

5 working days days for the solicitor to submit all of the paperwork and your lender to release the funds. Then you can exchange & complete on the same day...A week is not out of the question, but from what i have seen with my move solicitors don't like to be rushed (a major fucking undersatement)

Garden office looks great.

Saw 5 properties in Kentfordshire yesterday. None of them are making me leap for joy.

best of the bunch was was a 1930s 4 bed which was in need of a complete renovation. It needs floors ripping up and re-finishing, re-plastering, coving, skirting throughout. It also needs a new kitchen and bathroom and a rickety lean-to demolishing.

Assuming the basic structure, wiring and plumbing are functional any idea what to budget for this?

Depends on the standard you want to achieve and the timescale you put to it.

My brother has spent 150k renovating and extending his 2 bed terraced cottage in Wimbledon into a future proof 3 bed, 2 bath family home. It's taken him a few years to do it because he's not using any finance and, more importantly, he doesn't have a nagging other half moaning about how long everything is taking.

He's had four local agents through - including the chap he bought it through as well as Fuxtons (no prizes for guessing whose valuation came in highest...), but he won't use them because of their simply ludicrous fees.

He's already eyeing up his next project.

coving

Lolwut?

I love a bit of 90s retro revival, but coving?

Sorry, I know this has been asked - and answered - hundreds of times, but who are people using for conveyancing? Just looked back through the thread a few weeks and can't see anything apart from negative reviews for Martin Browne's firm...

^^I don't know why I said coving. I'm not even sure what it is. I was repeating something Mrs A said whilst posting half asleep.

We had a builder round today who is starting work on Friday on the last few bits of or project - building is an entrance lobby inside, new garden fences at the back, fixing the front garden wall etc.

While we were discussing a damp problem at the front of the house, we noticed that our downpipe on the gutter is the only one in sight for at least the two houses to the right of ours, and as far down as we could see. Basically we seem to be collecting everyone's rainwater, and channelling it down into a ceramic pipe which runs under the paving of our front garden, and then just empties into the street under our garden wall. Has anyone heard of this happening before? Do we have any recourse other than going up the street asking people to redo their guttering?

Dam your guttering at either end. That should get their attention.

5 working days days for the solicitor to submit all of the paperwork and your lender to release the funds. Then you can exchange & complete on the same day...A week is not out of the question, but from what i have seen with my move solicitors don't like to be rushed (a major fucking undersatement)

Thanks, kinda what I thought. I think I'm going to avoid the estate agents calls this week.

I've just decided to switch away from Gisby Harrison, for my just beginning sale and purchase, based on these reviews.

I'm using an Easy Dulwich based firm that got recommended by my EA. Since they sold my house and I bought a house through them, I figured that using their recommendation allows me to blame them if to goes badly.

In other news we had an offer accepted on Saturday.

So, eight days total from putting ours on the market, to selling and buying, STC.

I'm pretty chuffed to say the least.

Blimey

Good work Matt. Hope it goes smoothly.

That's good to hear. Are you moving far?

This is very nice. I just spent my weekend in this... defo want to build one once I move back to Norwich.

1 Attachment

Congrats mashton. That's swift.

We've had two offers today as well. Not quite at what we'd take but very nearly there. Been on the market 10 days.

Waiting to see if the dream house that got away can be enticed back now that we're in a stronger position. Failing that we'll probably put a low offer on the place needing renovation. Subject to survey obviously.

Been hearing rumours of prices starting to drop in Dalston's hip Dalston today. Is collapsopocalypse upon us?

Be nice to jump ship for the boonies just as it all starts to list worryingly.

No, we're staying in Herne Hill, just moving across the tracks to somewhere a bit bigger and closer to the desired secondary school. Also closer to our primary which will make my mornings a bit nicer.

Thanks.

That place looks lovely. Where is it?

Its an Air BnB in Bath. It was a garden house type thing at the bottom of someones garden. Dead nice couple. Very hugh spec throughout and not too expensive at all. Built in Cinema set up and wood burner, very cosy...

Sounds great. Might try to sneak a projector into the office at some point but, in truth it's probably not big enough. I'd be more than happy with just being able to lounge on the sofa with a beer in the summer and the doors wide open.

I was never convinced by them until I tried this one. Dont think it was anything special but really created a cinema feel, especially with speakers built into the roof...

Bloody wind, taken out my garden fence here in Gloucester on Saturday evening, and had a call this afternoon to say that it's taken out the garden fence on my rental in Wales this morning. Arse, means I get the deep joy of driving to Wales tomorrow to fix the fence.

Tommmm

I'd tell them ur disconnecting it if it's bothering you then reconfigure the Downpipe. I have next doors coming into mine and I had to dig out the ceramic pipe in the ground as it had collapsed. Water was backing up so that my gutters were over flowing. So just sorted out new Downpipe and pipe to run the water through the front garden wall then onto the street. Didn't bother asking next door to contribute even to just lend a hand as he didn't give a toss either way.