-
I’m really stuck about what to do. We can’t afford to get everything done, but it seems to be a toss up between using everything we have on the loft, which I’m hoping we eventually need the space for, and will add the most value to the property, or alternatively get a new kitchen, redesigning the space without too much heavy engineering, and leave money for a new bathroom and then still have money left over as savings. I’ve been putting off doing anything, with the trade off being the comfort of knowing the money is there for a lot of different eventualities, but realistically I should put it to work. Current thinking is to go for the later option of kitchen + bathroom, then when we next remortgage in 5 years, release some capital for the loft, if we haven’t moved by then.
J0nathan-
This is exactly where we were/are. We thought we'd tidy up the layout downstairs in a thoughtful-but-not-heavy fashion for mild expense, and get all the rubbish bits not-rubbish with some more cash and then see how things stood. The knock through was a 'it's already been done, why not open it up' afterthought that has turned out to be a bit of a pain. That said, if we'd gone for the loft, the weakness of this wall would have become apparent in a less pleasant way and we'd still have had to sort it, albeit in a more financially precarious position, so of all possibilities I'm definitely not in the Worst Timeline.
Our reasoning was that although doing the loft would add the most £££ value to the house, it wouldn't add anything meaningful to our enjoyment of the house day-to-day (we don't need the extra bedroom yet, it'd only tempt the in-laws to stay…). We'd love to do a proper out-back extension (currently have a small galley kitchen lean to thing) if we ever get to the end of this step without the house falling down or going bankrupt, as it seems to us a good compromise between enjoyment-of-space and financial return.
6pt
We are in the process of revealing an existing knock through; victorian mid-terrace, living room into dining room. The existing steel, untouched for decades and with the void below hidden behind plasterboard, has been found to be basically unsupported at one end, building control aren't happy with building the other end of the steel into the party wall, we're having to get a steel frame put in (four sides of steel!), lifting floorboards either side of the divide, digging down for foundations across the whole run. Large expense, large disruption, little benefit. Should have left it all alone and spent the cash on something shiny like a new bathroom or kitchen.