Owning your own home

🤷🏻‍♂️

1 Attachment

Eye-watering.

With Miele appliances, estimated 18 cabinets including 3 full height larder units, all fitted, painted to my choice, and with ceramic sink, etc... somewhere around £25k with 2/3 of that being cabinetry.

The other half found a place with the massive garden she craves up for sale so we went to see it today. The kids were primed and excited too, especially when we met the current owners' dog who was delighted to get some attention.

It was disappointing to find that every room in the house needed substantial work, alongside a fair bit of the outside too. I don't think you'd get much change out of £100k for the work the place needed. It was tough trying to explain this to the kids, who loved the dog and the garden.

Moving to cambridge?

This house was in Shortlands. So no, not looking like it at the moment.

We will view some houses up that way, mainly to show the kids what we can get for our budget there compared to south-east London, but I think we all want to stay fairly local to where we are now.

Actually what I’d expect given the quality. My kitchen is a fair bit smaller. I’ll check them out. Thanks!

Ah. I just didnt link London with big garden!

What would be the usual course of action for remedying a bridged DPC in Victorian property with later concrete floor? I believe that's what I'm dealing with, haven't looked in to sorting it out much yet. Obviously taking the floor out might work, but that's quite a scary prospect.

Amrita Plumbing - Dan is great andlives in brockley

So the interior floor is concrete and you think it's bridging the DPC?

I obviously haven't seen it in person so it's hard to say for sure but I'd be looking for another cause to be perfectly honest.

If the foundations are ok (this can be an issue in Victorian properties as sometimes they are very insubstantial) then the ground under the floor should be dry. Is the damp problem limited to one part of the wall or all of it? Care to post some photos?

It's basically limited to this one, fully internal wall, which is the junction of the two reception rooms (knocked through) and the entrance hall, although it's started to creep to the other side of the door frame.

The water main is on the other side of the hall and CH pipes come down from the ceiling in trunking, not on this wall though.

I originally thought it might be residual ground humidity being forced up through the wall by the, now impervious, slab.

Like you say, I should get a few professional opinions on it, though I'm out sure how to go about finding any trustworthy contractors.

2 Attachments

finding any trustworthy contractors

My builder is a good place to start as all reviews on the site come as a result of winning work through the site. But always ask for references and check them, also ask to see their public liability insurance for small jobs, for big jobs a companies house check on the directors of a company is a good idea, don't go with anyone who has a string of bankruptcies.

Is that a pipe the runs down the side of the architrave in the first picture?

That's the electricity supply, which complicated things further!

“The damp proof course has been bridged” is probably the most common lie ever written since the dawn of time.
Probably even beats “I love you too”.

We have just finished our installation with a company called Great British Kitchen & Interiors. Shaker style Kitchen is superb, also went with Miele, Bora, Kohler & Quooker cube. The worktop has a leathered finish, it’s great as it does not show water / grease marks

Ah lovely.

Does this thread do component breakdowns? :D

I'm thinking of doing a dark green paint on the cabinets, a sage green on the walls, a white quartz worktop, predominantly Miele appliances, brass handles and lighting (but Philips Hue inside), and a grey brushed slate or similar flooring.

It seems silly to not consider Miele or equivalent when the difference between £6k of entirely average appliances and £10k of insanely good appliances, as a % of the total cost of the kitchen really isn't that huge. It feels like once you've agreed to spend £20-25k that spending £25-30k and for it to enhance the total house value... it's just a no-brainer. Plus the hob and oven, those things likely never change in the life of the kitchen so going for the top at the outset seems wise.

What are the Bora and Kohler things you have? The Quooker is the tap right?

^This is relevant to my question, what's the best washing machine available in a standard front-loading style? Mine keeps running around the floor when it spins, which is getting annoying.

Have you tried adjusting the feet? Sounds stupid, but mine was trying to shake the building down but turn out while all 4 feet were touching the floor, one wasn't taking as much of the load. Sorting that has made things a lot more stable.

Recently bought a Miele washing machine when the previous one died. It's great and very quiet. Hardly notice it's on.

Edit: can't find the exact one - similar to this:

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/household-appliances/laundry/washing-machines/miele-w1-powerwash-wwd-320-8-kg-1400-spin-washing-machine-white-10198976-pdt.html

We sent our Miele back, quoted load was 8kg I think so not particularly small but even with a small load clothes we're coming out dirty or still soapy even. The Samsung we went with in the end is great, perhaps a bit louder but saved about a grand!

So colour wise we went Skylight and Juniper Ash, one is a Farrow and Ball colour the other is Little Green. We have Brass Handles and steel butt hinges. We have not painted the kitchen yet but the walls will be skylight as well. Flooring will be Amtico with a border / parquet.

Appliance wise we had two ovens , steam oven, microwave, two tall fridge freezers and a dishwasher. Quooker hot tap with sparkling. Kohler is the cast iron sink. Appliances set us back £14k....

Worktop and splash backs are black / grey granite with a leathered finish.

Our kitchen is 25m2, we set ourselves a budget of £40k on the kitchen and then sailed passed that

Appliances set us back £14k....

Our kitchen is 25m2

Presume you are feeding a tribe?

That's one huge kitchen! And it must already look incredible. V. happy for you.

Mine's 15m2 and I'm only going for a single large oven, but a 6 zone induction hob, dishwasher, washing machine and standard fridge freezer.

Modest kit out really, and keeping all appliances simple, honest, but really high quality.

Never had a need for a grill, nor more than a single oven, and the flat is only 2 bed and I'm a sole occupant... so a single oven is good for me and will be good for a small family too.

The induction hob though... this is where I'm putting the money. I do far more on the hob than anywhere else, and do wish for the hood to intelligently turn on for the appropriate area and extraction rate depending on what the hob is doing. So that stuff I'm sparing no cost on.

We went Bora for the hob, it’s brilliant.

The ovens are great as well, tbh we only started on the kitchen as we wanted doors to have garden access and it’s just sort of ballooned. I’ll post some pictures

we only started on the kitchen as we wanted doors to have garden access and it’s just sort of ballooned

This appears to be the understatement of the century.