Owning your own home

They might perform a lot better and the current one is only about five years old, but they are crap for filling big baths ;)

this isn't 95 anymore

Clinton and Gangsta's Paradise vs. Trump and sea shanties. Mid 90s cars were great too...

Can you have unvented hot water with a combi?

Has anyone got any experience doing a full refurb and extension?

A house near us has just appeared back on the market - a full 1930s detached, and seems in basically original condition. Obviously needs loads of work just to be livable, but where do you even start assessing how much that costs before I decide if I could afford to buy?

Random websites indicate something like 700-1000 per m² but has anyone got any tips / first hand experience how they did something similar?

I think the next boilers we all have to be that new kind, so not combi at all...

Lots of folks on here.
Extension prob starts about 65k for something modest. You'll be well into 6 figures before you realise. Forum fave @amey did roughly the same I think?

a full refurb and extension?

yep we did for about 65k ALL in, Victorian end of terrace about 1200sq ft or something, extension is 3 meters with 3 velux.

IKEA kitchen, laminate floors, nothing extravagant.

We have a young kid and when she destroys things I feel nothing. Once she is of a certain age and I am more financially secure I will get on the 40k kitchen wagon.

No you didn't you big liar!

I'm at £90k spent so far on a refurb (no extension) of a 4 bed, 3 storey Victorian terrace. Will be another £10k to finish. Have literally done everything apart from floors and joists (which in fairness probably needed doing).

My advice is get a builder who will take the whole thing on. Add 25% contingency to yuor budget. In my case I had £0 for roof. Ended up being £14,5o0

The fact you follow such a cretin on social media is waaaaay more shame worthy IMO!

Agreed. Words need to be had...

Thanks all - I thought there would be a few who've done this on here.

The house is 130m² before any extension and I reckon it needs absolutely everything - central heating, kitchen, bathroom... So can easily see it adding up. Will see if I can find a friendly builder to give an idea of cost but feels quite hard to start since we need to work out what we'd like to do... This might be more project than I have capacity for

Our guys were great, they have a good project and budget management system, great communication too.

Interesting - have you got details? May give them a shout and see if they can help on price. Were they builders only or design and build?

lemme PM you

We hit £250k refurb cost, but we are outside London, and closer to 300 sqm.

I think a huge amount of it comes down to how much structural work needs doing, so have a list of things that might need doing, and it gets easier to price up. Some things to start with:

Roof: Does it need replacing? If so is it just the covering (tiles, slate whatever) or does some/all of the structure need repairing
Windows: New ones needed? if so what material.
External Walls: are they straight and sound? Rendered or bare? Does it need re-rendering or repointing?
Internal: Are you happy with the current layout? Where are the load bearing walls? Its much easier to move stud walls than load bearing.

I always find if you break it down to smaller projects it gets much easier to price up. We all know that a kitchen costs £40k...

Don't forget the rewire...

Getting ready for a constant 50’s soundtrack for your sundowners @chrisbmx116

http://walthamforestecho.co.uk/secret-cinema-set-to-host-walthamstow-events/

Yeah Castles can get pricey quite quickly...

oh yes, my list was far from exhaustive! I tried to list the things that might not need doing. Rewiring and replumbing will I guess be on the list for sure if it is all original.

Ha! Not bad... 15 minutes, I had money on sub 10.

Just about to have plans drawn up to convert one of the outbuildings, its 4m x 16m, if I could get it down for £1k per m2 I would be very happy. But it does need a complete new roof and floor, and some minor structural work.

Will take some photos for hive mind thoughts.

I KNOW RIGHT?!
TBF I have that anyway, but the other locals are kicking off big time, which I understand, hopefully it's not too unbearable but considering we can hear people playing football in the eves I suspect it may be.
Pretty sure there will be a vigilante group who will sabotage it if its too much of an issue, much like the local "tyre fairy" which puts nails in nuisance vehicles tyres.

Rewiring and replumbing will I guess be on the list for sure if it is all original.

Just knock the whole thing down and start again

Can't help but feel the gap between contemporary standards and 1930s stuff is so great there's a point where you'd need to consider just demolishing and having at it properly.

Obviously not entirely viable if the place is terrace or semi, but the example was detached, so...

There certainly becomes a point where it becomes financially easier to rebuild. Guess planning restrictions come into play. Also the fact there is no VAT on a new build compared to 20% on a renovation.

I mean it is certainly possible to bring even a much older house up to modern standards, if you throw enough money at it.

I'm sure I'll end up seeing them everywhere now my horizons have been widened.

Just knock the whole thing down and start again

just don't buy a mid-terrace if you intend to do this