-
You’re other issue you’ll face is pricing and the changing in pricing between get that and the work done. Material costs are changing so much folk don’t wanna be locked into anything but at the same time if the price goes up another 15 grand and you don’t have the money your screwed. It’s a real catch 22
-
Comes down to how much money you have and how desperate you are.
I'd imagine any 'wait' on a list that's longer than three months is pretty much a 'probably won't happen' situation or they'll just subcontract so you won't actually get who you thought you would to do the work.
buying a place that's been messed with and needs a lot of custom remedial work is probably the most painful way to go about things at the moment.
-
Agh! Wrote a long reply but deleted it by accident.
Tldr you don't have enough time to do what you want in the way you want to. You've basically got 8wks to get everything done - including buying.
To me your options are:
a) rent somewhere for 12m,
b) prioritise your wishlist and do what you can (eg is the kitchen dependent on the bathroom move? If not that + redecorating is theoretically achievable.), or
c) accept that you will have to crash somewhere else at times and live with work going on. Fwiw my parents house was semi-derelict/uninhabitable when they bought it. They stayed with a friend for a bit while they did a bathroom and a bedroom which they turned into a bedsit, then did the rest overtime. Admittedly mothers stayed in hospital longer than they do now, but it is definitely doable. -
On the kid + renovation: we ended up moving to my parents for three months with a 4 month old, after overlapping renting and new house ownership for 3 months.
We worked with trades to get the biggest parts (electrics, plumbing, kitchen and bathroom, most of the skimming) then aimed to do finishing like floors and decorating ourselves to save a few Bob - 2.5y down the line we’re still on it. Small babies make it a bit trickier (probably shouldn’t fill their lungs with dust eh?) and toddlers have a habit of escaping with your chisel/paint brush/drill…
We also did the “quote today, work in 12 months” for some outside work last year and material costs increases really kicked hard on the final bill!
So: all very doable, but factor in that a baby adds a challenge and the current universe makes the finances less predictable - if that feels ok, get some quotes in with a set time in the diary for work to start and don’t be surprised if that becomes a moving target. That’s my two cents!
You are reading a single comment by @jeff80 and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
konastab01
Howard
hugo7
lookitsluke
@jeff80
Anybody in East London tried to get any building work done recently-I';ve heard there are long waits for builders....? We're buying a 3 bed house with a downstairs bathroom that we want to move upstairs by stealing a little from 2 bedrooms, so structural work iOS involved. Also wanting to put in a sliding patio door downstairs and knock out an internal wall that is load bearing so again more structural work...My wife is 6 months pregnant so there will be no time to do it for a while after moving in, but thinking if waiting times for builders are long it is best to get quotes and get on someones waiting list asap after buying so we at least know it will happen maybe next year? The house needs lots of redecorating and new kitchen etc ideally be bit loath to crack on with this if builders are coming in knocking the shite out of the place at some point.....BUt don't want to live in a non decorated house with a new baby (our first/only) for too long really....