Owning your own home

I’ve never understood en suites. Maybe I’m too Soviet.

Then again, I’d never had a dishwasher in any house I’d lived in until about a week ago.

You don’t like shitting in your bedroom cupboard?

Surely the point is that it's your own adult bathroom that's not having toothpaste traps layed inside your bathroom cupboard, or being welcomed by pebbledash.

What would you do?

What my wife tells me.

Anyone got any knowledge of electical certification?!

A house I'm buying had an EICR result of 'unsatisfactory'. The seller has kindly addressed the failing issues on the EICR and provided an NICEIC installation certificate. My understanding is that that certificate means the electrical work was done in a compliant way (which is great).

However, I had still wanted to see a passing EICR test, which there appears to be some push back against.
Does anyone know if this (EICR) is needed, or if the NICEIC certificate would supercede that test.

edit: possibly important, the failing EICR test that was provided was originally done c. ten years ago.

I’ve never understood en suites.

Having more than one bathroom is useful if there are a few people in the house. The easiest way to add a bathroom without losing another room is usually an en suite.

I don't see the point of giant en suites though. The one in my old flat was ~ 1m x 2.5m and was perfectly fine.

Retesting / new EICR is not needed if the C1s and C2s have been fixed and documented.

EICRs are not needed at all, as far as I'm aware, unless you are renting the property out.

I thought EICR was only necessary if you wanted to rent the place out.

Also, our place was technically failing the current tests because they changed a bunch of shit. When we bought it, we had a new consumer unit installed, everything was to code, etc. but now they want metal encased consumer units and blah blah so it was no longer up to code. But we're having the kitchen done so decided to just pay and get it done even though legally we didn't need to.

So, I guess, if you're going to live there, find out WHY it's failing. Sometimes everything is fine and it's just using old rules. Sometimes there's actually risky stuff.

EICRs are not needed at all, as far as I'm aware, unless you are renting the property out.

That's what I thought.

Anyway, £1800 later we have a new 2024 certified consumer unit (and some less dodgy wiring).

I did not know such a thing existed - I'll be getting one of these for under our stairs!

Half measure for the neighbours patio that bridges our damp course.

I thought EICR was only necessary if you wanted to rent the place out.

I'm not sure, but my solicitor asked for one and was given the failling one. I'm happy enough that the works been done, but prior to this work it was 'unsatisfactory' and 'tripping out'.

I think that getting a passing EICR is a reasonable request given the one I was provided with was failing. I'm just not sure if the Installation certificate I've got will have included / surpassed the the tests that would have been done on the EICR (which is what's being claimed), so the EICR is unneccesary.

It's one of these:
https://www.toolstation.com/dimplex-thermostatic-tubular-heater-ipx4/p17033?utm_source=googleshopping%2CRakuten&utm_medium=feed%2Caffiliates&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed%2C463901015881528843181027&utm_content=Redbrain&ranMID=46390&ranEAID=pfxNKSnglIM&ranSiteID=pfxNKSnglIM-KvzW.YrEiLDW5LpgEWK7Mw

now they want metal encased consumer units and blah blah so it was no longer up to code.

EICR Myths

A consumer unit made from combustible materials needs replacing

If a consumer unit is made from combustible material (e.g. plastic), BPG 4 recommends that the presence of a plastic consumer unit is worthy of a note, but does NOT warrant a classification code. If the consumer unit is located under a wooden staircase or within a sole route of escape from the premises, a C3 classification code is recommended.

Either way, this would not result in an unsatisfactory outcome.

Does anyone have a good calculator to work out figures on buying and selling with options of porting/new mortgage

Or is just a job for a broker?
I just need guage where things are at

what age of house is this?

I wouldn't be overly worried unless the whole place needs re-wired i which case you just factor that into the purchase price.

if it has a reasonably modern consumer unit with RCDs on the ring mains (in addition to MCBs), the chances of anything bad happening are quite low.

As mentioned above extra bathrooms are always useful, specially if you don’t have one downstairs, plan to have guests and/or kids. Removing a bathroom might also bring the value down, which should not be a deal breaker if you thinking long term or are planning to improve the rest of the place.

FWIW We did similarly sized storage both sides of the chimney and, even though functional, they are always a bit too small for a normal sized adult and require a shared wardrobe somewhere else for winter coats, boots, duvets, etc

I don't even know if we have an EICR after it all. Is it a bit of paper?

We have wardrobes either side of the alcove, you can fit a lot in them and they look good. One thing though is that we decided not to make them as deep as a standard wardrobe in order to protrude into the room a bit less which means they aren't practical for hanging clothes.

I would mock that up to see how a 60+cm depth would look in the alcove spaces (or ensure you have hanging space elsewhere).

There should be paperwork of some description - replacing the consumer unit is notifiable work, so the sparky should have filled in some stuff.

I've got my partner/nurse/PA/PM/procurement team on it.

Yep, we’d have the same issue. And if we can’t hang clothes in them then it isn’t a practical solution for us.

We’ve definitely decided to rip out the en suite and turn it into a walk in wardrobe.

You can always have front-to-back rather than side-to-side rails, telescopic or otherwise.

can't you just model it in excel/google sheets with a couple of different options. Nothing complicated

Sell house (port): EA fee, solicitor fee, moving fee, port mortgage fee
Buy house (port): SDLT, solicitor fee, port mortgage fee, additional mortgage fee if amounts aren't identical and not topping up with equity, total monthly mortgage
Sell house (early repay mortgage), EA fee, solicitor fee, moving fee, port mortgage fee
Buy house (new mortgage): SDLT, solicitor fee, mortgage arrangement fee, broker monthly

New mortgage: Month 1 = mortgage payment a + fees, monthly payment a
Port mortgage: similar monthly profile

Flat below me completed on their sale today.
Spoken to various contractors, still not got a quote, wall pissing wet still when it rains and I my neighbour hasn't been available for a chat for 3 weeks.
Weather turns soon

1 Attachment

Such a chore for you. It really is a building issue not a flat issue.

Sell?