Reality check on doing up a house please.

beverleyhills · 29 March 2006 at 10:06AM

Depends how much you can afford for tradesmen do the work that needs doing. Living on a building site can put a lot of strain on family relationships.

marksimonpowell · 29 March 2006 at 10:54AM

the extension could be built as quickly as 12 weeks, depends on how much you wwant to pay the builder to "accelerate" the extension could be done pretty much in isolation from the exisiting house, but if it needs re-wiring and a heating system etc. this may be disruptive.

before you go to the auction - if you are interested in buying, you need to take a recommended builder to the house to view the condition and advise on budget costs for the extension - yo ucan then decide whether or not to bid

tesuhoha · 1 April 2006 at 11:01AM

We are buying a similar house and are also wondering whether it is worth building the two storey extension on the side. My husband is in the building trade but he is still not sure whether we would make more money just by renovating the main house because the extension would cost about £30k even with his experience and knowledge. He is doing all the plumbing and electrics himself. If you want it as a home then it is probably worth doing. If you want it as an investment then you have to weigh up how much you would make with the 2 alternatives, renovating the main house or building the extension.