Would you buy a house with no central heating?

Geenie

thejonesfamily wrote: »

also, storing wood all year and collecting it etc is too much admin. get yourself a house with CH and be done with it, you'll be far happier in the long run

Would you really? If you have a wood central heating system like we do, it is not dependant on oil tankers being able get up up icy roads.....which they wouldn't have done for nearly 2 weeks in recent weather. You do have to store. We get our winter supply in during the spring so it dries out. I wouldn't invest in any oil or gas system now. I know that I can always have my home heated....even if there are strikes with oil, gas, electric etc. i am fortunate, but we invested long term. The long term is what people forget when they spend on fancy bathrooms and kitchens. The heating is what matters.

dizziblonde

Geenie wrote: »

Would you really? If you have a wood central heating system like we do, it is not dependant on oil tankers being able get up up icy roads.....which they wouldn't have done for nearly 2 weeks in recent weather.

I'd agree oil is pants - my mum's house has it and it's been nothing but a nightmare for them, it sounds like their second boiler is on its way out already, it's been so cold the oil's been freezing in the pipes and the price has just skyrocketted (although their company that they have a monthly payment plan with did do a run of topping all their customers up back when the price dipped earlier in the year). Lots of the time they resort to their wood/coal burning fireplace as their main source of heat (and my stepfather's forever found trying to fish driftwood out of the river for it - but it keeps him out of mischief I guesss)

As for no central heating - I'm one of those who hate hate hate being cold, and to use the Derbyshire term - I'm always nesh anyway - so no I wouldn't, but then again - I spent most of my childhood in a house with no heating upstairs and lived to tell the tale. Would rather suck up and pay for a proper gas system than electric heaters though - but I'm very prejudiced against storage heaters and the like from bad past experiences (4 years of knob-twiddling and I never got to be warm on an evening).

I'd buy it - if I had the space to live elsewhere while the really messy work was being done (even if it was a couple of weeks of stuff in storage and kip at rellies') and if the price reflected the outlay you'd have to pay - as someone said - you get to choose exactly what and where you want rather than inheriting someone else's half-baked idea that doesn't fit where you want your bed and there being a chuffing great big radiator in the way meaning you spend all night with a heat-seeking cat sleeping on your head... sorry, think that one's just my house!

Bibbitybob

We're living without central heating at the moment and have done throughout the cold spell. We have an open fire which has been a godsend, and a couple of little freestanding heaters to tide us over. We're putting a new boiler in during the new year and I can't wait. Whilst we've survived by shutting ourselves in one room at a time, it makes things like going to the bathroom or getting undressed for bed horrible.

All that said, I've done it before. My last property had no central heating and just a gas fire which was very inefficient. I had heating installed there for just under £2k.

As others have said, if you don't mind the upheaval and get the house for the right price (and have the money to install it all), it's definitely worth coping for a few weeks whilst you get sorted. It wouldn't put me off again if the sums were right!

seven-day-weekend

elliebobs wrote: »

The best thing for me in keeping heating costs down recently has been the menopause!;) I would recommend it to all, as I feel so hot all the time, I even had the bedroom window wide open to cool down during the recent cold snap and snow! The rest of the family particularly hubby were freezing it has to be said, but there has to be some sort of pay back for going through years of PMT, childbirth etc.

Good luck OP.

sorry but this made me laugh! I'm only (!) 38 so hopefully got a few years left but agree that it is very MSE as you say!

QUOTE]

Sorry to tell you this, but I am nearly 61, have been in the menopause for five years and have NEVER had a hot flush!:rotfl:

Doshwaster

I grew up in a house with no CH and my parents still don't have it (they "don't believe in it"). The downstairs rooms had gas fires but there was no heating at all upstairs - you just got used to wrapping up well to go to bed in the winter. Even now I cannot get to sleep if the room is warm.

Now I wouldn't expect to live in a house without CH but I might buy one without it installed if it was going to be a "project".

mirrorimage0

we did around 5 yrs ago now, but the whole place needed doing up and we knew we was going to install central heating eventually, we got through 2 winters with no ch or double glazing, but now have all the rads etc where we want them and a lovely wood burner in the living room. its great so toasty lol

elliebobs

many many thanks to all those that have posted; it's great to get views from everyone.

The option of buying and then moving out temporarily isn't available unfortunately. We would have to move in straightaway but, that said, i think we could cope with the disruption of having CH installed.

I apreciate that, if we were to sell the house at some point, it would def put off some buyers.

One other thing that i noticed re the house is that the energy rating is the lowest you can get. In all my time on Rightmove I've never seen one that bad. My old house was a two bed terrace (19th Century) with an 18 year old boiler and that was a C/D rating so presumably the lack of Central heating. For those who are particularly interested. here's the Rightmove link but feel free to ignore!

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-27429565.html

Yorkie1

I reckon that woodburner will kick out some heat, pity they're not leaving the range cooker! It looks a nice house :-)

elliebobs

Yorkie1 wrote: »

I reckon that woodburner will kick out some heat, pity they're not leaving the range cooker! It looks a nice house :-)

I'm loving the range cooker too! That and the double belfast sink.

Thinking about it, the cooker would also kick out some heat I would imagine...

pupsicola

If you can get the house for the right price and there are no major problems with it why not. If you know a good company that can fit it all for you, then you have the benefit of choosing what you wnat and it all being brand new.

My place had heating but needed all kinds of other stuff doing to it. I got it dirt cheap a few years back and now it is just as I want it to be. Whats a little bit of upheaval for a while.