Can anyone help me find out about house renovation costs?

booey1

Hi

I've been trying to buy my 1st house for 4 months now, and I've been messed about alot by estate agents, everything I've tried to buy has been sold to someone else at the last minute.

I'm getting more desperate now looking at region £90-£120K and I'm considering houses that need work doing on them. Now I've taken relatives to look at houses (cause they know alot more than me about property cause they've lived so much longer). But when looking at these properties requiring work relatives have told me it will cost £30k, £40k or £100k.

Two examples:
My uncle has told me that several of the properties I've looked at will need £40k work done on the roof, gutters and windows, but if the roof isn't leaking and its only a 2 or 3 bed terrace how can it cost so much?

Second when looking at another terrace today (£120k) which I'll admit needs alot of work on the inside my Aunt told me I'd need 100k spare to make it nice. Surely you could build a new terrace for that much???

I'm stuck because I don't know very much about renovation costs, who to ask or where to findout information. That means I can't buy an old property

I've really like help find out where to get information and break downs of costings for:

• Average cost of central heating in 3 bed house - I've been told £3-5k
• Sorting out damp problems in one room - I've been told £5-10k
• Damp proofing a 10x10ft cellar - I've been told £10k
• Putting in a vellux window in a roof - been told £1.5k
• Average price of double glassing on a medium size terrace/semi - been told £5-10k
• Average cost of a conservatory - been told £5-10k
• Average cost of wiring a 3 bed house - been told £3k
• Average cost of re-tiling a roof (and fixing minor damage) - been told £25k or more
• Average cost of small single story extention - been told £20k
• Average cost of small two story extention - been told £30k

There are probably some other things I've forgotten, but an answer to those would be great. I'm just so fed up of being told that every house I look at over 10 years old will cost me £40k to make reasonable It seems like you can only buy new houses cause it costs so much to make old ones livable

Is what I've been told right? Where should I go for advice/information?

Thanks so much for any help you can give

HugoSP

booey1 wrote: »

Hi

• Average cost of central heating in 3 bed house - I've been told £3-5k
• Sorting out damp problems in one room - I've been told £5-10k
• Damp proofing a 10x10ft cellar - I've been told £10k
• Putting in a vellux window in a roof - been told £1.5k
• Average price of double glassing on a medium size terrace/semi - been told £5-10k
• Average cost of a conservatory - been told £5-10k
• Average cost of wiring a 3 bed house - been told £3k
• Average cost of re-tiling a roof (and fixing minor damage) - been told £25k or more
• Average cost of small single story extention - been told £20k
• Average cost of small two story extention - been told £30k

Central heating quote is about right
Damp proofing one room is nonsense. You would normally inject a damp proof membrane in the whole building or certainly on a wall by wall basis, not a room by room basis. Depending on the house it would probably cost you around £5k plus to hack off all the plaster, inject then re render and plaster with the inhibitor.
Damp proofing the celler could be done for as little as £2k, depending on what you want. That would probably get you a new floor and render/thoroseal walls. If you wanted it dry lined and completely done out then that pushes the cost up.
Velux window - Fitting is a days work plus interior finishing, maybe 2 days max - £400 or so. Then add the cost of the window plus flashing kit. plus any costs involved with accessing the roof area.
Double glazing £5k
Wiring £3k
Roof at £25k - he's having a laugh! The work would probably take 2 guys about a week at the outset meaning that labour would come in at around £2k, then there's the scaffolding that you may pay up to £1k for. Materials are unlikely to be more than £5 to 10K. I don't do tiled roofing so I don't buy tiles, but slates start from around £1 each. If you want a materials cost, count the tiles and ridge tiles then multiply these by the unit cost from a builders merchant.
The cost for the extensions are not to be argued with, but work to a broad figure of £1k per square metre of floor area for a double extension and that will give you some idea.

A couple of others

fitting of bathroom £400 plus the suite
New kitchen - £1 to £2k plus the units etc, you may get some tiles up for that as well
Tiling bathroom walls- £600 plus tiles


Hope this helps

Kaz2904

It is always cheaper to do unskilled work yourself too. The main thing is deciding if you have the capability to do it. We have learned as we went along but it has taken us time. We have had to put up with a grotty nasty downstairs for ages because we've not got time to do the other work that needs doing first. We are doing it step by step and the weather is holding us back from getting outside sorted but it is not costing us anything yet. I think the final cost will be under £350 and we've had to dig up all the concrete around the front of the house, down the side and out the back and get rid of a load of earth as we have damp.

Pandora_Peroxide

I'm having 5 windows and a 9 foot patio door replaced with double glazing from a national chain for £3000.

Couldn't say on any of the others.

[Deleted User]

Average cost of central heating in 3 bed house - 2-3K
Sorting out damp problems in one room - 1-2K
Damp proofing a 10x10ft cellar - I've been told £10k could well be
Putting in a vellux window in a roof - 500quid
Average price of double glassing on a medium size terrace/semi - 3-5K
Average cost of a conservatory - if you DIY 2K otherwise 5K
Average cost of wiring a 3 bed house - 1K-1500
Average cost of re-tiling a roof (and fixing minor damage) - 3-5K
Average cost of small single story extention - 6-10K
Average cost of small two story extention - 30-40K