Affordable rural house FTB/ Adding renovation costs?

teddysmum

Is that mould on the walls in the yellow bedroom ?
What is hiding under those ceiling tiles and are they legal ?
The gas fires are 1970s and the radiant bricks are very difficult to source. We've just scrapped ours (which warmed the room beautifully) and the gas fitter said that, if we hadn't replaced, he would have had to condemn it because the bricks had cracks in them.

Norma_Desmond

When we bought this house as a virtual shell all we were concerned about was fixing the roof to make it weather-proof; and then promptly moved in.

We managed to get the mortgage only because it did have a kitchen (sink unit, one wall cupboard and a cooker point) and two bathrooms that 'functioned' - what else do you need at first?

Our mortgage wasn't huge to start with but we haven't borrowed a penny extra for any renovations or decorating cost - just worked on the house as and when we could afford it; the first paychecks after moving in were almost entirely wiped out on a new boiler etc.

The house is stone built, and yes it can get chilly - especially with the winds we've had lately howling through single-glazed-original sash windows, but for all I moan about it I adore the place.

Go for it - buy whatever ruinous place you can afford with a sensible budget to make it dry and warm - and spend the next 11 years (:( ) having great fun and swearing a lot doing it up.

lincroft1710

If this was in the south of England, a developer would buy, bulldoze and try to put 2 or 3 five bed houses on the plot.

Freecall

lincroft1710 wrote: »

If this was in the south of England, a developer would buy, bulldoze and try to put 2 or 3 five bed houses on the plot.

Am I the only one on here who thinks that it doesn't look too bad?

Basic roof and walls look good, plot and view to the rear look fantastic.

Yes, it's a bit dated inside and probably needs a bit of money spending on it but at the end of the day it looks a great house to me.

Rather live here than some little box on a new estate for the same money.

moneyistooshorttomention

Norma_Desmond wrote: »

When we bought this house as a virtual shell all we were concerned about was fixing the roof to make it weather-proof; and then promptly moved in.

We managed to get the mortgage only because it did have a kitchen (sink unit, one wall cupboard and a cooker point) and two bathrooms that 'functioned' - what else do you need?:)

Well...outa interest at this point...and I've been wondering every time I see mention of what a house has to have to be "mortgageable"...well my new-to-me house didn't have any hot water heating or cooker point when I moved in.

Now, would that have made it "unmortgageable" or no?

Does anyone know the answer to that question please?

The hot water situation when I bought it consisted of "Get it from that oil-fired Rayburn most people wouldn't know how to use and/or be able to afford to use" and that meant I spent weeks with the only time I touched hot water being when I used the 'orrible little shower the place had to start with or boiled up a kettle.

There wasn't a cooker point until I had the electrics updated and that included putting in the missing cooker point (and there was no means of using a gas cooker either). The only way to cook for weeks after buying this house basically was to work out how to use said oil-fired Rayburn and attempt to do so that way pretty much (which meant my meals were distinctly rudimentary to start with).

Does all that mean this house wouldn't have been mortgageable at the time I bought it or no?

I'll groan if the answer is "Nope...it wouldn't have been and therefore would have been pretty much unsaleable as it was"...but I might as well know the full facts one way or another...:cool:

moneyistooshorttomention

lincroft1710 wrote: »

If this was in the south of England, a developer would buy, bulldoze and try to put 2 or 3 five bed houses on the plot.

I know...because I was frequently mentally taking potshots at blimmin' developers and wishing them the place they deserved elsewhere:mad::(:mad:

I am definitely of the School of Thought that goes "Spot developer = get out shotgun" by now. I lost count quite some time ago of the number of perfectly decent little plots the b&&&&&&s ruined:sad::wall:

It is horrifying to watch them in action and I've certainly seen pleasant little roads transformed by one greedy little executor selling out to one of these characters and..bingo...the whole nature of said area transformed very much for the worse because of one money-grubbing little ******

Apologies...but it's a subject I feel strongly about having watched these characters in action a noticeable number of times by now.

Where I am now...the risk is low of them trying it on...but, if they ever do, then I have a "covenant" I can (and will) hit them over the head with as soon as look at them LOL. Might have to head towards a medium to consult with the next door neighbours by then (as I expect they will be somewhere or other on Cloud 9...given their ages), but I know part of the reason I meet with their approval basically is because I am just as convinced as they are that the area is to be preserved just as it is basically LOL.

Davesnave

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Does all that mean this house wouldn't have been mortgageable at the time I bought it or no?:cool:

No, it had an oil fired Rayburn, much like I have, so it had a hot water system. It had a kitchen sink, a shower, washbasin & loo, so that was all it needed (other than structural integrity of course.)

Freecall, I agree, it doesn't look too bad, but people on here reflect the general reaction to such places, which is why they can be bargains.

Most damp, for example, is lifestyle-related. There's no evidence in the pictures of serious damp. By the look of it, it's a conventionally built property with cavity walls.

Some people want to 'arrive' as fast as possible, so they'll buy newer rather than tackle something like this. Others actually enjoy the journey.

Davesnave

lincroft1710 wrote: »

If this was in the south of England, a developer would buy, bulldoze and try to put 2 or 3 five bed houses on the plot.

They could try, but it's just not wide enough.

moneyistooshorttomention

Davesnave wrote: »

No, it had an oil fired Rayburn, much like I have, so it had a hot water system. It had a kitchen sink, a shower, washbasin & loo, so that was all it needed (other than structural integrity of course.)


Some people want to 'arrive' as fast as possible, so they'll buy newer rather than tackle something like this. Others actually enjoy the journey.

Well...that answers that query then.

"Enjoy the journey":rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::cool::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:. You mean the one that goes "Well some of the locals seem to admire me for taking on such a challenge"....:cool:. Pass on that one...some of us are quite prepared to do without that and blow the blimmin' "journey":cool:

"Arriving" as fast as possible sounds blimmin' good from where I'm standing personally....ie tired/dirty/stressed/a bit overweight (from not having full cooking facilities) and wondering how on earth to Get A Life together proper-like whilst having to deal with said Blimmin' Basic Necessities...:cool:. It does have to be borne in mind that some of us (whilst understanding why they acted that way) ARE not "happy bunnies" with previous owners of Our Little Home for having neglected their responsibilities big-time for maintaining it and surrounding environment and are having to remind ourselves frequently that if Previous Owner HAD borne their own "personal responsibilities" properly then the purchase price would have been higher...

Quite frankly my own personal thoughts on that are "B*****R the blimmin' journey...its the destination we want" whilst I understand why some people (most definitely NOT including me personally) might actually enjoy the "journey", rather than thinking "How fast can I get through this...if I put every 'rocket' I can think of underneath it?".

CreditCrunchie

Wow, thanks for all the answers. We're not buying now, but in 2-3 years when we have our deposit this is the mind of place that could be ideal as we'd get our ruralish home for a cheaper price. I was just wondering if as first time buyers it would be a crazy idea with so much work to be done, and if mortgages can be got to cover those extra costs.

I agree with the above about rather here that those little red brick boxes!