Refurb Work-Knowing how much to offer

Smudger78

Hi,


We're about to offer on a house which we like but for it to be perfect for us needs some fairly substantial work doing. The problem I have is knowing how much this work will cost and therefore what the maximum we can afford to offer is. In short we would want to do the following:

• Add an extra bedroom and ensuite via a 25m2 "over garage" extension OR a loft conversion (whichever is cheaper)
• Put a slate roof with a couple of velux windows onto the existing conservatory which currently has a corrugated clear plastic roof (11m2)
• Replace the kitchen including new fridge/freezer and other built in appliances

So researching online I've concluded the extension could cost £25k-£30k but I'm not too sure how much cheaper a loft conversion might be (if at all), the kitchen could be £5k-10k and I really don't have a clue about the roof.


Anyone any experience of doing similar work recently in the north?

pawsies

I would argue that new appliances wouldn't be something you could haggle for. The roof is personal preference (I assume it is not structural?) and the extension is also personal choice. By all means try and haggle a bit off the price but I would suggest unless the house is a state that it is likely to be turned down.
Compare to other property prices on the street and see if you can use that to justify your offer but don't tell them the real reasons

Jenniefour

Smudger78 wrote: »

Hi,


We're about to offer on a house which we like but for it to be perfect for us needs some fairly substantial work doing. The problem I have is knowing how much this work will cost and therefore what the maximum we can afford to offer is. In short we would want to do the following:

• Add an extra bedroom and ensuite via a 25m2 "over garage" extension OR a loft conversion (whichever is cheaper)
• Put a slate roof with a couple of velux windows onto the existing conservatory which currently has a corrugated clear plastic roof (11m2)
• Replace the kitchen including new fridge/freezer and other built in appliances

So researching online I've concluded the extension could cost £25k-£30k but I'm not too sure how much cheaper a loft conversion might be (if at all), the kitchen could be £5k-10k and I really don't have a clue about the roof.


Anyone any experience of doing similar work recently in the north?

I had to read your post a few times to realise that it is probably not a wind-up!

The property will have been priced to reflect the condition it is in now, space, number of bedrooms etc. What on earth leads you to believe that the optional home improvements you describe (and which appear to be nothing to do with any major necessary repairs you may have noticed) are the basis for deciding what to offer? The only thing you have there which might have legs is new kitchen - if present kitchen really is tired and dated.

No harm in negotiating though, sometimes a cheeky offer succeeds. But other factors - what might come up on the survey, how long it's been on the market, how keen the vendors are to move, how much buyers can afford and so on are the kind of issue that most people consider.

Building_Surveyor

If this post is indeed genuine (severely doubt it) then, I agree with the above. These are not repairs, they are improvements. As the vendor I'd be telling you to take a running jump if you approached me with this nonsense.

The property is priced in its current condition, unless the valuation says it needs x y and z urgently if I were the vendor I wouldn't entertain negotiation talks at all.

Davesnave

Smudger78 wrote: »

.....and I really don't have a clue about the roof.

Indeed.

Putting a slate roof on a conservatory designed to take a plastic one would be madness. Even if it could be done, it would lower the value of the property.

You would have to budget for new footings, walls and then your roof.

Similarly, you cannot presume the garage footings would be up to taking another floor, so the building inspector would want trial holes dug to prove that they were.

Dan-Dan

OP , you really need to be aware that once you buy the house , you will quickly find , this money you might have set aside for all these fantastic home improvements , rapidly gets used up on basic maintenance and repair of the inevitable issues you will find!

Might be better off searching the market for something that more closely fits your needs straight off

TrixA

Wow, a lot of hostile responses here! I had interpreted the OP's post as saying that they were trying to establish the likely cost of their desired improvements so they could decide how much they could afford to offer on the house (and still have money left to do the improvements) rather than that they were trying to use them to bargain the price down.

MysteryMe

I would have thought that if the so called hostile responses had inaccurately interpreted the OP's intentions then the OP would have returned to clarify.

Ivana_Tinkle

The OP really couldn't be much clearer:

Smudger78 wrote: »

The problem I have is knowing how much this work will cost and therefore what the maximum we can afford to offer is.

It's an entirely reasonable question which by no means deserved such unpleasant responses.

Davesnave

I think the criticism of some people's harshness is fair comment.

From my POV the OP was asking an unanswerable question. Ignoring the kitchen, their proposals were either a bit crazy, or something that no one could answer at distance. Even on-site, there would have to be further investigation.

I said so. Maybe I was blunt, but sometimes straight talking is kinder than waffle.

dimbo61

Unless you are a builder on site and can examine the garage walls and foundations how can you tell if you can simply put a large extension on top of the existing garage walls!
How big is the kitchen,shape, quality of units and appliances!
I put a new worktop, new sink, new double oven and gas hob in my kitchen last year ( cost about £1800 all in with labour)
Helped my mum buy a new American Fridge/freezer by shopping around and it cost nearly £2000 before the builders start the alterations in the kitchen!!!!
How long is a piece of string ?