Renovating New House

lackingwedge

Hi all, I am about to complete on a new property which is a Victorian terrace that is currently divided into 4 flats.
Property here
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-41847751.html
The survey highlighted some subsidence that occurred 10 years ago and I took out a structural engineers report (the same engineer that looked at the subsidence 10 years ago) and he assured me that there is no further movement since then. The subsidence was cause by a broken drain that leaked rainwater into the properties foundations.
Much of the rest of what was highlighted is down to lack of maintenance (rotten window frames, condensation due to poor heating\ventilation\insulation)
I will have to apply to the council to change into a single dwelling (I have enquired and been assured it would not be a problem).
However, I will have to have the house rewired as the wiring is old and each flat is on its own main. I will also have to put in a new Kitchen, bathrooms and central heating as currently each flat has storage heaters.
There are also fireplaces that would need an overhaul. My partner wants open wood burning fireplaces, I would prefer a nice gas fire (cheaper and more efficient), chances are we will probably settle on a nice wood burning stove.
I plan to get an architect in to do the new floor plans as well as send off the required paperwork to building regs. The house is in a conservation area so I am limited to what I can do especially around Front windows and doors.
My budget all in is about 50K is this achievable?
I don’t plan to move in until the work is complete so that the builders can do their thing unmolested.
Any advice welcome.

Doozergirl

What a lovely looking house! Congratulations

Ok, so you plan for a builder to do it all for you? I have lots of questions for you!

How many bedrooms will it be? How many bathrooms?

What's your kitchen and bathroom budget - any ideas? The interior spec is going to affect the price a lot.

I'm guessing you'll need some electric meters removing?
You mention storage heaters but is there evidence of a gas connection at all?
New interior doors
How many windows? Conservation approved, ie. wood?
What's the guttering like?
Is the roof okay? Would you want to insulate the inside of it?
Is the plastering sound? Would you want it all re-skimmed once the electricians and plumbers have made their mess?

It would be definitely be interesting to know how big it is inside . Does the EPC detail the total square footage or just the individual flats?

Johnandabby

You will also need Building Regs for converting from 4 flats to 1 house. This potentially triggers insulation and window upgrades, so make sure your architect looks at this - sometimes causes issues getting balance between conservation officer's and building control officer's requirements.

Could end up with requirements for internal insulation throughout, which would reduce room dimensions slightly, but would provide routes for heating pipework and electricity cabling without chasing brickwork. Would give you a nice clean finish internally once it's done, but you need to agree the insulation scope with the architect before installing any pipework or rewiring.

lackingwedge

Doozergirl wrote: »

What a lovely looking house! Congratulations
Ok, so you plan for a builder to do it all for you? I have lots of questions for you!
How many bedrooms will it be? How many bathrooms?
What's your kitchen and bathroom budget - any ideas? The interior spec is going to affect the price a lot.
I'm guessing you'll need some electric meters removing?
You mention storage heaters but is there evidence of a gas connection at all?
New interior doors
How many windows? Conservation approved, ie. wood?
What's the guttering like?
Is the roof okay? Would you want to insulate the inside of it?
Is the plastering sound? Would you want it all re-skimmed once the electricians and plumbers have made their mess?
It would be definitely be interesting to know how big it is inside . Does the EPC detail the total square footage or just the individual flats?

Hi, i plan for for a builder to do the works for me. I have not the time or inclination for any major DIY.
Regarding central heating, i am thinking of all the upstairs radiators from a manifold system using zoneing and a slme cylinder as well as make sure the water inlet supply is 32mm
I plan to have five bedrooms, a family bathroom on the first floor, an ensuite to the master bedroom and a shower room on the second floor as well as an ensuite to one of the second floor bedrooms if i can squeeze it in.
Those options i'll discuss with the architect.
I don't have an existing kitchen budget, I expect around 10K. The bathrooms should not be too much, the most expensive item would be the bath and i am expecting the family bathroom to weigh in at 2.5K and the ensuites at around 2K.
Three of the electric meters will need removing, luckily they are all in the basement so the electric board should be able to do that simply (is that their job?)
The gas feed was removed from the property when it was converted into flats and the feed was capped off just outside the property.
New interior doors are needed, my neighbour knows of a good salvage yard for properties of this age so I might be able to get original restored doors as a replacement. However, if i start to run over budget, I’ll get in cheapo ones for a couple of years.
I need to have a word with the conservationist regarding windows, however building regs said that should not be an issue as long as i am not planning to put in cheap and nasty Upvc like at the back of the property (and most on the terrace to be honest). I am torn between restoring the originals or put in modern windows with the traditional look.
The surveyor did point out some pointing that needs to be done on the roof around the chimney and there are no internal signs of water leakage. I will get someone to check the roof when the chimney pointing is being done and address what needs fixing.
I was advised to put 100mm celotex under the floorboards of every floor as part of the new central heating as well as 150mm for the roof.
The plastering looks OK, however, with the new wiring, central heating, reconfiguration of the internal walls back to the original dimensions means that most of the walls will need reskimming at least.
I don’t have the EPC to hand but the house to the immediate left which is still a single dwelling is showing as 228M2 and the house dimensions here http://www.zoopla.co.uk/property-history/225-tettenhall-road/wolverhampton/wv6-0de/17883872

Let me know if you need any more info

lackingwedge

Hi John, I covered most of your comments in my reply to Doozergirl. I did have this discussion with building regs at the local council before i put in the offer and he assured me the change of use should not be a problem. Also they are prepared to be flexible with regards to energy efficiency if that clashes with conservation. He did say that I would have to demonstrate I am improving energy efficiency which I intend to as fuel bills for a house of this age and size can be very large if I don't. the neighbours told me his property can get very cold very quickly in the winter when the heating is turned off so i intend to put in some insulation between floors.
The rooms are all pretty massive so if i am required to put in more internal insulation, it will not be a problem with reduced room sizes.

Doozergirl

That's a very different house! Did next door restore as well?

My gut says you've more than £50k to spend there. You may just pull it off but I think another £10k would make it safer.

I'd die for a floorplan to look at. I couldn't be more excited about bringing houses back the way they should be and taking them forward for modern families.

lackingwedge

Next door is not a restore, it has always been a single dwelling as far as i'm aware.

I have an architectural Technicians coming in on Saturday to discuss different permutations regarding the layout especially the ground floor which will require the most work.
You seem to be in the business or at least in the know, how much should I pay for the plans and the relevant drawings that I can submit to building regs?

I think my largest risk is the cosmetic repairi due to previous subsidence. You can see it in the first picture, a white diagonal line above the front door. As it is a victorian property the cosmetic repair will have to be done using lime cement (or whatever its called). I have no idea how much i will have to pay to get a professional job done so that the subsidence is not noticable.

Doozergirl

I wouldn't pay more than about £750 for plans, hopefully less. I don't think a decent builder would need drawings for buildings regs, the likely work is relatively obvious and can be done under building notice with input and conversation with the building control officer.

I also don't think it's worth trying to undo the aesthetic damage caused by subsidence. Every house tells a story. Essential repairs, of course if they prevent damage, but wonky is fine . You could spend a lot doing not very much.

When will you start work?

lackingwedge

As said above, the change of use will trigger building Regs and negotiations to find a balance between conservation and energy efficiency.

Good point about the outside brickwork. the current mortar put in the joins is a different colour and type than the rest so that would have to be hacked out and replaced on surveyor and structural engineers advice. I was thinking that since someone will be doing the work it might not cost much work to do some aesthetic work at the same time.

I plan to start as soon as I agree plans and have builders, plumbers, electritians lined up.

I have 50K to do the repairs. If I run short, then Stuff like new furniture, interior doors beds, Garden etc will have to wait a year down the line.

phoebe1989seb

Lovely house - and will be even better once restored to a single dwelling

We did exactly the same thing a few years back and although we did majority of the work ourselves - except plumbing & electrics - we spent around £80k.

I don't have any *before* pics, but the end result can be seen here -

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=37983133&sale=525769&country=england

Ours was in a much worse condition than yours - the ground floor was uninhabitable so we *camped out* in the upper flats whilst gutting the downstairs flat - but I would hazard a guess we'd gave been looking at well in excess of £100k just to do a basic job now.....obviously more if doing high-end stuff as we did ;)

GL with it.....it will be fab once done!

captainhindsight_2

Hello, good tip if your re plastering is to get the whole house lined with insulation boarding you could get this free or a big chunk paid for you through ECO as its eligible to any one with a solid walled home.