Home repair questions from a DIY dummy

dunroving

As per thread title, I am an enthusiastic amateur who knows his limits. First time on this particular forum on MSE, so please bear with me.

I have just received a survey on a house I will buy (think positive! Offer accepted cash buyer, no chain, so pretty hopeful). This is not a house buying question, though, so am not looking for advice on renegotiation of price, etc.

The house is about 35 years old, occupants recently both deceased. Overall, it looks like the house has been pretty well taken care of, except for the past couple of years (understandable). It's in a nice area, the whole street shows evidence of houses that have been well maintained, various additions and modifications (garages, driveways, small extensions) that all look good quality and nothing horrendous.

Here are the main things either arising from the survey, or that I plan to do after purchase. Notably, I may have flexibility to get stuff done while the house is empty (i.e., I have somewhere to stay before I fill the house with all my crap!)

Get electric report before exchange of contracts. Potentially will get at least a partial rewire, including installation of new powerpoints, with USB charger port, TV wiring to two bedrooms, ethernet wiring to at least one additional room.

Get gas report before exchange of contracts. Not sure at this point if the gas has been regularly inspected, typical survey questions about the gas fire in LR and an old gas fire in the conservatory.

Central heating - besides the gas fire, the conservatory ALSO has a CH radiator, and surveyor suggested removing it, as it is wasting energy. Seems more sensible to repair/replace the gas fire in there rather than have it heated 24-7.

Install loft ladder, replace scraggy old insulation, and install boarding/floor (at least partially) to provide storage. I'd like to do this ASAP, as there is no garage or other large storage area. Also, need to install roof ventilation tiles.

Repoint gable end.

Replace current small bathroom and separate loo, with remodeling, to make into a single toilet/bathroom.

Replace small number of defective double glazing panes (condensation inside)

Recarpet whole house.

Redecorate whole house (currently almost entirely wallpapered walls and ceilings)

Any specific comments would be most welcome, but my general questions are as follows:

Am I best calling in separate tradespeople (sparky, decorator/plasterer, bathroom installer, gas specialist), or finding a reliable local builder who employs these specialists?

Any ideas of suggested order of getting these things done? I was thinking to get rewiring done first, then redecorate, then refloor, to avoid unnecessary duplication (or getting plaster dust all over new carpet!) Ideally, I'd like to get all this done while the house is empty and wondered what is a reasonable timeline for these three things?

Tangentially, the survey suggested I look into whether it's possible to change the entry point for the gas supply. I think the supply enters the house in the middle, through the floor, with the meter being in the under-stairs cupboard (stairs are in the middle of the house). The main reason it was suggested was for safety purposes, because the supply pipe runs under the floor. How feasible is this? As it is a safety issue, would there be some sort of grant aid available to do this? And how much mess would this create? Would this also be best done before the house is occupied?

Any advice greatly appreciated!

ceb1995

dunroving wrote: »

As per thread title, I am an enthusiastic amateur who knows his limits. First time on this particular forum on MSE, so please bear with me.

I have just received a survey on a house I will buy (think positive! Offer accepted cash buyer, no chain, so pretty hopeful). This is not a house buying question, though, so am not looking for advice on renegotiation of price, etc.

The house is about 35 years old, occupants recently both deceased. Overall, it looks like the house has been pretty well taken care of, except for the past couple of years (understandable). It's in a nice area, the whole street shows evidence of houses that have been well maintained, various additions and modifications (garages, driveways, small extensions) that all look good quality and nothing horrendous.

Here are the main things either arising from the survey, or that I plan to do after purchase. Notably, I may have flexibility to get stuff done while the house is empty (i.e., I have somewhere to stay before I fill the house with all my crap!)

Get electric report before exchange of contracts. Potentially will get at least a partial rewire, including installation of new powerpoints, with USB charger port, TV wiring to two bedrooms, ethernet wiring to at least one additional room.

Get gas report before exchange of contracts. Not sure at this point if the gas has been regularly inspected, typical survey questions about the gas fire in LR and an old gas fire in the conservatory.

Central heating - besides the gas fire, the conservatory ALSO has a CH radiator, and surveyor suggested removing it, as it is wasting energy. Seems more sensible to repair/replace the gas fire in there rather than have it heated 24-7.

Install loft ladder, replace scraggy old insulation, and install boarding/floor (at least partially) to provide storage. I'd like to do this ASAP, as there is no garage or other large storage area. Also, need to install roof ventilation tiles.

Repoint gable end.

Replace current small bathroom and separate loo, with remodeling, to make into a single toilet/bathroom.

Replace small number of defective double glazing panes (condensation inside)

Recarpet whole house.

Redecorate whole house (currently almost entirely wallpapered walls and ceilings)

Any specific comments would be most welcome, but my general questions are as follows:

Am I best calling in separate tradespeople (sparky, decorator/plasterer, bathroom installer, gas specialist), or finding a reliable local builder who employs these specialists?

Any ideas of suggested order of getting these things done? I was thinking to get rewiring done first, then redecorate, then refloor, to avoid unnecessary duplication (or getting plaster dust all over new carpet!) Ideally, I'd like to get all this done while the house is empty and wondered what is a reasonable timeline for these three things?

Tangentially, the survey suggested I look into whether it's possible to change the entry point for the gas supply. I think the supply enters the house in the middle, through the floor, with the meter being in the under-stairs cupboard (stairs are in the middle of the house). The main reason it was suggested was for safety purposes, because the supply pipe runs under the floor. How feasible is this? As it is a safety issue, would there be some sort of grant aid available to do this? And how much mess would this create? Would this also be best done before the house is occupied?

Any advice greatly appreciated!

Get the electrician to look at the electrics first, we unfortunately didn't before moving in so now will be living round a rewire next week, it ll be easier to sort when you aren't living there. we've stripped nearly all the wallpaper so we can see what damage it's hiding so we'll be getting some of it skimmed after the rewire is done. Afraid i can't help with the rest of your questions.

dunroving

ceb1995 wrote: »

Get the electrician to look at the electrics first, we unfortunately didn't before moving in so now will be living round a rewire next week, it ll be easier to sort when you aren't living there. we've stripped nearly all the wallpaper so we can see what damage it's hiding so we'll be getting some of it skimmed after the rewire is done. Afraid i can't help with the rest of your questions.

That is a great suggestion and I am trying to arrange to stay elsewhere for a while, so the property will be empty. I had my current house rewired and replastered/repainted, and lived with plaster dust in the furniture for weeks, constant hoovering, etc. If possible, I want to get all electric work and any necessary replastering done before I move in. I can live with plasterwork for a while before deciding how to redecorate. Sometimes it takes living somewhere for a while to know how you want things.

Furts

I do not know how many toilets are in the house but there were practical reasons for the toilet being separate. That being both rooms could be used at the same time. Which if only one toilet is present it is always available for visitors separate from the bathroom.

If somebody is having a couple of hours soak in the bath having the toilet in the bathroom makes it inaccessible to those with their legs crossed waiting!

Regardless you may be removing a load bearing wall, and you may be incurring great expense, Only you know if this is money well spent.

Individual trades would be a great way forward in terms of control and value, provided you can source good trades people.

dunroving

Furts wrote: »

I do not know how many toilets are in the house but there were practical reasons for the toilet being separate. That being both rooms could be used at the same time. Which if only one toilet is present it is always available for visitors separate from the bathroom.

If somebody is having a couple of hours soak in the bath having the toilet in the bathroom makes it inaccessible to those with their legs crossed waiting!

Regardless you may be removing a load bearing wall, and you may be incurring great expense, Only you know if this is money well spent.

Individual trades would be a great way forward in terms of control and value, provided you can source good trades people.

Thanks, that logic has been pointed out to me before (by my brother) and I think there is a lot to be said for it. I am not 100% wedded to the idea of incorporating the toilet into the bathroom. Though I would definitely install a small sink, so people can wash their hands after using the loo, if the bathroom is occupied.

Re: Loadbearing wall, if I find that it is load-bearing, I probably wouldn't bother with expanding the bathroom into the airing cupboard. Currently, it only has a shower in it, so I was hoping to make room for a bath/shower, but I could always fit one of those corner baths (or whatever they are called) for guests who want to soak.

[I meant to say that I quite like the idea of sourcing *reliable* local tradespeople, but as often happens in these cases, time is limited (and I currently live 300 miles away!) I have tried using various Web sites before that supposedly list reliable tradespeople, and locally (where I live), some of the names that come up I wouldn't touch with a barge pole.]

bugslet

dunroving wrote: »

As per thread title, I am an enthusiastic amateur who knows his limits. First time on this particular forum on MSE, so please bear with me.

I have just received a survey on a house I will buy (think positive! Offer accepted cash buyer, no chain, so pretty hopeful). This is not a house buying question, though, so am not looking for advice on renegotiation of price, etc.

The house is about 35 years old, occupants recently both deceased. Overall, it looks like the house has been pretty well taken care of, except for the past couple of years (understandable). It's in a nice area, the whole street shows evidence of houses that have been well maintained, various additions and modifications (garages, driveways, small extensions) that all look good quality and nothing horrendous.

Here are the main things either arising from the survey, or that I plan to do after purchase. Notably, I may have flexibility to get stuff done while the house is empty (i.e., I have somewhere to stay before I fill the house with all my crap!)

Get electric report before exchange of contracts. Potentially will get at least a partial rewire, including installation of new powerpoints, with USB charger port, TV wiring to two bedrooms, ethernet wiring to at least one additional room.

Get gas report before exchange of contracts. Not sure at this point if the gas has been regularly inspected, typical survey questions about the gas fire in LR and an old gas fire in the conservatory.

Central heating - besides the gas fire, the conservatory ALSO has a CH radiator, and surveyor suggested removing it, as it is wasting energy. Seems more sensible to repair/replace the gas fire in there rather than have it heated 24-7.

Install loft ladder, replace scraggy old insulation, and install boarding/floor (at least partially) to provide storage. I'd like to do this ASAP, as there is no garage or other large storage area. Also, need to install roof ventilation tiles.

Repoint gable end.

Replace current small bathroom and separate loo, with remodeling, to make into a single toilet/bathroom.

Replace small number of defective double glazing panes (condensation inside)

Recarpet whole house.

Redecorate whole house (currently almost entirely wallpapered walls and ceilings)

Any specific comments would be most welcome, but my general questions are as follows:

Am I best calling in separate tradespeople (sparky, decorator/plasterer, bathroom installer, gas specialist), or finding a reliable local builder who employs these specialists?

Any ideas of suggested order of getting these things done? I was thinking to get rewiring done first, then redecorate, then refloor, to avoid unnecessary duplication (or getting plaster dust all over new carpet!) Ideally, I'd like to get all this done while the house is empty and wondered what is a reasonable timeline for these three things?

Tangentially, the survey suggested I look into whether it's possible to change the entry point for the gas supply. I think the supply enters the house in the middle, through the floor, with the meter being in the under-stairs cupboard (stairs are in the middle of the house). The main reason it was suggested was for safety purposes, because the supply pipe runs under the floor. How feasible is this? As it is a safety issue, would there be some sort of grant aid available to do this? And how much mess would this create? Would this also be best done before the house is occupied?

Any advice greatly appreciated!

How very odd dunroving! I've just had an offer accepted on a house from the 70s and arranging a surveyor today. The gentleman passed away. I too am a cash buyer and obviously the house has no onward chain.

Mine's in a nice area, kitchen is OK, new bathroom with a seperate loo ( and I'm keeping it like that) and the location couldn't be much better bar buying a house worth millions!).

I have the luxury of a couple of months probably of being able to do stuff before I move in, and I think a re-wire will be order of the day + cosmetics. You are ahead of me so I have to wait and see what the survey shows up, but we think there is a lintel that will need to go in over the window.

So sorry, nothing to add, but it struck me that we are in a remarkably similar situation! I'll be watching this thread now, to see how you get on.

Good luck!

Furts

Everybody is different, but if it were me 300 miles from the house no way would I have anybody working on it without me specifying, checking and sourcing. Which means I would be happy to move in and then get the work done as time progressed. In turn there would be no time pressures on work completion, reliable local labour could be used when they were free of other commitments, and if unforeseen work cropped up then it will be easily accommodated.

What happens for example if you need more than re-pointing, or your roof is found to have defective ceiling timbers or rotten rafters, or you need a new roof covering? This all takes time and money. Best not to put yourself under unrealistic time pressures!

dunroving

Furts wrote: »

Everybody is different, but if it were me 300 miles from the house no way would I have anybody working on it without me specifying, checking and sourcing. Which means I would be happy to move in and then get the work done as time progressed. In turn there would be no time pressures on work completion, reliable local labour could be used when they were free of other commitments, and if unforeseen work cropped up then it will be easily accommodated.

What happens for example if you need more than re-pointing, or your roof is found to have defective ceiling timbers or rotten rafters, or you need a new roof covering? This all takes time and money. Best not to put yourself under unrealistic time pressures!

I probably didn't explain clearly (or my OP was so long it was hard to see the woods from the trees!)

I currently live north of Glasgow and the house is in Burrrrmingum. As with Bugslet, I am a cash buyer and the purchase isn't contingent on sale of my house. Very likely, I will have the new house before selling current house, and I have places to stay locally in Brum (friends and family).

So I definitely will be around when any major work is done, even if I am not actually living in the house. I'll be a 5-minute drive, 15-minute bus trip, or 30-minute walk. It's just the initial work (rewiring, almost definitely some re plastering) that will need to be done at fairly short notice. Because the house is part of a deceased estate, access is not straightforward, so I won't be able to get tradespeople in to give quotes until I get the keys and am "in". And of course, the best people usually can't start for a few weeks because they are booked up.

EachPenny

A couple of contributions from me....

dunroving wrote: »

Central heating - besides the gas fire, the conservatory ALSO has a CH radiator, and surveyor suggested removing it, as it is wasting energy. Seems more sensible to repair/replace the gas fire in there rather than have it heated 24-7.

I'm not sure why the surveyor suggested removing the radiator when it can simply be turned off. Removing it properly would also involve taking out the connecting pipework, with additional cost and disruption. The only reason to remove it rather than turn it off would be to eliminate the risk of damage due to freezing - but if it gets that cold in the conservatory then I'd probably be wanting to turn the radiator on a little bit to keep the temperature up anyway. At least in the short-term I'd keep the radiator and see how cold it gets. If you remove it and later discover why the previous occupants had one installed then you will pay quite a bit more than the cost of the saved energy to have one refitted.

dunroving wrote: »

Install loft ladder, replace scraggy old insulation, and install boarding/floor (at least partially) to provide storage. I'd like to do this ASAP, as there is no garage or other large storage area.

Beware of putting too much stuff in the loft unless it is constructed in a way which will cope with additional loading. Something built circa 1980 is likely to have a trussed roof, and these are designed to take the weight of the roof, a water tank and not much else. When you get your boards delivered, try picking them up to get a feel for the weight (but mind your back!) Then imagine the total weight of all the stuff you want to put in there... it all adds up.

As a general comment (having lived in a house I was doing up) try to get all the 'wet' and dirty jobs finished before you move too much stuff in. Prioritise sorting out the electrics, water and heating. Maintain basic facilities such as a toilet and sink, even if that means doing work in a different order to that you might prefer. The biggest pain in the neck I found was doing the washing up when the kitchen was stripped bare, if I were in that situation again then I'd make sure I had a dishwasher plumbed in somewhere

dunroving

EachPenny wrote: »

A couple of contributions from me....

I'm not sure why the surveyor suggested removing the radiator when it can simply be turned off. Removing it properly would also involve taking out the connecting pipework, with additional cost and disruption. The only reason to remove it rather than turn it off would be to eliminate the risk of damage due to freezing - but if it gets that cold in the conservatory then I'd probably be wanting to turn the radiator on a little bit to keep the temperature up anyway. At least in the short-term I'd keep the radiator and see how cold it gets. If you remove it and later discover why the previous occupants had one installed then you will pay quite a bit more than the cost of the saved energy to have one refitted.


Beware of putting too much stuff in the loft unless it is constructed in a way which will cope with additional loading. Something built circa 1980 is likely to have a trussed roof, and these are designed to take the weight of the roof, a water tank and not much else. When you get your boards delivered, try picking them up to get a feel for the weight (but mind your back!) Then imagine the total weight of all the stuff you want to put in there... it all adds up.

As a general comment (having lived in a house I was doing up) try to get all the 'wet' and dirty jobs finished before you move too much stuff in. Prioritise sorting out the electrics, water and heating. Maintain basic facilities such as a toilet and sink, even if that means doing work in a different order to that you might prefer. The biggest pain in the neck I found was doing the washing up when the kitchen was stripped bare, if I were in that situation again then I'd make sure I had a dishwasher plumbed in somewhere

Thank you, that's very helpful. Re: conservatory radiator, I was thinking along similar lines - either simply turn it off or install a radiator thermostat and keep it set at high enough to prevent freezing. Certainly don't spend big bucks removing it until/unless I find out it really is a problem. The surveyor was very, very thorough and old-school. From subsequent discussions with him, he seems to have great attention to detail and in places is simply advising me of the potential consequences of certain aspects of the house (in this case, potentially losing heat).

Re: The attic, to be fair, the surveyor also included cautionary advice about load-bearing, etc., in terms of install boarding to store things in the attic.

My current attic (much bigger, head height) has boarding and I ride my bike up there(!) Lots of people where I live have had their attics/lofts converted and the houses are really solid (ex-council), so I have been working on the assumption that the attics around here do more than support the ceilings ... but I am now having second thoughts about riding in the attic any more. I'll be selling it soon (hopefully), so not worth taking the risk!

Furts

dunroving wrote: »

Thank you, that's very helpful. Re: conservatory radiator, I was thinking along similar lines - either simply turn it off or install a radiator thermostat and keep it set at high enough to prevent freezing. Certainly don't spend big bucks removing it until/unless I find out it really is a problem. The surveyor was very, very thorough and old-school. From subsequent discussions with him, he seems to have great attention to detail and in places is simply advising me of the potential consequences of certain aspects of the house (in this case, potentially losing heat).

Re: The attic, to be fair, the surveyor also included cautionary advice about load-bearing, etc., in terms of install boarding to store things in the attic.

My current attic (much bigger, head height) has boarding and I ride my bike up there(!) Lots of people where I live have had their attics/lofts converted and the houses are really solid (ex-council), so I have been working on the assumption that the attics around here do more than support the ceilings ... but I am now having second thoughts about riding in the attic any more. I'll be selling it soon (hopefully), so not worth taking the risk!

I am expecting your 1980s house to have fink trusses for the roof. You can google these, but using the roof for a bicycle would be crazy. As well as vibration and risking the gang nail plates (could google those as well!) there will not be an unobstructed attic that you can use.


Your wall paper stripping might be easy - a house of this era could have traditional plaster for the wall finish.


I am curious on your re-wire thoughts. A 35 year old house should OK wiring - unless you can add anything here?