Thoughts on scale of works

bruciegirl

Hey all, first post here.
I’m desperately looking for some opinions and advice. I am currently looking for a house, after accepting an offer on my own. There is currently very little out there, but I have perhaps irrationally fallen in love with a property.
I am completely clueless with home maintenance issues, and have always lived in properties that require very little doing with them, other than decorating.
The one I have seen is beautiful and has so much potential, and is very top of my budget. It has 2 issues :

1. Garage looks to be asbestos and has a rotting door and also gaping holes in the ceiling. It’s pretty much unusable
2. Upstairs there is a significant amount of black mould on the front ceilings and window cils/edging of the front bedrooms. There is also black mould all around the door of the loft hatch in the hallway. A considerable amount Of the upstairs ceiling has polystyrene tiles, so it could also be a problem under there.

I’ve really fallen in love with this house, but won’t have a massive amount of cash after moving. However, this house has so much more potential than any of the other boil in the bag, freshly painted houses at the same price.

Would the above be a concern? Any advice would be much appreciated

EachPenny

bruciegirl wrote: »

Would the above be a concern? Any advice would be much appreciated

The real and immediate concern to me would be the polystyrene ceiling tiles. These can be a fire risk... and their removal would be a "day 1" job as far as I was concerned.

The garage is not a major problem for now. If you are concerned about the asbestos then just don't go near it or touch it until you have the money to sort it out.

The black mould is also a concern, but you'd need to find out what was causing it. It might be something as simple as the property not being heated and ventilated properly (perhaps the current owners are elderly?) being around the loft hatch suggests a possibility of a cold draught/condensation issue. Otherwise it could be more serious like a roof leak. I'd make it a "day 2" job to clean the mould off and then see if it comes back.

bruciegirl

Thanks for your reply EachPenny. I didn’t realise the fire risk, although I don’t think it’s a massive job to remove these.
I’m a just a little nervous of any underlying issues, as neither myself or any of my family and friends are in the know or handy at all.
It’s also difficult to know if this is priced based on the work needed, as there are no compatible properties.
Thanks again

Mutton_Geoff

I'd have another viewing with someone that knows a bit about construction of properties. From the info you've given, I'm guessing the property is 1950s/1960s. There will be a whole host of other things to consider with a property of that age, plumbing, electrics, insulation levels (hence the damp).


Not to put you off, but if it's not expensive to fix, it could be expensive to run a property like this, not good news on a tight budget.

bruciegirl

No, all thoughts both negative and positive very welcome. I’m not sure, but think it’s about 1920’s. very solid and lovely property, but you could be right about the cost of maintenance.

balcas

As Mutton Geoff has said I would be looking for more issues than those immediately visible with a house of that age. I have an offer accepted on a similar aged property and have had it checked as much as possible by a trusted general builder and have also had a survey completed.

As far as cost it depends on what is built like and any works already undertaken. The polystyrene tiles are a fire risk but it could be a simple task of scraping them off and skimming the ceiling. Anything major as far as the black mould should show up on a survey so a costing could be worked out from there. The abestos garage is best left untouched as a standard roof removal would cost about £700-800 and then you would have to cost in the new roof on top.

FreeBear

EachPenny wrote: »

The real and immediate concern to me would be the polystyrene ceiling tiles. These can be a fire risk... and their removal would be a "day 1" job as far as I was concerned.

I'd make it a "day 2" job to clean the mould off and then see if it comes back.

The polystyrene tiles will probably come down with little more than a step ladder & 4" paint scraper. However, they may well be hiding cracks and flaking plaster. Removal of the tiles is a simple DIY job as long as they are not over a stairwell.

Day 2, a bucket of warm water with a dash of bleach will get rid of the worst of the mold. Then it will be a bit of time to identify the cause and fix the underlying issues. Some brush strips around the loft hatch and some insulation will help - There used to be rockwool/fibreglass quilts available to staple on to loft hatches. Not seen them around for a while, but I guess they must still be available from specialist suppliers.

bruciegirl

Freebear, the tole are also in the upper hall, so some trickier to remove.
Thanks for advice so far. I am looking to get someone who knows much more than I back for a 3rd viewing.

BossyFlossy

I’d say if the property has Mold, most likely to be due to being unheated and not opening windows.
The garage, wouldn’t worry about it too much.
What you probably can’t see but will probably need doing is rewiring £5000, new boiler and new radiators, £3000+ double glazing?
Then probably kitchen bathrooms decorating........
Get a whistles and bells survey not a crappy valuation, insist that they give you estimated costs of works that need doing, it’ll cost you about £1000 but at least you’ll kind of know what you’re getting into.
It’s a lot of work but Rome wasn’t built in a day. Could you live in it as it is?
Put a really silly offer in, the worst that can happen is they’ll say no!

AdrianC

The mould is easy to remove, but you need to figure what's causing it - was it the previous occupant's lifestyle, or is there a fundamental issue?

The polystyrene tiles are easy to remove, with a skim of the ceiling and repaint being the worst remedial decor likely to be required.

What makes you say the garage is "asbestos", and what do you mean by "asbestos"? Asbestos-cement sheet is pretty damn safe - so long as you don't go at it with a saw or drill, it can be removed with basic handtools and disposed of easily. Can the structure then be reclad cheaply, with a new door (probably not much over a grand for the pair, if you're happy to DIY), or is the structure expired? Concrete sectional garages can usually be picked up cheaply (or often free) if you're happy to DIY dismantle/transport/re-erect on the existing base.

trailingspouse

Of the three issues, the only one that would concern me greatly is the mould.


And even that wouldn't be a deal breaker if I loved the property.


Have you had a full structural survey? It would give you a sense of what else is wrong (but don't panic - they always sound worse than they are, and a chat with someone who knows what they're talking about would likely show that things aren't that bad!!). Hopefully the survey will come up with some clues as to why the mould is present. You need to attack it from two directions - in the short term you need to get rid, as it is a health hazard, in the long term you need to fix the root cause so that it doesn't come back. Once you've done both of those, you can redecorate with confidence that everything won't be ruined within a couple of months.



Polystyrene is indeed a fire risk, but was used as insulation at one time. And asbestos was used because it was fireproof. Things change - we had both in our current house - polystyrene tiles in the attic bedroom and an asbestos ceiling in the integral garage. Who knows what we're currently using that future generations will be horrified about!


If you're lucky, the polystyrene will come off easily - if not, it's a pig of a job. Mine would only come off in bite-sized chunks...
Get a quote for removal of the garage from a specialist, so at least you know and can budget for it in the future - as others have said, you don't need to do it immediately, just don't go poking it with a stick. For comparison, removing our garage ceiling (testing, 2 guys in hazmat suits and face masks, everything bagged up and removed, and a certificate to say it had been done, plus - the best bit - having the whole garage hoovered) cost £1,125.



I hope it all works out for you.