Cost of renovating a 1930's 3 bedroom semi

Bambeano7

Hi all,

I am new to this forum, but i was hoping someone out there help me with budgeting for renovating a 1930s semi. We have around £20k to get the work done and we are happy to do alot of the labour ourselves (fitting kitchen, bathroom, decorating etc). I just want to make sure that we are being realistic.
We are based in the south east.

The property needs;
Rewiring
New boiler (and possibly moved into the loft to give us more space in kitchen)
New Kitchen (cheap and cheerful, will fit most of it ourselves, just get help with plumbing, gas etc)
New bath, over bath shower, tilling round bath and sink
Carpets and flooring throughout
Redecorating throughout
Plastering (possibly depending what happens when we remove wallpaper)

If anyone could give me any ideas or come up with anything I haven't thought of that might need doing it would be a real help.

need_an_answer

If the property requires a rewire then that is quite invasive and you will probably need to budget for at least a skim plaster on all the affected walls.

Get all the plumbing works done at that time too,once the floorboards are up for the rewire its easier if the piping for the plumbing is done at that point too.

Did a full refurb a few years back and probably spent more than your budget simply because as you start to unpeel the years more things can and will come to light.

It will help that you can do some things yourself ..

klew356

following this post as in similar situ

ka7e

Hopefully about to embark on a similar project - in the process of buying a 1930s semi. It has an attached garage with pantry/storeroom/outside loo built behind it.



My plan of work is -
Board and plaster all ceilings - they have the old strap and board there - and fit new crown mouldings.
Wiring review - definitely move meter/consumer board as it's at floor level where we need to fit a shower room. Wiring upgraded to power 2 showers and kitchen appliances. Probably need extra sockets everywhere!

Convert anxilliary rooms to inside loo and shower room. Fit suite and tiles or sheet walling.

Form utility/boot room/freezer store in rear of garage. Plumbing for sink and washing machine.

Knock down wall between kitchen and dining room to form large room (may have to remove chimney breast). RSJ not required.
Fit kitchen, splashbacks and appliances.
Knock down wall between bathroom and toilet. Fit new suite and tile.
Fit Ikea Pax wardrobes to main bedroom.
Flooring throughout
Decorate throughout.


I've had one quote of £16k to do all the construction work, fit bathrooms and kitchen, plaster ceilings/fit mouldings. We have to supply kitchen and bathroom fittings. Quote doesn't include tiling, electrics. flooring.


Kitchen will probably be more-than-basic. I'm not keen on white and I think in a few years we will be so bored with the ubiquitous grey ones everyone is flogging at the moment. I've had a pale blue one for the last 12 years, so I'm considering a coloured kitchen.

robatwork

Time to head over to BBC iPlayer and start watching the most recent episodes of Homes under the Hammer.

Get a wide variety of DIYers and people who pay to get everything done.

I've seen people do up a semi/terrace for 5k including kitchen and bathroom. And some have spent 120k on similar sized places.

It really depends how much you're doing yourself but if you factor in the usual from a 1930s place - rewire, roof work, plaster which I doubt you'd be doing yourself ... I'd expect your budget will be shot, perhaps 30-40k would be more realistic.

naf123

It really does depends on specification eg
Rewiring 5k but can be like 10k if you wanted lots of extras
New boiler (and possibly moved into the loft to give us more space in kitchen) as a poster mentioned above , replumb the whole house - that includes all pipes and radiators and unvented tank?- 10 to 15k but moving to loft probably will increase costs more (need good access to loft etc )
New Kitchen (cheap and cheerful, will fit most of it ourselves, just get help with plumbing, gas etc) - material probably 2 or 3k if you were to fit it yourself
New bath, over bath shower, tilling round bath and sink - again specification - 6k ?
Carpets and flooring throughout - depends on quality and type but easily can blow 5k
Redecorating throughout - assuming it's just paint on ? Paint itself is expensive . 4k
Plastering (possibly depending what happens when we remove wallpaper) reskimming is expensive business - 4k

I think 45k for a top quality job but can this cost easily spiral out of control So it's important to be on top of everything

To save money , don't use skips - take all rubbish to the council dump.

My advice to get the plumbing and wiring sorted . You don't need to redecorate everything if money is tight .

ka7e

If the roof and structure are sound and you are competent at DIY, I think your budget is workable. Prioritise the scheme of works and shop around. Keep a contingency back for unexpected costs - get the basics done first.



Moving the boiler into the loft is not usually a good idea - you need easy access for servicing and official readings (unless you have a Smart meter installed).



A pretty standard bathroom suite + shower + tiles will cost £1500 - £2k


Future-proof the wiring. Use high-capacity (not sure if that's the right wording) wiring for a shower and for kitchen appliances so that you can upgrade in the future.


Most councils charge for disposing of construction waste. Plasterboard is banned from landfill as it contains gypsum).

Doozergirl

robatwork wrote: »

Time to head over to BBC iPlayer and start watching the most recent episodes of Homes under the Hammer.

Get a wide variety of DIYers and people who pay to get everything done.

I've seen people do up a semi/terrace for 5k including kitchen and bathroom. And some have spent 120k on similar sized places.

It really depends how much you're doing yourself but if you factor in the usual from a 1930s place - rewire, roof work, plaster which I doubt you'd be doing yourself ... I'd expect your budget will be shot, perhaps 30-40k would be more realistic.

I wouldn't use Homes Under the Hammer as any kind of guide to quality or reality, in most circumstances.

But I'd agree that your idea of budget is more realistic. Just the cosmetic touches that someone's listed above all add up, and that's before you've ended up knocking the whole place back to brick because the plaster comes off with the wallpaper - which, if you have any kind of inkling that it's old enough that it might - it will!

Keith99

I'm just finishing doing my 1930's semi up and spent about £45k in total. Including central heating, plastering most walls, new bathroom, extension across the back, new kitchen, flooring.

ed110220

ka7e wrote: »

If the roof and structure are sound and you are competent at DIY, I think your budget is workable. Prioritise the scheme of works and shop around. Keep a contingency back for unexpected costs - get the basics done first.



Moving the boiler into the loft is not usually a good idea - you need easy access for servicing and official readings (unless you have a Smart meter installed).



A pretty standard bathroom suite + shower + tiles will cost £1500 - £2k


Future-proof the wiring. Use high-capacity (not sure if that's the right wording) wiring for a shower and for kitchen appliances so that you can upgrade in the future.


Most councils charge for disposing of construction waste. Plasterboard is banned from landfill as it contains gypsum).

I had my boiler moved to the loft to free up space in the house. To do this you do need a properly boarded loft floor, a loft light and fixed loft ladder. Well worth doing if you're short of space. Meter is something entirely different.

FreeBear

ka7e wrote: »

Moving the boiler into the loft is not usually a good idea - you need easy access for servicing

Some engineers will refuse to service a boiler in the loft. And if the OP's loft is anything like mine (cold, very dusty, and draughty), a totally unsuitable location. If/when I change from a back boiler to a condensing (or combi), I'm planning on installing it in the hallway (no space in the kitchen). That would keep the pipe runs quite short for both water and gas.