First time buyer - same occupants for 40 years

bromine

We've had our offer acccepted on a 2-bed semi built around 1900-1910. The house doesn't look particularly old and hasn't been adverstised to be in need of refurbishment. The current occupants have been living there for the last 40 years and a few things in the house are of an older style. For example, the house has no gas central heating, only gas-fired heaters. The electrical switches seem to be quite old-style too. We hired a heating/plumbing company to survey the property and they quoted around £5k for installing the GCH including boiler, with the caveat that they could not conduct a detailed survey and would give us an exact price after we moved in.


My concern is that we are not a DIY-savvy family and don't want to end up with unexpected costs after we move in. We are happy with the £5k work, but what if the plumber uncovers further issues that need rectification before GCH can be installed.



Similarly, we are concerned about old wiring and drainage systems. I know we can have surveys done, but they would most likely come back with inconclusive remarks like "wiring is old, better get checked" or something.



Basically, what I want to know is whether we are opening a can of worms by choosing a house that hasn't gone through the scrutiny of a sale process for at least 40 years? We are first time buyers, so we can wait, but we do like the house very much.


Thanks in advance for any help.

Doozergirl

Can you provide a link, please?

I can have a very good guess just based on the photos.

The price of GCH should be pretty fixed. It's not them
That will uncover problems and charge you more. There is no central heating so the quote is capable of being fixed because it's all brand new.

It's the rest of the house you need to worry about. We all underestimate the cost of building works, but FTBs are always going to face the biggest mountains with no prior experience.

Alan2020

If the house has not been modernised as you say, it's a big job depending on quality and location.
In greater London a job like this, CH - £10K, Electrics £6K, Ceilings, making good etc £5K, Bathroom £8K, Kitchen £10K (bottom range)

Obviously can be cheaper but depending on maintenance carried out, can vary

bromine

Thanks for your replies.

I am being prevented from posting the link as I'm new here :mad:

davidmcn

bromine wrote: »

I am being prevented from posting the link as I'm new here :mad:

You just need to make it look not like a link - insert spaces etc.

bromine

rightmove [dot] co [dot] uk [slash] property-for-sale [slash] property-82371842 [dot] html


Replace [dot] with a dot and [slash] with / and remove the surrounding spaces. Thanks for the tip david.

Alan2020

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-82371842.html

konark

Bit of a corridor, 12ft wide and 50ft long! Looks in quite good nick though.

[Deleted User]

Looks like a quite large light property.

I'd ask around for more central heating quotes though. Ceilings and walls look fine (as long as you don't use a steam wallpaper stripper as they manage to find the slightest defect in the wall and blow the plaster off lol, I always strip using just water, its no slower).

40 years ago is only 1980's so the plugs should be earthed (its not going back to victoriana years). If you get an electrician in, they will tell you what needs to be done, but this will be to get it up to date as of yesterday, which isn't strictly necessary to have a safe working electrical system (regulations change very regularly). You might need to replace the fuse box as we tend to be more demanding of electricity nowadays but shouldn't be too bothersome. Obviously the previous people lived there for 40 years with no problems otherwise there would have been a sale a lot sooner. It looks well decorated so probably not been too neglected although that's no guarantee. It might have painted over asbestos but you can just continue painting over it. Most people do.

You can also get a plumber to look at the plumbing.

The kitchen obviously isn't 40 years old (extension - check the flat roof by looking out the bedroom window for pooling etc, get surveyor to give opinion), check the oven is working by switching it on. But it looks perfectly liveable with until you want to change it. Same with bathroom, bit dated but perfectly liveable with.

I very much doubt the house hasn't been updated at all in 40 years. It looks like a good house, no obvious signs of damp/subsidence/roof caving in/missing tiles etc just needs central heating and a shower (room for cubicle possibly). Back hall wall to back garden might need checking - check height of ground outside.

But caveat time, I am not a surveyor, just someone who's lived in not new properties.

Doozergirl

Textured wallpaper is a sign that the walls/ceilings may need re-plastering. Any house that is 100 years old, unless already replaced, the walls are going to be crumbling. New Plumbing and electrical works are not going to help the situation. I agree with using water, not a steamer, but it's only holding off the inevitable.

Electrical sockets in the skirting boards is a sign of a seriously old system. It's not just safety that you need to consider - look at how many electrical items these people live with - very few!! A house wired 40 years ago just doesn't take into account the sheer number of electrical items we own these days and locations often don't match where we want stuff. You'll want double the sockets currently there, preferably not mounted on wood.

The concrete drive looks like it goes right up to the house, which is a risk for damp, but easily solved. It should be cut back a bit, let the house breathe. Check the location of air bricks and that they are clear, not near ground level for water to run into.

Windows look pretty new, main roof is concrete so will last forever but isn't original - check it isn't bowing under the increased weight. Extension roof is felt - does not last forever, but there are better options out there for flat roofs these days.

Your choice whether you live with those kitchens and bathrooms. The decor is going to be ruined, so that's gone.

It's neat, it's tidy, it's clean. That can bely what's underneath. You know already that it needs some work, you must also know that £5k for central heating is just the beginning.

walwyn1978

Same occupant for 40 years doesn’t mean no modernisation for 40 years. My mum and dad have lived in their house since 1973, but have been updating and modernising during that time.

It looks airy and very livable on the photos. Assume there will be more costs than the 5k you’ve been told so far because that’s the nature of buying older houses, but long occupancy doesn’t always mean strip down to bricks and start over.

Good luck.