two bed refurb

wallofbeans

Hi All,
I'm looking at small two bed houses and have found one that needs a refurb and I'm hoping someone could give me a rough idea of costs. I've googled and got some idea, but I'd feel more confident if I heard it from some of you!

It needs all new kitchen and bathroom (both less than 8' by 6') and I'd also like to knock through the wall seperating the small living room (at the front) and dining room (at the back). If possible, I'd also open up the doorway between dining room and kitchen. I'd then have to redo the floors in all rooms and take out some old built in wardrobes in one bedroom. I also need to, and this is what I'm most worried about, have gas central heating fitted throughout as there currently is none. 

Can anyone with experience give me a rough sense of what they think it would cost? 

TELLIT01

Just adding to the list - do the electrics need updating?  Is the plasterwork OK?  What do you mean by "redo" the floors?

Doozergirl

TELLIT01 said:

Just adding to the list - do the electrics need updating?  Is the plasterwork OK?  What do you mean by "redo" the floors?

Adding to this, OP, it reads like you've only looked at the surface and the pretty things without really addressing the really important parts of a house that need sorting when you renovate.  

Roof, windows, electrics, plumbing, plaster, insulation, timber... 

babyblade41

Whatever you budget have half as much again as you no doubt will  uncover an even bigger list 

wallofbeans

By floors I just mean, changing the carpets and kitchen / bathroom flooring. The windows are relatively new. It's being lived in now and there is no obvious sign of damp or other obvious problems. Apart from the gas heating issue, it seems mostly cosmetic. I've never done this before though. How do I find out if the electrics need doing or if the plasterwork is okay? Or anything else? I can't put an offer in until I know if the budget I'll need to sort it out will exceed what I have to spend...

wallofbeans

Doozergirl said:

TELLIT01 said:

Just adding to the list - do the electrics need updating?  Is the plasterwork OK?  What do you mean by "redo" the floors?

Adding to this, OP, it reads like you've only looked at the surface and the pretty things without really addressing the really important parts of a house that need sorting when you renovate.  

Roof, windows, electrics, plumbing, plaster, insulation, timber... 

It didn't feel like a renovation when I looked. It felt like an updating. But now I'm worried... Should I be asking the estate agent for more details? 

wallofbeans

If I can't get all this information before a survey, then I suppose what I am asking is - if these are the only things that need doing, how much roughly would it cost to do them?

If anything esle comes up in a survey then I would have to then either renegotiate the price or pull out of the purchase.

Mutton_Geoff

wallofbeans said:

If I can't get all this information before a survey, then I suppose what I am asking is - if these are the only things that need doing, how much roughly would it cost to do them?

If anything esle comes up in a survey then I would have to then either renegotiate the price or pull out of the purchase.

You may find the price already takes this into account. If you want a fully refurbed place, you may be better at looking for something less than 5 years old that just needs a coat of paint. I doubt you'll be able to knock the total cost of a refurb (my thoughts £25k to £40k for your ideas) off the asking price of the property just because you feel it needs doing up.

wallofbeans

It's tricky to tell. I can see several indentical layout houses on the same street that sold within the last few years. One in 2018 that needed kitchen/bathroom but had gas central heating already sold for 40k less than this is going for now. Another with heating and living /dining knocked through and recent kitchen/bathroom sold the same year for 15k more than that.

But the most recent, in 2019, that had a huge amount of work done; new everything and a rear extension and loft room, sold for 60k more than this is on for. I wouldn't want to and can't afford to go that far - but would be aiming for a middle ground. I'm not looking to buy as an investment, but want somewhere to live in.

I will have to try and persude a builder to view again with me, give me an idea of potential costs and make the best offer I can afford (this was allowing for 20-30k of work) on that basis. And then attempt to knock more off if the survey shows up anything else...

I'll also keep looking around for property with less potential surprises!

Le_Kirk

Regarding the central heating - is there gas available in the street?  There might have been a reason why there was no gas central heating!

wallofbeans

Le_Kirk said:

Regarding the central heating - is there gas available in the street?  There might have been a reason why there was no gas central heating!

There’s a gas boiler and gas cooker in the kitchen. And most of the other properties in the street have gas central heating. I think it’s more that this owner just decided they didn’t need it!