How risky do you think this is?

caprikid1

We would need far more figures to be honest.

How much is left over every month, what is the income split ? What do the figures look like with one income ? Any more children planned ?

SugarDatesAndPistachios

Well our chance has come up!!! We are going for it! 🤞 

Ramouth

SugarDatesAndPistachios said:

Well our chance has come up!!! We are going for it! 🤞 

Ooo exciting!  Good luck!

babyblade41

I would not hesitate, I love this type of house & would love to see it if you have your offer accepted.
One of my favourite houses was a grade 2 listed, yes it was expensive , it wasn't cold but did have huge open fires in every room 

I got my surveyor ( a friend ) to take a look as it did have damp coming through the stone walls . His reply was  "it's been here over 3 hundred years & it's pretty much in the same position as it was when it was built... if it aint broke don't fix it , it will outlive  you & the next couple of hundred years most probably"

It was built on a slope so when I went to bed my feet were in a raised position.

It was just beautiful , good luck with your purchase 

Bendy_House

This is exciting right enough!

SD&P, I'm sure you also have an idea of what this place could - will - be worth once it's been done up to some degree? Ie, you shouldn't actually lose out on it? (although the market ultimately determines values).

If the existing windows are actually in good physical order, and are attractive (ie in keeping with the building), then that's one huge potential cost saved - you won't need to replace them. Instead you go proper 'secondary' - which is very effective, and doesn't have to be super-ugly - and remove it during the summer months.

Floors - draught-proof them - cheap&easy - and I think you'll find that will be a significant contributor to the poor 'insulation' of the house taken care of; I bet it's not so much that heat is lost through the fabric, as more blown away... Finally, look at insulating the insides of the external walls - the most costly and disruptive part. With this, you will need to take into account what the walls are made of, and this might restrict your options. I'm guessing the rooms aren't exactly small, tho', so another couple of inches added to the inside probably won't matter, or be noticeable (unless you have cornice and stuff to move as a result).

Biomass - used to be around the cost of oil to run a home, but I suspect oil has significantly outstretched that since, and will likely only continue to do so, so it's a good - possibly the best - option for heating your home. They are expensive to install - ~£10k+ - so that's quite a bonus. You may also be entitled to a kind of 'FIT' for this, a small sweetener from the Gov, tho' that may have changed recently. And then there's the nice feeling that it's the best environmental option, certainly when compared to oil and LPG.

Part of that setup will almost certainly include a Thermal Store - a large, well insulated, hot cylinder. You can ultimately add heat to this from other sources such as PV panels, tho' I doubt you'd be allowed to put them on the roof - is there a corner of your 'estate' where a PV array could be installed?

In winter time, cut your heating expenditure by shutting off all the heating in any room you possibly can, close the doors to them, and crack open their windows to 'vent'. These rooms will look after themselves over winter, and should not suffer - provided they are ventilated properly; cold but dry.

I'd love to see a link to it :-)

babyblade41

I think a before & blog during the full on renovations would be great ... I really hope it all goes through for you as you sound just the right person for this house 

SugarDatesAndPistachios

Thankyou for your supportive comments. My partner and I are keeping this under our hats (feel like it’s the biggest hat in the world ha) and the absolute potential enormity/excitement of it is too much to share if it comes to nothing. Through the last few years our families have heard us talk and talk and talk (no action, not through lack of searching!) about moving 😆 

Feeling quite restless  - though it’s 3am and I’ve just settled the baby so I can blame the baby for this middle of the night rumination! 

It feels like a dream - not yet tangible - and it isn’t! I know not to get too ahead of myself but every so often find myself daydreaming. The bank are evaluating it today. First step of many, and at any moment a cash buyer or higher bidder could swoop in and the vendor will  discard us. But we are here, the only ones at the moment after all the !!!!!! offers, time wasters and fickle buyers! Hopefully it’s our time. 

babyblade41

Somethings are meant to be, pretty sure this is it ..good luck 

lookstraightahead

We bought an old house last year and love it. Every time I do something to update it, it gives back. It's like brushing an old scruffy cat 🤣

SugarDatesAndPistachios

Haha I love that - the scruffy cat! I will share a link with those that have asked if we get it! 🤞