Full renovation for £40k?

EssexExile

How did they get all those workers in under 10 weeks?

FreeBear

twopenny said: These programs are for entertainment. I wonder what it looked like after a family lived in it for a year?
Now that's what I'd like to see but they don't make follow ups. I wonder why?

Challenge Anneka, Happisburgh Lighthouse - They repainted it in a weekend, and then the trustees of the lighthouse had to find £30K to do the job properly.

stuart45

My daughter used to be a production assistant on DIY SOS years ago in the days of Bob. There was a fair bit of damage done to the rest of the house by all the camera crew etc. traipsing through the house, but luckily the majority lived in a tip anyway so it didn't show.

rob7475

It's possible to rully renovate a house for £40k but you have to be able to do a lot of work yourself.

Couple of examples:

1. I renovated a 3 bed semi for around £35k. This included full rewire, new boiler and radiators throughout, removing load bearing wall between kitchen and dining room, skimming / re-plastering most of the house, new windows and doors, new kitchen with granite worktops, new bathroom with decent fittings, whirlpool bath, underfloor heating and fully tiled. I did a lot of the work myself though apart from rewire, boiler fitting and wall removal.

2. I recently renovated a 1 bed terrace for £10k. New windows and door, new bathroom with UFH and mostly tiled, new kitchen, changing layout to change to a two bed, skimming throughout, new boiler and radiators, new flooring etc. Just used trades to fit boiler and rewire. Shopped around for good deals on kitchen and bathroom rather than using cheap cr*p.
 
If I'd used trades for everything, I'd have probably doubled the costs and ended up still having to sort out loads of snagging. You need to be very good at managing a project if you're going to take on a renovation and use tradespeople for all the work.

Doozergirl

warwick2001 said:

I remember a while back there was a 'Homes under the Hammer' episode set in a lovely Cumbrian seaside town (I sharn't name it, just in case the owners of said house visit here). 

The house was bought by a married couple that 'fully renovate' unloved houses, they did the work, and then the show did the end bit when they get the estate agents in to show how much they've improved the house. In the show, the house looked absolutely fantastic, it was an old Victorian town house that had been modernised, using, apparently, 'top of the range' materials, no expense spared etc etc

When we were looking to move last year, it just so happened that this house was for sale, so we popped round for a viewing. It was quite the eye-opener. The quality of finish was absolutely shocking, paint lines not straight, most of the woodwork was chipped, stained and had splats of paint all over it. The 'hugely expensive' parquet flooring looked like it had been installed by a blind person, I couldn't believe how bad it looked. The bathroom fittings were the budget range from Travis Perkins (nothing wrong with that, but on the show they said 'top of the range'....hmmmm). It just looked awful, and had we bought the house we'd have had to start again from scratch. 

Just goes to show, don't believe what you see on TV

I cannot watch Homes Under the Hammer, like my paramedic friend can't watch Casualty.  

The TV would be out of the window it makes me so angry.  The presenters talk rubbish, let alone the 'developers'.  Literally painting over cracks.  

stuart45

With TV a lot depends on how they edit what's been shot. My daughter's husband told me that when you spend a couple of days with someone on a shoot, in that time they will say a certain amount of stupid things, even if most of their comments are sensible. You can can easily make someone look an idiot if you want. This tends to apply more to the general public who go on reality programmes and aren't used to bring on camera. 
Working for the BBC, he said they are normally pretty fair with people, but on Channel 4, friends of his said they go out to take people apart.

Doozergirl

It's the pure attraction to money instead of having integrity that bothers me.  It's possible to strike a balance.  


 

stuart45

Unfortunately a lot of firms I've worked for in the past are totally focused on cash. It's even more unfortunate that they appear to be financially successful.

Gavin83

stuart45 said:

Unfortunately a lot of firms I've worked for in the past are totally focused on cash. It's even more unfortunate that they appear to be financially successful.

Anyone would think there might be some sort of link there.

[Deleted User]

Doozergirl said:

warwick2001 said:

I remember a while back there was a 'Homes under the Hammer' episode set in a lovely Cumbrian seaside town (I sharn't name it, just in case the owners of said house visit here). 

The house was bought by a married couple that 'fully renovate' unloved houses, they did the work, and then the show did the end bit when they get the estate agents in to show how much they've improved the house. In the show, the house looked absolutely fantastic, it was an old Victorian town house that had been modernised, using, apparently, 'top of the range' materials, no expense spared etc etc

When we were looking to move last year, it just so happened that this house was for sale, so we popped round for a viewing. It was quite the eye-opener. The quality of finish was absolutely shocking, paint lines not straight, most of the woodwork was chipped, stained and had splats of paint all over it. The 'hugely expensive' parquet flooring looked like it had been installed by a blind person, I couldn't believe how bad it looked. The bathroom fittings were the budget range from Travis Perkins (nothing wrong with that, but on the show they said 'top of the range'....hmmmm). It just looked awful, and had we bought the house we'd have had to start again from scratch. 

Just goes to show, don't believe what you see on TV

I cannot watch Homes Under the Hammer, like my paramedic friend can't watch Casualty.  

The TV would be out of the window it makes me so angry.  The presenters talk rubbish, let alone the 'developers'.  Literally painting over cracks.  

That seems to be the normal way houses are renovated in the UK. It only has to look nice long enough to sell, then it's someone else's problem. Goes for used and new homes.