Overwhelmed with new property. Trying to avoid panic-selling.

jcuurthht

So we bought a property in a rush and didn't get a survey done. My wife was so desperate to move out of her parents, closer to work, have her horses stabled at the property, she saw this as a great opportunity, and I clearly have some issues being assertive and fear of confrontation, so I just buckled and went with it.

The house was built in the 50s and the owners have done lots of DIY on the house. We have some serious buyer's remorse and are now quite overwhelmed with how much work needs to be done. We have discussed just cutting our losses and selling, which will likely result in a large loss.

We had a surveyor come yesterday and while he didn't point out any major issues (e.g. subsidence, mould, damp) he said there is a lot of work to be done and it's an ideal house for someone with lots of DIY experience (not us). We will receive a written report from him this week that will include recommendations and estimated costs.

Initially we thought we could move in after some small changes, but it's clear we should take the opportunity of an unoccupied house to do as much work as we can now, rather than after we move. Of course this also means more important decision making now.

Before we move in:

• Full electrical re-wire
  
• Some floors need leveling
• Wood checked for active woodworm
  
• New gas boiler (radiators are modern i.e. not cast iron)
  
• A couple of door lintels needs replacing
• Ideally a new bathroom because doing this after move in would not be ideal
  

Whever we visit the property, we are overwhelmed and the property looks worse and worse.

What I am looking for is 2 things:

• Some guidance on dealing buyers remorse, negative thinking, catastrophizing etc. (perhaps this is the wrong place for that)
  
• A guide on refurbishment, paid or free. Something that gives clear steps on how we can proceed, the order in which things should be done, what can wait until after our move.

I am keen to learn as much as I can regarding DIY and have been reading plenty online, which I think is also contributing to my overwhelmed mental state. Also getting big decisions wrong which results in significant loss of money.

aoleks

most of the things you listed are "standard" items on a homebuyer's survey, people trying to cover their backs. I'm not saying there won't be work to be done, but you an live with all the items above for years, so nothing needs urgent attention.

a rewire is not always needed, if the installation is not brand new. believe it or not, houses don't get rewired every time a house is sold. if you have a relatively modern fuse box and there are no electrical faults, you'll be fine for many years. for peace of mind, get a local qualified electrician to have a look, they'll advise.

floors need levelling? what exactly is the issue? how bad is it? what's causing it? have you actually measured anything? saggy joists? might be a problem. incorrectly installed laminate? not an issue at all.

check your wood for woodworm, again, get a local trades person to check for free.

a new gas boiler is really not the end of the world. in fact, unless the boiler was recently replaced (last 3 to 5 years) and properly serviced every year (evidence!), I would want to replace it anyway. they're quite cheap, the cost can be spread over years (interest free), they are much more efficient and will save you hundreds every year and on top of that, the installation is not that disruptive. can be done in 1 done, clean work. but even if it was an issue, you don't sell a property at a loss (lol) because you need a new boiler worth £2500...

door lintels? why do they need replacing? again, what's wrong? symptoms? visual signs of breakage? door problems?

a new bathroom (or kitchen) for that matter is just that, a new bathroom or kitchen... you could want a new bathroom or kitchen in ANY property, not really a defenct.

look, I don't know you, but what I suggest you do, in first instance, is calm down and take a step back. give the house a good, deep clean and get a few tradespeople to look at it. most likely it's nothing and you'll get away with a renovation. and if that's the case, you knew about it when you saw the house.

theoretica

I think you need to divide recommended work into categories

1) Dangerous (things that may fall down or electrocute someone)

2) Small jobs now to save big jobs later (eg painting exterior wood)

3) Works fine but we don't like it (tired decor, unevenness)

Old houses won't be perfect, and while getting work done while you are in the property is a nuisance it is what most people need to do.  Rewiring, if it is really needed, is probably the one to do before moving in.

TELLIT01

I would say the priorities before moving in would be an electrical check and rewire if required.  Woodworm check and treatment if required. Replacement of door lintels.  That list is due to the potential disruption the work will cause.

Although it would be good to get all the rest done prior to moving in, they can be done over time.

elsien

Bathrooms being done after you move in isn’t a biggie. I had mine completely remodelled when I was living in the property and as long as they leave you a functioning toilet and somewhere to have a wash it’s perfectly doable. Although the somewhere to have a wash could theoretically be the kitchen sink in the short term. Only took a few days anyway.


i’d probably have a proper look at what needs doing with the electrics before you move in, not because it’s necessarily unsafe but because you might find it easier to get someone to come in and do the work in an empty property, going on my own experience of failing completely to find anyone to do a house I’m living in. 

Apodemus

Were the previous owners living in the property at the time of sale?  If so, then it would suggest that the property is habitable as it is now and you might be better to move in and learn how the house works.  You will then be in a much better position to know what absolutely must be done and what you can live with.   Much better to prioritise expenditure on the basis of your own experience of the place, rather than relying only on a surveyor's report.

Are there pics of the property available on-line, so that we can see what you are dealing with?

jcuurthht

Apodemus said:

Were the previous owners living in the property at the time of sale?  If so, then it would suggest that the property is habitable as it is now and you might be better to move in and learn how the house works.  You will then be in a much better position to know what absolutely must be done and what you can live with.   Much better to prioritise expenditure on the basis of your own experience of the place, rather than relying only on a surveyor's report.

Are there pics of the property available on-line, so that we can see what you are dealing with?

Yeah, the owner was living there which is why we thought we could move in quite quickly.

Here are some pics: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dawkohUuFFOIvItMm9iQZsqo5_E8n9Gb

A couple of the rooms were refurbished around 2004. They have newer flooring and windows.

We already started some work: removing tiled floor and wooden walls/ceiling in bedroom. Removing built in book cases between 2 rooms.

grumbler

aoleks said:

a new gas boiler is really not the end of the world. in fact, unless the boiler was recently replaced (last 3 to 5 years) and properly serviced every year (evidence!), I would want to replace it anyway. they're quite cheap, the cost can be spread over years (interest free), they are much more efficient and will save you hundreds every year and on top of that, the installation is not that disruptive. can be done in 1 done, clean work. but even if it was an issue, you don't sell a property at a loss (lol) because you need a new boiler worth £2500...

Mine is 30 years old and I'm not going to replace it untill it actually needs replacing. And I think you grossly overestimate the potential savings.

diystarter7

Hello
You are not alone, it happens to many. The good news is most will get over.
The house we live in, I was not happy now love it mainly because of the area and what we have done to it.

As others said, prioritise the must do bits.
Then take a breather as every day you will have new ideas.
It is best to do the major/dirty work first, EG floor levels, wiring (best to get new all round in older places), and heating. However, esnure the property is
watertight and check, double check for woodworm/damp etc.

So, get the urgents done - take a breather - make your bedroom and living room as comfy as yyou can so you can relax without spending money if possible  then plan ahead and get quotes etc for a better idea and then sleep on those and plan


FYI -  I/we made changes big changes but if we had gone further it would have been better - but as we worked and had less time etc, now regret that but happy but would have been happier.
So do the urgents, rest, think, think again then move ahead as mentioned above.

You have moved away from parents as you wanted, got the horses sorted the rest will come in time.

jcuurthht

elsien said:

Bathrooms being done after you move in isn’t a biggie. I had mine completely remodelled when I was living in the property and as long as they leave you a functioning toilet and somewhere to have a wash it’s perfectly doable. Although the somewhere to have a wash could theoretically be the kitchen sink in the short term. Only took a few days anyway.


i’d probably have a proper look at what needs doing with the electrics before you move in, not because it’s necessarily unsafe but because you might find it easier to get someone to come in and do the work in an empty property, going on my own experience of failing completely to find anyone to do a house I’m living in. 

A friend had a look at the electrics and recommended a full rewire. The consumer unit looks like this:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hMilu1NOwtJ5bOQfkDmRugzjoHgsGSoA/view?usp=sharing

It's the original from the 50s. And it is not correctly earther. The wires in the walls that we looked at use PVC, however where and how all the wiring runs is not clear. This is the best opportunity to get it all redone professionally.

jcuurthht

aoleks said:

theoretica said:

TELLIT01 said:

All great advice thanks. Starting to feel better. Writing stuff down really does help.

My biggest concern is future proofing. It's an old uninsulated house with a gas boiler and a wood burner (new). These are the big and expensive decisions. However something like roof and external insulation can be done after we move in. Maybe we can look at floor insulation when we re-do the floors.