Flat renovation as FTB: any advice welcome!

FreeBear

lb00 said: Total with VAT: 49,860.00

Ouch, especially the £8K just for painting.
Don't see any mention of removing doors and trimming the bottoms to account for the flooring. The main entrance door may well be problematic if it is fire rated (most are) and requires intumescent seals.

Eldi_Dos

If you are getting work done on ceilings it may be worth improving noise supression from flats above,you would lose a small amount of ceiling height, but in a hallway would not be too noticeable.
Could be worth it in the long run if neighbours ever take a fancy to porcelain tiles in their hall.

Emmia

Eldi_Dos said:

If you are getting work done on ceilings it may be worth improving noise supression from flats above,you would lose a small amount of ceiling height, but in a hallway would not be too noticeable.
Could be worth it in the long run if neighbours ever take a fancy to porcelain tiles in their hall.

Hopefully the OP will also ensure they insulate their floor to prevent annoying anyone below them...

Eldi_Dos

Emmia said:

Eldi_Dos said:

If you are getting work done on ceilings it may be worth improving noise supression from flats above,you would lose a small amount of ceiling height, but in a hallway would not be too noticeable.
Could be worth it in the long run if neighbours ever take a fancy to porcelain tiles in their hall.

Hopefully the OP will also ensure they insulate their floor to prevent annoying anyone below them...

I believe the OP has already taken that into account as per edit to opening post.

lb00

@Emmia  

Thank you all very much for your replies.
There is already hard flooring and the managing agent said it's fine to replace it as long as I put acoustic underlay which will be Schluter Ditra Sound.

Everything else would essentially be cosmetic (new bathrooms and new kitchen) so it would be fine with them.

The only other thing I'd like to do is to move one of the bedroom doors half a meter forward. I know this would need formal consent. But I was tempted of going ahead anyway and doing it without asking permission? In the end it's just half a meter and getting the freeholder consent would cost me at least 1,500£ between their fees and the surveyor.. Additionally, I have an insurance policy about lack of consent for internal alterations the sellers have purchased, so perhaps if I move the door and I get problems down the line I could always claim it's always been that way?

@EssexHebridean

Heating wise: well effectively the flat is a two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen/lounge plus small hallway. I was thinking of 3 heaters (one for each bedroom and one in the lounge/kitchen), so if I were to put panel ones in the bedrooms it would only be one HHR in the lounge/kitchen? Does it make sense then to go on a E7 tariff with such a setup?

@FreeBear

I believe the quote would include this but you are very right, I will flat the issue with the entrance door which is a fire door to the builder.

@Eldi_Dos In terms of ceilings I was only planning to perhaps put spot lights in the lounge rather than the light fittings we currently have. Ceiling is 2.4m I believe so losing space wouldn't be so nice I guess.

Thanks all again!

lb00

I also got a quote for the kitchen from Wren but will send it now to DIY Kitchens as I've read many good things about them here on the forum. Would you recommend getting appliances, worktops and sink separately?

For bathrooms, what are the bits you need good brands for (like Grohe etc)? And what instead can be average quality too without causing too many problems?
Also can you recommend some websites for bathrooms? QSSupplies?
Thanks!

MysteryMe

Other than the gas hob and hood I sourced all white goods independently as they were cheaper. The hob and hood were cheaper from the kitchen supplier.  When it came to having the kitchen planned I just told the designer that I was getting Bloggs washing machine and it's dimensions are XYZ etc and they planned around it.

FreeBear

lb00 said: Also can you recommend some websites for bathrooms?

I've been using City Plumbing for my sanitary ware of late. Gave me a very good price on a low level pan & cistern and did free delivery. Most branches have a bathroom design centre, so could be worth paying them a visit if you have one local.

Emmia

lb00 said:

@Emmia  

Thank you all very much for your replies.
There is already hard flooring and the managing agent said it's fine to replace it as long as I put acoustic underlay which will be Schluter Ditra Sound.

Everything else would essentially be cosmetic (new bathrooms and new kitchen) so it would be fine with them.

The only other thing I'd like to do is to move one of the bedroom doors half a meter forward. I know this would need formal consent. But I was tempted of going ahead anyway and doing it without asking permission? In the end it's just half a meter and getting the freeholder consent would cost me at least 1,500£ between their fees and the surveyor.. Additionally, I have an insurance policy about lack of consent for internal alterations the sellers have purchased, so perhaps if I move the door and I get problems down the line I could always claim it's always been that way?

I'm not sure I'd risk voiding the lease by making this type of change, and not getting freeholder consent.

The freeholder could require you to put the door back in it's original position, and unauthorised works like this are likely to make the flat more difficult to sell.

You'll also need to know if it's structurally possible - is the wall load bearing? is there a suitable lintel? It would be very awkward if you compromised the building structure, by just bashing a hole through (and often it is visually apparent when a door has been moved).

As for claiming the previous owners did it, or it's always been like that... that's lying.

lb00

@FreeBear @Emmia thanks so much for your replies.

Does this schedule of payments seem reasonable to you?
Payment terms:
20% deposit on acceptance of quote.
1st interim payment 30%
2nd interim payment 30%
3rd interim payment 10%
Balance payment of 10% on completion

Should I ask for a retention? And should I opt for a FMB or JCT contract?

Thanks so much.