how much am i talking for a basic renovation

gcm12321

stuart45 said:

For plastering do you mean hack off back to brickwork, or just skim over existing?

just a skim if posible however i am ;ooking for towards worst case just in case so i would be looking at back to brick

gcm12321

stuart45 said:

For plastering do you mean hack off back to brickwork, or just skim over existing?

i would be looking for back to brick just in case its required and the existing has detached from the wall

stuart45

Doing all the labouring jobs DIY will help keep the cost down. If the house isn't lived in it makes doing the job easier. Get all the walls and ceilings down, and you should also be able to tack the ceilings. 
If you can find a plasterer who will work on a day rate with you labouring it could work out cheaper.

Brie

Unlike FreeBear we got our new kitchen installed last year.  The old one was stripped out completely, no new plastering required, wiring in ceiling needed to be sorted (loft access just above so fairly easy), all new appliances (double electric oven, gas stove top, built in dishwasher and fridge freezer), sink, cupboards, painted, floor leveled and fancy lino down, oak counter tops.  About £20k for the lot.  Needed to buy extra stuff like cutlery trays for the drawers, baskets for the cupboards as I'm not tall enough to reach all the way to the back of some - extra £100+.  

Plus because we had no kitchen for a week+ we were eating out which was costly as well.  Was so much that we couldn't cook - we have a microwave and a propane BBQ but there was no where to properly wash things up other than the bathroom sink which is a bit yuck.  

FreeBear

gcm12321 said:

FreeBear said:

gcm12321 said: i am looking at a 1930s 2 bedroom house and am wondering how much it would cost for a basic upgrade:

I'm (still) renovating a late 1920s 3 bed semi.

new Kitchen - Depends on how much work you want to do yourself. I spent ~£1200 on mine and did the installation myself (including electrics, plumbing, and plastering).

all rooms need plastering - Budget £800 per room for a basic skim.
ceilings need replacing - Taking down lath & lime plaster ceilings is a very, very dirty job. If you can do the work yourself, you'd only need to pay for a skip. Lime plaster can be recycled and used as hardcore - If you want a patio or shed base, an ideal way to reuse the old plaster. Laths can be used as kindling for a fire.
all carpet needs replacing - Do this last. £25-50 per square metre plus £100 fitting for each room.

there is no need for a new boiler however i would like additional radiators - Do a proper heat loss calculation for each room, and size the radiators for a 30-40°C flow temperature. Whilst the ceilings are down, take a look at the pipework and consider replacing some of it - I've got 22mm for the main feed & return, and 15mm to each radiator - This will put you in a better position for the day when a heat pump is fitted. In the meantime, you can run the gas boiler at a lower flow temperature which will boost the efficiency (I'm currently running at 40-50°C).

Whilst the ceilings are down in the upstairs rooms, pack the space between joists with extra insulation. With no ceilings, you'll be able to get insulation right up under the eaves (nearly always a cold spot). If you are skimming walls, well worth insulating the external walls where you can. As well as cutting heat loss, it will minimise condensation forming. More is better, so aim for 65-75mm of PUR/PIR.

Total cost - You might get away with £10K if you do much of the grunt work yourself. £20-30K if you pay someone else to do it all.

thank you for the information, i plan on doing everything within my capability's to keep the cost down. have you encountered any major issues while doing the house such as rotten joists or am i thinking a bit to far into it

Joists have all been pretty sound. A couple of floorboards under the toilet had a bit of woodworm (both now replaced). Uncovered the source of a few nasty draughts when replacing some of the windows - If you have replacement windows, check to make sure there is a lintel supporting the outer leaf of brickwork.

rob7475

It all depends on how much of the work you can do yourself.

Kitchen - ours cost around £3k for 17 units which I fitted myself and another £1500 for the granite to be supplied and fitted.

Plastering - try to learn how to do it. If your walls are already a mess, nows the time to have a go. It really isn't the dark art some will have you believe.

Basic plumbing and electrics - only you know your capabilities here but you can save a lot if you are capable of doing bits yourself.

For things like carpet fitting, the pro's don't charge a great deal and will have a carpet fitted by the time you've struggled just to get it into the room and unrolled.

If you're on a tight budget (20k is quite tight for what you are wanting to do), I'd really recommend learning some new skills. You'll get lots of good advice on here and ask around friends etc. if anyone can help you.