Novice house renovators - the start ***UPDATED***

[parisdisneyfan]

I thought I would start this thread/blog after reading other ones on people renovating houses. I also want to keep a before and after journal on our journey. We are definite amateurs. Dh is a very competent DIYer, but the only major work we have done here, the kitchen, we got the professionals in.

For the last couple of years we have been looking to move to be more central to family, perhaps release some equity and generally have a quieter life. In the next couple of months this will become a reality as we have found a house we love and sold this one It has not been an easy route so far and I'm sure over the next year we will have lots of ups and downs but hopefully we will have a beautiful home at the end of it.

The move was initiated by dh losing his dad, and his mum deciding to move closer to his sister. We are currently in South Hants and so we decided to start looking in Wiltshire. We love the area anyway so knew which areas to look into. We have based our search around Marlborough originally looking for a new or young house, rural but not isolated, not too big a garden and with at least a single garage. We have ended up going for a 50 year old house that needs everything doing to it (although it is liveable in)and has a big garden on the outskirts of Devizes. The releasing equity idea has also gone out of the window

We have lived here for nearly 20 years buying it off plan when the children were little. rightmove/property...-62043189.html It has been a great house for us and we love it, just not the location. Nothing wrong with it but it is on an estate with lots of the children I work with. There are walks around but we want something more rural. Although we "sold" it the first weekend, that fell through and it took us another 6 weeks to get another offer. These people are in rented and we hope to hang on to these people!

We are buying this, and have no idea why we both fell in love with it but we have! After we lost our buyer we still went ahead with the survey as felt it was better to find out early on how much needed done while we could still pull out. The survey was pretty much as we expected except for a drains issue. We are having these surveyed next week to see if we can afford to rectify it or we need to renegotiate or even pull out. rightmove/property...-60615426.html

It needs everything doing from roof to drains! The list so far starts with the essentials - roof, boiler, windows and front door followed by necessary - bathroom, ensuite, cloakroom, moving kitchen to the integral garage, carpets and decor finishing with desirable - interior doors, bannisters, plastering inside of conservatory, enlarging the door to the workshop. We also would like to reduce the height of the front laurel hedge and redo the front gate/fence as it makes the driveway tight at present.

We have considered renting rather than moving in but as we will still need to get quotes from new trades and then wait until they can do it we have, at present, decided against that.

So I plan to update this when we have more information, but feel free to comment anytime, although you don't have to comment on our sanity as we are already questioning that ourselves I will be asking for lots of advice I'm sure and if anyone lives around the area and can recommend any or all of the professionals we will need I will be most grateful for their names.

Thanks guys

All months are here https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho... php?t=1169030

[MinniMouse]

Eyewatering prices where you live! Good luck to you. We bought our house 30 years ago. It was an almost derelict cottage with one powerpoint (in the kitchen for the cooker). One tap (in the kitchen).
The toilet was just of the kitchen and there was only a loo in the small room. There was a tin bath in room and fireplaces. It was single storey. DH and I totally gutted it. Left the front half of the roof and the outer walls and some load bearing walls. New joists, stud walls, put a staircase in, half flat roof, new everything. Bought it for just under £13,000 and got a full grant from the council. We have since put a lovely extension on (living room).

[parisdisneyfan]

Originally Posted by MinniMouse

Eyewatering prices where you live! Good luck to you. We bought our house 30 years ago. It was an almost derelict cottage with one powerpoint (in the kitchen for the cooker). One tap (in the kitchen).
The toilet was just of the kitchen and there was only a loo in the small room. There was a tin bath in room and fireplaces. It was single storey. DH and I totally gutted it. Left the front half of the roof and the outer walls and some load bearing walls. New joists, stud walls, put a staircase in, half flat roof, new everything. Bought it for just under £13,000 and got a full grant from the council. We have since put a lovely extension on (living room).

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Wow, makes our idea of renovating look like slapping a coat of paint on Would love to see some photos. You are so right about prices round here and even that bit further north. Don't know how the kids will ever get started even though dd has a good job, we will have to help them later on. It is also dearer to have stuff done as all the trades have to charge more as they have to live here too

[parisdisneyfan]

First Update:

Our drains have passed the survey well sort of...

Septic tank and soakaway are both fine and should last for at least another 10-20 years especially if only the 2 of us. The tank is also plenty big enough if we wanted to extend the house and make it 5 beds as it is over double the size required.

On the downside the pipes are made of pitch fibre which over the years has become squashed and narrowed and is a blockage waiting to happen. His advice is to have them rerounded and relined, which is a solution not just a stop gap, and is minimally disruptive and cost effective. His ball park figure was less than £5,000.

So we are happy with that as it could have been so much worse. As soon as we have a date we will get in touch and book it in to be done as last thing we need is a blockage

[Libby]

Originally Posted by MinniMouse

Eyewatering prices where you live!

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… and I was thinking what good value they are! All depends where you live I suppose.

We've been in our house 33 years now and to be honest it probably needs gutting and starting again but we keep spending our money on holidays!


Good luck with you plans!

[parisdisneyfan]

Originally Posted by Libby

… and I was thinking what good value they are! All depends where you live I suppose.

We've been in our house 33 years now and to be honest it probably needs gutting and starting again but we keep spending our money on holidays!


Good luck with you plans!

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Ha Ha, we think Wiltshire is good value compared to Hampshire! I'm guessing you are London/Surrey/West Sussex!

[Libby]

Originally Posted by parisdisneyfan

Ha Ha, we think Wiltshire is good value compared to Hampshire! I'm guessing you are London/Surrey/West Sussex!

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Yes, Surrey.

[Guest]

It’s exciting! I love a house thread!
We just virtually rebuilt our house, at one point it was four walls, no roof and no floors in most of the rooms. We also thought about renting but lived in it for a year instead while we got a feel for it and got quotes. We are really glad we did that, as we got to know the house better, and our ideas evolved.
We rented for five months when the work was being done.
Good luck and enjoy it! 👍

[Guest]

What an exciting undertaking and I love your new house ... : - )

[parisdisneyfan]

Things are moving on, but slowly. Our buyers have had their survey, and I got some tips from their surveyor for our new place. Our vendors are getting quotes to fix the drains, which has surprised us but we are not complaining! We are now just waiting for a legal issue to be resolved and will be ready to sign contracts.

Middle of September still seems a long way off but i’msure It will whizz by. Luckily I have a 6 week school holiday to start collecting removal quotes, roofing repair quotes, boiler fitters, window companies and investigate bathroom and kitchen places in the area ready to book them to visit as soon as we move in!