Guest Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Can anyone guide me in how to cost out a renovation before buying somewhere or even putting in an offer ... I have ballpark figures for rewire, plastering, double glazing etc, but what about structural stuff? Do I just need to employ a surveyor? How much would that cost? Can they be trusted? The property I have in mind is about £80k less than similar properties so I'm guessing it would take almost that much to renovate. http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-34259901.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
200p Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 I miss read the title as "Revolution." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 I miss read the title as "Revolution." Yikes wouldn't know where to start with giving a quote for a revolution! "Well love you need your protesters, burning tyres and flags. Guns are always handy too. How about 2k cash in hand?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onlyme2 Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 You need a builder friend. What sort of strutural work are you expecting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StainlessSteelCat Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 (edited) A surveyor will tell you general and obvious stuff - and usually suggest you get a specialist for practically anything. They will also not lift carpets, or even look behind wardrobes etc if the house is still furnished. You'll need a survey anyhow to proceed with purchase unless with cash (and even then its recommended). With one house I nearly bought, the surveyor noticed a constant running water sound which was unexplained. That together with other things was a factor in pulling out. Surveys are also useful for potentially talking the price down further, but perhaps not if renovation has been included in the price. A friendly builder, armed with a copy of the survey, is a must. Edited April 25, 2015 by StainlessSteelCat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wurzel Of Highbridge Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 The property I have in mind is about £80k less than similar properties so I'm guessing it would take almost that much to renovate. http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-34259901.html About 5k for a new bathroom 5k misc decorating including some flooring. Windows and are double glazed, might be ok. Kitchen needs tidying, cabinets look salvagable. All in all I would say the property looks in reasonable condition (Without close inspection), just needs a little TLC. Is it damp? Are the floor rotten? Are there any cracks/movement that can be seen? What's the boiler / central heating like? From the photos if it's 80k under comparable (overpriced) properties then it looks like a genuine seller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19 year mortgage 8itch Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Think of a number, double it then add 25%. Thats still a P50 estimate though. If you know little about building work, can't rely on someone trusted and want to move reasonably quickly then it will cost you shed loads. Not to put you off or anything. Budget for everything and take it from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy1305 Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 I have done a few renovations in my time and the long and the short of it is your expected finish will dictate much of the costs. If you look at building a house, it can cost from £800 to £1500 a sq m based on the finish. I completely renovated a 70 sq m bungalow to a high standard at around £500 sq m That was the whole nine yards including rewiring, replumbing, new central heating, new kitchen, floors, plastering, bathroom and roof (and new drive and turf).I could have done it for around £250 sq m but wanted high quality finish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GloomMonger Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Think of a number, double it then add 25%. Thats still a P50 estimate though. If you know little about building work, can't rely on someone trusted and want to move reasonably quickly then it will cost you shed loads. Not to put you off or anything. Budget for everything and take it from there. This. Add up all your costs, double it then subtract what you can do yourself or save by buying discounted items. I saved a fortune by buying from ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
long time lurking Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 About 5k for a new bathroom 5k misc decorating including some flooring. Windows and are double glazed, might be ok. Kitchen needs tidying, cabinets look salvagable. All in all I would say the property looks in reasonable condition (Without close inspection), just needs a little TLC. Is it damp? Are the floor rotten? Are there any cracks/movement that can be seen? What's the boiler / central heating like? From the photos if it's 80k under comparable (overpriced) properties then it looks like a genuine seller. This ^^^^ plus how do you know it needs rewiring /pluming ?radiators are pretty modern so if it was a like for like swap (combi for combi) for the boiler located in the same place 2-3k Looks like it has damp problems in a few places worst case scenario would be 2-3k ish for damp proofing the places it looks damp pic 7 under window could be coming from the window/sills the kitchen looks like the damp is where the washing machine was probably fitted that could be down to a leaking/badly fitted waste pipe Apart from the above it looks like it just needs TLC/ kitchen bathroom decorating/floors, the main cost factor for that work will be down to the speck of fixtures and fittings i.e a 15k kitchen would not cost much more to fit than a 5k one ...etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longgone Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 depends how much work you can do ? cosmetic make over i think you could do for 15k for a nice finish windows will look ok after a bit of cleaning , kitchen units no more than 1500-2k for those, buy some granite on ebay it costs no more than wood work top if you are prepared to cut it yourself bathroom could be done for 1500 if you are clever , its the hidden problems that cost money . you can buy a whole roll of carpet on ebay for £700 or even less , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solitaire Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 its the hidden problems that cost money . Yes, aside from any obvious structural problems have the roof and drains checked, these can be very costly to fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Thanks for all the info ... I guess the question is how do I know whether it needs anything structural doing to it (e.g. new roof). Is the only safe way a survey? I can work out cost of rewiring, kitchen, bathroom, carpets, etc, but its the kind of stuff that Sarah Beeney would have on "help my house is falling down" that worries me ... hidden problems that I wouldn't even know about. I can't afford to spend a few hundred quid on a survey for every property that I might put an offer in on ... perhaps that is the only way though. I do have a friendly building inspector, but he's 60 miles away so could only borrow his services a couple of times before I start taking the p*ss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy1305 Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 This. Add up all your costs, double it then subtract what you can do yourself or save by buying discounted items. I saved a fortune by buying from ebay. Do you know, we did this too. We kept an eye out for top end bathroom fittings and tiles. Ended up buying the slate for the roof at £1 a tile too, under the £5 a tile for Welsh slate at the time and £3 for spanish slate. The flooring we bought on ebay. It was very expensive stuff (although bought at a great discount), but limited, so I decided to do the flooring and simply take my time to ensure I didn't need an extra pack, which I may not have found! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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