1850's house rejuvenation,,,,,,,, thoughts??

greenlights

hi folks,
im currently considering buying a two story townhouse that was built in the 1850's-80's sometime. structurally the house seems in good shape,
-new roof added about 20-25 yrs ago and still in good shape
-solid stone walls still the original ones
- no signs of damp or leaks (it is summer though)
-a little woodworm here and there
there are two extensions added around the 50/60's. overall the house is 1000sq ft so its quite cosy, and there is a big garden at the rear,
the house would need complete gutting, and start from the begining again. knocking the add ons and begining again going open plan etc...
my question is whether or not anyone here has any experience of taking on a task like this recently and their experience of the costings involved going on todays rates and materials cost, re wire?, re plumb?, cost per sq ft for extensions etc, and do suspended wooden floors really need to be filled and concreted??
ive had planty of advice form 2/3 builders, half a dozen homeowners/homebuilders but the more i hear the more the gap between prices widens. i would also be going the direct build route, id be there every day, source best value materials myself and do all the labouring. Basically if anyone wouldnt mind sharing any advice and experiences you think would be useful to me id love to hear it. as i say, im considering buying this place and im just doin my homework to see if my expectations can be met in my budgeting before i make an offer. i know the old addage comes in here 'how long is a piece of string', but any and all info will be welcomed, many thanks for replys received, david

Viking House

Hi David

Is it Red Brick? we've pumped a number of floors with EPS beads, this may be an option. I think there's plenty guys here with experience of renovations.

Poor Uncle Tom

You need to visit the LA and find out of the building is listed or if there's any type of protection order on it, it may mean renovations of like for like materials, it will probably mean planning permission for any works you do.

It is well worth getting the building surveyed by an indemnified professional (a must, imo) to highlight any areas needing serious work, showing up rot, damp, etc.

A job like this could end up being a money pit, unless you are very experienced in managing building projects, I would not advise doing it direct labour.

greenlights

-its not a red brick but stone wall with render, its mid terrace and most of the others have been renovated in the the last ten years or so, and i know some houses have had work done without needing permission for everything, and without needing like for like restoration, there is a preservation order on the frontage, ie doors and windows and doorway architecture to be kept, the meter for the gas is in the front room! i know some work was carried out during the 50's as the extensions were built and there are a number of concrete floors in the house where once there were timbers so perhaps there were dpc's installed back then?? ive had the house inspected and there seems to be no real problems damp or rot(i know its summer and dry, but the house is lying idle for 2 years) there is a new roof, a little woodworm,
-viking house thanks for your idea, how are you finding the eps, when you piped in the eps didi you lift the floor before before hand to check the structure beneath and for the presence of dpc and did you get any shocks or frights or even find hundreds in old pound notes!!??:) and what made you decide not to go concrete?? thanx guys!!

ricman

YOU can put insulation and soundproofing in floors if you want , old buildings tend to have
thick walls ,good sound insulation.800sq house ft rewiring is 4k/5k approx depends on what you want ,how many lights,circuits,power points alarm fitted etc
You can buy secondhand materials,bricks,tiles on buyandsel.net ,depends on what materials you use.
if floors are in good nick ,you can leave em as is.Can you do any painting,decorating yourself.MY advice is concentrate on the house first, leave the extensions till last, make sure theres no leaks, or dry rot.BE fore you install new floors or doors,skirting boards.
GET rid of woodworm be4 you buy new materials.

Wonky Knees

greenlights wrote: »

-its not a red brick but stone wall with render, its mid terrace and most of the others have been renovated in the the last ten years or so, and i know some houses have had work done without needing permission for everything, and without needing like for like restoration, there is a preservation order on the frontage, ie doors and windows and doorway architecture to be kept, the meter for the gas is in the front room! i know some work was carried out during the 50's as the extensions were built and there are a number of concrete floors in the house where once there were timbers so perhaps there were dpc's installed back then?? ive had the house inspected and there seems to be no real problems damp or rot(i know its summer and dry, but the house is lying idle for 2 years) there is a new roof, a little woodworm,
-viking house thanks for your idea, how are you finding the eps, when you piped in the eps didi you lift the floor before before hand to check the structure beneath and for the presence of dpc and did you get any shocks or frights or even find hundreds in old pound notes!!??:) and what made you decide not to go concrete?? thanx guys!!

Might be a good idea to talk to the others on the road who have already done what you are doing. With a house like that there are certain things that you must do then everything else becomes a choice between using materials and techniques associated with the time the house was originally built or using modern techniques. For example, rendering you will have to make a decision between standard contemporary rendering or the traditional lime based render which is how your intended house was originally rendered. Also be careful presuming that just because something was redone some years back (the roof) that it is OK. Major problems could be lurking around the corner. Have a survey done by someone familiar with 1850s builds. Look on the Georgian Society website for the list of trades and you should find one there. Best of luck, old houses are a labour of love!

screamer

We bought and renovated a house that is well over 200 years old, and 5 years later, we're still at it. With an old house, you're never finished. We found it impossible to get anyone to do anything for us, they all wanted new new and no hastle. It cost a fortune and at that, most of the donkey work, we did ourselves. Insuring it is another minefield, there are so many insurance companies, who'll say, sorry if its over 100 years old, we can't quote you. I love our old house, it has character that is just so lacking in the new samey samey sterile houses being built these days, but it really is a labour of love.