townhouse renovation

howay5o

Hi,

Firstly, sorry for the long winded post!
I basically haven't the first clue about these things, but I'm hoping some of you guys could offer a complete noob like me some sage advice!
I've recently inherited a old townhouse and basically I want to investigate what is going to be involved in making it liveable again.

The house hasn't been occupied for close to 10 years now. Over this time its fallen into a pretty bad state of disrepair.
The roof was leaking for a long time (this has now been completely renovated) so as a result, there is very bad mould in a lot of the rooms and the some of the ceilings are in a bad way.
The electricity still works but the water has been cut off to the house since the pipes burst during the cold weather 2 years ago. (The rates are still being paid tho!)

I suppose my questions are...
What state are the electrics and plumbing likely to be in? The electrics are still working, but I'm guessing after that length of time it could be dodgy?
Same with the plumbing? Its not going to be a case of just turning the water back on?
Not sure about the central heating (oil), but don't think its being turned on in an age either.

So what you guys think? Are all these likely to be shot or is there a chance some of it can be salvaged??

cheers

PS. I'm just looking for some general observations on these btw, i'll get it all checked out properly if I decide to go ahead with the renovation!

sydthebeat

howay5o wrote: »

What state are the electrics and plumbing likely to be in? The electrics are still working, but I'm guessing after that length of time it could be dodgy?
Same with the plumbing? Its not going to be a case of just turning the water back on?
Not sure about the central heating (oil), but don't think its being turned on in an age either.

So what you guys think? Are all these likely to be shot or is there a chance some of it can be salvaged??

cheers

PS. I'm just looking for some general observations on these btw, i'll get it all checked out properly if I decide to go ahead with the renovation!

id be much more worried about the structural state of the building itself.
"leaking roof" "burst pipes" "mould" etc do not fill me with confidence.

First port of call would be to a surveyor or architectural technician to do an imvestigation to prepare a report which would entale brining the building to current building standards. After that, focus on the electrics and plumbing.

On the electrics, is there an MCB board or an old style fuse board.
generally old style fuse board would equate to a whole new rewiring being required. Obviously you need to get this checked with a registered RECI or ECSSA member.

On the central heating, consider upgrading insulation, boiler and heating controls with grant assistance from SEAI

BryanF

howay5o wrote: »

I've recently inherited a old townhouse and basically I want to investigate what is going to be involved in making it liveable again.

• The house hasn't been occupied for close to 10 years now.

• Over this time its fallen into a pretty bad state of disrepair.

• The roof was leaking for a long time (this has now been completely renovated) so as a result, there is very bad mould in a lot of the rooms and the some of the ceilings are in a bad way.

• The electricity still works but the water has been cut off to the house since the pipes burst during the cold weather 2 years ago. (The rates are still being paid tho!)

I suppose my questions are...

1. What state are the electrics and plumbing likely to be in?
2. The electrics are still working, but I'm guessing after that length of time it could be dodgy?
3. Same with the plumbing?
4. Its not going to be a case of just turning the water back on?
5. Not sure about the central heating (oil), but don't think its being turned on in an age either.
6. So what you guys think?
7. Are all these likely to be shot or is there a chance some of it can be salvaged?? cheers

PS. I'm just looking for some general observations on these btw, i'll get it all checked out properly if I decide to go ahead with the renovation!

you seem to just want to freak yourself out, because without a site inspection, as you say, you'll only get 'general observations':D

1. Electrics : dangerous, rodent eaten, damp, old, not up to code - any decent electrician/energy provider will probably reFuse to reconnect.
2. you'd be guessing close to the mark- budget for entire rewire
3. Plumbing : who knows, that depends on when the house was plumbed, I'd suspect some works will be required - so budget for a 50% re plum. the issue may only become apparent when the house is fully occupied/ plumbing is used a lot
4. as per no.3
5. budget for new boiler + inspect heating system, imo presume replace
6. I think your guessing and wasting your time without a professional survey (including electrician & plumber/heating specialist)
7. I'm sure some will be salvageable - but any money saved will be spent on rectifying the damp, rot and decay, that the absence of the roof has caused:)

floor timbers, ceilings, walls and windows - Id be expecting costs associated with these elements also, then there's finishes, kitchen and bathrooms. get some help in to decipher what needs to be done;)

howay5o

cheers for the responses.
guess you're just confirming what i already knew, but just needed to hear it from someone else!!

I probably painted the picture of a really dilapidated old hovel, but its not actually that bad (hopefully). i'm pretty confident it's structurally sound but all the rest are going to need work by the sounds of it..
Its connected to a business, so the business owner kept a reasonable eye on it during that time, replaced slates, disconnected the water when the pipes burst etc. Suppose the fact no one was living there for so long has taken its toll.

This is probably going to sound really dumb.... thank god for the anonymity the web provides
It was mentioned a couple of times about bringing the house up to current building standards. If, for example, I had been living there continuously for the last 10 years the plumbing/electrics would still not be up to current standards? I would still be required to keep them in line with the standards, or only if I decided to sell/extend?

hard to know what to do with it really, but I cant just let it completely rot away! its going to cost a fair bit to get it liveable again, and I wouldn't be that confident of having someone renting it regularly. The best option is to live there myself and I'm not sure about that either

BryanF

howay5o wrote: »

If, for example, I had been living there continuously for the last 10 years the plumbing/electrics would still not be up to current standards?

let me just take you back:

• The house hasn't been occupied for close to 10 years now.
• Over this time its fallen into a pretty bad state of disrepair.
• The roof was leaking for a long time (this has now been completely renovated) so as a result, there is very bad mould in a lot of the rooms and the some of the ceilings are in a bad way.
• The electricity still works but the water has been cut off to the house since the pipes burst during the cold weather 2 years ago

so what are you actually asking? if all of the above hadnt happened would the elec and plumbing be ok... i still couldn't comment without a visual inspection at least.

I would still be required to keep them in line with the standards, or only if I decided to sell/extend?

your electricity was disconnected, so condition will be inspected and decided on upon reconnection.

howay5o

the electricity hasn't been disconnected.
the bills are being paid and it still works. It's the fact that it no one has been using it regularly that has me weary about it. If decide to try to rent it, or live there myself, of course I will have it checked out by a professional beforehand.

My query about the building standards was more of a general one, as in..
A house today is built to the highest possible standard.
But everybody else that has being living in their own house for say, the last 20 years need to keep their house up to these standards also?

like I said already, its a dumb question....:)

sydthebeat

the general consensus is that when you are doing material alterations to a building, its best practise to get services etc up to current standards in so far as possible.

That doenst mean every 10 years or so, but by the sounds of this house, it hasnt been kept in good repair so its reasonable to assume it hasnt been materially altered in a significant period of time, therefore its in need of moderanising.

The whole crux will come down to what you can afford to do... both now and in the future, and how you organis ethe work so as to leave it accessible and economical in the future.

eg theres no point replacing a roof, incorporating insulation, replacing internal timberwork, both structural and aestheic etc if you are going to leave an old fuse type electrical system which is a significant fire risk. Also, you need th epeace of mind that the building your, or your tenants, are living in is as safe as possible.

BryanF

howay5o wrote: »

the electricity hasn't been disconnected.

my apologies, my bad

A house today is built to the highest possible standard.
But everybody else that has being living in their own house for say, the last 20 years need to keep their house up to these standards also?

no a 20 year house is not automatically requied to keep to the latest standards but as regards Electricity you as the owner are obliged to ensure it complies to current minimum standards ie is safe.. re sale or rent you are obliged to carry out a BER

howay5o

thanks for the advice lads. food for thought!