Old House (Small Renovation)

Saint Sonner

I am just about to start a small renovation/tidy up of a very old house which belonged to my grandparents when they where alive.

It has been rented a few times since they passed away but it has been vacant for about 3 years now. The heating would have been put on during the winter to prevent burst pipes etc but apart from that there hasn't been much upkeep on it.

My plan is to eventually build a house and bulldoze this one but in the meantime I want to live in it for a couple of years so whilst i'm willing to spend reasonable amount of money doing this I obviously want to make sure I don't go overboard as the plan is for this house to be demo'd!

It is single glazed and the main part of the house is built of stone so quite it is cold. It also has become quite damp in recent years.

The areas that need some loving care are the kitchen, bedroom and living area - bathroom is okay as it was updated for last tenant.

I'll probably have a few things which I would appreciate advice on so if anyone can spare a moment I would appreciate it.

I'll post my first question in the next post and I will keep you updated on how I'm getting on in case it helps someone else in a similar situation.

Saint Sonner

As the house as became damp I am going to hire a powerful de humidifier for a week for the house but I was wondering should I paint the walls then put in the dehumidifier or should I put dehumidifier in and then paint the walls?

TopTec

You need to get the place dry before any decoration. Stage 1 is to identify and solve the damp issue. Pointless using a dehumidifier if the damp remains. Once the place is dry then think about painting.

Ventilation is the key is most damp cases.

TT

Saint Sonner

Thanks for the reply, my thoughts on the dampness is that it’s damp because of the age of it approx. 80 years old built of stone with single glazed windows and it hasn’t been lived in a few years.

But I’m no expert - can you think of anything else that’s causing it?

I was thinking that I won’t be able to correct the dampness altogether but if I was to live in it for a year or two that it would be ok after some dehumidifying and tlc.

TopTec

My old place was built around 1830. When I bought it there was running water down some of the interior walls, trees and shrubs growing in a valley between two parts of the cottage and when it rained the back bedroom floor got wet. It was a bit damp to say the least..

Over the first couple of years I stabilised the stone walls, replaced the valley, redirected all the gutter system, relayed the concrete paths around the place that were falling towards the cottage and replaced all but one of the floors. Put in vents in all the rooms and redid the drainage around the place.

Now and again I still get a damp line on the remaining floor as they were only 1" thick concrete onto bare earth. Now that I have a new heating system and double/triple glazing and proper insulation I never have condensation in the place and that is due to good ventilation.

So what I am saying is that if you are intending to stay there short term then just do the easy bits. Guttering and stuff like that but when you can, open wide the doors and windows and clear the moisture out. Heating the cottage will create more moisture so bear that in mind.

It is all a matter of degrees. You don't want to live in a damp unhealthy place even for a few months but it would be daft to put money into something that you are going to tear down.

If I were you then I would heat the place every day and open all the windows. I would make sure that there is no obvious places where water is finding its way in and effect a quick temporary repair.

A dehumidifier would help but I think they are expensive to run and a good breeze through the cottage is just as good as long as the moisture can escape.

Good luck with it.

TT

Saint Sonner

Thanks thats a great help - I will keep you updated on how I get on.

Scarymary13

Hiya, I hope you don't mind me commenting on your post. I am considering taking on a massive renovation of an old house (100 years old). It needs reconnected to the electricity, water and a septic tank as the old one got destroyed. However, due to it being poorly looked after, there is a hole in the room which has caused a lot of damage to the floor underneath.

To be honest, I do not want to replace the roof at this stage, I would sooner fix it up and get everything else sorted before spending the money on a roof knowing there may be trouble with the septic tank etc.

The whole septic tank, water etc is all connected because without one you can't get the other. However, I am in the middle of sorting out a boundary issue and the other person has agreed I can put my percolation area on their land. I was wondering if I should get my septic tank tests etc done and apply for planning permission before spending money on re-connections etc just in case in the end I would be better knocking it down?

Any advise is gratefully accepted as I am driving myself insane! I just don't want to be stuck between a rock and a hard place if I make the wrong decision.

TopTec

In your position I think I would step back from the relatively minor issues of the septic tank and the water, (which will need to be sorted out whichever you decide), and look at the main problem. Is the house worth renovating.

Is the house structurally sound? If not, then look at how much it is going to cost to get the structure and roof repaired or replaced. Any building can be renovated but it is normally the cost that is the main driver of whether it is worth doing.

You need to factor in additional costs, for example - stone walls are more expensive to repair than block ones.

Floors are not necessarily expensive to replace, in fact I would suggest that you budget to replace them, as older properties, like mine, have only a small skin of lime/concrete, and they will need insulating.

Whether you build or renovate you are still going to need a septic tank if you have no access to public mains so that is a cost that is a constant.

Once you have a decision on build or renovate then you can go on to making a schedule of work which is the process of what is done first. The roof would be at the top of the list as it is pointless renovating inside whilst you have a dodgy roof above. The tank and services would be high on the list too.

Presumably you have a builder in mind for the main work? If he is worth his salt then he will give you a good guide as to the schedule/cost of a renovation. Self renovation on a large scale is time consuming, frustrating and it can be expensive. How much of it are you planning on doing?

Be warned though that unless you keep tight control renovating can be a money pit. I wouldn't spend any money until you have a firm idea of which way you will go... build or renovate.

Completing a renovation, small or large scale, is immensely satisfying but prepare for some tears and sweaing along the way.

TT

Scarymary13

Thank you for replying. Well I lived in the house up upon 10 years ago. We built a new house so moved there. I was told by an engineer that he would say that the walls are structurally sound but that everything else would need re-done.

I don't plan on renovating the inside until a new roof is on but plan on patching it up in the mean time to prevent any further damage.

It certainly won't be cheap but it has so much character. Back in the day, it use to be a shop and it has outer farm sheds.

TBH I have done all the work I can physically do myself. Even if I had the ability to do more, I work full-time so it would be impossible.

I think its hard to make a decision ie renovate/rebuild once you have a connection to a building. I do have a builder in mind and he said that it has character but that he would knock it down and rebuild as it would be cheaper.

TopTec

Ah, the "it will be cheaper to rebuild" argument. Always trotted out when someone has no interest in older buildings.

I am sure that this point of view can be applied to a small proportion of buildings but in the majority this does not compute. I am on my third renovation and would say I have never spent more than 80% of a new build costs when you factor in the price of the plot or building in the first place.

Presumably you have a budget in mind so I would write down a list of the more major tasks up to the internal decoration stage. Walls. roof, service connections, rewire, re-plumb, insulation etc etc and apply a estimate. Add at least 10% and don't forget fees.

Then if you are still within your budget I would say renovate away. You could get a price for a replacement building from an architect but there are usually wide variations in new build costs.

One piece of advice is that if you employ one builder then negotiate stage payments. If you have the time and the drive then employ the trades yourself. Getting a good plumber, sparky and plasterer are the making and breaking of a project.

Where are you based by the way?

TT

Scarymary13

Third renovation? Congratulations. The builder who I was talking to actually done up an old house for himself. He spent way more than expected and he had done most of the work himself. Saying that, my house would have been in better condition than the one he purchased so at least I know a lot about the house.

Thank you. I will try that.

I am based in Monaghan.

draiochtanois

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