Full refurbishment

DM1983

Hi All, hoping to buy and do up a very dated looking house in the next month or so. BER D1. Original 1998 build but nothing has been touched since then. Probably original carpets still in it nevermind the big stuff like kitchen and bathrooms etc. Assuming plumbing and electrics are fine but just wondering what are the major jobs that people recommend when doing a deep refurbishment. I've read a bit about retrofitting UFH so think that would be great to have throughout downstairs. Will probably go heat pump instead of gas which is currently there? Not really bothered by solar as ROI doesn't seem great on either PV or water heating type. MRHV system? Convert to high pressure water system? Smarthome bits and bobs? No idea on any of this. Would love to get some opinions from anyone who has been through similar - specifically retrofit as opposed to new build.

DM1983

DM1983 wrote: »

Hi All, hoping to buy and do up a very dated looking house in the next month or so. BER D1. Original 1998 build but nothing has been touched since then. Probably original carpets still in it nevermind the big stuff like kitchen and bathrooms etc. Assuming plumbing and electrics are fine but just wondering what are the major jobs that people recommend when doing a deep refurbishment. I've read a bit about retrofitting UFH so think that would be great to have throughout downstairs. Will probably go heat pump instead of gas which is currently there? Not really bothered by solar as ROI doesn't seem great on either PV or water heating type. MRHV system? Convert to high pressure water system? Smarthome bits and bobs? No idea on any of this. Would love to get some opinions from anyone who has been through similar - specifically retrofit as opposed to new build.

Can a mod move this to the general accommodation and property thread please?

irishboyrudy

Hi DM1983,

In a similar position with detached house built in 1990, which we will be renovating next year.
UFH would be a great idea, and allow you to remove most/all of the downstairs radiators.
Same with MHRV for air quality and heat retention.
Main issue you will have is ensuring an airtight seal so the overall result is effective.

The budget will be interesting to see what grants there are, they recently removed the 50% grant to bring from your D1 up to an A3 or above, don't think we'll see anything as good, more of a trial!

Regarding smart home, everything will be wireless soon enough but if you do have to run any cables or exposing area's where you could, no harm in running cat 5 or 6 computer network cables for access points back to where your router will be. If wifi will be an issue, look at mesh wifi networks to cover the whole house.

Regarding Kitchens, I've been looking at lot's of different options, from basic to bespoke, undecided how much of my budget will be spent there yet. A couple of options I've looked at are, DIY Kitchens in the UK. Would need to buy there and ship here, using your own fitter but seems to be the best quality compared to the major brands. Advice from others, if you want a high end look without the budget, spend money on countertop, lights and fittings, although you could still blow your budget there. Painted Kitchen will allow you to re-paint and update it in the future.

One thing I came across by accident, was a few design books in the local library, which really helped. There were some older ones from the 70-00's which were great to see what still looked good!

DM1983

irishboyrudy wrote: »

Hi DM1983,

In a similar position with detached house built in 1990, which we will be renovating next year.
UFH would be a great idea, and allow you to remove most/all of the downstairs radiators.
Same with MHRV for air quality and heat retention.
Main issue you will have is ensuring an airtight seal so the overall result is effective.

The budget will be interesting to see what grants there are, they recently removed the 50% grant to bring from your D1 up to an A3 or above, don't think we'll see anything as good, more of a trial!

Regarding smart home, everything will be wireless soon enough but if you do have to run any cables or exposing area's where you could, no harm in running cat 5 or 6 computer network cables for access points back to where your router will be. If wifi will be an issue, look at mesh wifi networks to cover the whole house.

Regarding Kitchens, I've been looking at lot's of different options, from basic to bespoke, undecided how much of my budget will be spent there yet. A couple of options I've looked at are, DIY Kitchens in the UK. Would need to buy there and ship here, using your own fitter but seems to be the best quality compared to the major brands. Advice from others, if you want a high end look without the budget, spend money on countertop, lights and fittings, although you could still blow your budget there. Painted Kitchen will allow you to re-paint and update it in the future.

One thing I came across by accident, was a few design books in the local library, which really helped. There were some older ones from the 70-00's which were great to see what still looked good!

Wasn't aware of that huge grant in the past. That's a pity! Great shout on the network cable. Will definitely bring a cable to first floor and into attic. I'll check out the UK kitchen option. We put the cash and carry Lyndale kitchen into our old house about 4 years ago and loved it. I was thinking we would just do the exact same again. About €20k for a decent sized kitchen plus island but very similar quality to anything you would get from Nolan's or equivalent.

My small tip for you on bathrooms, get all of your mirrors recessed into the walls and install a demister pad behind them. Looks great and so practical particularly for shaving!

Will you get heat pump or go with gas?

On the smart home stuff, beyond zoned heating and smart alarm I'm failing to see the value. The Philips hue lights etc. seem like a real gimmick. Some sort of speaker system built in throughout the house sounds nice maybe but I'm not a big music person.