First Time Buyer home repairs grant or load

ftbman

Hi, I'm looking for advice about home improvement grants or loans as a first time buyer.

We bought an old but presentable and habitable farmhouse just before Christmas 2020. It had been inhabited for at least the past 10 years, so it looked like a normal house to live in. No bad smell, nothing falling apart, no visible damp, nicely maintained piece of land etc...

During the winter it became clear there is a problem with the kitchen, which is an extension to the original farm house. It gets flooded every time it rains heavily and persistently. In the past 6 months we got flooded 3 times already.

Long story short, there is no fix. The extension needs to be torn down and rebuilt correctly. The bill has been estimated to be around 30k, which is something we currently cannot afford.

Are there any ways of getting the government to chip in? Or at least some form of relief that would apply to our situation? I couldn't find anything at all researching the official route like revenue.ie or citizensinformation.ie

houseyhouse

What about your house insurance? Shouldn't that cover something like this? Don't think there are any government schemes for this situation. They are all (as far as I know) aimed at improving energy efficiency.

Also, you should contact your surveyor. Is there damage to the house from the flooding? Was anything about flooding mentioned in the report?

ftbman

No, nothing in the report. The kitchen floor is destroyed and the living room wooden floor suffered considerable damage as well, as the flood water spilled over.

I would like to leave the insurance out of this. They aren't going to pay for a new extension and they would most likely raise our premium.

houseyhouse

That's terrible. My sister bought a house and there turned out to be a crack in the chimney flue that meant her fireplace stinks up her neighbour's house. She got on to her surveyor and he was very helpful giving her advice etc. They won't pay to fix it for you but might have useful advice?

Was the floor ok before? As in, do you think it hadn't flooded before you bought it? Or maybe they'd covered up the evidence of flooding?

heebusjeebus

You're going to have to do it yourself I'm afraid.
We had a similar issue with an attic conversion in our house. It wasnt until we opened up the walls that we realised it was unsafe and had to get an extra €18,000 loan from the bank to make it right.
Lessons learned but it's not something that the pre-purchase survey was ever going to find as it's just a visual inspection.

ftbman

Apparently, the floor and the slope side wall were always damp because of this, but no one told us anything about the extension getting flooded.

They convinced us this was normal in these old houses. So I replaced the lino and I did it properly, because the old one looked terrible and was simply glued to the thin concrete floor that was leaking. Now the new lino developed the same kind of dark spots as the old one, so I suspect the kitchen used to get flooded regularly. They simply blamed the damage on the age of the house. The engineer raised no issues.

I've had plenty technical advice. The extension needs to be torn down and rebuilt properly.

L1011

I suspect you have a drainage issue, either instead of or as well as any structural damp-proofing problems. But there's no grants for either.

ted1

ftbman wrote: »

Are there any ways of getting the government to chip in?

Jesus Christ..

ted1

ftbman wrote: »

I would like to leave the insurance out of this. They aren't going to pay for a new extension and they would most likely raise our premium.

But you want the government to pay?

ftbman

ted1 wrote: »

Jesus Christ..

Bless you!

ted1 wrote: »

But you want the government to pay?

Yes I do. It is not my fault there is a housing shortage, neither is it my fault that the only kind of property a family that didn't inherit anything can afford is a 100 years old farmhouse, which still cost an arm and a leg. It is not my fault there is no real competition in the Irish lending market and the loans and mortgages here are amongst the most expensive in the World. I pay well over a 1000 Euros income tax every month and a hefty 23% VAT every time I put my hard earned money back into the economy. Not to mention other taxes and levies.

Plus, if the government can bail out bankers who make obscene profits rain or shine, I think the least the government can do is help families like mine to rebuild the ugly old rat infested houses we have to live in. It's not just for our convenience. It is the 21st century and it is a shame of this country these houses are still being sold.

I often find myself to be ashamed driving friends from abroad around the country. It is one thing to see an old ruin that was once a monastery or a castle, it is quite another to see a ruin that is still the residence of living people.

So again, yes, I do expect the government to help its citizens to rebuild the ruins people still live in.

Ace2007

ftbman wrote: »

So again, yes, I do expect the government to help its citizens to rebuild the ruins people still live in.

Google mica homes Donegal and you'll see that your not in bad shape.

However, as a side, what you've highlighted is a lesson for anyone buying a house - go and visit it on a day that it's lashing the rain as it may highlight leaks etc. (won't help you - but might help others)

starbaby2003

ftbman wrote: »

Hi, I'm looking for advice about home improvement grants or loans as a first time buyer.

We bought an old but presentable and habitable farmhouse just before Christmas 2020. It had been inhabited for at least the past 10 years, so it looked like a normal house to live in. No bad smell, nothing falling apart, no visible damp, nicely maintained piece of land etc...

During the winter it became clear there is a problem with the kitchen, which is an extension to the original farm house. It gets flooded every time it rains heavily and persistently. In the past 6 months we got flooded 3 times already.

Long story short, there is no fix. The extension needs to be torn down and rebuilt correctly. The bill has been estimated to be around 30k, which is something we currently cannot afford.

Are there any ways of getting the government to chip in? Or at least some form of relief that would apply to our situation? I couldn't find anything at all researching the official route like revenue.ie or citizensinformation.ie

Your estimate to fix it seems very low if it needs to be torn down. I’d also be concerned the foundations in the extension are not up to scratch and would be need to be re-dug. Have you engaged an engineer to understand the severity of the problem? Who advised it needed to come down ?

ted1

ftbman wrote: »

I think the least the government can do is help families like mine to rebuild the ugly old rat infested houses we have to live in. It's not just for our convenience.

It is the 21st century and it is a shame of this country these houses are still being sold.
.

The rats on u to it, clean the house put down traps and block the place they are coming in.

If you don’t think the houses like this should be sold. Then why did you buy it ?

handlemaster

ftbman wrote: »

Bless you!


Yes I do. It is not my fault there is a housing shortage, neither is it my fault that the only kind of property a family that didn't inherit anything can afford is a 100 years old farmhouse, which still cost an arm and a leg. It is not my fault there is no real competition in the Irish lending market and the loans and mortgages here are amongst the most expensive in the World. I pay well over a 1000 Euros income tax every month and a hefty 23% VAT every time I put my hard earned money back into the economy. Not to mention other taxes and levies.

Plus, if the government can bail out bankers who make obscene profits rain or shine, I think the least the government can do is help families like mine to rebuild the ugly old rat infested houses we have to live in. It's not just for our convenience. It is the 21st century and it is a shame of this country these houses are still being sold.

I often find myself to be ashamed driving friends from abroad around the country. It is one thing to see an old ruin that was once a monastery or a castle, it is quite another to see a ruin that is still the residence of living people.

So again, yes, I do expect the government to help its citizens to rebuild the ruins people still live in.

Lol
Good to see humour is alive and well on the thread

Caranica

The bottom line is no, there are no State supports for this, it's clearly a due diligence issue and the taxpayer will not be picking up the tab. I'd definitely be going back to your surveyor/engineer. This should have been picked up pre purchase.