Old Farmhouse renovation

Who2 · 12-12-2021 07:59AM

By the sounds of the way your talking I’d say knock it. Rubble walls without footings is all you have by the sounds of it and to get to that you are talking of stripping the roof, messing around with chimneys and half arseing an under pin job. You will have an old building that weeps, everything off square , probably with small windows in the wrong position. Then try get an electrician or plumber to bring in services or waste in a few spots and you end up trying to get a 4” pipe through a wall and a 6’ hole by the time your finished.

do it once and do it right, on the same footprint if you want in the same style but you won’t regret having it built properly and it will more than likely cost less. I’ve worked on a lot of these buildings and the enthusiasm wears off fairly quickly when the practicalities set in.

Suckler · 12-12-2021 08:07AM

One of the biggest reasons for knocking I've found is getting light in. Old narrow windows don't allow enough light in and trying to widen ope's (especially two story) just leads to more problems and hardship.

wrangler · 12-12-2021 08:56AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118308172#Comment_118308172

With the cost of energy increasing exponentially, these houses with poor BER rating will be worthless.

farawaygrass · 12-12-2021 09:42AM

Our old house would be rubble built aswell, 2ft walls.

low ceilings downstairs and can’t rise them as the windows are only a foot of the ground as is. Joists would be buckling in the middle too so would lose a few Inches with stronger joists.

floor downstairs is only maybe 4 inches about it outside ground level do I can’t lower to allow more height.

also, basically everything would need replacing, to the point all that would be left standing are the walls.

windows are small too and it’s a dark house.

it looks a fine lump of a house from outside but theirs a lot against it too.

one positive about doing one up If suited is not having to put n new septic tank or can still use oil etc.

planning granted for a knock and rebuild here. Thankfully it has the blessing of the year Older generation. It’ll break my heart on the day it tumbles though.

Bass Reeves · 12-12-2021 10:05AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118307998#Comment_118307998

If the walls are 2' thick internal insulation is adequate. External insulation is quite expensive and as there is no facia and soffit on older houses the end result is not good aesthetically very good.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118308195#Comment_118308195

Ber rating has nothing to do with running costs of houses. This is especially true if older houses. Accessors take all older houses as standard build for there time. The difference in running costs between a D and an A can be very little. BER to s about carbon not about energy efficiency.

Grueller · 12-12-2021 10:14AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118308238#Comment_118308238

The one I have will be gutted and used as a bedroom wing. 4 generous bedrooms, 2 upstairs and 2 downstairs. I have plans drawn for an extension containing a new utility, kitchen, living room and bathroom. The old kitchen extension, built 1998 will be used as a farm office and a boot room.

The roof of the old house was re done in 1998 also so to re purpose that to 4 bedrooms of 18' x 16' shouldn't cost the earth. As it will be only an extension I am under the impression that I will escape paying the levies and a new waste treatment.

Funding all of this will be the rental from 2200 sq/ft of a 2005 built BER B rated home that I currently live in and will be leaving to go into an old house🙈🙈

Neddyusa · 12-12-2021 10:58AM

Gk you are totally right that the ones who say knock it and rebuild are the ones who have no experience of restoration of stone buildings.

Saved almost €30,000 here by restoration and a 2 storey extension Vs what we were quoted for "knock and rebuild".

And we gutted back to the bare walls inside and out.

It's certainly less predictable to price work on an old house, but if you pay a few hundred for a survey from builders who specialise in stone buildings it would be well with it!

If knock and rebuild had been a much cheaper option (it wasn't thankfully) we'd have taken it.

But couldn't be happier with the end result now as we have the "mod cons" while keeping all the character and history of the old house

blue5000 · 12-12-2021 12:40PM

OP it might be worth getting some of the 'heritage' type experts/surveyors in before you start. It would be money well spent. What part of the country are you in, and is it listed? If it's listed it's a PIA, my advice would be walk away as everything will be at least treble the cost of a new build.

wrangler · 12-12-2021 12:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118308272#Comment_118308272

It's seen as an energy rating, we're looking for a house at the moment and have been advised not to buy worse than a B rating

Dinzee Conlee · 12-12-2021 12:49PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118308680#Comment_118308680

An old standard two storey farm house would hardly be listed though would it?

On the renovate vs knock and rebuild - with the price of everything now, would renovate option be getting cheaper? Or is that a bit of a false economy?

System · 12-12-2021 12:53PM

This discussion was created from comments split from: No quitten we're whelan on to chitchat 11.

wrangler · 12-12-2021 12:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118308711#Comment_118308711

I'd say you'd be kicking yourself later if you renovate, an old house will always be an old house.

Depends on the renovation, What some have in mind is a rebuild, new floors ,internal walls, taking out windows, etc, I'd say you'd regret not doing a new build

wrangler · 12-12-2021 12:56PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118308711#Comment_118308711

Mine is listed, it's only a small house but unusual

blue5000 · 12-12-2021 12:56PM

Mod note; Lads bear with me while I try to merge threads on the subject. Not easy with the new version of boards.

Edit. Ok I think I have managed to pull a few posts from chit chat into this thread, but they may not be in chronological order.

minerleague · 12-12-2021 01:08PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118306855#Comment_118306855

I think you're on the right track keeping insulation away from walls, if you could strip away cement plaster inside and out and use breathable fabric instead of plastic it would be well worthwhile. A lot of improvements carried out on these farmhouses 1960 - 1980s often made the situation worse ( ventilation and trapping damp ) Best of luck if you do it and would enjoy hearing of progress.

Neddyusa · 12-12-2021 03:06PM

A few pictures here of during and after, including the first coat of dung for soaking up the soot.

Grueller · 12-12-2021 11:08PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118309408#Comment_118309408

Much nicer than any new build. Fair play Neddyusa.

Bog Man 1 · 12-12-2021 11:30PM

I did up an old granite house on a good site . It was over forty years ago and I was advised to knock it and build a bungalow . I made a lot of mistakes and if it was being done nowdays it would be lime pointed or dashed . I dry lined it inside and lined the chimneys . One side has a cellar and I took out the floor in the room above and built internal walls in the cellar and put a T Beam concrete floor so basically I have a below ground concrete bunker . If nuclear war breaks out I will retreat down there with all the most beautiful girls in Carlow .

White Clover · 12-12-2021 11:42PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118312447#Comment_118312447

Is there many of them in Carlow? !!

Melodeon · 13-12-2021 09:19AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118312497#Comment_118312497

They're in high demand:

https://www.farmersjournal.ie/in-pictures-farmers-battle-it-for-sheep-at-borris-mart-breeders-sale-642052

whisky_galore · 13-12-2021 09:46AM

People will always advise to knock an old house without knowing anything about it because of the hatred for anything old in this country.

Old=bad.

It's a shame as if you travel anywhere from Scandinavia, Germany, Switzerland, they still keep and maintain their traditional and often quite modest farmhouses.

Melodeon · 13-12-2021 01:39PM

Re. 'Listed' buildings.

Technically, there's no such thing any more; old structures of 'architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical' merit are now called 'Protected Structures' and are documented and detailed by each County Council planning authority in their RPS (Record of Protected Structures) document.

Here's the Co. Wicklow one, for example: https://www.wicklow.ie/Living/Services/Planning/Conservation-Built-Heritage/Protected-Structures/Record-of-Protected-Structures-RPS

If your building is on this record, you're very constrained on what you can do with it.

Say my name · 13-12-2021 05:58PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118313213#Comment_118313213

On the German houses.

New houses in the countryside have to build to look old fashioned from the outside.

joe35 · 13-12-2021 10:28PM

Just re a septic tank. We've 2 up 2 down house on an out farm.

Would love to do something with it. Don't think there is any damp in it. Roof seems fairly sound.

Theres a small shed built into the side, was probably a piggery or something. This would be easily converted into a bathroom facility. Only issue is, no septic tank. Would you need planning for one or could you just build one.