Renovation projects can be both a hugely gratifying and highly demanding endeavour. The reason that some remodels are so potentially tricky is that, with renovations, you never begin with a blank slate, unlike with constructing a new house. There is always something to undo first.
It’s important to remember that remodelling a home may be a complicated process, and unexpected problems and costs might arise, so it’s essential to be well prepared. We’ve put together some of the best advice on how to make your project a success when purchasing a house for renovation and how to choose the ideal house to remodel.
Photo by Rene Asmussen from Pexels
Get A Building Survey
Before purchasing a house for renovation, you should always hire a professional building surveyor to conduct a building survey. Somewhere between £500 and £1,000 is the normal price range for this, although it’s worth shopping around – just make sure you get both a good price and a good service.
If there are any serious difficulties, such as a need for a new roof or signs of structural movement, a building survey will identify these. In addition, the survey will identify any further surveys that may be necessary (such as a specialist asbestos report). You should remember that a surveyor can’t find hidden issues or offer an estimate of the price of renovations. These don’t fall within their remit.
Take A Step Back
It’s tempting to start working right away, especially if you plan to live in the property throughout the remodelling. Let’s face it: no one likes to spend more time than necessary on a construction site.
However, it may be beneficial to wait before beginning work. This will not only give you time to adequately prepare, but it will also give you a chance to get to know the property. For example, you may notice which rooms get natural light throughout the day, as well as which rooms you tend to gravitate towards – and those you don’t – and, as a result, need remodelling or renovation first. Furthermore, unless you’ve lined up a builder or tradesperson throughout the purchase process, it’s doubtful they’ll be able to begin work for many months.
Budget For New Electrics
Ancient light switches, circular pin plugs, fabric-coated flex, and old-fashioned fuse boxes are all signs that an old building’s electrical system needs to be updated. The cost of rewiring a standard three-bedroom terrace is from £3,000 to £4,000, depending on the complexity. You – or rather, an expert – should remove the old wiring, a new consumer unit installed, and the floors lifted and replaced. Replastering will not be included in the make-good process. The cost of installing extra light fixtures and plugs may increase the overall cost for this work as well.
In other words, if you’re buying an older property, it’s wise to find out about the state of the electrics before you do much else. It would be a shame to redecorate everything only to find that you have to get into walls and take up flooring for the electrics.
Look For Damp
There are various sources of damp, some of which are more expensive to repair than others. Damp is typically visible — wet stains on floors and walls are tell-tale indications – but it is not always the case.
The causes vary from leaky gutters and clogged drains (which are relatively easy to repair) to unsuitable contemporary interventions such as cement renders, concrete floors, and injected damp-proof courses, which prevent an old structure from “breathing.” These are a bit more expensive to fix.
As you walk around the property, look for the signs of damp, which include the watermarks we mentioned, as well as mould and peeling paint or wallpaper. Smell the air too; mould and damp have a definite odour, and it’s quite pungent, so you should be able to notice it. The fact that a property has damp doesn’t mean it’s not a good purchase, but it does mean you should take that into consideration when making an offer because you’ll need to pay to get it rectified.
Check For Rot
Keep an eye out for rot, a fungus that may harm wood. Rot arises in poorly ventilated areas, such as the roof space or beneath floorboards in old homes. When you remove the carpet, look for cotton wool-like lumps and a heavy musty odour. It will cost roughly £1,000 to get rid of it. Wet rot, which occurs when lumber is exposed to excessive amounts of moisture, is not a major issue.
Create A Schedule Of Works
Make a work schedule for your remodelling before you begin any work. When there is no timetable, tradespeople may overlap, and various works that might have been done at the same time to save money may have to be done one by one.
On a timetable, the house’s repairs are laid out in a logical sequence, from top to bottom. When a project is broken down into stages, such as “kitchen expansion,” “bathroom renovations,” “moving the bathroom to the second floor,” “loft conversion,” and so on, establishing a separate timeline for each step is a good idea.
Can You Live There?
Remember that certain mortgage lenders may refuse to lend on houses deemed uninhabitable, while others may lend based on the existing market worth of the property but will not grant anything more until completion – this is known as retention lending.
Is this going to be a problem in terms of financing your remodelling work? If so, you’ll need to plan very carefully to determine whether this is something you can do or whether you’ll need to find a different property to do up.
Plan For Living
If the property you purchase is uninhabitable, you’ll need somewhere to stay while you fix it up unless you are purchasing a second home and renovating it. If you wish to remain in your old house while the work is being done, some mortgage providers provide a service in which you have your own home evaluated beforehand, and then the sales numbers for your property are used to calculate your borrowing requirements.
You’ll place your old home on the market after your remodelling is finished, or typically shortly before. The final statistics are determined once it sells. This is not something that’s open to everyone, though, and it’s not something everyone will want to consider. However, it’s good to know the option is there just in case you need it.
Check The Roof
An inspection of the roof should include noting any broken tiles, worn flashings, or underfelt as well as worn pointing. You can replace just a few tiles for a few hundred pounds, but serious damage may need a new roof that would cost between £5,000 and £10,000 for a typical three-bedroom home.
Understand That Problems Will Occur
Depending on the scope of your task, you should be prepared for a few practical obstacles along the road. Specifically, an unavoidable period of time when you are without fundamental services due to the relocation of boilers, electricity metres, consumer units, and so on (also, a common cause for delay at the start is dealing with utility companies, so plan ahead).
Another thing that irritates many people is dust; reduce it by closing off sections of work in stages and delaying the monumental knock-through until as late as feasible (i.e., keeping the work outside as much as you can).
Have Adequate Insurance
Once contracts are exchanged, you become accountable for the property and must have proper insurance. If you take out a mortgage to finance the project, your lender will not release any funds unless you have insurance in place to cover disasters such as floods, theft, or fire to the property. Renovation insurance should cover public and employers’ liabilities, construction supplies and labour, the existing structure, accidents, and legal expenditures.
Beware Unknown Costs
To get the home running again, you may need to pay certain expenses, such as reconnecting the water supply, cleaning out the septic tank, and so on. Other expenses that may surprise you include appraisal fees (typically dependent on the value of the finished home) and, with certain renovation mortgages, a charge to pay before each stage payment is released. Put simply, buying an old house means confronting the unknown. That also brings unanticipated costs. This is why it’s crucial you have a contingency fund and a contingency plan just in case the unexpected actually happens.
Do You Need Planning Permission?
Many remodelling and expansion projects do not need planning permission. Internal upgrades that do not change the building’s outward appearance, as well as minor additions, fall under this category. These are known as Permitted Development (PD) privileges.
It’s recommended filing for a Lawful Development Certificate for minor additions that do fit under PD rights. This is documentation that your construction was legal and did not need planning approval, which might be important if you decide to sell the house.
If you are making significant alterations to an existing building, such as constructing a large extension, you will almost certainly need to apply for planning permission. This can be a long-winded process, and it may require expert help to ensure you get the positive result you’re looking for.
I hope you have found these tips helpful in purchasing a house for renovation.
*This is a collaborative post