Houses

[Kinowe Soorie]

9 hours ago, Sly said:

Has anyone got any rough idea how much it is to buy / fit Oak Veener doors? 
 

The wife was quoted £8k earlier to change 32 of them! I told her I’ll buy them and fit them at that price! Jeeez! 

Whereabouts are you?

[danny.]

15 hours ago, Sly said:

Has anyone got any rough idea how much it is to buy / fit Oak Veener doors? 
 

The wife was quoted £8k earlier to change 32 of them! I told her I’ll buy them and fit them at that price! Jeeez! 

Fitting costs for a door are about £50 min. and then you might have VAT on top of that. Doesn't sound crazy TBH, you are asking for 32!

[FoyleFox]

1 hour ago, danny. said:

Fitting costs for a door are about £50 min. and then you might have VAT on top of that. Doesn't sound crazy TBH, you are asking for 32!

Really depends on the cost of the doors. If you buy a £100 door, £8k is steep. If you're willing to pay £200 a door, it's about right.

[vandamman]

On 12/01/2024 at 07:31, Kinowe Soorie said:

Whereabouts are you?

Downtown Abbey by the looks of it! 
 

As others have said, on the face of it, it’s not that bad as don’t know what else the door fitter is supplying and fitting with the doors such as hardware and whether they removing the old door. Get a few quotes and jobs a good’un. 

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

Contemplating selling my house in the near future does anyone have any recommendations on good estate agents to use? Or ones to avoid? 
thanks ☺️ 

[Raj]

23 minutes ago, Mark 'expert' Lawrenson said:

Contemplating selling my house in the near future does anyone have any recommendations on good estate agents to use? Or ones to avoid? 
thanks ☺️ 

Seths weren't bad in selling my dads house but to be fair like Lako said most of them are leeches...

[Zear0]

28 minutes ago, Mark 'expert' Lawrenson said:

Contemplating selling my house in the near future does anyone have any recommendations on good estate agents to use? Or ones to avoid? 
thanks ☺️ 

I used William H Brown on Halford Street for a few sales and they were fine.  Think the chap I dealt with was Rob and he was sound.

 

The only negative experience I had (from a buyer's perspective) was when I bought my current place via Purple Bricks.  The agent (fixed fee) caught up with me when we'd left the viewing telling me how desperate to sell the lady was and the price she'd accept (significantly under asking). Don't get me wrong, absolute result for me, but noting the seller was the one paying the estate agent it was pretty appalling.

[kingcarr21]

Just went to look at a Bungalow, valued at approx the same as what my house is valued at. Trying to decide if i want to move into a bungalow which needs work doing to it. In preparation for when my son gets older and begins to struggle with stairs.

 

Just dont know if to take the plunge. As i like the house we are currently in but its a 3 bed Semi. 

 

Im thinking of borrowing an extra £30k so we can do it up. But im thinking is £30k enough? How much does that even get you these days?

 

Structurally it looks ok im just thinking about opening up the kitchen into more of a open plan lounge, kitchen and diner. Bedrooms look ok just need redecorating. It already has a wet room, which is ideal for Ashton. Though it could do with modernising.

 

Im just panicking thinking if £30k would be enough. Even if to just get the most important things done

[Tommy G]

Has anyone got experience of buying a new home from a small builder? I'm looking at some that aren't on the market, the builder is building 4 large detached houses and I'm not even sure of the price yet, what happens in terms of size of deposit? to secure? I'm not talking about a large scale David Wilson Estate with 300 houses on. Suspect the value will be between 6-900K depending on spec and number of bedrooms. Thanks

[kenny]

32 minutes ago, kingcarr21 said:

Just went to look at a Bungalow, valued at approx the same as what my house is valued at. Trying to decide if i want to move into a bungalow which needs work doing to it. In preparation for when my son gets older and begins to struggle with stairs.

 

Just dont know if to take the plunge. As i like the house we are currently in but its a 3 bed Semi. 

 

Im thinking of borrowing an extra £30k so we can do it up. But im thinking is £30k enough? How much does that even get you these days?

 

Structurally it looks ok im just thinking about opening up the kitchen into more of a open plan lounge, kitchen and diner. Bedrooms look ok just need redecorating. It already has a wet room, which is ideal for Ashton. Though it could do with modernising.

 

Im just panicking thinking if £30k would be enough. Even if to just get the most important things done

I would budget £50k these days.

 

Anything under you can you can always repay back to the mortgage.

[kingcarr21]

18 minutes ago, kenny said:

I would budget £50k these days.

 

Anything under you can you can always repay back to the mortgage.

I would defo not pay any remaining off the mortgage  

 

PARTYYYYYYY

[kingcarr21]

2 hours ago, kingcarr21 said:

Just went to look at a Bungalow, valued at approx the same as what my house is valued at. Trying to decide if i want to move into a bungalow which needs work doing to it. In preparation for when my son gets older and begins to struggle with stairs.

 

Just dont know if to take the plunge. As i like the house we are currently in but its a 3 bed Semi. 

 

Im thinking of borrowing an extra £30k so we can do it up. But im thinking is £30k enough? How much does that even get you these days?

 

Structurally it looks ok im just thinking about opening up the kitchen into more of a open plan lounge, kitchen and diner. Bedrooms look ok just need redecorating. It already has a wet room, which is ideal for Ashton. Though it could do with modernising.

 

Im just panicking thinking if £30k would be enough. Even if to just get the most important things done

So after speaking to my mortgage advisor, who thinks the house is a steal i have made an offer which has already been accepted. Just need to get my house on the market now  

[FoyleFox]

10 hours ago, kingcarr21 said:

Just went to look at a Bungalow, valued at approx the same as what my house is valued at. Trying to decide if i want to move into a bungalow which needs work doing to it. In preparation for when my son gets older and begins to struggle with stairs.

 

Just dont know if to take the plunge. As i like the house we are currently in but its a 3 bed Semi. 

 

Im thinking of borrowing an extra £30k so we can do it up. But im thinking is £30k enough? How much does that even get you these days?

 

Structurally it looks ok im just thinking about opening up the kitchen into more of a open plan lounge, kitchen and diner. Bedrooms look ok just need redecorating. It already has a wet room, which is ideal for Ashton. Though it could do with modernising.

 

Im just panicking thinking if £30k would be enough. Even if to just get the most important things done

It will really depend on how much of the work you do yourself with decorating etc. If you're removing a wall, the cost there will vary quite a bit depending on if its a structural wall or not. We removed 2 and needed an RSJ in, which cost about £5k, I think. Kitchens and bathrooms can be £5 to £30k, it depends what you're buying. 

Based on what it cost us to gut and renovate our bungalow, absolutely no reason it shouldn't be enough of you budget will and are sensible. Oh and accept surrendering hours of your life to painting 😆

It's been worth it though. 

[kingcarr21]

9 hours ago, FoyleFox said:

It will really depend on how much of the work you do yourself with decorating etc. If you're removing a wall, the cost there will vary quite a bit depending on if its a structural wall or not. We removed 2 and needed an RSJ in, which cost about £5k, I think. Kitchens and bathrooms can be £5 to £30k, it depends what you're buying. 

Based on what it cost us to gut and renovate our bungalow, absolutely no reason it shouldn't be enough of you budget will and are sensible. Oh and accept surrendering hours of your life to painting 😆

It's been worth it though. 

Thanks for that, I think its mostly Studded walls but will need to investigate further. I think early tasks for me is to replace the carpets in bedrooms and lounge. Wet room i dont think is a priority yet. Its useable for now so we can focus money on other things. It has a kitchen with breakfast room, which are the walls i want to remove in order to make the kitchen bigger. Then really its removing old lights, wall papering, painting etc. I dont think it would take much to get it looking nice and fresh.

 

I would like to explore the idea of removing the wall from the lounge to really open it up.

Edited 26 January by kingcarr21

[goose2010]

On 11/01/2024 at 21:56, Sly said:

Has anyone got any rough idea how much it is to buy / fit Oak Veener doors? 
 

The wife was quoted £8k earlier to change 32 of them! I told her I’ll buy them and fit them at that price! Jeeez! 

I had 9 done including the door, handles, hinges and turning one to open the opposite way for £1550 last summer. 

[Mickyblueeyes]

21 hours ago, Tommy G said:

Has anyone got experience of buying a new home from a small builder? I'm looking at some that aren't on the market, the builder is building 4 large detached houses and I'm not even sure of the price yet, what happens in terms of size of deposit? to secure? I'm not talking about a large scale David Wilson Estate with 300 houses on. Suspect the value will be between 6-900K depending on spec and number of bedrooms. Thanks

Depends. 

 

Essentially when you buy from a large scale developer the £1k you put down (that takes it off the market for fixed period) is in legal terms an exclusiivty agreement. It essentially ensures you are not repeatedly in competition with public while your solicitor is doing the DD. 

 

There is no reason why you cannot structure the deal as follows:

 

Put down a small deposit (under 10%) for the PDV and both parties enter a exclusivity to allow solicitors to undertake usual DD (which will not be any different to you buying a normal house, already built). Pay the deposit between solicitors. 

 

Once solicitor has done the DD and is ready to proceed, exchange (topping up the deposit to 10%) on a conditional contract as follows:

 

1. Landlord's works - agree a specification of what it is you want built;

2. Warranties being issued - I am assuming for residential this will be NHBC (not sure, dont deal with it), you will also want usual gas, electric etc. 

3. Final inspection and practical completion certificate - see if you/your surveyor can have final sign off (the build contract might prohibit this which is why you need the spec to be very good) being issued - basically saying both parties are happy with the works and proceeding. 

 

Once the above three have been signed off - only then do you proceed to completion. 

 

If your solicitor is really savvy get a 12 month defect liability period built in - this will ensure that if any snags appear in the 12 months post completion your builder sorts it (in addition to the warranties). 

 

Concerns with a small builder:

 

1. Natuarally do your usual financial checks - ensure you are contracting with a builder who is not going bust next month. Make sure your money (as well as the other buyers, is not being used to finance their business)

2. Incorporate a longstop date within the contract - if the builder promises to build in a year and doesnt do so, you can withdraw the contract and recoup your deposit. 

3. Have our solicitor handle all the money - hold it as stakeholder IN THEIR CLIENT ACCOUNT, do not transfer - that way if all fails, you're not chasing after your deposit.  

 

There is a lot more but get yourself a good solicitor and its definately do-able with proper protections. 

[SpacedX]

On 11/01/2024 at 21:56, Sly said:

Has anyone got any rough idea how much it is to buy / fit Oak Veener doors? 
 

The wife was quoted £8k earlier to change 32 of them! I told her I’ll buy them and fit them at that price! Jeeez! 

I did this in my old house.The price of the door will depend upon the quality that you are looking for. I fitted eight, altered and hung them myself and stained them darker. If you do decide to do that for Christ's sake don't use a water based product, it is the devil's brew. Goes on like creosote. Use osmo oil. the doorknobs were expensive as I recall. From memory, the entire cost was around a grand and a half. 

 

 

Before staining - 

 

 

After...

 

 

 

 

Replaced the stair banister and stained that too...

 

 

Sold the house last year.

 

 

[ajthefox]

2 hours ago, kingcarr21 said:

Thanks for that, I think its mostly Studded walls but will need to investigate further. I think early tasks for me is to replace the carpets in bedrooms and lounge. Wet room i dont think is a priority yet. Its useable for now so we can focus money on other things. It has a kitchen with breakfast room, which are the walls i want to remove in order to make the kitchen bigger. Then really its removing old lights, wall papering, painting etc. I dont think it would take much to get it looking nice and fresh.

 

I would like to explore the idea of removing the wall from the lounge to really open it up.

Would be very surprised if that yellow wall is load-bearing. 

 

I'd be mindful of opening your kitchen up entirely, both your means of escape would be past the kitchen which typically is a bit of a no no from a regs point of view. Wouldn't necessarily be an issue in a bungalow but given your lads mobility issues it's something to think about. 

[Tommy G]

15 minutes ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

Depends. 

 

Essentially when you buy from a large scale developer the £1k you put down (that takes it off the market for fixed period) is in legal terms an exclusiivty agreement. It essentially ensures you are not repeatedly in competition with public while your solicitor is doing the DD. 

 

There is no reason why you cannot structure the deal as follows:

 

Put down a small deposit (under 10%) for the PDV and both parties enter a exclusivity to allow solicitors to undertake usual DD (which will not be any different to you buying a normal house, already built). Pay the deposit between solicitors. 

 

Once solicitor has done the DD and is ready to proceed, exchange (topping up the deposit to 10%) on a conditional contract as follows:

 

1. Landlord's works - agree a specification of what it is you want built;

2. Warranties being issued - I am assuming for residential this will be NHBC (not sure, dont deal with it), you will also want usual gas, electric etc. 

3. Final inspection and practical completion certificate - see if you/your surveyor can have final sign off (the build contract might prohibit this which is why you need the spec to be very good) being issued - basically saying both parties are happy with the works and proceeding. 

 

Once the above three have been signed off - only then do you proceed to completion. 

 

If your solicitor is really savvy get a 12 month defect liability period built in - this will ensure that if any snags appear in the 12 months post completion your builder sorts it (in addition to the warranties). 

 

Concerns with a small builder:

 

1. Natuarally do your usual financial checks - ensure you are contracting with a builder who is not going bust next month. Make sure your money (as well as the other buyers, is not being used to finance their business)

2. Incorporate a longstop date within the contract - if the builder promises to build in a year and doesnt do so, you can withdraw the contract and recoup your deposit. 

3. Have our solicitor handle all the money - hold it as stakeholder IN THEIR CLIENT ACCOUNT, do not transfer - that way if all fails, you're not chasing after your deposit.  

 

There is a lot more but get yourself a good solicitor and its definately do-able with proper protections. 

Thanks, really appreciate the advice. The houses are about head height at the min. I've got a solicitor in mind and the dialogue so far is between me and the builder, he's not being pushy and quite relaxed about it all. Good tip about the 12 month defect liability. Thanks again

[FoyleFox]

3 hours ago, kingcarr21 said:

Thanks for that, I think its mostly Studded walls but will need to investigate further. I think early tasks for me is to replace the carpets in bedrooms and lounge. Wet room i dont think is a priority yet. Its useable for now so we can focus money on other things. It has a kitchen with breakfast room, which are the walls i want to remove in order to make the kitchen bigger. Then really its removing old lights, wall papering, painting etc. I dont think it would take much to get it looking nice and fresh.

 

I would like to explore the idea of removing the wall from the lounge to really open it up.

If the walls in yellow are stud, you're absolutely on to a winner financially and in terms of the mess and duration of works. 

Is the lounge an extension? If so, that would be a structural wall. If not and you're concerned re opening it all due to the previously mentioned escape routes, you could remove most of it and have bifold doors fitted, which allows you to have it open or closed off. Or even French doors with full length glass side windows. Incorporating that hall area will make a phenomenal difference. The walls we removed incorporated a small study 7x7'ft and part of the hall 7x4'ft and the difference was staggering to the kitchen size and open feel. 

 

It's remarkable how paint and carpet will transform a tired room. 5 of ours were magnolia mixed with smoke, 'fagnolia' and had awful beige laminate flooring. After repainting white and new carpet, they're super smart. Doesn't take long, especially done in the summer and won't be expensive. 

[dsr-burnley]

4 hours ago, kingcarr21 said:

Thanks for that, I think its mostly Studded walls but will need to investigate further. I think early tasks for me is to replace the carpets in bedrooms and lounge. Wet room i dont think is a priority yet. Its useable for now so we can focus money on other things. It has a kitchen with breakfast room, which are the walls i want to remove in order to make the kitchen bigger. Then really its removing old lights, wall papering, painting etc. I dont think it would take much to get it looking nice and fresh.

 

I would like to explore the idea of removing the wall from the lounge to really open it up.

Two things to consider, though I dare say you're already considering them.

 

1.  More expensive to heat a larger area (and with two outside doors into that area, too).

2.  You'll have a toilet opening straight into the lounge.

[Grebfromgrebland]

On 25/01/2024 at 11:11, Mark 'expert' Lawrenson said:

Contemplating selling my house in the near future does anyone have any recommendations on good estate agents to use? Or ones to avoid? 
thanks ☺️ 

Choose one that specialises in your area, you'll know who they are.

[kingcarr21]

2 minutes ago, dsr-burnley said:

Two things to consider, though I dare say you're already considering them.

 

1.  More expensive to heat a larger area (and with two outside doors into that area, too).

2.  You'll have a toilet opening straight into the lounge.

The toilet is an interesting one. Im actually thinking of taking it out and having it as a storage area only. With my sons wheelchair i want somewhere i can easily put that along with coats and shoes. 

 

I have an air con unit that i will be taking with me. Which ill put into the lounge. That can help with heating the lounge up when necessary.

[FoyleFox]

11 minutes ago, dsr-burnley said:

Two things to consider, though I dare say you're already considering them.

 

1.  More expensive to heat a larger area (and with two outside doors into that area, too).

2.  You'll have a toilet opening straight into the lounge.

 

7 minutes ago, kingcarr21 said:

The toilet is an interesting one. Im actually thinking of taking it out and having it as a storage area only. With my sons wheelchair i want somewhere i can easily put that along with coats and shoes. 

 

I have an air con unit that i will be taking with me. Which ill put into the lounge. That can help with heating the lounge up when necessary.

The toilet will open into the kitchen and regs now forbid this, unless it's well away from the cooking area. Yours is existing, so not an issue. With your only other toilet being outside, I'd be very mindful of removing a second indoor toilet. Is it big enough to have a cupboard built for shoes, or an extra one in the kitchen? We had a tall unit in the utility which we use for brooms, hoover, coats and shoes. Which works well.

If the Mrs spends hours in the bathroom, do you and your son want to have to go outside to the toilet, especially in winter?

[kingcarr21]

2 hours ago, FoyleFox said:

 

The toilet will open into the kitchen and regs now forbid this, unless it's well away from the cooking area. Yours is existing, so not an issue. With your only other toilet being outside, I'd be very mindful of removing a second indoor toilet. Is it big enough to have a cupboard built for shoes, or an extra one in the kitchen? We had a tall unit in the utility which we use for brooms, hoover, coats and shoes. Which works well.

If the Mrs spends hours in the bathroom, do you and your son want to have to go outside to the toilet, especially in winter?

There's a toilet in the wet room