Costs to renovate an old house

Feb 10, 2015 29 Replies

Also don't assume that anything will be square. Don't assume that a victorian property was well built in the first place.

Although it tends to be the better ones which are still standing.

At one point, I had removal and reconnecting the bath down to a few minutes each. It spent the day out in the back garden, but was brought back in and connected up in the evening so I could use it.

In the kitchen, I ripped everything out. One base unit got moved into the dining room to give me a couple of feet of workspace to make lunch and sit the microwave/kettle on. The sink unit got pulled out into the middle of the kitchen so I could access all the walls, and I used a washing machine hose to connect one tap, with a large bucket in the cupboard under the sink waste.

The fact it's still standing after all this time at least says something. I'll bet a modern timber framed house won't last as long.

Better yet, just ask a local company to offer a free quote to you. I did that when I moved house, sure it was a good price but I knew why ! Old electrics, ancient boiler and duff radiators, etc.

I rang some local North West based firms and got some quotes in, and I went with the cheapest one from STL Heating. After all, it's money so why should I pay more than I have to ? Lol a bit like buying coffee from aldi or tesco!

Give 'em a go, they might even beat other quotes - worth an ask.

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

Yesh, there is great victorian bodging around our house, but I go on the theory that if it's still here after 150 years it's probably ok.

I'd not assume a modern house was square either....

That should read "Assume that nothing will be square".

If you find a right angle somewhere, you need a a new try-square - your current one is obviously bent.

If it's a factory made timber frame, I'd hope it would be, near enough.

5 posts today in this group from this spammer for STL - "amazed at how much I'd ended-up saving " "blog that someone made" "rang some local North West based firms"

- I smell a rat.

Forgot about that one...

In the first property I did, when stripping wallpaper in the very large kitchen I noticed some movement in the wall. A quick pull and some flimsy plasterboard, held by some leftover 2x2's fell to the ground, revealing a completely collapsed chimney hidden behind it. The hole was about 2m high by 2m wide and completely unsupported...

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