Jump to content

Recommended Posts

We're thinking of buying a major "no heating, needs rewiring, roof needs replacing" project of a house.


Has anyone else done this and how do you manage it with children, and if you work too? Or is it impossible to spin all those plates?


What's the best way to attempt it - use an architect who brings in their own builders or find your own tradesmen?


We remodelled the interior of our current house and we just got a surveyor to draw up plans which saved us money but I wonder if we wouldn't have got some better design ideas if we'd used an architect?


Also we used builders who didn't do decorating and the gap between the two meant the "blame game" was employed by the people coming in, and the "the decorators will sort that out" was used by the trades leaving us.


If we do this it needs to be least stress but we don't have endless amounts of money to throw at this!


Does your experience tell you something different? I'm really keen to hear how different people managed it! And very keen for recommendations too!


Many thanks all!

Link to comment
https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/42963-house-refurbs-and-children/
Share on other sites

ninbi Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> We're thinking of buying a major "no heating,

> needs rewiring, roof needs replacing" project of a

> house.

>

> Has anyone else done this and how do you manage it

> with children, and if you work too? Or is it

> impossible to spin all those plates?

>

> What's the best way to attempt it - use an

> architect who brings in their own builders or find

> your own tradesmen?

>

> We remodelled the interior of our current house

> and we just got a surveyor to draw up plans which

> saved us money but I wonder if we wouldn't have

> got some better design ideas if we'd used an

> architect?

>

> Also we used builders who didn't do decorating and

> the gap between the two meant the "blame game" was

> employed by the people coming in, and the "the

> decorators will sort that out" was used by the

> trades leaving us.

>

> If we do this it needs to be least stress but we

> don't have endless amounts of money to throw at

> this!

>

> Does your experience tell you something different?

> I'm really keen to hear how different people

> managed it! And very keen for recommendations

> too!

>

> Many thanks all!


Ninbi,


I've already responded to this point in the business section! You didn't see that?


Ron

Only do this if you can handle minimum 6 months of chaos. If you are the kind of family or have the kind of kids that need things to be ordered and calm this is not for you. If you - or at least one person in the family - thrives on chaos and loves the creative side, then this is for you!


We have done this. I have gone out to work and left DH spinning all the plates. By the time I get home, all is finished for the day and he hoovered every night. Kids loved the chaos.

Thanks - we were thinking of renting somewhere for 6 months while the work's done which I'm sure the children will think is an adventure.


Although DH did suggest that we camp in the garden while the weather allows it - and I'm not sure he was joking!!


Would any of you recommend the architect or builders you worked with?

One thing besides moving out that made it less stressful for us is that while we were waiting for planning and building regs we picked out all our fixtures and fittings in extreme detail. When the work starts you won't have time. Also, things always cost ,order than you think. Having the cost of out kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, bifold doors and lighting selected helped us stay on budget when the quotes came in. We balanced it at the quote stage by reducing some of our spec for the fittings and the building work so we were comfortable.


Building is like the fog of war... Make as many decision beforehand as you can!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • We recently used Jan at Silver Fern for some fencing and driveway works, he also built a side return shed which is now a water tight space for storage.    Would certainly recommend speaking to Jan for gardening or landscaping needs. http://www.silverfernlondon.co.uk [email protected]        
    • And the latest shocker, Inflation this morning was 2.3% up from 1.7& the previous month, a 0.6% increase in a month, that is dreadful. So Robber Reeves plan is already working (NOT). Inflation has begun to increase and will continue to do so, I predict the next set of unemployment figures will show a rise. Neither of these things can be blamed on the last Govt, it's down to the inept budget and impact it is having already.
    • Andrews and Arnold are brilliant https://www.aa.net.uk/. If there's any problems someone picks up the phone on the 2nd or 3rd ring and several times they have rung me immediately after I sent an e-mail. As they are primarily B2B, their support is excellent and there are a lot fewer miscommunications with OpenReach. Go to their website and enter your postcode which will show you exactly what type of broadband is available in your area.
    • Because they have been awful - scoring own-goal after own-goal. You cannot be an apologist for their diabolical first 100 days on the basis that the previous lot were worse - in the same way the whole of the 14 years of Tory rule was tarred with the brush of despair about their very worst behaviour in the latter years Labour run the risk of their government being tarred with the same brush on the basis of their first 100 days. It has probably been some of the worst 100 days of any new government and Starmer's approval ratings aren't as low as they are without reason. You know they are in trouble when MPs start posting the good bits from their first 100 days - it's a sure sign they know they have a problem. And when this government have a problem the frontbenchers disappear from media interviews and they roll-out the likes of Pat McFadden to provide some air cover. Yesterday it was farmers. Today it is the pensioners being pushed into poverty by Winter Fuel payments. It's a perceptual disaster and has been since day 1 - they have to get a grip on it else this leadership team is doomed. You highlight the very problem here. Farmers are not being gifted money. They are being gifted assets. Assets that they don't realise as they continue to work those assets to provide food for the country. Most inheritance is cash or an asset (a house) that people sell to generate cash. Passing a farm to younger family members is very different. On the news they interviewed a farmer whose family had owned the farm since 1822 and he broke down in tears when he spoke about his 13 year old son who was working in the farm to continue it - no doubt in the realisation that his son would be hit by a tax bill when he took it over. Given farmers are not cash rich then the decision would likely be that they would need to sell some of the land that generations had worked hard to build to fund the tax bill - and so many farms are on a knife's edge that it might be enough to send them over the edge.   There are many valid reasons why the government are doing what they are doing but those reasons are not cutting through and they are losing control of the narrative. That is a massive issue for them.  
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...