Cost of Second hand home renovation

Hi All,

I would like your help with the cost of renovating a second hand 30 year old 3-bed semi-d. I am thinking of bidding for a house in poor condition and would like ye think of what below would cost.....

1)Insulate the attic and pump the walls
2)Re-wiring and re plumbing
3)OFCH system & radiators - material and installation (house currently only has electric heaters
4) New internal doors and skirting boards
5) Skim plaster the whole house
6) Wooden floors & carpets throughout.
7) New kitchen (cheap option)
8) New bathroom suite (cheap option)

I would allow 30k assuming you will provide the majourity of the labour. If not 60k.

Agree with paddyboy with the 30K DIY quote. However, you might find a builder who does the lot for around 45K

Callisto

The 2 boys are in the right field with their figures in my opinion

A little advice - find a few thousand extra and add extra insulation to the inside of all the exterior walls. Just pumping the cavity will improve things but 50-100mm high density board on the inside will make a huge difference to the heat retention house. Also use more insulation in the attic than current building regs. Money spent on insulation is almost always well spent. Much better value than solar panels or wind turbines etc. if you are doing a major refurb anyway.

Good luck with the project and expect it to cost more and take longer that you are told at the beginning - for some reason they almost always do - espec if you are buying to live in it. Things you have not thought of will crop up and if it ios to be your own place the tendancy of most people is ( has been in recent tiger times ) to say ok to good suggestions. Unfortunately these "OKs" will cost money and time.

You have not mentioned new windows. I agree with putting in as much insulation as possible, always worth it. Watch out for the building regulations. You have not stated if it's for you, for selling or renting which could affect the quality/cost of what you intend to do. You must be very careful with old houses, you never know what you may find so factor in another 10k to 20K for that - the just in case scenario. Best way to get an idea is get some builders in to give you a quotation. Get a good survey from a really difficult engineer/surveyor.

All,

Thanks for the excellent feedback.

Ageng,
What would your estimate be to add insulated board to exterior walls - bearing in mind its a 3bed semi - installation and the skim plaster?
I presume its "cosy board" you are referring to!

Bronte,
The house is already fitted with double glazed PVC windows.

The house is for myself - renting 1/2 rooms - for a few years, 5-6, when I'd plan to build and either sell/rent it. Hence the cheap option kitchen/bathroom.

Has anyone done something like this before or have an idea of the cost of any of the steps I've called out?

newirishman said:

Agree with paddyboy with the 30K DIY quote. However, you might find a builder who does the lot for around 45K

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Yes, E45k - E50k would be about right. Remember to get the insulation exact, especially the internal angles. The boards should be cut at 45*

To be honest 50K seems very high to me - what would be the very expensive jobs that would drive the price to this type of level??

All of it, you have to buy all the stuff first, then you have to pay someone to put it in and then you have all the miscellaneous extras like plaster, paint, the wiring, plumbing pipes, u-bends, carpet underlay etc.

Simeon said:

Yes, E45k - E50k would be about right. Remember to get the insulation exact, especially the internal angles. The boards should be cut at 45*

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That's a very wise tip regarding the cutting of the insulation boards.

You mentioned that you will selling / renting in the longer term. Bear in mind the new legislation, as of 1st Jan, for all second hand houses being offered for sale or rent to have a Building Energy Rating certificate to demonstrate the property's energy performance.

Getting the insulation, ventilation and air tightness right at this stage, will not only save you money on heating costs over the next few years but make your property more competitive in the market later.