Renovation needed for London Victorian House

Alice Zeng

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

Hi there,

We have recently put an offer on a property that we think potentially could be our family home.

The property needs a total makeover as it was not upgraded since the old times.

I am hoping some professionals or experienced home owners could help me decide a budget.

Key points: Please see floor plan attached (old features ie hand wash basin in each room)

- extend the kitchen to horizontally to occupy the narrow area on the side.

- remodel the kitchen (no need to have expensive items, but double door fridge)

- remove downstairs wc from outside to under the staircases

- add small utility space/room for washer/dryer

- remove existing features in 3 bedrooms on 1st floor

- remodel 1st floor wc

- add 1 wc on 1st floor as optional.

- loft conversion - not showing in the floorplan hope to create a large 20sqm room as a master-bedroom with wardrobe(walk-in wardrobe). - This can be done at a later stage as we only have 2 people living in this property.

I appreciate your help.

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Comments (3)

PRO
Kay Moden
3 years ago
Hi Alice,

It's hard to tell at this stage. You would need at least some concept design to get a 'close to real' cost. It really depends on specifications, type of glazing, windows etc, then there's renovation cost (new finishes, new decorating etc) which sometimes seems like not much but can have a huge impact on the overall price.

Thus said, I think it's ok to put 100k as a starting point. (build only)

feel free to get in touch if you have other questions!

Andrei
Alice Zeng
Original Author
3 years ago
Hi Andrei,

Many thanks for your quick reply!

I understand with the specifications it could go beyond. But I think for me budgeting the structure change is more important.
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Hi all, Thank you so much for your posts and ideas. I really appreciate it! Well 6 years have passed and we still haven’t made any structural changes as we started a family instead! But we think we’re ready to make some changes now (just when its become more expensive than ever to do structural works!) A few things I forgot to mention in my original post is that the roof is a butterfly/London roof so its not a traditional pitched roof and would be expensive to make convert it. Plus we had to unexpectedly replace the entite roof this year because it was causing problems and didn’t have the time to think about a conversion due to the urgency 😫. The front door is next to the lounge (floor plan is upside down 🙃) I think we’re thinking of a ground floor extension now but ideally i’d love to separate out the 3rd bedroom so it has its own entrance and possibly make it bigger. The third bedroom is at a split level from the 2nd bedroom ie you have to go down 3 steps. But the roof above the 3rd bedroom is pitched and i’m wondering if its possible to extend into it and make it a study/4th bedroom. The pesky stairs still seem to be a problem! RE: John Botham thanks for your advice to be cautious as the layout differs so greatly to other properties on the street. Any advice, ideas or similar problems solved very much appreciated! many thanks SJ
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As Kerry says you need the actual dimensions for proper comments. I would say one thing though, it's very unlikely that you'd be able to move the kitchen to the front room as your drainage is probably not at all conducive to that. I presume the drains are at the rear on the right. Either they are at the back or to the side of the kitchen if it's a semi or detached. My initial thoughts would be somewhere along the lines of blocking the end of the Hall, creating a downstairs loo. Changing the entrance to the kitchen by using the dining room and getting rid of the french doors. I would have the lounge as a room on it's own, the kitchen / diner as the open plan bit and a second lounge area off the kitchen. I don't have time to have a play at the mo and without dimensions it's too hard.
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Rowland
3 years ago
Hi,

the side extension will require supporting the structure above. This will need structural steelworks to be inserted. depending on your budget there are a couple of ways this can be done , whether a beam is left showing (cheaper option) or the beam is hidden within the floor/ceiling of the first floor. alternatively the beam sits below the ceiling/floor (less expensive option).

If you push the extension out into the current conservatory area, there will be more support needed and the overall cost will increase . some people refer to this as a wrap-around extension.

I assume that the loft extension will not be budgeted at this stage.

There are design fees and build costs.

design fees differ depending on whether you just get the shell design or whether you have the entire interior layout carried out. This is the important part to consider. A good design can add value to your house and provide a solution that you may not have considered, so think about this when engaging your professional team.

you will also need the services of a structural engineer to design support structure. ensure that the two professionals work together as I have seen designs where the engineer has not properly understood the design intent and the result is redesigning on site, which can be costly due to design changes.

Allow £10-15k for design fees.

if you engage a Project manager you will need more set aside, but this may save money in controlling building costs.

I would put construction costs at between £60-£80k without the cost of your kitchen, but with electical supplies and plumbing services first fixed., so placed to positions.

there will be the interior fitout, which may include underfloor heating, which is desirable feature for extensions, plus the kitchen cost. this can be anything from £8k to £100k depending whether you have a off the shelf or a bespoke designer kitchen.

The first thing you need to do is to select your design team. Ensure that you have a team that you are comfortable with in understanding your wishes for the design. Dont just go with the big practices. often a small designer will give you more time and may have some great ideas.

Make sure you have a contract with both the designer, but importantly with the builder, as disputes can arise and a contract is important in protecting all parties .

I hope that this gives you some insight, you are entering into an exciting venture. I hope you manage to create your perfect home.

best

Rowland

Renovation needed for London Victorian House

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Kay Moden

Alice Zeng
Original Author

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Renovation needed for London Victorian House

Comments (3)

Kay Moden

Alice ZengOriginal Author

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Rowland

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Alice Zeng
Original Author