renovation on a budget
My wife and I purchased this 1930s property a few weeks ago. We liked a project, something to make our stamp on but I have the feeling we hog more than we can chew. An architect told us that to go all we want to do (on the ground floor only), we need £150k 😳. Well we have £50k. The dilemma is, where are we going to spend these £50k to get the most out of it?
As you can see from some of these pictures, the house is higgledy piggledy with two extensions built at different times and disconnected from one another. A massive workshop takes over half the garden, the garden has been raised and boxed in a cement and stone bed. Most importantly, the kitchen is tiny and disconnected from the living room; and both face north, which means they do not see any natural light whatsoever. You may now see why I think we got a project and a half to handle.
We think we need £15k to sort out the garden, knock down the workshop and re-pave the car port, which we would like to use as a covered veranda.
there are at least 3 more things we should do to make it liveable. We need to choose one. These are the 3 options.
rebuild the extensions, put a steel and create a nice, modern kitchen-diner with glass doors into the garden, skylight, and a utility room. Can we do this with £35k? Including flooring, gas boiler relocation, and the whole thing?
let the light in from the south side by opening between dining room and living room + knock down the divider between kitchen and current dining room. Leave the utility room where it is in the small extension. Would £35k be enough for this?
Ideally we would do both but I am interested to know What would you do if you were in our shoes? Any advice welcome. More photos here.
Comments (7)
Ellie
3 years agoLuca B
3 years agoRelated Discussions
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PRONest Estimating Ltd
3 years ago
Sonia
3 years agoJonathan
3 years agoLuca B
3 years agoI do like it. This was in fact my first idea. We have been discouraged by a builder and I then forgot about it. It could actually be linked by a part-glass extension to the garage, which can become the main entrance. Not sure we can afford it, though.
Jonathan