PedanticBuilder

Great shout with FB Marketplace, I used that to get timber and lawn for a bargain when I was doing the refurb! I actually sold the remaining timber for more than I paid for it, so it basically cost me nothing fort he stud wall timber! Now you've got me interested! I thought I had to use a FENSA registered installer to comply with building regs, but the more I think about it, you're right! I'll just need to inform the council that Im having the windows replaced right? The only difficulty I foresee is handling the large windows/doors myself as I dont really have anyone who can just pop over and help. But please let me know how your experience of installing the windows went. Im terrified that I'll install the windows and doors, only to wake up next morning and see water leaking in after a heavy rain. LOVE this breakdown and it makes so much sense! Thanks so much for your time writing this

You make a very good point. Its going to be a very hard balance choosing between family time and trying to improve our forever home. I will try to get the balance right to ensure I dont regret not spending enough time making memories with the family.

I agree that 75k is a lot of money to spend on external glazing and doors. The property is l-shaped so there are more windows, doors (including sliding doors) than you'd usually expect. I also want to get a pivot door for the front. I personally think that glazing has the single biggest impact to the look of the building. We are also going to do with black framed windows and doors to make it look more modern. I dont think it will take £75k but I want to ensure I set aside healthy budget for it. Congrats on your house move! Thats fair enough, I suppose everyone has their own way of doing things. I hope it goes well and half acre is a healthy outdoor space! I've never come across the term Tranche and it actually sounds very interesting. I will definitely look into potentially adopting this framework "Do not plan to start work that you can't exit in an orderly manner." - 100% agree and its easy to get into a position where you start on multiple things with mess everywhere and not sure what to tackle. That can be an overwhelming position - I know cos I did a property flip refurb alone and it wasn't a good mental state to be in. Thank you for all your advice! "We'll probably get hit by a huge inflation over the next 2 years so your 10% padding might even cover the price increases, never mind any unforeseen works." - Jeez! Not like everything hasn't already gone up by 30% or something daft since post-covid With the rising shipping costs and the pending oil apocalypse, it may be an interesting end to the decade!

Very helpful advice here! I think phasing the work seems to be the recommended theme, which is exactly what we were hoping to do. My thinking is, the more I can plan (budget and schedule), the less surprises I'll have, equals less stress overall! Ive been using an app called snagless for planning and budgeting, which has been really useful, was using excel sheets in the past. I hope your extension gets completed to the standard you hoped for!

Yes external glazing and doors is going to take up a big chunk of our budget but is also one that adds the biggest impact to a property (in my opinion). The building is L-shaped so theres quite a few sliding doors and full height windows. But I'll be living there and phasing the work out. I'm hoping to do it slowly and actually enjoy the process of improving our forever home

Thats fair. I did try to create a quick shopping basket and was also hoping to use my trade account discounts (as I did a refurb of a property previously so have trade accounts). Im also planning on shopping smart and I would imagine bulk buying everything from one place may incentivise the shop to give me a decent discount.

"Think you need contingency regardless" - Fair point! Ive added 10% contingency but in reality, its my forever home (answers your other question ) so I'll spend what needs to be spent, it will just mean delay until we save up the shortfall. "How would you phase the work ?" - very good question, we are hoping to start upstairs and get that in a good state. Then we will tackle lower floors and bathrooms incrementally, keeping the mess contained. Definitely not figured that out yet but need to have a game plan. The app I use has a Gantt chart and tasks feature so I can plan what needs doing, assign materials to tasks and ensure I'll have enough to cover each task. Electrics - Doh! Thanks, forgot to add that.

Thanks for your input, good points! The skirtings appear to be in a good shape, could do with sanding and repainting. I'm giving myself 2-years as I have a 3-year old, a baby on the way and a full time job 😅 So will mostly be evenings, annual leave and weekends.

Hey all, I'm currently planning the refurb of a 4-bedroom, 4-bathroom property with around 4,446 sq ft of internal space and have put together the attached budget. I'd be interested to get people's thoughts on whether I'm in roughly the right ballpark with this, or whether I've seriously underestimated anything. I'm planning to do a lot of the work myself, so most of the figures are materials only. Anything marked as "subcontractor" is work I'm planning to outsource. The total is currently coming out at £188,490 with no contingency included. I'm particularly interested in how other people approach budgeting for larger refurb projects. Would appreciate any thoughts, especially from anyone who's recently done something similar. Thanks! Hayden

I fear this thread may have somewhat digressed 🤣

I'm afraid I havent yet checked, maybe i'll have a peek when there is opportunity. But that is very good advice! I'll keep that in mind.

Ola! I will try do do as much as I can, I recently did a flip where I did the entire refurb myself (other than plastering and painting) so I do have some experience But the structural stuff like removal of the walls, RSJ installation, balcony frame fabrication to the contractors.

Great points! Im definitely going to create a floor plan to get a idea of the space (floorplanner.com is great for that). Im also planning on utilising AI rendered mockups to visualise different specs and get it to generate different interior design ideas. The idea of being semi-off-grid is very appealing so would love to get solar panels and energy storage system. Its a double brick construction so Im not too concerned about insulation at this stage. "wrap around balcony and glass balustrading can eat through a lot of cash" - Don't i know it! A company quoted me 67k for the wrap around balcony after i showed them this rendering im never paying close to that. If it comes to it, I may just settle for a terrace instead of a wrap-around.

Yes it has been neglected. The ivy has attacked the property pretty badly!This view it's more towards the back of the house and the entrance is higher up towards the right (the driveway is steep). Its definitely a unique layout and part of the reason we fell in love with it. Regarding what needs doing -blimey, how long do you have? The major/structural works include: - knocking down walls between kitchen and dining room (will leave the steel installation and plastering to pro's but can do the fireboarding of the RSJ's myself) - installing a new steel wrap-around balcony with gall balustrades (I can do things like installing the composite decking but the actual fabrication and installation of the frame will need to be outsourced. - Replacing the existing entrance gates (as the entrance is too narrow), with a sliding gate. Ill have to see how much of this I can do myself! Other than that, the whole house needs refurb - new kitchen (might use DIYKitchens for this if they have decent quality worktops), new windows, new external sliding doors, new front door, flooring, lights, plastering in some rooms. The garden needs major refreshing too as we plan to have a outdoor kitchen and vegetable garden. Also plan to turn that garage you see into a gym. WE already have a separate detached garage up the driveway. We've budgeted £250k but i know in the current climate, that may not be enough.

Hi! All the best. I'm currently undertaking a full refurb of our new forever home. Ive had experience of doing a refurb as I recently did a flip but bit daunted by the scale of the job. I'm planning on taking it easy, enjoying the process and the house, even if it means it will take 2 years Regards Hayden