Anyone in the building trade? Seen a house that's been gutted...

[Jammy66]

I'm looking for a new place (sold the flat and currently renting). I've seen a small house which is going to auction but it needs full refurbishment. The current owner (I am guessing it's a builder who's gone bust or something) has already stripped the place - I mean totally stripped it - and there's some new beams in the roof and new electrics.

It's a pretty small house, downstairs living room/kitchen and bathroom and one room upstairs. It needs replastering, ceilings, a couple of walls reinstating, kitchen/bathroom fitting, CH (pipework in place). Oh and it's grade ll listed.

Does anyone have any idea of what I'd be looking at - very ballpark - to get a place like that habitable (decorating and fitting out a kitchen I can do later, building work I can't). I know there's restrictions on listed buildings but I'd mostly be reinstating what was already there, not chaning it around.

 

[A signaller]

I'm looking for a new place (sold the flat and currently renting). I've seen a small house which is going to auction but it needs full refurbishment. The current owner (I am guessing it's a builder who's gone bust or something) has already stripped the place - I mean totally stripped it - and there's some new beams in the roof and new electrics.

It's a pretty small house, downstairs living room/kitchen and bathroom and one room upstairs. It needs replastering, ceilings, a couple of walls reinstating, kitchen/bathroom fitting, CH (pipework in place). Oh and it's grade ll listed.

Does anyone have any idea of what I'd be looking at - very ballpark - to get a place like that habitable (decorating and fitting out a kitchen I can do later, building work I can't). I know there's restrictions on listed buildings but I'd mostly be reinstating what was already there, not chaning it around.

For a small Victorian-Edwardian built house, about $70K+ that's with all the bells and modern whistles. with a grade ll listed, you can be hamstrung with certain issues, check with the relevant authority's. My son is in a listed building, end terrace 3 floors high, and had some problems with refurbishment.

 

[bigeye]

Or it could have been stripped before re-possession.

Build Cost Calculator: Calculate in 30 Seconds [2020 UK Edition]

 

[AsterixTG]

I'm an expert.

I've watched every episode of Grand Designs.

What I have learnt.

It will costs double what you think.
It will take twice as long as you think.
There's a significant risk of you getting pregnant.

 

[Charlie4]

Does anyone have any idea of what I'd be looking at - very ballpark - to get a place like that habitable

Walk away.

By asking that question, you do not have the experience to tackle a gutted house.

I once spent a week costing a job and having 9 different trades on site to price up. It cannot be asked on the internet without seeing the property.

 

[anglo]

Grade ll listed.

Walk past on the other side of the road, don't look back,
{I can give you a barge pole for you not to touch it with}

 

[4(T)]

Grade II listed.


You'd be at the whim of your planning department, and it could be blank chequebook stuff - even for a small place.

Original cast iron fireplaces?
Original 19th ceramic tiles?
Remove all modern alterations?
New wooden sash windows?
All traditional hand-cut joinery in oak?
Lathe & plaster, lime mortars?

If its a small place and was listed, I'm guessing that there was some fairly weighty historic reason for its preservation. If its been vandalised and gutted, then the council may be on the warpath for a full restoration.

 

[mush_dad]

Grade II listed.


You'd be at the whim of your planning department, and it could be blank chequebook stuff - even for a small place.

Original cast iron fireplaces?
Original 19th ceramic tiles?
Remove all modern alterations?
New wooden sash windows?
All traditional hand-cut joinery in oak?
Lathe & plaster, lime mortars?

If its a small place and was listed, I'm guessing that there was some fairly weighty historic reason for its preservation. If its been vandalised and gutted, then the council may be on the warpath for a full restoration.

What he said, just because any listed features were stripped/destroyed before you bought it doesn't mean you won't be liable for reinstatement.

You don't know what was there previously, therefore you have no idea what you might be expected to reinstate.

There's a reason why it's on the market after being gutted and it's probably a bad one

 

[Deep_Cut_Sniper]

Grade ll listed.

Walk past on the other side of the road, don't look back,
{I can give you a barge pole for you not to touch it with}

On a related note and something i've wondered for a while - What happens if everyone walks on by and the place just goes to wrack and ruin? Would that be more acceptable to the authorities (?) than allowing slight relaxation of the rules? Genuinely interested to know.

 

[theoriginalphantom]

On a related note and something i've wondered for a while - What happens if everyone walks on by and the place just goes to wrack and ruin? Would that be more acceptable to the authorities (?) than allowing slight relaxation of the rules? Genuinely interested to know.

a while back the company my father worked for had a listed building as part of the grounds, it was at risk of collapse and they wanted to make it safe and ideally something people could visit after all, what's the point of it existing if it is never seen. There was some kind of issue with the footings and a tunnel/cellar. in order to save the building, it would require modern materials. this was not allowed.
No building contractor (minus the ones with ten-gallon hats) would touch it, so it was allowed to collapse.

 

[Filthy_contract]

Grade ll listed.

Walk past on the other side of the road, don't look back,
{I can give you a barge pole for you not to touch it with}

Unless the property has unique features, Lisiting rarely affects the internals of the property, and is typically about preserving external architectural features such as windows, doors, tiled roof etc. Mine is and I've had no problems with the local authority or getting contractors in to work on it.

Just forget about those Damnations: plastic doors and windows.

 

[Deep_Cut_Sniper]

a while back the company my father worked for had a listed building as part of the grounds, it was at risk of collapse and they wanted to make it safe and ideally something people could visit after all, what's the point of it existing if it is never seen. There was some kind of issue with the footings and a tunnel/cellar. in order to save the building, it would require modern materials. this was not allowed.
No building contractor (minus the ones with ten-gallon hats) would touch it, so it was allowed to collapse.

Absolutely barking.

 

[anglo]

On a related note and something i've wondered for a while - What happens if everyone walks on by and the place just goes to wrack and ruin? Would that be more acceptable to the authorities (?) than allowing slight relaxation of the rules? Genuinely interested to know.

There is never a "relaxation of the rules" let me give you an example,
Down where I like there is a number of old stone built barns, some with roofs,
some not, they are listed, one barn had all the walls and was complete
except for a roof, so one old boy put roof on it, exactly the same as an original roof,
Passed it again, roof gone, the old boy told me, as they made it listed with no roof
it had to stay that way,
I worked on a fair few estates that are listed, having a listed place is a frecking nightmare,
and maintenance costs an absolute fortune
Leave well alone

 

[anglo]

Unless the property has unique features, Lisiting rarely affects the internals of the property, and is typically about preserving external architectural features such as windows, doors, tiled roof etc. Mine is and I've had no problems with the local authority or getting contractors in to work on it.

Just forget about those Damnations: plastic doors and windows.

All the big houses I work at, had to keep internal fitting [fireplaces etc],
one place had had an extension fitted to contain a kitchen, that was to only area
allowed to be changed
What category is your house listed?

 

[Arte_et_Marte]

I work for a builder and we go to hundreds of jobs a year.

As others have said, it's pointless trying to get a quote (even ball park) without thorough inspection of the property, and I mean thorough. Its really not a case of walking in with a tape measure and taking notes whilst scratching your head.

Your project will be much more expensive than you think it will be.

Walk away.

 

[Filthy_contract]

All the big houses I work at, had to keep internal fitting [fireplaces etc],
one place had had an extension fitted to contain a kitchen, that was to only area
allowed to be changed
What category is your house listed?

Grade II, inside a conservation area (so restrictions on external decorations ie no DAYGLO green paint). My house is a mid 19th century semi, wth a listed portico, front door/vesibule assemblage. A garden wall and stone garden shed (predating the house) are also listed. But the Conservation Area ensures that we couldn't change the joinery (and nor would we)

 

[Filthy_contract]

There is never a "relaxation of the rules" let me give you an example,
Down where I like there is a number of old stone built barns, some with roofs,
some not, they are listed, one barn had all the walls and was complete
except for a roof, so one old boy put roof on it, exactly the same as an original roof,
Passed it again, roof gone, the old boy told me, as they made it listed with no roof
it had to stay that way,
I worked on a fair few estates that are listed, having a listed place is a frecking nightmare,
and maintenance costs an absolute fortune
Leave well alone

Some authorities will impose a compulsary improvement order on listed buildings that are of particular note, that have been allowed to decay.

 

[Wordsmith]

Google is your friend.

Here's the official guide.

https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/guide-for-owners-of-listed-buildings/guide-for-owners-listed-buildings/

Plug the address into this link to see why it's grade 2 listed.

Search the List - Find listed buildings, monuments, battlefields and more | Historic England

Search the only official list of protected historic sites. Use our map search to see which buildings or sites are protected.

historicengland.org.uk

Wordsmith

 

[Club Swinger]

Ahem....three words...

 

[Ecosse]

In Jockystan, there can also be issues "cleaning up" a Title to such properties. We had an issue back in the mid-80's when a large "protected" apple tree's roots were threatening our kitchen extension. Can't recall the ins & outs from 1984 but the tree eventually was condemned
It was either the tree, or the kitchen. The oddest hurdles bob up with old stone properties...unless conveyancing brief are really at the top of the game.
Up here anyway.