HELP! FTB with so much to do/prioritise

We are FTB. We are about to complete on our first property purchase. There are several works that require our attention and we were wondering if you seasoned home owners could advice us on our priority list and possible costs:

1. Wiring & Fuse box - the property is a 1960s semi and the fusebox is located underneath the floor board. One would have to enter through a trap door and crawl to it. Although I haven't seen it, I understand that the fuse is very old. I would like to move this to the surface (say underneath the stairs) and replace it with a fuse box that has a modern circuit.

2. PVc Window - not all are double glazed.

3. Bathroom - outdated pink bathroom the current vendors are very old and moving to a nursing home.

4. Downstairs toilet - the property hasn't got a downstairs toilet so we are thinking of using underneath the stairs for that.

5. Front drive - requires attention - broken slabs/

6. Roof is fine but the soffit, fascias and guttering need attention;

7. Fencing - the fence at the back is a mesh that overlook a green. I have two small children and so for safety would like to replace the mesh with a fence (maybe one with private access into the green).

8. Conversion - we intend to convert the narrow single toilet into study

9. replace overhead tank with a combi boiler.

Sorry, this is such a long list and probably shows why we are confused.

Thank you for reading,

G.

Hi there,

The costs of most of these are highly variable depending what needs work, how large the jobs are and in some cases the final quality you want.

Absolute priority is having the fusebox and wiring checked. Moving the fusebox will possibly require a total rewire of the house and so would be really expensive (especially as you'd then need to plaster). I can PM you the details of the electrician I use, who I would trust not to tell you work is needed if it's not.

The other priority is the combi boiler. An overhead tank system has probably been in use long enough that the water in it will not be safe to drink any more. Again, I can send you details of a plumber I would consider trustworthy.

I'm not sure why you consider the mesh fence a safety risk - security? The children might be tempted to climb it? If it's about people looking in you might consider a fast-growing climber or two, at least as a temporary measure until you get enough time/spare money to do a proper job. I would recommend a Clematis montana (Clematis montana Grandiflora is the best variety) or the evergreen Clematis armandii.

All the other things are improvements rather than urgent matters, you should rate them by asking these questions:

1/ Is there a safety issue? I think I've dealt with the big safety issues above.

2/ Are they urgent? If the soffit etc is wooden and rotting badly that could be a problem to leave.

3/ How disruptive will it be to do this later? Anything outside is minimally disruptive, inside is more especially working on a bathroom if it's the only one you have.

4/ Can you live with it as it is?

Do the safety work first, and anything urgent, then see how much budget you have left for the rest.

Hi Grace. We know plenty of good tradespeople that would be able to look at these jobs for you. You might want to get some estimates before completing as the costs could impact your decision. Happy to have a chat if you'd like to.

Mayfly, thanks for your reply. Please inbox me the details as I need to cost the re-wiring^fuse box movement etc properly or walk away. Thanks for your suggestions re fencing and how to evaluate what needs doing. Like I said in my original post, we are FTB so completely overwhelmed by the ount of work we are signing up for.

Mlfc, happy to chat. Inbox me and I will arrange for my hubby to contact you. Thanks..

How much are you planning on doing yourself, because there's thousands of pounds of work there.

Hi there,

The costs of most of these are highly variable depending what needs work, how large the jobs are and in some cases the final quality you want.

Absolute priority is having the fusebox and wiring checked. Moving the fusebox will possibly require a total rewire of the house and so would be really expensive (especially as you'd then need to plaster). I can PM you the details of the electrician I use, who I would trust not to tell you work is needed if it's not.

The other priority is the combi boiler. An overhead tank system has probably been in use long enough that the water in it will not be safe to drink any more. Again, I can send you details of a plumber I would consider trustworthy.

 

I'm not sure why you consider the mesh fence a safety risk - security? The children might be tempted to climb it? If it's about people looking in you might consider a fast-growing climber or two, at least as a temporary measure until you get enough time/spare money to do a proper job. I would recommend a Clematis montana (Clematis montana Grandiflora is the best variety) or the evergreen Clematis armandii.

 

All the other things are improvements rather than urgent matters, you should rate them by asking these questions:

1/ Is there a safety issue? I think I've dealt with the big safety issues above.

2/ Are they urgent? If the soffit etc is wooden and rotting badly that could be a problem to leave.

3/ How disruptive will it be to do this later? Anything outside is minimally disruptive, inside is more especially working on a bathroom if it's the only one you have.

4/ Can you live with it as it is?

 

Do the safety work first, and anything urgent, then see how much budget you have left for the rest.

Why do you think a central heating system with a tank in the loft provides unsafe drinking water? The cold taps are most likely fed straight off the mains water.

OP - don't assume your electrics are unsafe, just because they are not using a modern board. There are gazillions of houses in this country with fuse boards, and as far as I am aware, there aren't houses burning down and electrocutions every day. If you want to get the electrical system checked, what you need is an electrician to carry out an EICR - electrical installation condition report. This may have been done as part of your home buyers survey? If not, should be around the £150-200 mark.

Move in, get your stuff unpacked etc, then see what you think.

We have just had to have a full rewire. It wasn't just the fusebox, the insulation on the wire was crumbling off so our house now resembles a building site

Anyway with my experiences I would get the wiring and fusebox checked first as if you start to decorate and then need a rewire all your walls will have to be channelled out and floorboards up etc, which I can tell you is very very dusty (especially as a lot of the older houses have some solid brick or breeze block walls)

Then I would go with the boiler....which incidently is our next major job as the flame keeps going out!

Things like fences and driveways can wait a little, as long as the back garden is secure and completely fenced, even if its mesh it will be ok for now.

Just for prices a full rewire is between £2,500 and £4,000.

If the boiler is in decent shape then you can just have the header tank replaced, having a full boiler replacement is several grand, but replacing the tank and getting the current one serviced is a couple of hundred.

How much are you planning on doing yourself, because there's thousands of pounds of work there.

I think we will do the fence - maybe plant flowers (as suggested) in the interim. We are both professionals so completely unskilled in DIY.

If the boiler is in decent shape then you can just have the header tank replaced, having a full boiler replacement is several grand, but replacing the tank and getting the current one serviced is a couple of hundred.

I never thought about that. I will explore.

Then you probably want to prioritise jobs on that list, as to get someone to do all that will be over 10K.

Have you considered buying a new house with a 10 year NHBC warranty and everything done?

Have you considered buying a new house with a 10 year NHBC warranty and everything done?

Yes we have but wouldn't want to live miles away from our children's school and the community of friends we have made over the years. For us, location is very important.