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Extend or start again?
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BahamaMama



Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 2315
Location: Away with the fairies
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 14 5:13 pm    Post subject: Extend or start again? Reply with quote
    

As the title says...

We are in the very fortunate position of receiving an inheritance from my late father. This, for us is a life changing amount of money and we can expect to be mortgage free.

We currently have a 1930's 3 bedroom house in a perfect location for us. I love my house but we could do with more space and an additional loo downstairs. We have a strong suspicion we may have subsidence but we would have to take our heads out of the sand to be sure about that. The house is drafty and thermally inefficient.

What would you do - knock down and start again to your own spec or extend and 'add on'.

Has anybody done 'knock down and start again'?

Both options are very exciting....

Edit to add - we have no idea about planning permission etc, this is just dipping the first toe into the idea water

Last edited by BahamaMama on Wed Nov 26, 14 5:21 pm; edited 1 time in total

henchard



Joined: 23 Aug 2012
Posts: 232
Location: Carmarthenshire
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 14 5:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Personally I'd go for knock down and start again.

Remember that new build is zero rated for VAT. Refurbishment/extensions aren't.

mochyn



Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 14 5:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Tahir did 'start again and knock down'.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 14 5:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

unless the plot you are on is vital to your needs would sell up and obtain a perfect home with the proceeds and the inheritance (near where you are /want to be) provide maximum resources and the greatest choice?

to flatten a saleable asset and build a new home on the plot only makes sense if the plot is the important factor .

if it is a land issue maybe separate the house from the land and build a new home on your part if you can get pp for that .

vegplot



Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 14 5:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We're in the process of a new build using highly efficient thermal insulation. Unless I had a love for the house or it had historic value I would be tempted to start again.

Ty Gwyn



Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4562
Location: Lampeter
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 14 6:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

If you have suspicions of subsidence,i`d address that matter first,

Is it a matter of underpinning the foundations,or is it a matter of underground subsidence?

BahamaMama



Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 2315
Location: Away with the fairies
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 14 7:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Ty Gwyn wrote:
If you have suspicions of subsidence,i`d address that matter first,

Is it a matter of underpinning the foundations,or is it a matter of underground subsidence?


Don't know, due to head in sand...

@dpack - what you say makes sense but we have been where we are too long and property prices have left us behind. We could not afford to buy our home now.

Ty Gwyn



Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4562
Location: Lampeter
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 14 7:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Don`t think of moving here unless you`ve checked up on subsidence in the area,

https://rt.com/news/207371-giant-sinkhole-russia-uralkali

onemanband



Joined: 26 Dec 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: NCA90
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 14 7:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Get expert advice on 'subsidence' first. Find out if it is a few thousand or tens of thousands to sort.

Subsidence aside, it will be far cheaper to upgrade the existing house than to knock down and build the same size.
Unless the house is falling down I would upgrade and extend.
Extending could reduce an underpinning bill. eg You could spend £10k underpinning back wall of house or you could knock the wall out and put that £10k towards an extension.
Wherever you extend, it will sort draughts and poor insulation.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45377
Location: yes
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 14 7:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

buy it isnt the issue ,if you sold it and added that to the inheritance how much you would have to work with is the issue .

if you want to stay where you are .retro fit and clever extending can improve places that seem beyond hope (im usually against replace if mend will work )

the potential subsidence thing can be assessed for the price of a good survey report and seems to be a sensible place to start

tahir



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45389
Location: Essex
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 14 7:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

mochyn wrote:
Tahir did 'start again and knock down'.


Yup. It's perfectly possible to retrofit an old house to the most efficient possible, I know 2 people who's old houses are more efficient than my new one.

Either way spend as much time as possible on thinking of your layout, rather than any particular building method or materials.

Spend on the fabric of the building, not the pretty stuff.

You may be able to get away with staying in the house during an extension depending on how major the extension is. Is this a consideration for you?

Obviously a new build will take care of any potential subsidence issues, but then you could tie in underpinning with the extension so it can be dealt with.

tahir



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45389
Location: Essex
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 14 7:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

vegplot wrote:
We're in the process of a new build using highly efficient thermal insulation. Unless I had a love for the house or it had historic value I would be tempted to start again.


And it could be cheaper to newbuild rather than renovate

Hairyloon



Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 14 7:55 pm    Post subject: Re: Extend or start again? Reply with quote
    

BahamaMama wrote:
Has anybody done 'knock down and start again'?

I've helped some friends do it. I can post some pictures if you're interested.
Quote:
Edit to add - we have no idea about planning permission etc, this is just dipping the first toe into the idea water

I think it was planned that pushed them into the rebuild: they weren't allowed to extend it any further... OTOH getting permission for the rebuild was no walk in the park.

oldish chris



Joined: 14 Jun 2006
Posts: 4148
Location: Comfortably Wet Southport
PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 14 7:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Open your mind to as many possibilities as possible, then get quotes.

List your requirements carefully. What sort of extra space do you want? Another living room, bedroom, workshop or just bigger rooms. For example, would a super-duper habitable shed in the garden meet any of your needs?

wellington womble



Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands
PostPosted: Thu Nov 27, 14 10:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Start again, but most likely on another plot. If you have money coming in, you can live where you are until it is at least vaguely habitable. You can design it exactly as you want it. You can have all the mod cons. - insulation, draft free, utility room, fitted wardrobes, efficient boiler, downstairs loo etc etc. but you can include any olde worlde features that you like - wood burners, pantries, porches etc etc. you can even leave some of it as phase two if you want, by planning initially. Things like solar hot water, backboilers and so on are a right pain to retrofit, but can planned for in a build.

I have both extended and built. I would build again, but I wouldn't buy a house that needed significant work. If you can't afford to buy where you are, then selling would produce a lot of cash, surely? It does depend on the plot, and how much of a hurry you are in, but you should be able to build significantly above what you can afford to buy off the rack. And you get a great house at the end of it (you will have to make some compromises due to cash, design and regulations, but you will still get an amazing house.)

I can't stress how much of a pain in the backside it will be**. You will laugh hysterically, cry, beg officials to be reasonable, rage about suppliers and trades, never speak to a brickie again, and swear to learn to plaster yourself because plasterers are so hard to find, but it WILL be worth it. You may say never again, but you will still have a great* house for you.

*not necessarily perfect. They say it takes three houses to get it right. We had significant renovations first, and then a new build. It was nearly perfect. We missed putting a window in on the stairs, I fought for (and lost) a pantry we should have had (and there was room for, in the end) and there were a few doors and things in the wrong place. The utility wasn't big enough and the dining room was too big. All the plug sockets were in the wrong place. But it was pretty near perfect) I would definitely do it again.

** it's not for everyone. It's a bit like moving house on steroids. Someone in your team needs to have the time and inclination to argue with officials, submit forms, book and wrangle with trades and so on. Unless you have a project manager, which is costly. And you will still have to do some of it. You will need to juggle where you are living, and possible live in a building site, or a caravan. You also need to have vision and be really good at visualising how you want space to be laid out and used. I can't emphasise enough how much hassle it is. But it doesn't last for ever, and it is worth it. You will also be asked to make decisions that are impossible to make, like where you want plug sockets in a brick shell with a ladder. And you will have to choose, and choose and choose. You will have to choose bricks, how bricks are arranged, drainpipes, patterns of bricks over windows, roof tiles, windows, doors, wood stain. You will make so many choices that by the time it comes to fun stuff like bathroom tiles and curtains you will not care a jot what colour they are. Of course, they are easier to change than brick patterns. But you will not want work done in the house for years, so you will live with them. So choose those now, before you get fed up. Just to be on the safe side!

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