Can it be done?

[Mark]

Most people dont care. Most of those who claim to care actually mean that they like F&B colours and buildings that look impressive. The market for more ordinary properties is such that you will suffer for doing things 'properly'.

One point is that people don't expect or want to do maintenance on a house these days. They dont want materials that might need looking after, thats why upvc, sealants, concrete floors, dpc injection etc are popular, people see them as fit and forget.

 

[Gervase]

Mark's hit on the one reason why buy-to-restore-to-sell isn't going to make you rich. You're catering for such a tiny market.

People who really care will either do the work themselves or find a place and let it convert them, as it were, to bringing in the experts. I just don't see a market for 'out of the box' projects.

For a start, there's always disagreement; "You used poplar for that truss? Tsk; I would have used larch," "hydraulic lime in structural stonework? Bloody heathen!".

Then there's simple taste. Limewash or distemper? Oops, too late, we've already limewashed. Black wood or limed? Ditto.

And then there's the cost. Be realistic and cost the work at £120 a day for each skilled person and £60 for each unskilled person working on the project. Now work out how long it takes.

As an example, there are five of us - three skilled and two labourers - working on a project at the moment, and the time-scale runs over 12 months. Each of us isn't there every day, but say we spend a third of our working time there; that works out at nearly £40,000 for labour alone. Material costs have to be factored on on top of that.

It's one reason why English Heritage, the National Trust, Cadw, the CofE and the like are so important, much as they irritate us with their specifications and mimsy particularity. They keep the restoration business afloat - they're the ones with the money. Without them, there would be far fewer professionals working in the field.

 

[Penners]

there are five of us - three skilled and two labourers - working on a project at the moment

Who are the three skilled people?

 

[Gervase]

I couldn't mention them!

 

[Nemesis]

As for the Philistine (or even philistine):

only one l.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Philistine