How much work do you do yourself - repairs and alterations?

[Cottage]

Hi

I am new to all this and have read a lot of the posts here.

Quite a few people mention doing work themselves, such as demolition, lime plastering, repairs, fitting kitchens, work on cellars etc. I wondered how much work people who are not builders or crafts and trades professionals do themselves?

I am very wary about doing work ourselves and botching it. However I would want to do work ourselves, where we are able to save costs and for the enjoyment of it! Obviously professional advice would be sought on how to do things in the building and LBC applied for.

The house is a 400 year old brick/wattle and daub cottage, with a tile roof. I know that some jobs are much simpler than others (eg fitting a kitchen), and with old houses there can be surprises.

Thank you

 

[biffvernon]

If you want to do it yourself then do. It sometimes doesn't take long before you find you are more of an expert than many a 'professional' builder.

 

[Juju]

And you may find you can't get any professionals to work on your house in which you'll have to DIY... We can't get a builder to even quote for anything in our neck of the woods cos they've all got enough work for the next year or so.

 

[another_richard]

I was quoted 4k to refurb 15 sash windows.

I decided to do it myself following their specifications, essentially ventrolling them and remaking one.

I plan to rewire the house (use a book and t'interweb for Best Practice.)

I have been quoted 3k to strip and relay and felt the roof replacing broken slates. I will attempt to do this myself and use a roofer as a consultant.

I am putting in the central heating at the moment after the plumber instructed my on where/how to put the pipes in. He will then check and confirm it is fit for purpose.

In short, if it requires a certificate I tend to do the labour.

 

[charlie-ia]

i knew nothing about houses old or new having always rented and lived in a caravan. we fell in love with an old house and have really enjoyed learning.
we are doing everything ourselves so far, we tried to get a thourough as possible survey report, we read loads of stuff, asked far too many completely daft questions on here (thanks everyone!), talked to anyone we can, and gone on a basic lime course- i would certainly recomend that as a good confidence builder. You soon learn to stop picking the loose bits off the walls when you find out theyre supposed to be like that!

most of the work we've done so far is to cure the damp, generally simple manual work like digging. lime is really easy to use and really is good fun. you'll make mistakes, but if you go steadily it shouldnt matter too much. i recently lined my fireplace with carefully prepared "cowlime". looks lovely, but i forgot to add the sand, so it will probably all fall off again.
i wouldnt have believed it possible, but i recently mended a completely rotten sash window, and made a new windowsill. its not so hard once you get going. the frame needs replacing, but we're leaving that for a bit while we learn more about the proper way to do it. theres always plenty more easy jobs to do that wil also help make the house weathertight.
its amazing how much you soon start noticing on buildings that you walk past everyday too, if youre not sure how to do something, look around, somebody usualy has a similar one somewhere, even if you have to go to a museum.
take photos of everything, and treat everything as if it may be important, we've found loads of interesting stuff that could so easily been missed- writing between layers of wallpaper, and a tiny silver rosary in the sweepings from under the rotten windowsill.
we may need a builder, but we're plodding along untill we find something we cant do. not happened yet. and we arnt changing anything, so that should keep us out of any need for complicated paperwork.

 

[DaveBrigg]

Our house was unfit for habitation when we bought it. The prospect of renting for months, a full time job and two small children meant that we got people in to reroof, rewire, fit central heating and replaster. Even then, it took nearly 4 months.
Once we were in I learned a lot more, and have managed to plaster some of the walls, repair rotten windows, do a little plumbing and fix the rainwater goods. In each case, it was easier than it looked, and made me wish that I had done more myself earlier. Having said that though, if I had done more we would probably still be stuck in a two bedroom bungalow and I'd be a single man again.
If you want to learn as you go along, be prepared to make mistakes as you go

 

[Penners]

When we undertook our first repair/restoration, I knew absolutely nothing about any building techniques. 35 years and four houses later, I know a little. But it's been sufficient to allow me to tackle most jobs from masonry to plumbing to timber construction, roofing, plastering and so on.

I learned the basic principles from library books, to ensure that I employed the correct techniques. As an amateur, you have to make up for your lack of practiced skill by taking much longer on a job than a professional would, but little by little things get easier.

Just be patient, and don't be tempted to rush a job. When you're not sure about something, post a question here. There are professionals in most things who contribute to the forum, and who, in my experience, are incredibly generous with their knowledge.

 

[Flyfisher]

I think time is the main issue. Professionals are (let's be generous) good at what they do because they spend a lot of time doing it. A DIY'er who spends 4 hours a week on a sunday afternoon after finding time for work and family commitments will naturally take quite a while before becoming as good as, say, a professional plasterer who works at it day in, day out.

None of it is rocket science but few people have much time to spend on researching the subject, acquiring the knowledge and actually practicing the skills unless they are professionally involved, otherwise it's a part-time thing and therefore takes much longer. So, most people spend their hard-earned cash on getting the job done faster.

I would never have tackled my roof project without being able to work on it full-time and even then I've had expert help, on a consultancy basis, to keep me on the 'straight and narrow'. This approach has saved me a small fortune (£20-30k judging by the estimates I'd previously had), but it has taken 4 months - so it's that old time-vs-money chestnut and that will always depend on personal circumstances.

 

[Pford75]

Agree with Flyfisher...time is the biggest factor for us

There are many things which I would like to do myself (and would feel capable of), but I have to balance this against a full time job with extensive travel away from home.

Some things can be done over a long period of time...but others need to be addressed more quickly...either because they are causing further damage to the fabric of the building, they are dangerous or they simply have a major impact on your quality of life

I know there are others on this forum who will disagree, but my personal rule is never to touch electrics, gas/oil and plumbing (mainly because we have a pressurised system). I have first hand experiences of DIY electrics attempted by previous owners (with my children receiving electric shocks) and for this reason would always encourage others to get the professionals in.

In my experience, electrics and plumbing are sufficiently specialist that it is more efficient to get a trade in (unless you have a major job, in which case it may make sense to educate yourself). There are usually plenty of the other, more manual activities which will keep you busy.

 

[Gervase]

Time is indeed the most expensive aspect of any job if you get people in - and doing the work yourself can be hugely satisfying.
A SPAB home-owner's course, or one of the one-day introductions to lime are enormously useful, as are the resources on this website - not just the forum but the articles as well.
At the risk of contravening the rules of the site, I've found that offering a consultancy service on-site is popular, where one can explain what's needed and why - and what to avoid - offer some hands-on instruction and give an idea as to quantities, costs and time. I'm sure there are other conservation and restoration builders who offer similar schemes.
I'd agree with getting an expert in for electrics, plumbing and gas, however, and also for major structural work. For the majority of stuff you'll have to do, though, you'll surprise yourself with how capable you can become.

 

[Cottage]

Time is indeed the most expensive aspect of any job if you get people in - and doing the work yourself can be hugely satisfying.
A SPAB home-owner's course, or one of the one-day introductions to lime are enormously useful, as are the resources on this website - not just the forum but the articles as well.
At the risk of contravening the rules of the site, I've found that offering a consultancy service on-site is popular, where one can explain what's needed and why - and what to avoid - offer some hands-on instruction and give an idea as to quantities, costs and time. I'm sure there are other conservation and restoration builders who offer similar schemes.
I'd agree with getting an expert in for electrics, plumbing and gas, however, and also for major structural work. For the majority of stuff you'll have to do, though, you'll surprise yourself with how capable you can become.

Thank you very much for your post. There seems to be different views on old houses - one that you need to have a lot of money available up front and another that you can do work yourself, out of earnings as you go along (and old houses are worth any effort because they hold their price better). I suppose it's a reflection of two ways to do things.

Thanks for your advice. I've been struggling to find "builders" in Kent who can estimate, to help give an idea on costs time etc (and for the jobs we can't do). So now I'm looking more at specialists - someone for wood, someone for retiling etc.

 

[Cottage]

Hi

Thank you for all the replies they have been very helpful.

I've been wondering which is the best Home Owners course to do, so it's good to hear a recommendation for the SPAB course.

Cheers :lol:

 

[Penners]

I've found that offering a consultancy service on-site is popular, where one can explain what's needed and why - and what to avoid - offer some hands-on instruction and give an idea as to quantities, costs and time. I'm sure there are other conservation and restoration builders who offer similar schemes.

Do you think there are? I can't say I've ever come across one. The majority of builders (imo) regard DIY as a direct challenge to their livelihood.

Your idea seems a brilliant one - you ensure that DIYers do a good job, and provide yourself with some employment that you might not otherwise have had. Very enlightened.

By the way, I reckon that makes it all the more generous of you to give so freely of your knowledge on this forum.

 

[biffvernon]

The majority of builders (imo) regard DIY as a direct challenge to their livelihood.

Very shortsighted of them. There is so much work available and so few builders to do it.

 

[Flyfisher]

The majority of builders (imo) regard DIY as a direct challenge to their livelihood.

I suspect you're right about the majority of builders, but there are people out there who are happy and willing to help a committed DIYer.

After some ridiculous estimates for rewiring, I found an electrician willing to work on a daily rate as a consultant to my own re-wiring project; the idea being to ensure I get everything right first time. He'll also be willing to provide all the necessary certification on this basis.

I've also had a splendid chap helping me with my roof on the same basis.

 

[Paul D]

Hi, where are you in Kent, Paul; D

 

[Cottage]

Hi, where are you in Kent, Paul; D

West.

Why?

 

[Penners]

The majority of builders (imo) regard DIY as a direct challenge to their livelihood.

Very shortsighted of them. There is so much work available and so few builders to do it.

I couldn't agree more, Biff. But I suspect that builders like it that way. Their services are at a premium, so they can charge premium prices.

But the more that people turn to DIY, the more the risk that this superfluity of work could start to dwindle.

 

[Paul D]

Hi, I know of a good carpenter near tonbridge