purchase of a period property

[Pauline]

Can anyone give me some advice as to what to look for and what to ask when considering buying a 15th century house. It is detached, has a tiled roof,rendered exterior walls, exposed beams in ceilings and internal walls, 2 inglenook fireplaces. I have no experience of old houses but would love to live in one and have found one I really like which on the surface looks in good condition and am in the process of making an offer.

any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Pauline

 

[Me!]

It is very hard to give general guidance on a house that old. My house is also of 15th Century origins, but has evolved over the years. I would suggest the first question should be one that you ask of yourself, which is "Do I like the house the way it is, or do I want to change it?" A house that old should be Listed, and whilst there are many different views on this site about what does and does not require listed building consent, any changes in a building that old are always more complicated and costly than in a modern house. However, I've always lived in old houses, and I would never consider living in a 'normal' modern one, so if it is what you want, and if you can buy it with still some money to spare (which you will need!), then go for it. My own personal view on houses this old is that if they haven't fallen down in the last 500 years, then there can't be much wrong with them!

 

[middi]

All you can do Pauline is to make sure you like what you see and that is what you want, nothing is falling apart and everything is neat and tidy.
If you want to know a bit more about the condition of the building, bearing in mind it's age, You would need a surveyor which specialises in historic buildings or anybodyelse that understands old buildings.

Whilst some parts of the building will not be accessible to give an expert opinion as to its condition, the roof, sole beams and any repairs or alterations carried out in the past should be checked by the "trained eye" as to its condition .

A few sorry souls on this site don't particularly care what state the building is in, they just want it so they can repair it including yours truly.

 

[Anne]

Just to add to the good advice so far.

1. Don't listen to anyone's advice if they want to sell you something no matter what get opinions from people with knowledge in historic buildings before you do anything. At this stage a structural surveyor might be a good place to start. If the structure is sound you're a step ahead.

2. Do read up on the subject of conservation and historic buildings yourself which you've already started to do by finding this site.

3. Realise that work will need doing, something will always need repair or attention. As long as you own it you'll have a project and if you like the idea of a project where the goal is to make it look as though you've changed nothing then you'll be well suited to owning an old building.

Best of luck

 

[NT]

A full survey would be the sensible thing, but only by someone who genuinely is expert in them. Many just claim to be. Then its acse of interpreting what the results mean to you. Surveys can sometimes get overexcited over what really arent major defects, or in fact is quiote normal in old buildings.

NT

 

[skier-hughes]

Join SPAB
http://www.spab.org.uk/default.htm
An excellent organisation, lots of friendly very helpful advice, lots of help finding people etc tec.

Graham

 

[Penners]

I agree with NT. As you have no experience of period properties the very first thing you should do is engage the services of a surveyor who is thoroughly experienced in period properties in your area. Don't be embarrassed to ask him for references, and for details of any properties similar to yours that he has surveyed.

Give him a thorough briefing beforehand on what you want: a full structural survey, close examination of any parts of the building that he regards as suspect, detailed recommendations on any repair work that he feels is necessary, plus his best estimate of the costs of such works.

His survey will probably cost you in the high hundreds of pounds, but don't begrudge it. It will be an invaluable guide to (a) your decision to buy - or not! (b) prioritising work your need to get done if you do buy, and (c) what the costs are likely to be.

It is, of course, possible that the results of his survey may enable you to negotiate down the price of the house by more than the cost of the survey.

Then - if you do buy the house - the next thing you should do is make a habit of visiting this forum regularly. The chances are that problems similar to the ones you will experience will crop up regularly, with suggestions from knowledgeable people for their solution. And if they don't, you can of course ask your own specific questions.

Good luck, and do let us know how you get on.