Renovating C18 & C19 cottage - please be gentle, I'm new

[AMc]

- Make the vinery habitable.
- Relay the slates and insulate the roof.
- Remove the dividing walls from the cold stores and glaze the doorways.
- Reopen the from the front of the house into the back (requires removing a toilet upstairs and moving a radiator downstairs).
- Insulate & plaster the walls and fix up/replace some windows.
- Lift the pammet floors, lay underfloor heating and relay the pammets.
- Wire (can't say rewire as there is nothing there to replace).
- Replace the bathroom upstairs.
- Relocate the existing kitchen into the annex (so no new appliances or units).

I know some people can spend £100K on a kitchen or bathroom but that wasn't our plan and as he wouldn't be drawn on what it would cost I'm a bit suspicious. I was planning on doing a lot of the labouring myself but I need the plans and help with the building control appoval etc.
We'll see what today's guy has to say and then chase architech #3 to follow up...then it's a chat with local builders I guess.

 

[NT]

Heating may have been by any of various methods, some entirely portable, so no sign of heating doesnt mean no heating.


NT

 

[Nemesis]

I have to say it does sound rather a great deal of money for the work being done, especially if you are able to carry out labouring etc yourself.

I'd certainly shop around for pofessional advice and builders - see what others have to say before committing yourself.

 

[AMc]

Well architect #2 came bringing his partner (not the emotional kind).
I was a little perturbed by some of the things he said on the eco side which I don't believe to be 100% accurate. He had a habit of talking about himself a lot which isn't endearing. He did have a healthy amount of sceptism about 'green wash' and a handle on the more silly stuff out there.

They were keen to part roof the vinery - which makes some sense from a heating/insulation perspective, but wasn't something I'd had in mind before they mentioned it. They were also keen to integrate the rooflines, which I think would look odd. All in all I'm unpersuaded on that approach.

Keeping the original windows and using high spec secondary double glazing was an interesting eco/conservation idea - keep the pretty windows but get modern insulation standards. As the interior has been gutted and there is nothing original on the walls it might look OK. It might also help offset some of the uninsulatable parts of the house.

On the money they came up with a bottom end of £125K + their fees at 11% which is better than the first lot but still a lot more than we originally budgeted for and there is bound to be creep upwards. Apparently there is a local building boom which means we'd be "lucky to get a main contractor to start in October". I'm not keen on ripping the old girl's roof off in winter so may be we'll be waiting until next year to get going

Time to pester #3 and #4 for the follow ups they promised.

 

[AMc]

Architect #2 has upped their lower estimate to £150K also.
Architect #3 is coming next week.
Architect #4 hasn't returned my calls (don't these people actually want work?).

I got the proposal for a ground source heat pump I asked for months ago. At £30K not including excavating the ground loop that's a non starter! :shock: Might be time to look at wood pellet and log burning boilers