Renovating a house previously owned by elderly
Callum Vale
2 years ago
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Ricky Watkins
2 years ago
Juliet Docherty
2 years agoI feel your pain...
Old photos but they give some idea. I wouldn't do this again as builders are charging the earth at the moment. It depends what you pay for it to start with, but these houses need virtually everything doing, unless you want to live with artex everywhere....
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Would you consider having your (elderly) parents living with you?
Comments (24)I know this is an old post, but I thought I’d add that saying that Southern Europeans have their elderly live with them has not been my experience. My Italian cousin has her elderly mum live with her and it is driving her round the bend. Her mum has always been a difficult and demanding woman and even more so now. She is not doing it out of love, but duty. Another cousin has arranged for 24 hr care in her mother’s home as she has dementia and is bed bound. She confessed that it’s costing an absolute fortune but she has a restaurant to run and does not feel she can care for her mum full time. My mother was a very demanding and controlling woman and I was her carer as a child whenever she was unwell. When she started to develop dementia in her 80s I did consider having her live with me, but she had poor mobility and could not manage the stairs to access the only loo in my pretty tiny house. Also I don’t think I could have coped emotionally. Plus she didn’t want to! After several falls and leaving the grill on all night, my siblings and I decided a Care home would be best for her. We are talking about a person with dementia, very poor mobility and double incontinence. We found her a lovely care home a few minutes away and within weeks she had settled in well and even made a best friend. Seeing them holding hands was so sweet! The staff were lovely and I felt very welcome there. My sister loved it there so much she started to work there. Mum flourished in the home as she had company, good food and good care and our relationship improved until she passed away 2 years later....See MoreVictorian Renovation in London Part 3 - Finish line?
Comments (240)Thanks - I have already fitted a horizontal column radiator in the hall: I have done this in most common areas. It's out of shot in the photo. In terms of off-whites, we have not used any. Either pure brilliant white (kitchen, window woodwork etc), or F&B Ammonite (the grey on the staircase etc) are the neutrals. I looking at something for the kitchen as the pure white is a bit harsh....See MoreVictorian house renovation - advice for a newbie :)
Comments (3)Congratulations on your new home, it sounds like you have a healthy budget if spent wisely....! I would look at using a Howdens kitchen, very good prices, (need a builder/interior designer with a trade account to use them) they have great kitchen styles & colours, they now have a range of kitchen doors which are ready for you to paint in your own paint choice....Spend your money on good worktop surfaces & the appliances to make it look like a V expensive kitchen and longevity! When doing your shower room and bathroom spend money on the taps/shower & bath mixer valves and good toilet cisterns as this will see you through for the next 10 years versus using cheap no name brands..The rest of your listed renovation work can be done relatively cheaply with having a good eye for your finishes. A good decorator will always be the icing on the cake, its definitely worth spending your money on a good plasterer and decorator. Good luck with your project. If you would like any further assistance please get in touch as I offer consultations which provide lots of advice & tips........See MoreRenovation ideas
Comments (7)Fire regs state you can’t make the route of escape from bedroom less safe than how the property is now. So unless you open the kitchen upto the hallway and stairs they won’t apply. It you move the kitchen to a different room you will need to comply with building regs in the same way that major changes to electrics will also need to be compliant, as will new heating, as will an extension- no biggy as competent trades people can deliver this without needing glass partitions. Before planning an extension work out how much you need to spend inside the original house and then calculate what budget is remaining for building- this can be the guide for how big you can build. I suspect the kitchen may have previously been a garage, if there is no separate garage you might consider building more on the back to reclaim a garage space. In my opinion you should consider if you are going to have a sitting and TV space in your kitchen and then if the current lounge will become an underused and wasteful space. You might also consider if the children will actually use a separate playroom as younger children generally want to play near you and older children like their own space....See MoreCallum Vale
2 years agoI like your hallway with the stairs, very airy! Currently the whole place is artexed and ive been quoted 1k to have it all done. Im going open plan downstairs and keeping the upstairs the same but modernising. Luckily as its 1 owner and never modernised there are no horrible wiring jobs etc. So its a bit of a blank canvas. Ive attached the floorplan.
Ricky Watkins
2 years ago
Sonia
2 years agoNicola Shale
2 years agoWe are in middle doing a 1950s semi that was dated we are midway we have had a extension
kazzh
2 years agoA starting idea? You might like to try one of the many 3d planners to help to get a sense of space and could be possible.
Callum Vale
2 years agoUser
2 years agokazzh
2 years agoCallum Vale
2 years agokazzh
2 years ago
Callum ValeOriginal Author