House Renovation
Oct 27th 2003, 4:07 am
#1
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: Westleigh, Sydney
Posts: 553
House Renovation
We currently rent our house in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney and are considering buying a house. We are tossing up (fnarr) between buying something crappy and getting it renovated, or blowing all our cash on something that doesn’t need anything done to it.
On the face of it, getting somewhere cheaper and getting it renovated would be a good option just now as we can continue to stay in the rented house while it is getting done. I don’t think we could bear to be live in a house while it is getting done up.
The downside would seem to be that the renovation could take 6 months assuming that we manage to get a builder who seem to be in great demand due to the abundance of DIY “Changing Rooms� type TV programmes at the moment.
Has anyone been in a similar situation and what option did you chose? Basically trying to weigh up the pros and cons of each option, but not having any experience of renovations I am not sure where to begin. For example, what would the ballpark cost of a complete flatten and rebuild of, say, a 4 bedroom house on a 1000sqm plot in the Northern suburbs be and how long would it take from?
Any advice much appreciated.
On the face of it, getting somewhere cheaper and getting it renovated would be a good option just now as we can continue to stay in the rented house while it is getting done. I don’t think we could bear to be live in a house while it is getting done up.
The downside would seem to be that the renovation could take 6 months assuming that we manage to get a builder who seem to be in great demand due to the abundance of DIY “Changing Rooms� type TV programmes at the moment.
Has anyone been in a similar situation and what option did you chose? Basically trying to weigh up the pros and cons of each option, but not having any experience of renovations I am not sure where to begin. For example, what would the ballpark cost of a complete flatten and rebuild of, say, a 4 bedroom house on a 1000sqm plot in the Northern suburbs be and how long would it take from?
Any advice much appreciated.
Oct 27th 2003, 6:47 am
#2
Rocket Scientist
Joined: Aug 2003
Location: Dreamland AKA Brisbane which is a different country to the UK
Posts: 6,911
Wow Gordon, not sure that flattening a house on a 1000sqm block & starting from scratch really constitutes an renovation in some peoples minds, thats just building a new house LOL.
It will very much depend on what exactly you want done ie, new bathroom, kitchen, ensuite added, raising house, whole new extension etc or all of above & as you said will also depend on getting a builder to do it, if you are doing structural work & need a builder.
My advice is that unless you actually enjoy (or think you will enjoy) the *renovation experience* ie finding workmen, being there constantly to supervise & make sure things are done right, choosing hardware, materials etc & organising deliveries etc, dont do it! If you can find an established house in your price range that you like, that is by far the easier option.
Only you can decide what you think you will like to do, time frame will totally depend on work done & builders work load.
Sorry, not much help.
It will very much depend on what exactly you want done ie, new bathroom, kitchen, ensuite added, raising house, whole new extension etc or all of above & as you said will also depend on getting a builder to do it, if you are doing structural work & need a builder.
My advice is that unless you actually enjoy (or think you will enjoy) the *renovation experience* ie finding workmen, being there constantly to supervise & make sure things are done right, choosing hardware, materials etc & organising deliveries etc, dont do it! If you can find an established house in your price range that you like, that is by far the easier option.
Only you can decide what you think you will like to do, time frame will totally depend on work done & builders work load.
Sorry, not much help.
Oct 27th 2003, 11:44 am
#3
BE Enthusiast
Joined: May 2002
Location: Sydney
Posts: 410
Re: House Renovation
Originally posted by dracupg
We currently rent our house in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney and are considering buying a house. We are tossing up (fnarr) between buying something crappy and getting it renovated, or blowing all our cash on something that doesn’t need anything done to it.
On the face of it, getting somewhere cheaper and getting it renovated would be a good option just now as we can continue to stay in the rented house while it is getting done. I don’t think we could bear to be live in a house while it is getting done up.
The downside would seem to be that the renovation could take 6 months assuming that we manage to get a builder who seem to be in great demand due to the abundance of DIY “Changing Rooms� type TV programmes at the moment.
Has anyone been in a similar situation and what option did you chose? Basically trying to weigh up the pros and cons of each option, but not having any experience of renovations I am not sure where to begin. For example, what would the ballpark cost of a complete flatten and rebuild of, say, a 4 bedroom house on a 1000sqm plot in the Northern suburbs be and how long would it take from?
Any advice much appreciated.
We currently rent our house in the Northern Suburbs of Sydney and are considering buying a house. We are tossing up (fnarr) between buying something crappy and getting it renovated, or blowing all our cash on something that doesn’t need anything done to it.
On the face of it, getting somewhere cheaper and getting it renovated would be a good option just now as we can continue to stay in the rented house while it is getting done. I don’t think we could bear to be live in a house while it is getting done up.
The downside would seem to be that the renovation could take 6 months assuming that we manage to get a builder who seem to be in great demand due to the abundance of DIY “Changing Rooms� type TV programmes at the moment.
Has anyone been in a similar situation and what option did you chose? Basically trying to weigh up the pros and cons of each option, but not having any experience of renovations I am not sure where to begin. For example, what would the ballpark cost of a complete flatten and rebuild of, say, a 4 bedroom house on a 1000sqm plot in the Northern suburbs be and how long would it take from?
Any advice much appreciated.
We were in much the same dilemma when we came to Sydney, but after looking at silly prices for tiny 450m2 blocks of land, we bought a cheap ex-rental property on 700m2 block, to make livable with a view to doing the knockdown /rebuild thing a few years down the line (when we're financially more secure). When we were shown the house by the estate agent I just walked straight through the house, and out into the back garden and that sealed it for me, you can change the house but not the location! Good job I never looked either as being an ex-rental it was in a pretty stinky unloved state, but it was all superficial and easily fixed by new tiling, polishing the floors and a lick of paint.
Have you looked at the project homes at Homeworld, Kellyville? Lots of designs and 4 Bed single level houses seem to start at approx $140k, with extra for site costs (approx $20k) and for upgrade on fittings. Then for us the demolition costs (not sure how much yet) on top, with building time of 6-9 months. Therefore, for us its probably a cheaper option to do this and have a new house in an area we like, as renovations and extensions would be approx $200k anyway.
Sorry, can't advise you though as you need to do what feels right. We were ready to sign up on a new block of land on a new estate, and had to give backword, as when it came down to it we just decided we liked the more established areas better, so have a good look round and be sure before you sign!
Sue
