Advice on buying a period property

Buying a period property

We are thinking about buying a period property which has recently come on the market near to where we live. I would love some practical advice on the obvious pitfalls of buying such a house ... other than the romance of a 200 year old house that seems to be gripping Mr. HP at the moment. Thanks.

I posted this in homes and gardens but maybe this is a better place for it.

We are thinking about buying a period property which has recently come on the market near to where we live. I would love some practical advice on the obvious pitfalls of buying such a house ... other than the romance of a 200 year old house that seems to be gripping Mr. HP at the moment. Thanks.

Re: Buying a period property

Oh Henny, if it's the one that I know of .... you lucky lucky duck!!!

I think the main thing with period houses is that they are a good buy so long as you have a very good engineer and pot loads of dosh, although you probably already know that. You could always try and find a few "cultural" connections and go on the Late Late looking for dough like the Lissadell buyers.

You would probably want to check if it's a protected building as there might be some restrictions on planning (although afaik this protection isn't up to much in fact). Even if it's not protected you are more likely to have a hard time to get planning for any alterations you might want. If it's where I think it is, the local heritage/historical group are on the ball. Not suggesting you would be doing anything unsympathetic with it or anything mind you.

You might also get some grants if you let the great unwashed in for a gawk now and then too. And if there's land, might be worth checking out about grants like REPS etc.

So far it's been mostly plain sailing for me since I bought my old (but not that old and pretty small) house. I haven't encountered any of the horrors of dry rot, damp, structual issues, chimney cracks, heating (or lack thereof), window replacement (and the cost!!), where sewerage and water goes to and/or comes from etc. I put this down to the fact that I'm the first non-family member to own the house and they were all fairly meticulous where maintenance was concerned. It might be worth checking out who owned the house before and what their attitude to maintenance was (i.e. did they have the money and/or care).

Best of luck with it! I would be jealous only for I will NEVER go through the hassle of selling and buying again

Rebecca

How big is the house? How much? Where is it? Is it in good nick?

If it needs total renovation you can figure on spending up to €200k (for an average size house) on top of the asking price (welcome to period property ownership).

Other pitfalls can include bad light and inconvenient layout of the rooms etc., as well as difficulty in adding bathrooms.

Having said that I certainly love my period property and wouldn't live anywhere else. Tell us more about it!

Insurers also query the age of properties so don't know this means house is higher with older properties.

Henny Penny said:

I posted this in homes and gardens but maybe this is a better place for it.

We are thinking about buying a period property which has recently come on the market near to where we live. I would love some practical advice on the obvious pitfalls of buying such a house ... other than the romance of a 200 year old house that seems to be gripping Mr. HP at the moment. Thanks.

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Don't want to put a dampner on your enthusiasm but forwarned is forarmed. Unless you are very lucky you will need a deep pocket and lots of time to get an old house right. Of the three couples I know who bought old houses none of them came in on time or on budget. I was talking to the builder involved for one of these couples and he reckons it's damn near impossible to budget accurately because you don't know what's ahead until you start stripping wallpaper, lifting floor boards etc. Obviously each case is different but be prepared is all I'm saying. Good luck.

Re: Buying a period property

Get a good surveyor, and preferably go around the house with him/her asking lots of questions. Don't install double glazing whatever you do - apart from the fact that it looks all worng in old houses, it results in loss of ventilation that old houses need to keep dry. Protected status is often a good thing, as there are restoration grants/ You can apply for up to 50% of the cost of repairs to the roof, windows and railings (may be other things too, this is from memory). The conservation officer of the local council would be a good person to talk to. They are usually very enthusiastic.

What is the house like? Whereabouts is is? What condition? Do you have any particular worries? Period properties vary a lot, so it is hard to give blanket answers, but FWIW we have been restoring a period house for the past 6 years (not continuously!) and it has been great fun. We did most of the work ourselves, but we have quite a bit of experience (and no sense, according to most of our friends!). The council's conservation officer thinks we have done an excellent job.

cheers,
Diziet

Thanks for all the replies ... and know I won't tell ye where it is ... I don't want half of AAM coming to the auction pushing up the price!!! We might never get it.

The roof timbers have been re-roofed and it has been retiled with the original slated. The windows have been restored so that shouldn't be an issue either.

I would have no interest in letting the great unwashed in ... but thanks for the suggestion Rebecca ... but would consider doing B&B or something like that to help with the bills.

How much can a surveyor really tell ... we bought our current house (5 years ago) ... shortly after we moved in the floorboards started splitting ... cracking the tiles the bathroom ... the boiler gave up the ghost and had to be replaced ... and countless other annoying but expensive things happened that didn't show up in the survey.

I think we might be better off digging a big hole in the garden and throwing all our money into it!

Re: Buying a period property

Diziet said:

FWIW we have been restoring a period house for the past 6 years (not continuously!) and it has been great fun. We did most of the work ourselves, but we have quite a bit of experience (and no sense, according to most of our friends!). The council's conservation officer thinks we have done an excellent job.

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Hi Diziet,
Did you have to fix sash windows by any chance? If so (and if you didn't do them yourself), can you recommend a joiner? I've just bought a period house and the windows are in woeful condition.

Consider doing a planning search before the auction- the results could take weeks, so do it well in advance. If it is a listed or protected structure you should get a copy of the notice and any particular restrictions from the council- also you will need consent of your financial institution in advance for a listed or protected structure as this is considered a qualification on title.

It goes without saying that you should contact your solicitor to get the title documents and contracts well in advance of the auction also to check all is ok.

As for a survey, there are different types of surveys- indepth or superficial- so consider that, plus consider getting a builder ( a reputable one) to have a look at the house for you too, and give you an idea of costs of anything that needs doing once you have the survey reports. Builders ( or at least the good ones) can often throw out ideas and solutions that an engineer or surveyor might not.

Re: Buying a period property

damson said:

Hi Diziet,
Did you have to fix sash windows by any chance? If so (and if you didn't do them yourself), can you recommend a joiner? I've just bought a period house and the windows are in woeful condition.

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It depends where you are - if you ask the conservation officer of the local council they should have a list of recommended joiners. If your house is listed you may get help with the cost. You will appreciate it, as sash window restoration is very expensive. It is not impossible to DIY but it is a fiddly and time consuming job.

Please don't for a moment consider horrible plastic windows though! Also, note that neighbours have replaced their single glazed windows with double glazed sash units, but the result was not great because of the increased weight. They had to use springs instead of rope sashes and they never worked properly. They ended up doing a full restoration back to the single glazed sashes, and they are happy now. Ventrolla are well known but I think they only operate in Dublin now.

HTH,
Diziet

W&J Bolger in Dublin have the sole franchise for the Ventrolla system, they are very good, I have personal experience of them. They will travel but you will pay for their work, worth getting a price though..

Thanks Diziet and Carpenter. I'm in Dublin so I'll check out Bolger's. Will also ask the council for a list.
Don't worry - there's no way I'd consider PVC windows; I hate them even in new houses, let alone as a replacement for old wooden sashes. However, these ones will need lots of work - at the moment they're held together by masking tape and a prayer!