How to Renovate a House Yourself - Everything You Need To Know
The success of renovating a house ultimately comes down to good preparation and being aware of what lies ahead. Found out what to look for in our guide.
The success of renovating a house ultimately comes down to good preparation and being aware of what lies ahead. Found out what to look for in our guide.
Renovating a house might be an exciting (and potentially profitable) thing to do, but it can also be pretty daunting.
The benefits of renovating range from discovering original features hidden away and the opportunity to put your own stamp on something to getting a house that is bigger or in a better areas than you would otherwise be able to afford.
The success of renovating a house ultimately comes down to good preparation and being aware of what lies ahead. Going into a house renovation with the expectation that there will be some surprises in store is a wise idea.
Renovating a house can also involve a number of hidden costs. Knowing where these are likely to crop up and having a step-by-step plan of action for when they do should mean the project remains on schedule and budget.
1. Schedule of Works When Renovating a House
2. Finding a Renovation Project
3. Get a Survey When Renovating a House
4. Are You Renovating or Remodelling?
5. Is Planning Permission Needed to Renovate a House?
7. What to Do if You Find Subsidence
9. How to Get Rid of Damp When Renovating a House
10. Creating Site Access for a Renovation
11. Will a Renovation Project Need New Drains?
12. Renovating a House and Building Control
13. How to Get a House Weathertight
14. How Much is a New Plumbing System?
15. Structural Changes when Renovating a House
17. House Renovation: Plastering Walls
18. How to Choose the Right Flooring for Your Renovation
21. Eco Friendly House Renovations
A schedule of works is vital when renovating a house. A good schedule will clearly outline every single
job that needs to be carried out, from start to finish of a project, in the right order. Ideally it should also include who is doing what and how much it will cost on the list.
Here is a typical schedule of works. Of course, this will vary depending on the nature of the project. Your
house designer or builder will be able to advise you.
-Current condition assessment
-Stop further decay
-Grants/Tax concessions
-Statutory consents
-Structural stability
-Demolition work
-Dealing with damp
-Drains
-Site access
-Major building work
-Weathertight
-Exterior
-External works
-First fix
-Plastering
-Drying out
-Fixed flooring
-Second fix
-Decorating
-Final clean
-Move in
Renovation projects are often in high demand. However, it is important not to let competition for a project
rush you into buying something that is not right for you. Knowing when to walk away from a project is
crucial if you are to avoid buying a money pit.
Not all 'houses in need of modernisation,' offer value for money and some will be overpriced. Renovating
a house is a popular way of trying to get more house for your money but ironically, the mad scrabble from those after a ‘project’ can mean you could end up paying more for a property than it is actually
worth.
The good news is though, that even before you have purchased a renovation project, it is possible to get
a good idea of the condition of a house.
When first viewing a property to renovation, consider the following:
- What potential does it offer in terms of what could be done with its design?.
- Is there enough outdoor space to extend?
- Have neighbours been successful in gaining planning permission to carrying out similar works to those you are considering?
- What is the location like?
- How much structural work is likely to be involved?
- What are the ceiling prices for similar houses in the area?
If you are interested in the house, contact a chartered surveyor. They will be able to carry out a building
report which should highlight any areas of concern and give you an idea of any essential repairs that will
be needed and what they might cost.
A chartered surveyor will recommend further investigations if they suspect or detect:
- infestation
- subsidence or heave
- damp
- drainage problems
A building report should reveal the construction methods that have been used in the house (sometimes
these vary if the house has been extended over the years.) This information can then be used during the
house renovation in order that any new materials and techniques used are appropriate.
It is important to get a measured survey. This will give you a precise scale drawing of the layout of the
existing building. If you plan on making a planning application as part of your renovation, this is likely to
be required.
You can find a surveyor via the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
Remember, most structural problems will have a solution. Whilst these may well mean you need to
increase your budget, finding them early on will allow you to plan better for this.
You also need to consider that certain structural problems, such as subsidence, could affect your
insurance options, as well as its eventual resale value.
Always view a property at least twice — taking a video if possible in order to analyse it further once you
get home.
Whilst the terms ‘renovate’ and ‘remodel’ are often used interchangeably but they actually have quite
different meanings.
When it comes to buildings, renovation is more akin to restoration than remodelling — that is to say,
bringing something back to its original state, to reinvigorate and refresh.
Remodelling, on the other hand, essentially refers to changing a building, perhaps through altering its
layout or extending.
Of course what most owners of old houses end up doing is a combination of the two — returning original
features and the bare bones of the property to their former glory whilst playing around with the layout in
order to make the house more suitable for modern-day living.
There are several consent checks to bear in mind before starting work on your house renovation,
including:
- planning permission
- building regulations approval
- listed building consent
To avoid delays begin your schedule of works with those projects that do not require planning consent.
If you are extending or altering the roofline you may well require planning permission and if you live in a
listed property or in a designate area, you will almost certainly require consent before carrying out any
work. Check with your local planning department before starting any work.
Remember, even those jobs that require building regulations approval can be started following 24 hours’
notice of the intention to comply, made to the local authority building control department.
If you are building near the boundary of your house renovation you should check whether or not this
work is affected by the Party Wall Act. It is also wise to get your solicitor to check your title deeds or
lease — there may be restrictions relating to development of the property.
With the house renovation purchased and the structural condition assessed, the next job will be to formulate a design for the renovation and any extensions you might have planned. Many people
renovating a house find that producing a design for an existing house trickier than starting from scratch.
It really does pay to spend a few months living in or at the very least spending time in, the house before
coming up with a design. This will allow you to see where and when natural light enters the house, which
layout configurations work and which don’t and allows you to build up an idea of how the house could
best work for your lifestyle.
When renovating a house it is not always necessary to hire an architect or designer and obviously you
will save money by coming up with your own design.
However, extension projects and larger-scale renovation projects, as well as those in sensitive areas or
listed buildings, will almost always require professional advice.
A professional Architect will be able to talk you through the planning permission process, produce
designs based on your brief, advise on what will or won’t be viewed favourably by the local planners
(some works might fall under permitted development) and give you a good idea of how far your budget
will stretch. We offer a free Architect consultation in which we can help give advice on these topics, feel free to Book a Free Consultation here.
Once you have a design your are happy with and which has been approved, you should create a
schedule of works to ensure that you are carrying out improvements in a logical way to minimise
disruption and duplication.
Aim to identify any structural problems with the property as early on in the project as possible — not only
are they dangerous, particularly if you are living on site, but they could cause further damage to the
sound and table areas of the house too.
Subsidence, underpinning, or piling work to the existing foundations can be a particular concern. If lateral
spread has occurred in the walls and roof, steel ties might be needed. In extremely unstable house
renovations, the insertion of steel props, beams or scaffold will prevent further collapse.
For many people renovating a house, one of the main attractions tends to be the potential to incorporate
original features that may still be in place — all of which add to the character and charm of old buildings.
Sadly, not all renovation projects will have survived years of neglect in tact, meaning original features
might be missing or damaged. Work out which features are worth saving and which are later additions in
order to avoid spending money unnecessarily.
In some cases, the cost of repair work does not practically make sense and you may need to consider
sourcing sympathetic, matching replacements. However, unless you are prepared to spend more, these
replacements may not capture the fine detailing of the originals.
In order to retain the original character of your renovation project, there are certain features which you
should pay particular attention to, including:
- Windows
- Floors
- Doors
- Fireplaces
- Original mouldings
- Roofs
- Timber beams
If you are removing any sections of the house you will need to think about demolition work Waste can be
removed in skips. Private individuals can get rid of most waste for free at local authority tips, although
asbestos will need to be dealt with separately.
A house renovation often involves certain elements which can be salvaged and reused. These items
should be taken away and stored somewhere safe, or sold on to a salvage yard.
Sometimes it is possible to sell the salvage rights of large-scale demolition projects in which case some
of the removal work may be undertaken by the reclamation yard — saving time and effort and potentially
raising some cash, too.
Anyone renovating a house should be prepared to find signs of a damp problem — active, historical or both.
Any property more than 80 years old is likely to have solid walls (as opposed to modern cavity walls) and
such buildings often suffer from damp problems. Very often the damp will have been caused by
inappropriate modern alterations such as:
- replacing lime with cement in pointing or render
- painting using modern impermeable products
- replacing suspended timber floors with concrete
- reducing or covering up ventilation
- changing external ground levels against the building
There are several types of damp, although the most common two are rising damp and penetrating damp. It is wise to get an expert opinion on what type of damp you are dealing with in your house renovation —
each will need to be treated differently.
Rising damp solutions include:
- improving ground drainage around the property
- lowering the external ground level
- improving ventilation, even just getting the heating back on
Penetrating damp problems in walls and ceilings can usually be resolved by repairing the building’s
fabric, such as:
- repointing brickwork with lime mortar
- repairing lime render or missing hung tiles
- fixing the roof
- repairing lead flashings and valleys, guttering and doors and windows
When treating damp, look also to treat any signs of infestation such as rot and woodworm.
Many conservationists frown upon spraying chemicals in buildings to treat rot and woodworm, as these
problems should resolve themselves in a few months once damp problems are fixed and the building is
heated. However, not everyone is willing to wait or take any risks, and lenders often insist on chemical
treatments as a condition of their loan.
If your house renovation is located on a site with restricted access it is a good idea to plan ahead and get
any large items or machinery in for landscaping on to the plot, before access is further obstructed by new
building work and stored materials.
Are the existing drains are in working order? Locate the inspection chambers (manholes) and pour
different colour food dye down the loos and sinks to find out what is connected to where and whether any
drains have collapsed and need digging up.
Once the scaffold is down, it is time to connect up the external drains to the sewer or septic tank. Some
prefer to undertake this work at the groundworks stage, but this leaves the drains vulnerable to damage
during building work — especially if they are exposed in the trenches around the building before
backfilling.
Landscaping work to form the drive, paths, beds and lawns can be undertaken at almost any point in the
project, providing it can be protected from damage by the building work. Most people wait until they are
ready to move in.
Do not lay the final drive finish until all heavy vehicles and skips have finally left site.
If building an extension, you may have to relocate drains anyway and now is the time to find out. If there
is no mains drainage connection, inspect the condition of any existing septic tank and soakaways.
If extensions or works are to be done over or near a sewer, we recommend our guide on building near or over a sewer for more information.
All new work must comply with the Building Regulations. As of January 2006, new building regulations
applications for extensions have to include proposals to upgrade the thermal performance of the existing
part of the house.
If living in the renovation, seal off the occupied spaces at the same time as protecting any parts of the existing building that could be damaged during the main construction stage of the project, especially in
listed buildings.
Compliance information can be found in the gov.uk approved documents, which runs through important factors such as structure, fire prevention, ventilation and more.
Once the roof structure has been built, felted and battened, the entire structure should be made
weathertight to keep out the elements and to secure the building.
Whilst the scaffold, is up check that any chimney stacks and pots are stable and clear, put on bird
guards, and to repair lead flashings around the chimneys, in valleys, on hips, dormers and any
abutments.
If any new parts of the roof intersect with the old, it is always preferable to match the existing/original roof
covering either by buying reclaimed tiles/slates or by replacing one plane of the roof at the back and
using the salvaged tiles/slates at the front.
Doors and windows can also now be installed and glazed. Where doors and windows are not yet on site,
the openings should be covered in plastic sheets or even better — boarded up.
Whilst the scaffold is still up, replace, repair and fix all guttering, and fix brackets for the downpipes.
The is also the ideal time to carry out external decoration of external joinery such as fascias and soffits,
barge boards and windows, render and timber siding.
Rewiring and replumbing a renovation project are expensive jobs but both these projects offer you the chance to install systems specifically tailored to your lifestyle, your energy usage and can be designed around any future plans you may have for the house. Updating heating and electrics will also add
significant end value to the property.
If you are lucky, you might find that the heating and electrics have been updated to a good standard quite recently, in which case all that will be required may be new radiators. Old radiators can suffer from cold spots caused by a build up of sludge – having them power flushed will be a big help in improving
their performance.
Of course many people renovating a house and particularly those adding extensions will want to
consider underfloor heating as an alternative to radiators.
In the case of most renovation and remodelling projects, an element of structural change will be necessary in order to make the house suitable for modern-day living.
Period houses were often designed to incorporate lots of smaller spaces and may have been subject to a
hotch potch of ill thought-out additions over the years, meaning the general flow of the layout can be left
lacking.
You may want to extend or change the use of your spaces by knocking down walls, building out into the
garden or perhaps making use of existing redundant spaces, leading to a basement conversion, garage
conversion or loft conversion.
Once internal stud wall frames can be built and any walls removed, flooring grade chipboard or
floorboards can be fixed to joists, and ceiling joists can be added where required.
Door linings can now be fitted ready for the plasterers to work to (these are added later for dry-lining),
and window reveals and cills can also be inserted.
Once the first fix carpentry (including new staircases) is complete, new first fix wiring and plumbing work
can be undertaken, including soil pipes and drainage connections.
At this stage everything that will later be concealed by plaster needs to be installed, such as:
- ventilation ducts
- hot water cylinder
- extract ducts
- wiring for central heating controls
- alarms
- speakers or any other home automation equipment.
With first fix complete it is time to plaster, apply plasterboard/dry-lining to ceilings and any stud walls
(tacking), and to repair any damaged plasterwork/mouldings.
In an older building, avoid using modern metal angle beads around arises, unless you want crisp clean
lines: instead use timber beads.
Make sure you protect the stairs and any other vulnerable features while the plasterers are in, as it is a
messy job.
New floor screeds for the ground floor will be laid at this point, usually after plastering to help keep it
clean, but some like to screed and then plaster in order to create a neater joint between plaster and floor.
If you are laying underfloor heating, the pipes or cable elements will usually be laid after plastering, so
that the manifolds can be fixed in place, but before screeding so that the pipes and elements are
covered.
Before bringing in any timber products (such as flooring etc.), the plaster and any new screed needs to
be allowed to thoroughly dry out.
Depending on the time of year this will take from two to six weeks — the longer it can be left, the less the
danger of moisture causing problems with second fix joinery and especially wooden floors.
If time is of the essence, go for drylining instead of hard plaster and for suspended timber floors instead
of concrete.
Whilst some people choose to lay fixed flooring such as flagstones, ceramic tiles and solid wooden floors
after fitting the kitchen, sanitary ware and built-in furniture, there are several reasons why this is not a
good idea.
Laying these floors from edge to edge of each room beforehand avoids many problems later in terms of
uneven edges and also leaves flexibility to change these items in further down the line.
Hard floor such as this will need to be laid before skirting and architrave can be fixed in place, as it will
need to run underneath.
Once flooring is laid and the house is plastered, second fix work can begin. Second fix typically involves:
- Connecting the consumer unit and fit all light fittings, sockets, switches, phone and TV points and the
extractor hood
- Hanging all doors and fix skirting, architrave, spindles and handrails
- Installing the bathroom fittings and connecting the taps
- Installing the boiler and controls, and fitting radiators
- Fitting the kitchen and completing any fitted furniture
- Boxing in any pipes or soil stacks ready for the decorators
It is also time for the plumber and electrician to commission the heating system
Renovating a house doesn’t always involve a pretty country cottage or beautifully symmetrical period
properties.
In fact, an increasing number of people are now waking up to the potential of post-war properties that,
whilst not as visually attractive at the outset, are often cheaper, full of natural light and come with large
open internal spaces.They also tend to be cheaper than those their more attractive renovation
counterparts.
Post-war houses provide a huge amount of potential for a stunning exterior makeover, including new
cladding, roofing materials, window treatments and driveways.
It is important to look at the smaller details that you could change without breaking the bank before you
take on a large-scale makeover. Small alterations to consider include:
- Replacing rainwater goods
- Repainting (or replacing) any timberwork, such as fascia boards and finials
- Adding a porch to add character
- Landscaping, including gates, fences and planting
- Painting brickwork
Many of these changes can be carried out under Permitted Development, but if your home has a special
designation (i.e. listed) these rights are removed.
The key to this is to use a two-pronged approach when renovating a house – minimise the amount of
heat your home requires to keep you comfortable and minimise the cost of producing the heat that it
does require.
Draught-proofing is essential, but you should also optimise (or add) wall and loft insulation as a priority.
Upgrading the boiler and heating sources (such as old radiators) will also help to reduce heating bills, as
well as creating a more comfortable internal environment.
Easy draught-proofing measures include adding draught seal, repairing damaged and ill-fitting windows
and doors and the use of draught excluders.
Insulating old houses can involve adding in cavity wall insulation (providing you have cavity walls),
adding internal wall insulation to existing solid walls, which will then require plastering, or adding external
insulation (an option for those carrying our an external make-over or re-rendering).
You might also consider replacing single glazing with double glazing, although this will depend on the
affect it will have on the overall appearance of the house and whether it is permitted under your planning
permission.
Painting and staining should only begin once all second fix work and preparation is complete to ensure
the building is clean and dust free — otherwise it will be impossible to get a good finish.
Kitchen and bathroom wall tiling can now be carried out.
Shower enclosures and doors can be fitted once tiling is complete. Finally, once decorating is complete,
any soft floor coverings, such as vinyl and carpet can be laid and the white goods such as the oven, hob,
fridge and washing machine can be fitted.
Small problems will inevitably crop up over the ensuing months.
Fix these problems as they arise, or, if you used tradesmen, ask them back, although expect to have to
pay them for defects that are not their fault, such as plaster cracks.
If you used a main contractor, you may have held back a retention of 2.5-5% on the final payment. This
sum is released once they have returned and resolved any defects.
We offer free meetings for you to ask all of your questions, use the form to get your free advice.
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