Advice on the order of renovation works

[Auric]

Hi all

I'm moving into a new house, we got it for a bargain because it's in pretty poor condition.

Floor plan

Photos

I'm not sure about the order in which we should do work to it. The 'essentials' that need doing are:
-Rip up the carpet and restore wooden floors (DIY)
-Repair/replace any plaster and repaint walls (DIY)
-Install central heating
-Split bedroom three into two and put in a bathroom (Half DIY)
-Knockdown and build kitchen side extension. Probably go for underfloor heating.

So the main point for me is central heating. Should we get this installed before doing kitchen side extension (which may take 6 months or so), or can we save money by doing it during/after extension? We could install a wood stove in the lounge for now until we can do central heating. If its best to do before, should we get it installed before we start work on the floors - that makes sense, yes?

Additionally, if we get the bathroom installed upstairs, will all the new pipework required downstairs have to be pulled up and redone during the extension, should we wait until after/during extension? And if it's fine to get on and do this before the extension can get central heating in before we do extension?

All advice/criticism welcome.

Cheers
Jake

 

[Notch7]

I would suggest you do get your plans done first for your extension, kitchen layout, split bedroom and new bathroom.
Once you have done that you can get your plumbing and electrics and boiler in place, putting in the 1st fix ready for new requirements.

the actual order you do the work is whether you will be living there and how much time you can give to the project.
Ideally I would say strip the bedroom, put in the studwork to split the room.
sort out the replacement extension building regs drawings (and check you dont need planning). Get your extension costed if there is a budget decision to be made.
Then get in your plumber and electrician.

Builders often work from top to bottom with refurbs -so once you get your 1st fix done, you could get your bathroom done, re do plastering, decorating etc. Then move downstairs

 

[Auric]

Great, thanks. Yes, we will be living there while we do all the work - to save as much money as possible.

Ok that makes sense to get 1st floor done. While we're waiting for plans etc for extension we would like to do as much as we can ourselves. If we live without central heating for that time, do you reckon it's ok to start on floors?

Chwers

 

[JP_]

If you can live with it as it is, do the extension first, then you have more space to move stuff into, plus a nice area to live while you rip apart other rooms.

Do central heating same time if possible as doing the floors - you don't want to put new floors down then have a plumber pull them up again.
Replaster the walls before the floors - you don't want plaster and paint getting all over your lovely new floors.

If the central heating is OK for now, wait - in 6 months it will be April and you won't need it on much, so if you can get it replaced in the summer, much nicer. And lifting floors makes a cold house colder too, so make it a summer job if you can ....

But, how are those carpets? Can you live with them the way they are?

I've spent the last 2 years living on a building site. I have slept in the old bedroom, what was the living room (now our new bedroom), what was the dining room (now my son's bedroom), and my kids shared what is currently the hallway, now converting a box room into a bathroom, the old kitchen is a hallway ... it's been messy. The first big job though was the extension, life was much easier when we could move into that and cope with one empty room.

 

[Auric]

Thanks for that. The carpets definitely need removing - there was mouse problem and the whole house has not been very loved.

I'm sure we'll be roughing it for a while but it should be worth it in the end!

 

[noseall]

Renovation always starts with that which is least accessible, the furthest away, deepest etc. Floor joists, drains, foundations, carcassing, stud walls, waste and feed pipe runs, electrics, roof carcass, ceilings, suspended floor voids etc.