Tweet
Hi there
So I’m just posting this up to a few forums to get an array of perspectives and hopefully some advice. I am very much in the market on my own so any words of wisdom will be greatly appreciated.
In short, I have spent the last 14 months, living homeless out of my car, while I’ve worked about 70hrs a week on average, usually between 2 jobs. I have almost saved 20k and have started looking at properties to purchase and hopefully move into. The property range I am going for is up to about 50k and are located in the cities. With this said, I am aware that the type of property I am looking at, will most likely need some work doing to it.
My main question: is there any serious job, repair or defect that cannot be DIYed? I have taken note that if there is subsidence, heave or uplift, then that will require some serious engineering such as underpinning and injecting of polymers into the ground. I have also noted that upon purchase, its good to get formal electric, gas and plumbing inspections carried out to ensure these utilities are in working order, and if not, what the cost of repair would be, before you purchase/bid. Besides this, I can’t imagine any other job that would require specialist trades or engineers.
I have a flexible work schedule, my job/jobs earn me good money, I’m fit and I have had basic on the tools experience. I am more than happy to treat this as a learning curve however I just want to make sure, that I wont be blindsided by a variable that will be well and truly out of my control and could add £££££ to the whole endeavour.
My strategy: during an initial viewing, use a carpenters right angle and a sizeable spirit level to ensure that all straight edges such as sills, stair-steps, door frames, ceiling corners are level and also fit the correct angles. I’d also take a voltage tester to check the plugs electric output. I would also check the boiler, the fusebox, the taps, the flush on the toilet and the lights. I’d also ensure to get not one but two Level 3 RICs surveys performed, to ensure that nothing is missed out structurally. It also gives me two points of references if something negative does occur structurally, that one of them didn’t pick up on, and I’d need to make a legal claim. If this is good, then I’d proceed ahead with getting gas, electrics and plumbing formally inspected. So long as these aren’t too bad, I could then proceed ahead with purchasing/bidding.
Seems like a lot of cost, prior to purchase, but I seriously don’t want to go and buy a place, which then suffers from a serious issue, which I cannot work myself out of, and have to defer control to another person, costing me lots of money in the process as well as wasting my time.
I will most likely be posting other questions on this forum, but this will be a very important query, to which if you offer any input, I’d be very grateful, as I don’t really have anyone else to consult with.
Thanks
Tom
So I’m just posting this up to a few forums to get an array of perspectives and hopefully some advice. I am very much in the market on my own so any words of wisdom will be greatly appreciated.
In short, I have spent the last 14 months, living homeless out of my car, while I’ve worked about 70hrs a week on average, usually between 2 jobs. I have almost saved 20k and have started looking at properties to purchase and hopefully move into. The property range I am going for is up to about 50k and are located in the cities. With this said, I am aware that the type of property I am looking at, will most likely need some work doing to it.
My main question: is there any serious job, repair or defect that cannot be DIYed? I have taken note that if there is subsidence, heave or uplift, then that will require some serious engineering such as underpinning and injecting of polymers into the ground. I have also noted that upon purchase, its good to get formal electric, gas and plumbing inspections carried out to ensure these utilities are in working order, and if not, what the cost of repair would be, before you purchase/bid. Besides this, I can’t imagine any other job that would require specialist trades or engineers.
I have a flexible work schedule, my job/jobs earn me good money, I’m fit and I have had basic on the tools experience. I am more than happy to treat this as a learning curve however I just want to make sure, that I wont be blindsided by a variable that will be well and truly out of my control and could add £££££ to the whole endeavour.
My strategy: during an initial viewing, use a carpenters right angle and a sizeable spirit level to ensure that all straight edges such as sills, stair-steps, door frames, ceiling corners are level and also fit the correct angles. I’d also take a voltage tester to check the plugs electric output. I would also check the boiler, the fusebox, the taps, the flush on the toilet and the lights. I’d also ensure to get not one but two Level 3 RICs surveys performed, to ensure that nothing is missed out structurally. It also gives me two points of references if something negative does occur structurally, that one of them didn’t pick up on, and I’d need to make a legal claim. If this is good, then I’d proceed ahead with getting gas, electrics and plumbing formally inspected. So long as these aren’t too bad, I could then proceed ahead with purchasing/bidding.
Seems like a lot of cost, prior to purchase, but I seriously don’t want to go and buy a place, which then suffers from a serious issue, which I cannot work myself out of, and have to defer control to another person, costing me lots of money in the process as well as wasting my time.
I will most likely be posting other questions on this forum, but this will be a very important query, to which if you offer any input, I’d be very grateful, as I don’t really have anyone else to consult with.
Thanks
Tom