10 Things to Check Before Buying a London Property to Renovate
Buying a property that needs work can be one of the best ways to create a home that genuinely suits you. It can also provide an opportunity to improve an awkward layout, add usable space and invest money into the areas of a property that matter most.
But there is a considerable difference between a property that looks tired and one that is genuinely straightforward to refurbish.
A dated kitchen, worn flooring and poor decoration are relatively easy to understand. Structural alterations, drainage problems, outdated services, lease restrictions or an impractical layout can have a much greater effect on the final refurbishment budget.
That is why renovation planning should ideally start before you exchange contracts, rather than after you receive the keys.
Here are ten things worth investigating when viewing a London property with refurbishment in mind.
1. Decide Whether the Existing Layout Can Actually Become the Layout You Want
Try to look beyond furniture, decoration and the current use of each room.
Think about how you would ideally live in the property. Would you want the kitchen moved? Would two rooms need to become one? Could an additional bathroom be created? Is there enough circulation space?
Some changes can be relatively straightforward. Others may involve structural walls, drainage alterations, ventilation routes or significant changes to electrical and plumbing services.
A floor plan is particularly useful at this stage.
Mark up what you would keep, remove and relocate. Even a rough proposed layout can reveal whether you are looking at a refurbishment project or a considerably more involved reconfiguration.
2. Understand Which Walls Are Likely to Be Structural
Removing a wall can transform a property, but it should never simply be treated as demolition.
Load-bearing walls may support floors, roofs or other parts of the building. Their removal can require structural calculations, steelwork, temporary support and Building Regulations approval.
This does not mean you should avoid properties requiring structural alterations. Many excellent refurbishment projects involve them.
The important thing is recognising the potential cost before assuming that creating an open-plan space is simply a matter of taking down a partition.
Where the proposed layout relies heavily on structural changes, obtaining early input from a structural engineer or experienced refurbishment contractor can be extremely valuable.
3. Look Beyond the Kitchen and Bathroom Finishes
A tired kitchen can make a property appear to need more work than it actually does.
Conversely, a relatively modern kitchen can distract from expensive problems elsewhere.
When viewing, pay attention to the underlying building rather than just finishes.
Useful things to consider include:
- Condition of ceilings and walls
- Visible cracking
- Damp staining
- Uneven floors
- Window condition
- Heating system
- Electrical installation
- Water pressure
- Drainage locations
- Roof condition where relevant
The expensive part of refurbishment is often not the item you can immediately see. It is the work required behind it.
4. Check Whether the Existing Services Suit Your Proposed Refurbishment
A major renovation can place very different demands on a property's existing electrical, heating and plumbing systems.
If you intend to create additional bathrooms, relocate a kitchen, install underfloor heating or significantly increase electrical demand, the existing infrastructure needs to be considered.
An older electrical installation may need substantial upgrading or replacement.
Moving a bathroom may look simple on a floor plan but become complicated if the new position is a long distance from suitable waste and soil connections.
Building Regulations can apply to many alteration works involving electrics, bathrooms, heating, windows and other building elements, and approval is separate from planning permission. ([GOV.UK][1])
Early investigation helps prevent a seemingly simple design decision from becoming an expensive surprise during construction.
5. Establish Whether You Can Extend or Convert the Loft
For houses, potential additional space can have a major influence on a purchase decision.
A rear extension, side-return extension or loft conversion might turn an unsuitable property into exactly what you need.
But do not assume that because neighbouring houses have extended, your proposed scheme will automatically be possible.
Some house extensions and loft conversions can fall within permitted development rights, subject to specific limits and conditions. Those rights do not apply in the same way to flats and maisonettes, and local restrictions or previous alterations can also affect what is permitted. ([Planning Portal][2])
Before paying a premium for "development potential", establish how realistic that potential actually is.
6. If It Is Leasehold, Read the Lease Before Designing the Refurbishment
This is particularly important when purchasing a London flat.
The physical space may allow an alteration while the lease does not.
A lease can require the freeholder's consent for renovations or alterations, and permission or administration fees may also apply. GOV.UK specifically notes that leases may require freeholder permission for renovation or alteration works. ([GOV.UK][3])
Before committing to a layout that involves structural changes, new bathrooms, altered services or other significant works, understand what the lease permits.
You should also establish whether there are management-company requirements concerning working hours, contractors, insurance, access or protection of common parts.
7. Think About Access and Logistics
Construction cost is influenced by more than the actual building work.
A terraced London property with no parking, restricted loading, several flights of stairs or difficult waste access can be more expensive to refurbish than a similar property with straightforward access.
Consider how materials will enter the property and how waste will leave it.
In flats, also consider:
- Lift restrictions
- Common staircases
- Protection requirements
- Parking suspensions
- Skip locations
- Neighbouring properties
- Restricted working hours
These issues rarely make a project impossible, but they can affect labour, programme and preliminaries.
8. Build a Refurbishment Budget Before Deciding What the Property Is Worth to You
The purchase price and refurbishment budget should be considered together.
If Property A costs £50,000 less than Property B but requires £100,000 more work, the apparently cheaper purchase may not actually represent better value.
Create an initial scope and split the refurbishment into sensible sections such as structural work, services, kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, decorating and external works.
Then include money for professional fees, approvals and contingency.
The objective at this stage is not to produce a perfect tender price.
It is to understand whether your overall acquisition-and-refurbishment budget is realistic.
9. Separate Essential Works From Aspirational Improvements
It is easy to create a renovation wish list that grows faster than the budget.
Before purchasing, separate the project into three categories.
First, works required to make the property safe and serviceable.
Second, works required to achieve your intended layout and specification.
Third, improvements that would be desirable if the budget allows.
This distinction becomes extremely useful when cost planning begins.
If the initial estimate exceeds your available budget, you can make rational decisions about specification and phasing instead of discovering halfway through construction that essential works have consumed the money intended for finishes.
10. Get Construction Input Before You Exchange Where the Project Is Significant
A conventional property survey serves an important purpose, but it is not the same thing as refurbishment planning.
If you already know that you intend to substantially renovate the property, obtaining construction input before purchase can help you understand the practical implications of your ideas.
That might include reviewing the existing layout, discussing likely structural alterations, identifying obvious service constraints and establishing a preliminary scope and cost range.
The aim is not to design the entire project before you own the property.
It is to avoid purchasing on the assumption that a £40,000 refurbishment will achieve something that is more realistically a £100,000 project.
Buy the Property With the Refurbishment in Mind
Some of the best renovation opportunities are properties that other buyers struggle to see beyond.
Poor decoration, outdated finishes and awkward layouts can all be opportunities.
The key is understanding which problems are cosmetic and which have meaningful implications for cost, permissions and buildability.
A little construction planning before purchase can give you a much clearer picture of what the property could become — and what it is likely to cost to get there.
Considering a London Property That Needs Refurbishment?
Bayocorp provides pre-purchase refurbishment advice, cost planning, estimating, project management and construction services across London and the South East.
If you are considering a property and want to understand its renovation potential before committing, Bayocorp can review the proposed works, identify practical issues and help establish a realistic refurbishment budget and route forward.