Advice needed on buying old house

[petetherock 13]

A 20 yr old place that is well built should still be in good condition.

But I'll look out for 
(some of which has been mentioned)

Firstly it's important to be strict and change if there is any doubt, because it's a real hassle if you need to fix it when you are staying it in already

 

- roof - very important to check and look at it during a big downpour, but be careful don't change a perfectly good roof if it's working well...

- also look at the false ceilings for stains

- all electrical (added new light points) place your LED drivers in easy access places

- relay switching for staircase lights and bedrooms

- added generous LAN points (this is an entire topic in itself, but be generous with the number of points)

- tiles : IMO, it's optional if the floor is very good and suits your style, eg some high grade marble. Otherwise replace because it's a big hassle in future, unless you are just laying LVT

- termite checks

- I'll change plumbing and toilet floor tiles too and I used all new pipes with a large calibre for better water pressure

- take down the roof antenna, painted a new waterproof layer on the roof and made sure the ventilator works

- I replaced the cabinets / wardrobes too and added internal lighting

As for the room layouts, as snoozee mentioned, see what's your time horizon and if you want to stay happily and comfortably for at least a decade, do it properly.

Such a job without touching the roof can cost under 300k.

[Topline 1]

Thanks! The roof is made of orange (turning brown) tiles .... does it make sense to change them to look new. Would that cost a lot?

I saw the other thread on solar panels.... this house has sloping tiled roof so not sure if solar panels can be mounted. But how about on the car porch shelter - possible?

[snoozee 98]

solar panels can be mounted on roof tiles. many houses have done that

[petetherock 13]

1 hour ago, Topline said:

Thanks! The roof is made of orange (turning brown) tiles .... does it make sense to change them to look new. Would that cost a lot?

I saw the other thread on solar panels.... this house has sloping tiled roof so not sure if solar panels can be mounted. But how about on the car porch shelter - possible?

If you change them, it may affect the waterproofing.

You can paint them. Cheaper too. Old tiles were pretty good and well made.

You should get a solar panel expert to come and take a look. The sun direction, and how well exposed is your home will affect your electricity yield too. 

[ZZEC 1]

I extended back 1st & 2nd floor 5.9m x 6.7m (need to reinforce RC trench is another $10k job) new roof, upgrade electrical to 3 phase 60A, hack and relay new tiles, relocate toilet and kitchen so changed plumbings, was quoted between $450k to $750k, in the end we chose the $450k guy cos our colleague used him before. So far so good, need approximately 8-10 months for A&A. 3 months in Reno now! 
 

I would say just go and talk to a few builders and see their projects, design and build firms are cheaper than architect if you just want not so much design. Extend 1m behind if no RC trench maybe cheaper? 2nd storey if want to extend 1m, not sure if it can be a balcony or light weight structure, need to check with the rest of the seniors here ?

[snoozee 98]

5 minutes ago, ZZEC said:

I extended back 1st & 2nd floor 5.9m x 6.7m (need to reinforce RC trench is another $10k job) new roof, upgrade electrical to 3 phase 60A, hack and relay new tiles, relocate toilet and kitchen so changed plumbings, was quoted between $450k to $750k, in the end we chose the $450k guy cos our colleague used him before. So far so good, need approximately 8-10 months for A&A. 3 months in Reno now! 
 

I would say just go and talk to a few builders and see their projects, design and build firms are cheaper than architect if you just want not so much design. Extend 1m behind if no RC trench maybe cheaper? 2nd storey if want to extend 1m, not sure if it can be a balcony or light weight structure, need to check with the rest of the seniors here ?

you are lucky that your sewer line is very near the surface hence the low cost of $10k. my sewer line is almost 3m deep and it cost me almost 6 digits to build the RC trench. bulk of the cost actually went into the design and construction of the ERSS to provide stability to the ground during the construction of the RC trench

[ZZEC 1]

1 hour ago, snoozee said:

you are lucky that your sewer line is very near the surface hence the low cost of $10k. my sewer line is almost 3m deep and it cost me almost 6 digits to build the RC trench. bulk of the cost actually went into the design and construction of the ERSS to provide stability to the ground during the construction of the RC trench

? yes I think I read many expensive experience on RC trench and we were quite scared. Our builder assured (put in contract) that it will not be more than $10k, maybe cos ours is inter-terrace and smaller. I think it was around 2m deep?

 

Edited October 30, 2020 by ZZEC

[snoozee 98]

20 minutes ago, ZZEC said:

? yes I think I read many expensive experience on RC trench and we were quite scared. Our builder assured (put in contract) that it will not be more than $10k, maybe cos ours is inter-terrace and smaller. I think it was around 2m deep?

 

even for a inter terrace, a sewer line running through the width of the site would be at least 6m long. judging from the photo, it's definitely more than 2m deep. your builder is taking a big calculated risk by just using the plywood sheets to retain the soil. by right any excavation more than 1.5m deep would require ERSS to be designed by a PE and submissions to BCA for approval. and the retaining structure is certainly not constructed just by wooden planks and plywood.

the 10K quoted amount is most likely just for show as the builder can recover the cost elsewhere from his contract to you.

[ZZEC 1]

24 minutes ago, snoozee said:

even for a inter terrace, a sewer line running through the width of the site would be at least 6m long. judging from the photo, it's definitely more than 2m deep. your builder is taking a big calculated risk by just using the plywood sheets to retain the soil. by right any excavation more than 1.5m deep would require ERSS to be designed by a PE and submissions to BCA for approval. and the retaining structure is certainly not constructed just by wooden planks and plywood.

the 10K quoted amount is most likely just for show as the builder can recover the cost elsewhere from his contract to you.

Thanks Snoozee for the insight, don’t wanna get anyone in trouble... Just to clarify, but the RC trench will be inspected by BCA to ensure it’s properly done up right? 

[snoozee 98]

2 minutes ago, ZZEC said:

Thanks Snoozee for the insight, don’t wanna get anyone in trouble... Just to clarify, but the RC trench will be inspected by BCA to ensure it’s properly done up right? 

the RC trench is under PUB's purview. once the trench is completed, photos would need to be taken and submitted to PUB. an officer from PUB would also go down on site to do the inspection. After the inspection and PUB approves of the trench, the trench would be backfilled with sand (again with photos taken at height intervals for record purpose) and finally filled covered with precast concrete slabs. the precast concrete slabs are removable so that PUB can remove them as and when they need to do repairs or maintenance to the sewer line within your property. but then i would think most owners would just cement over the RC trench after obtaining approval.

[ZZEC 1]

8 minutes ago, snoozee said:

the RC trench is under PUB's purview. once the trench is completed, photos would need to be taken and submitted to PUB. an officer from PUB would also go down on site to do the inspection. After the inspection and PUB approves of the trench, the trench would be backfilled with sand (again with photos taken at height intervals for record purpose) and finally filled covered with precast concrete slabs. the precast concrete slabs are removable so that PUB can remove them as and when they need to do repairs or maintenance to the sewer line within your property. but then i would think most owners would just cement over the RC trench after obtaining approval.

That’s very clear thanks! Sorry another question so cement screed and tiling on top of the pre-cast slabs are perfectly fine right? If PUB ever needs to work on it, we will have to hack? 

[snoozee 98]

29 minutes ago, ZZEC said:

That’s very clear thanks! Sorry another question so cement screed and tiling on top of the pre-cast slabs are perfectly fine right? If PUB ever needs to work on it, we will have to hack? 

Yes. The rule is that the trench must be freely accessible. So if you decide to tile over then would need to hack if PUB needs access

[Topline 1]

I gather the bulk of the cost in determining whether the 2nd and 3rd floors can extend backwards is RC trench. When the builder gives a quote, can they already tell how deep the RC trench is so that the quote is a fixed quote and not just an estimate which they can increase later when they actually dig?

Also, separate question: Can i install a retractable awning to cover the 1 metre gap between the roof eaves at the back to the back boundary wall? I see some people construct polycarbonate roof ... is that permissible?

Edited October 31, 2020 by Topline

[snoozee 98]

Buy the SIP. this will tell you where the sewer line is as well as the depth. Normally once quoted and accepted, the price won’t change. Unless there’s changes requested by owner or items which needs to be done but the QP didn’t include in the original tender, then the builder can claim for VO

retractable awnings is allowed since it is not a fixed structure. Polycarbonate roof which covers the 1m gap is illegal

[Topline 1]

18 hours ago, snoozee said:

Buy the SIP. this will tell you where the sewer line is as well as the depth. Normally once quoted and accepted, the price won’t change. Unless there’s changes requested by owner or items which needs to be done but the QP didn’t include in the original tender, then the builder can claim for VO

retractable awnings is allowed since it is not a fixed structure. Polycarbonate roof which covers the 1m gap is illegal

I saw an SIP of anor property I eyed many years .... i dont recall seeing the depth. Is it a new info stated?