Whole Property Renovation at Six Bedroom House in Peckham

Whole property renovation in six bedroom house, Peckham, London

Imagine you have bought a property recently and you are struggling to live comfortably there, as it needs modernisation and renovation. There are various options for you and how you could modernise it to live in it, or to let it out, or even resell with a profit! That’s why many customers choose us to match their budget and criteria!

One of our recent clients came to us by recommendation to solve their problem and complete extensive work on a property. We consider the whole project later but in case you do not read further we are starting with the client’s feedback:

“We were very pleased with the excellent standard of the work, keeping within the timescale, and keeping within budget. We were very appreciative of being able to work constructively with the firm and they were willing to explain why a particular way of doing things was recommended but allowed the final decision to be ours.
We were asked what we were especially pleased with. We felt it was all done to a very high standard but we would like to highlight:

⚡️The removal of the chimney breast which enabled the through kitchen/diner at ground floor level and a lovely spacious bedroom at first floor level;
⚡️The skylight on the flat roof section which enabled the hallway to be much lighter at both ground and first floor levels;
⚡️The refurbishment of the windows which took a lot of time and effort but which resulted in looking as good as new (without having to pay for new ones!);
⚡️Two excellent bathrooms which were superbly furnished and make a 19th century property look like it is now 21st century;
⚡️Walls which had peeling woodchip paper now with smooth very well plastered surfaces which gives a modern look and has transformed the house”.

Then let’s wind back and see how we got to that position of a very satisfied customer …….

First step into house and you can immediately see a lot needs to be done, including repair of a leaking roof, some major structural changes, electric modernisation, changes in pipework. A lot of modernisation as very little had been spent on it in the last 30 years.

Having clarified the situation and condition of the property, we made a short video, some draft notes what needed doing, and began from there, which enabled us to work on a quotation. The client did not want the headache of having to supply materials so need us to include them.

We received a schedule of required work from the customer and within a few days were ready to give an accurate quotation. It’s very important to clarify exactly what the client wants and meet them inside the property to explain and ask relevant questions – all this necessary for an accurate quote!

Our customer had a fixed budget above which they were unable to go, which was helpful to us to show what the priorities were. They wanted to bring the property to a high standard and we needed to build in a contingency in case something goes wrong and neither the client nor us wanted to be outside the budget.

Here we share some of our experience working on this project:

Demolition (would take us at least a week to do) but needed to be done early in the work. A chimney breast separated a small dining area from a small kitchen. A through kitchen/diner would be more appropriate and the client gained space which had previously been taken up with a chimney;
Scaffolding (as we had limited access to the roof) and this again needed early attention;
Part of the roof is flat and this needed renewing with a skylight, new supports replacing old timbers, gutters etc, – all needing building materials capable of being completely water-proof;
Further work on the roof involved cleaning all the tiles and gutters from accumulated moss and other rubbish;
Wiring renewal in the whole house including a new fuse board;
Replacing all plastic pipes and installing new copper pipes to get more pressure;
Replacing the old cylinder which based in a cupboard outside the bedrooms and installing a new Combi Boiler in the kitchen area;
Replacing, testing and flushing all radiators to make sure they functioned properly (12 of them in total);
Preparing for all the internal work and making good ceiling and walls with plasterboard and levelling before plastering. Then plastering the whole house – around 600 sq/m with a smooth finish;
On the ground floor there was an existing toilet which was extended to enable a bathroom with shower, toilet and wash-handbasin. On the first floor a renewal of all the sanitary ware in the bathroom enabled a modern new-look bathroom which included new plumbing, new tiling, and even an electric shower to ensure that both bathrooms could be used at the same time with enough hot water! Heated towel rails and extractor fans were included;
While we were working with the gas pipes and other pipes into the house, we had to provide extra support to joists and extra support under the floor to a dividing wall;
The removal of the chimney breast was taken up to the first floor and enabled a good sized double bedroom where two small rooms had previously existed (previously you needed to go through one small room to get to the other). Building Control in the Local Authority needed to be involved, as this involved support to the remaining chimney in the attic space above the bedroom ceiling;
Refurbished all existing interior doors, fixed new locks, hinges, as our customer decided to keep them in memory of the previous century!;
Installed new skirting boards, but our customer decided to refurbish ground floor skirtings only, so we delivered an excellent look for part of rooms in hallway and some rooms keeping the original skirting boards;
We created an open plan kitchen/diner which made extra space and a modern look. We installed a new kitchen with a design submitted by the customer which was within their budget and delivered more than expected;
Painting and decorating round the property;
Refurbished all PVC windows inside and outside the property. To be honest it’s our first experience at this task, but we delivered an excellent service as the windows now look like new and the customer was really pleased;
Carpentry also took place. We created shelves, refurbished storage areas, replaced missing bespoke spindles, and many more jobs to match the property style;
Cleaning which took us around a week to fully complete.

As we had performed well in the customers opinion they decided to give us some extra work which wasn’t in the original quote. We showed our experience in the garden also, undertaking the following:

Garden renovation, include landscaping, grass, sheds, tiling, exterior doors include entrance door as well;
Removing existing antiquated poor condition brick barbecue for more space with touch up painting;
Re-paint existing parts of the house such as window sills, foundation bricks etc;
Cleaning up and rubbish removal.

Half year later, we received a phone call were customer urgently ask us for a help to come back and refit new roof as a constantly leak start damaged already refurbished property by us. Undertaking the following:

Removed old and existing slates, membrane, battens;
Repair existing joists and install new roofing membrane and battens;
Repair some bricks on the side of the building and insulated some part of the roof properly where originally been notified to the customer;
Upgrading existing roof with roofing slates and coping.

So from now as we know roof in excellent condition, tenants are happy, and happy landlord getting paid on time without further delays due of this metter.

Apparently, what can be better receiving “Passed” receipts from the Building Control Organisation where you can feel free to go ensuring your customers will sleep safe and well.

This is one of the best projects in our experience, took us exactly 3 months from the beginning and we were happy to deliver service on time. Thank you to everyone who was responsible, sometimes working day and night to finish on time. Special thanks to Mr Vladas, who has been my friend and partner for many years.

If you are planning your project soon and you are considering who to employ, why not contact us.