Panacea PMR’s Top 10 Tips for Property Renovations 

Renovating an older property can be complex but follow our top 10 tips and you could save yourself a heap of trouble and unwelcome surprises!


1) Your first job should be to assess the condition of the building and complete a building report which will identify any essential repairs needed. Also carry out further checks in the event of:

• Infestation
  
• Subsidence
  
• Damp
  
• Drainage
  

2) If a property has been empty for a period of time there will inevitably be some dilapidation. Ensure you protect the building by ensuring it is watertight and make sure your property is secured against unlawful entry while it is unoccupied.

3) Check for any grants of tax concessions that may be available with the local council and central government.

4) Be sure to identify at an early stage which work will require consent such as planning permissions or building regs approval.

5) Ensure the property is structurally sound and if necessary arrange for underpinning or piling work to improve the existing foundations and additional measures to prevent further collapse. Only when the building is stable should you begin any demolition work and arrange for disposal of waste.

6) Older buildings will likely have solid walls rather than cavity walls and can often suffer with damp. Where necessary improve drainage and improve ventilation before treating any rising damp. Make sure the roof is sound and replace missing tiles and repair lead flashings, guttering and windows.

7) Check all drainage and service connections and organise site access before commencing any major building work such as extensions.

8) Carry our external works before undertaking outside decoration.

9) Proceed to first fix  wiring and plumbing work before re-plastering of ceilings and walls.

10) Lay fixed flooring such as tiles and solid wood floors before starting on the second fix and starting on  final interior decoration and snagging.

For further information visit our property renovation page of our website