Buying a home and don't know how anything works

[spanglechick]

Meant to say, unless you’re going to make holes in the floor and then lie on it face down, using your lungs to hoover up the dust, I wouldn’t worry about the tiles being asbestos.

 

[miss direct]

The survey didn't say anything about the tiles, because when the survey took place, there was still a carpet.

The owner's brother was there today, which was really helpful, as he answered all my questions and showed me how things work. He said the only reason they took the carpets up (they've also gone from the stairs and upstairs landing) was because an estate agent (not the one I usually deal with) told them to (?!)

Now I've been reminded of the stairs...

 

[miss direct]

What do I do with these?



You can't see on the photo, but the bottom step got chewed by a dog and is misshapen.

 

[Cid]

What do I do with these?

View attachment 267787

You can't see on the photo, but the bottom step got chewed by a dog and is misshapen.

Again I reckon just call a carpet fitter, send them pics and dimensions.

There's one called Mick E Rooney...

(I hasten to add I have no idea who he is, though he has positive google reviews).

 

[Cid]

Removing all the bloody carpets might have been a negotiating tool if you'd known. Still, swings and roundabouts with these things.

 

[miss direct]

They left the ones in the bedrooms, which are in good enough condition. My Romanian friend's brother in law does carpets, will nudge her to get him to give me a quote. I had fancy ideas about stair things...forgot the name... this sort of thing: Moroccan stair decal | Etsy

 

[bellaozzydog]

I’ve blagged an electrician to do the safety checks on the new flat. Helpfully he’s the neighbour who ran into my car last month and a top chap, so when he’s in (about 5 hours apparently) I’ll be able to bob in and have a good long mooch around

 

[cybershot]

I'm not sure. Would that be in some of the paperwork somewhere? Current owners moved in in 1995. It's certainly not particularly old.

The person that did your survey should have picked it up. However. If the sellers still had the carpet down at the time of the survey then he wouldn’t have known about it either as he’s not going to go and start ripping up peoples carpets. I’d talk to your solicitor about it and get professional advice. You could try your luck if it is asbestos that the sellers put carpet back down or take £xxx whatever the cost of carpet is off the sale price.

Depends a) how much of a pain in the arse you want to be b) if you want to slow down the process even more by haggling over carpet.

 

[miss direct]

I really can't be bothered to do that. The sellers seem like decent people who are now renting themselves.

 

[Cid]

They left the ones in the bedrooms, which are in good enough condition. My Romanian friend's brother in law does carpets, will nudge her to get him to give me a quote. I had fancy ideas about stair things...forgot the name... this sort of thing: Moroccan stair decal | Etsy

With all these things there's an element of what you're prepared to do, and what you're likely to do. You could totally clean those stairs up, replace the treads if they need it, decorate the risers... Conversely if you're getting someone in to fit carpet, and the quote is low you might think 'sod it, I was never going to get that done, might as well get it out the way'. You have to find a line between just clinically getting stuff done, and making yourself projects.

Stairs are purely a transit space, so it doesn't matter hugely whether you get them done now (although splinters/staples), whereas there are pretty big advantages to getting the living room carpet out of the way. So kind of down to you as to when you do it.

Tradespeople often know other tradespeople. Assuming your friend's BIL is actually a nice person and decent at what he does, you can mention the bathroom, and other bits you might want done. It may just be a case of getting the ball rolling.

 

[Cid]

And, though it's not always a comfortable way of thinking about things, remember this isn't your forever home and getting it done in a way that it's easy for the next person to see themselves moving in is an advantage. That's not a criticism of the riser decorations incidentally, rather like them (though, being a snob and an idiot, I would probably buy actual antique tiles and spend all my evenings for a month trying to do them nicely).

 

[miss direct]

Can I get access to the home before completion to do carpets?

 

[Cid]

Can I get access to the home before completion to do carpets?

Probably not to actually fit them... Depends on what the seller says. I don't know how it would pan out exactly legally. It would be unusual, but who knows? You could arrange for FBIL to measure up and quote at least, assuming whoever has access doesn't mind.

 

[Glitter]

Can I get access to the home before completion to do carpets?

You can ask. Our buyer has asked us the same question since the house is empty.

We have said yes, as long as they understand that it is entirely at their own risk. If they’ve fitted carpets and the sale collapses for some reason we won’t pay for them.

 

[Cid]

Also bear in mind that trades often have jobs queued up, so it's worth working out the basics well in advance.

 

[Cid]

And there's a bit of 'since the carpets are gone, I'd really like to be able to do work before I move in, I understand it's at my risk' card you can play.

 

[quiet guy]

With the floor tiles it's not the tile that is the problem it's the mastic that they used to stick them down which usually has the asbestos containing materials (ACM) in it. If you ever have to drill through these then you can spray some foam down (shaving foam works well) which will capture the drill hole dust and then you can wipe it away with a cloth and dispose of it in a bag.

 

[WouldBe]

Oh and any half-decent decorator should have no problem painting a room that's already carpeted. I think usually people will do floors before decorating (in case it involves moving skirtings, or the paint gets damaged during install).

My parents had a carpet fitted with a very stiff Hessian backing that the fitters called a paint stripper as it was capable of stripping wallpaper or paint if they allowed it to rub against the walls.

 

[miss direct]

Forgot the best bit. There's a bird house attached to the wall in the outside area, and there's a blue tit nesting inside. I've already been reading about when the eggs hatch. Wonder if I'll be in there by then. I want to feed them caterpillars.

 

[bellaozzydog]

Can I get access to the home before completion to do carpets?

Pretty much anything is negotiable with the vendor via the estate agent. No harm in asking

 

[hash tag]

The asbestos talk is bothering me. I have no intention of removing the tiles - either cleaning them and putting a big rug down, and then maybe getting a fitted carpet when the weather gets colder. As I understand it, potential asbestos isn't an issue unless you start fiddling with it.

Asbestos - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[miss direct]

Asbestos - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

I vaguely know what it is. We had to give the buyer of dads place a hefty discount due to potential asbestos.

 

[hash tag]

Can I get access to the home before completion to do carpets?

Barring disasters, it does not become virtually yours until after you have exchanged contracts. At that time, you become responsible for it, the insurance etc. Before then, the vendors have no legal and financial obligation to sell it to you. What if you recarpwt it and they pull out?

 

[miss direct]

Barring disasters, it does not become virtually yours until after you have exchanged contracts. At that time, you become responsible for it, the insurance etc. Before then, the vendors have no legal and financial obligation to sell it to you. What if you recarpwt it and they pull out?

True. I think it's very unlikely though. They've already moved out and are renting.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

You can send off a little chip of the material you think might be asbestos and get it checked.

Really?!?! I'd have thought you'd need to get someone in to check. Asbestos removal - or the removal of something that might possibly/probably be asbestos really should really be left to the professionals.

Where have you seen that service advertised, that suggests/recommends people chip off bits of tile or wall covering that potentially contains asbestos? Testing is usually done in situ, so fair as I'm aware, by specialists.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

I've got a long list to take with me tomorrow, and will also take a measuring tape.

I went round some second hand furniture places today and have seen so many things I want. Including the exact model of rocking chair I am willing to pay full price for, for just £40. I may have to go back tomorrow and buy that...

Really hope it's the estate agent I know who lets me in tomorrow so I can pump her for inside information.

Actually allowed myself to buy a few bits for the new place since Debenhams has a big sale on. Never mind that I got a table cloth before I even have a table.

Re second hand furniture places. They will often let you put a deposit down or pay for it in full, pending collection or delivery. So if you see something you really like and/or spot an absolute bargain, and you're worried it will be sold before you can go back with a friend with a car, ask if you can put a deposit down/pay for it to secure the item.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

They look a bit like the asbestos floor tiles I once had to deal with.

Lots of non-asbestos floor tiles look similar mind.

The estate where my flat is in Manchester, I think all of the flats have vinyl type tiles like this under carpets or laminate flooring, but when the housing did some testing about a decade ago during a modernisation project, it turned out that on at least one street, possibly two streets, the tiles were the kind with asbestos in, and in one or two streets, they were just vinyl tiles, no asbestos.

You can't tell by looking, they have to be tested.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

I bet you haven't got a tap coming out the kitchen ceiling like I have.

That sounds rather special. I think we need to see pics.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Oh and any half-decent decorator should have no problem painting a room that's already carpeted. I think usually people will do floors before decorating (in case it involves moving skirtings, or the paint gets damaged during install).

I've just spent a lot of money having two rooms painted in pale colours. And then I got one of the rooms carpeted and the carpet fitters have either rubbed against the wall with the carpet or with their bodies or dirty hands and there's three or four dirty smudges.

I've heard of something called 'magic eraser' in housey Facebook groups that's supposed to be good at getting marks off paintwork, so I'm going to try to get one of those.

And, yeah, that's why I did it that way round, because I thought you were supposed to do walls then flooring.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Have you had the survey back? What did they say about the floor?

Tiles that look like that are really common anywhere with concrete floors. I had them in my first flat, and I have them here. My mum called them “encaustic” tile, though no idea if that’s right. You can’t really take them up, but you can cover them with carpet, wood, a nice polished concrete like all the cool kids have these days... if you’re going to have a rug you could paint the exposed edges with white (or whatever) floor paint, which would brighten things up a bit. Floor paint over those tiles won’t work forever in a high traffic area like a hall or kitchen, but is perfect around the edges of a rug, or in a bedroom. Just painting the edges is a totally legitimate thing to do. Ask anyone who’s tried to restore floorboards in a Victorian house. They were all over that “edges only” hack. It does make you wonder how bad that carpet must’ve been, though.

I think the ones miss direct shared a photo of are vinyl (or potentially vinyl and/or asbestos), I don't think they're encaustic.

Encaustic tiles are more like the colourful patterned pottery type tiles that you see in the porch and hallway of Victorian terraces, rather than these big square plain-ish vinyl with maybe some streaks through them.

My Manchester flat's ex-council with those kind of vinyl tiles under the carpet. I'm lucky not to have the asbestos type in my block, but neighbours in a different street so have the asbestos-containing type, apparently.

ETA: Yeah, floor paint works like you said, not great in high traffic areas. The previous tenants before me had painted kitchen floor. I've painted on top of their paint. It's scratched a bit, but I knew it wouldn't last forever and I plan to get the kitchen redone at some point anyway. But as a temporary stop gap, floor paint is even okay in a kitchen - although it might be better to get some cheap lino in a kitchen. I decided to paint my kitchen floor in a chequerboard pattern (on top of a taupe colour), which involved lots and lots of masking tape and faffing around.