Windows or bathroom?

5 years ago

Help! We have a limited budget which needs to be spread as far as possible. To make the biggest impact, we had hoped to be able to replace all of the (tired, yellow, flimsy) metal windows, paint the outside of the house and also redo the main bathroom. However it looks like we only have the budget to do either the windows or the bathroom, not both. We will probably paint the exterior either way but the colour will depend on the windows.

If we do the windows, we would install more solid, white powder coated windows and the house colour could then be updated to a fresher pale green and white palette rather than the traditional yellow and red. At the moment the main bathroom is an internal room with 2 light tubes and bright blue 80's decor. We would really like to move it so it has an exterior window and then update with modern fixtures and tiles.

The quote for the painting and windows seem reasonable for the amount of work involved and would leave some funds left over to do the ensuite. The quote for the bathroom is huge and, although we have been told by the agent that the bathroom really needs to be done, I'm struggling to justify the cost. There would be nothing left over if we did the bathroom.

I've attached a photo of the exterior and also the bathroom. I'd appreciate any feedback as to how you think we should proceed. Thanks!

Comments (5)

oklouise
5 years ago
you mentioned the "agent"...are you renovating for sale or yourselves? is the bathroom functional and safe to use? what parts of the outside would be painted and is the bathroom upstairs or down?
dorsetemma thanked oklouise
PRO
Dr Retro House Calls
5 years ago
Your bathroom looks dated, but functional. I wouldn't renovate it if you are planning on selling in the short term as you won't see a return on it. You would get more bang for your buck in the long term and short term by working with the exterior and the windows. Replacing your windows also gives you the opportunity to have less drafts and more energy efficient windows which will help you on heating and cooling costs.

Potential buyers look at the exterior of the house before the bathroom, and first impressions do count for a lot,

Best of luck,

Dr Retro

of Dr Retro House Calls
dorsetemma thanked Dr Retro House Calls
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dorsetemma
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you both for your comments. Sorry - I should have said that, whilst we are not looking to sell, there is always a chance with work commitments that we may have to move on and so we always try to renovate with an eye on needing to sell, even if it may not happen. The agent was the agent who sold the house to us, who later told us that one of the issues other potential buyers had was the location of the bathroom, which is in the centre of the house downstairs. At the moment the bathroom is safe and functional, just in the wrong place and dated. If we painted outside, we would paint the whole house.
legendaryflame
5 years ago
I think I would do the outside painting, windows and ensuite and live with bathroom.
dorsetemma thanked legendaryflame
Kate
5 years ago
Work out your future layout with the bathroom moved then get your windows done first, making sure you reflect the new plan in window placement. new windows should save you heating and cooling costs.
dorsetemma thanked Kate

Windows or bathroom?

Comments (5)

oklouise

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Windows or bathroom?

Comments (5)

oklouise

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legendaryflame

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dorsetemma
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