Slate flooring

Hi guys

I'm looking to make an offer on a property that has a large area (kitchen, dining and family lounge) with slate flooring. It goes well with the high arched ceiling and timber panelling. Traditional look to the house. But, I'm a little unsure because it seems removing them could be costly down the track if I wish to replace them with floating floorboards. Of course if I were to subdivide then I need to demolish the whole house as it sits on the entire block itself.

Demolish then build 2 houses if numbers stack up in the future.

Comments?

 

Slate tiles jackhammer up OK if you want to remove at some future point. I hired a Kanga for 1 day to do mine some years ago. It was like cutting butter with a hot knife.

 

32.76sqm in area. Quite a big area to jackhammer.

 

@robbie_p is an expert I believe

Also a big area to cover with new flooring!

 

Slate is back in fashion

 

Where's the high arched ceiling?
Example Arched:


Example Vaulted:


Where's the timber paneling?
Example:


Why would you replace slate with floating floorboards?
I mean, FF's look good but feel pretty average when walking on them, at least slate has solid, quality feel to it despite being a bit dated. Depending on the suburb, slate can look great with a modern country styled kitchen:

 

@Jake Milne those pictures look so good!!! It's more like vaulted ceiling (half) and it's not as good looking at the pictures you posted. The right side of the picture which is a wall covered with timber panelling from top to bottom. The other areas are carpeted. I have not put an offer yet at this stage. It's in Victoria.

 

At least your slate is laid nicely. Ours was laid somewhat rustically.

 

I haven't done a B and P yet. My wife likes the slate flooring and wants it to stay. Yours seem okay to me?

 

Ah okay. It sounds like a late 1960's/ early 70's slant or jigsaw style house. I'm guessing the wall is more of a internal timber cladding like this:


Which was popular in this period.

 

should I paint it or leave it as an IP? Now, I am starting to dream about renovating it to look like a PPOR. Hahaa

 

Don't have enough information to comment, you'd best be speaking to a local property manager and some agents to find out what the house would be worth in rent/ value after a cosmetic kitchen/ bathroom upgrade. Then obtain some quotes for work. Finally do the math and find out if there's enough gain to warrant the work and loss of income while it takes place.

 

Our grout lines are different widths - 1-2cm. The slate tiles are not flat in themselves and not laid flush either. We have the same area as in your picture plus long passage and laundry. We live with them fine but I don't like the look. If we were to redo the kitchen then the floor would come up.

 

after seeing those pictures @Jake Milne posted...now I can see great potential to make it a real nice home (paint alone will make such a difference to windows etc) There are 2 fireplaces in this property, spacious. It does look boring from the outside but once inside, the space and layout draws me to it.

 

Could be worse. What about slate feature wall?

 

Oh no...

 

Ok guys, I am going to make an offer on the Victorian property I looked at. The agent mentioned a figure that might seal the deal but I am thinking of making an offer $5K less, and subject to Finance, Building and Pest inspection, valuation...45 days settlement. Will this annoy the agent and vendor?

 

First, don't be one of those people that makes an offer blindly. You need to establish as much information as possible, as quickly as possible so you are in control. Disregard the selling agents price and sentiment initially to focus on your own values. Then sell to the agent using evidence why your offer is a good one and get him/ her on your side by agreeing.

Things to consider:

What suburb is it in, Is that suburb a buyer's or sellers market?
Is the property going to auction?
Is the contract from the REIV or a private solicitor?
Have you had a solicitor review the contract?
Have there been any other written offers on the property?
If so, what were they and why has the property not sold?
What is the vendor's motivation for moving?
What is the vendor's timeline for settlement?
What will the vendor do with the money from this property?
Is this the vendor's PPOR?
How long have they owned the property?
What does a 3rd party appraisal think the property is worth?
What would a valuer think the property is worth?
What are the most comparable sales, and how much did they sell for?
How much is the cost per square metre, how does that compare to other sales?
What problems does the house have that need fixing?
What timeline is best for you?
What special conditions do you want to protect you?

Basically once you've got answers to those questions (which are just the basics) you'll be in a position to start negotiating. Put forward the offer that is most favourable to you first. Then you can give the agent concessions to make the offer better for the vendor. It's not just about price even though that will be the main factor.

 

That's pretty fancy.
Would probably cost quite a bit these days.