What needs to be done here?

You come across as a very caring friend.

I'm sure the new owners will appreciate you starting this thread on the biggest public forum in Ireland.

I think the 90's is being too kind.

As others have said rewire.

New kitchen and bathroom.

Rip out all that wood and closets.

Wallpaper down.

Looks like some mould in one of the rooms , figure out cause and address it.

I don't think this is a house you could move into and do one room at a time. There's nothing there I'd say is salvageable.

Nothing has been done to that house since the 70’s I’d say, and that was to retrofit the heating.

It’s a complete gut. Make sure the roof is ok, the attic is dry, and start then to clear her out. Hard to know what condition the floors are in but you might get to keep the stairs.

Windows. Doors. Heating/Replumb, Electric rewire, insulation (wall and attic), plastering, new bathrooms, kitchen, doors/skirting, flooring.

Did they go into this with their eyes closed?

As mentioned already the work is going to be messy. So I wouldn't fancy living there while it's getting done.

I do think rewiring, bathroom and kitchen are priority especially with a young child.

Bathroom will be around 10-13k that's what I was quoted for mine, last month.

Kitchen, I haven't a clue but even essentials of white appliances you'd be looking at 1-2k and that's just going bog standard. I'm guessing as there's no pictures the kitchen is a shambles.

Chasing the wires for the electrics will mean each room will need to be replastered. I'd be very reluctant not to get the electrics sorted on a house that hasn't been updated in decades.

Old houses have a happy knack of giving you a few unwelcome surprises.

At a very conservative guess I doubt you'd have change from 50k especially if you don't have skills or someone who can do mates rates.

Take a full two weeks off, gut it & have some friends lined up for 2 day stents to assist. Large skip outside & fill up with all the wooden fittings.

Check floor for existing insulation, check to see if suspended timber floor.

Air out the whole house, the room with the damp seems to be due to a lack of ventilation, unless the roof gutter is leaking down the wall causing dampness in this way.

As above post you won't see change out of €50k for all the professional work.

It speaks volumes to the scale of how much money has been printed and how out of whack the housing market is that that thing can sell for 140k!

Personally speaking, buying a derelict house is fine, but if the area itself is not suitable, then I wouldn't do it. You also mentioned that they have a child. One could not live in that house whilst fixing it up with a baby present. Between the dust and the noise, it simply isn't suitable.

My parents got a rewire on their house when they bought it in 2005. It was a house built in the 1950s, so all the internal walls were solid brick. This meant that they had to be chased, and the dust created was brutal. There may be ways to keep it down, but it's a messy job one way or another.

OP

Was the house vacant before they bought. If it was empty for two years they are entitled to the house refurbishment grant. It's 50k. As well if there is structural issue there is another 20k available.

Finally they can also avail of SEAI grants. All in all if the house is vacant two years up to about 100k in grant assistance available. By the look of it it was empty.

That is the route your friends go

People's expectations have changed so much in the last few decades.

In the 1970s that would have been a perfectly acceptable house to live in - it even has central heating.

Once you get the heating working there is no reason why you couldn't live there - far from luxurious and the decor would be first to go. If you are any way handy and determined, over a couple of years you could get a lot of work done yourself, room by room.

Far preferable to living in a house share or with your parents.

To a certain extent I agree with you.

I have friends who put a tent up inside 😂 but they were bouyed up by youth, and the adventure of it all*.

In theory once you've running water you don't need a kitchen. You could survive with a slow cooker, camping stove, kettle and microwave, or a combination.

The electricity would bother me, I would prefer to have it up to code before moving in.

You can rough it to a certain degree, but they have a young child to think of too. The place needs to be safe for a child, plus personally I'd prefer a decent working bathroom especially when children are involved.

*They did say at the end they'd never do it again. It was fine at the beginning but inevitable delays etc pushed timelines back etc.

Trust me, I know what I am talking and that house needs replastering.

Well it wasn't that long ago my friends did it....I'm not that old 😂😂😂😂

Here are details on the scheme.

And here is SEAI grant details

The vacant property refurbishment grant is run by your local authority and the SEAI run the energy grants

Put the JFK photo back up over the fire. That, with the other lads hanging already should keep everything in good order.