What needs to be done here?

In terms of the area, if the worst thing that has happened was the IRA boosting a car back in 1998 for a bombing, it can't be too bad 25 years later. 😅

Sure, besides the fact that the back room looks like it was flooded at some point or had a serious leak in it. The state of that flooring versus the other rooms, the base of the wood paneling and the lino lifting in the hallway all seem to me like serious water damage.

Its a gut job either way, houses are not meant to be left unlived in and its clearly been sweating from hot cold cycling for years. Not sure why anybody would argue otherwise, if you put that up on the rental threads people would laugh at it as being unlivable.

And then you have the problem of either doing it right, or doing it wrong and then doing it right. The right way is to gut everything back to brick and wood, replace windows/doors, insulate everything, rewire, replumb, new heating system, re-plaster, then new kitchen/bathroom/flooring etc. And feel free to cheap out on everything else, like kitchen units, tiles, whitegoods etc. They are easy to upgrade in the future, the core of the house is not.

The surveyors report would highlight such major issues. I would assume they have bought the house with their eyes open, if indeed it was flooded.

Trying to diagnose flooding etc. from a small number of photos is assuming worst case scenario. 🤔

It's the fact that there are no photos of the kitchen or bathroom that's indicating worse case scenario.

You don't think the house is that bad, a view obviously shared by the new homeowners.

Everyone else is expressing an opinion on what they'd do to get the house up to a standard they would like for a family home.

For me, I'm very much "do it right first time" mostly because I'm lazy and I don't want to have to do it again in 5 years time.

For me I'd hire a home construction/renovation company and let them sort it out everything and bring the house to a modern day builders finish. That way you're not chasing individual trades people. Obviously that will bring the project in at a higher price, but for me paying someone else to deal with headaches would be worth it. (Though I honestly wouldn't have bought this house to begin with)

You could pay 3k or 50K+ for a new kitchen

If the vacant house grant is applicable that is the way to go if they can do without the house for 8-12 months

Yeah hopefully they can avail of every grant going. It will certainly take the sting out of the cost.

There's nothing in the OP's post that indicates the quality or the workmanship.

20k is a good middle of the road sum. On the good/fast/cheap triangle, I wouldn't cheap out too much on a kitchen, you'll only be replacing it in a few years.

That said, even the cheapest Ikea kitchen for that size is the bones of 3 or 4k delivered. Appliances are another 2k for basic stuff. Even a basic sink and tap is €300.

That's before floors, walls, electrics, and all the labour involved, and I guarantee the tiler costs more than the tiles.

The reason my dad did it himself was because he was quoted 21k for the work. The floor needed to come up and be relaid, so there was a fair amount to do, but it's still a lot.

The days of getting anything done cheaply are over. We can thank the state for that due to its lockdowns, money printing and other such chaos that it's chosen to create.

Traditionally the price of materials and labour were the same the noughties broke that link. However from 210-14 it was back again. Now its 2.5-4 times materials.

I doubt OP will be spending 15k not to mind 20k on a kitchen for that house. They have other priorities. I saw PC sums allowed for kitchens by builders lately none exceeded 12k and they were for a bigger house than that. The kitchen/ dining is 19X10 so it is narrow compared to houses build in the last 30 years. Also the house is in Monoghan and costs will not be Dublin or large urban centers costs that some are quoting here.

This house needs a fairy substantially refurbishment. It has two open fires the present central heating systems is at least 30 years old. The house needs new bathroom as well as windows and doors.

I be getting the SEAI audit in and apply for the refurbishment grant and go from there. I be budgeting 8-10k max for a kitchen, the same for the bathroom. I seriously consider an extension to allow for utility and downstairs toilet. But it would all be decided by my budget.

I think the PC sums are based on the minimum acceptable kitchen for new buyers, like the cheapest "good" kitchen they can source. The kitchen suppliers and fitters then make their money off the extras. Kitchen island, extra units, stone worktops, door handles etc.

There are two types of tired houses:

1. fundamentals are sound, insulated, recent enough plumbing, wiring. Needs a repaint and a new kitchen or bathroom
2. fundamental are not sound, looks like it just needs a repaint and a new kitchen or bathroom.

With tired option 2, you aren’t really any better off than the state of that existing house being discussed, except maybe you could move in and drag it out a few years and avoid the inevitable. In my experience you pay a lot more for option 2 above than a wreck like the OPs example, but the end result is almost the exact same.