We’ve just bought a big old Victorian house, previously run as a 22 bed nursing home. We are having great fun discovering the covered up features.

So far we’ve taken up a wheelchair ramp and found a terrazzo floor, taken out a lift and discovered a wood panelled stairwell, and pulled down a false ceiling to find an additonal 3ft of wall frieze and cornice, with a 9ft plaster archway.

I’ve put a blog together, and thought it would be of interest to some on here.

I’m also trying to delve into the history of the place, so would appreciate any advice on the best way to go about this.

Hope you enjoy…

Lynwood Renovation

Took me 11 years to strip my hallway….

Interesting project 🙂

Not Cheep at all, I’d imagine!

looks interesting. full of admiration for people who renovate like you , I could never be bothered !

Nice place! Good luck. 🙂

(The ‘Next Post’ buttons on the blog don’t seem to work, but I’m sure that’s the least of your worries!)

Very nice! Good luck with it.

And now, what don’t you make your way on over to the Waht’s your expertise thread and add ‘building work’? 😉

Perilously close to Burnage…! 😉

Just kidding. It’s a super location (I spent 10 years in Didsbury) and what a project! You definitely need to go heavy on the photos. Would be good to see the current layout/floorplan and the intended finished version so we can track your progress.

How long do you plan for it to take? Is Kevin McCloud visiting? Is Mrs Cheep pregnant yet? 😉

A nursing home. I wonder how many people have died in those rooms?

Sleep soundly……

I’ve added this to my favourites as I do love a good building thread.

9 years ago we, complete with 4 month old baby, viewed a similar property that had once been part of the local Victorian asylum complete with window bars! The estate agent questioned our sanity.

We moved away from the area 2 years later and their will still skips outside.

Good luck with it. It looks like you have the potential for a stunning property there.

Friends bought an old manor house that had been turned into 18 DHSS flats on the IOW, renovation took them the best part of 8 years, but the house is stunning and valuation is 6x what they purchased it for.

WOW! That is a renovation project of epic proportions! Thanks for sharing and good luck with the works.

You are very brave taking on something as big as this. We renovated our 1960’s 3 bed semi and that was hard work! I’m sure it will be absolutely stunning once you’re finished. ‘Tis a propa hoos that ^^^!

I’m impressed already. Plans look fantastic. Are you building and selling on the two new builds as well?

Impressive makes my current project look like a walk in the park!

American Horror Story…

Good work. 8 weeks into mine and we’re still yet to complete a room. Chimney sweep arriving next week so hopefully be able to re-instate the wood burner in the current living room and allow us to move furniture to get into the others

Good work!

My parent bought a six bed ex-nursing home in 1976 when I was just 11.

It had been repossessed, then squatted in and then empty for two years and had the planks nailed across the windows etc.

Me and my dad’s first task was to rip up all the carpets and take them down to the local dump in our Ford Anglia estate. I can still remember the stench as I hung my head out of wide open the passenger window.

But it was worth it in the end as will yours be. I’m by no means an expert but with something the size of yours I would recommend prioritising and tackling small areas at a time e.g. get the kitchen done first and then the living room etc.

They don’t need to be perfect, just enough to allow you to live a normal life so you don’t feel like your whole existence is on a building site you can always revisit and upgrade as you get more of an idea of what you want.

I bet it stinks of piss 😯

Good project – should keep you busy for a while!

Haha, yes it stinks. I think squirrels have died in the loft in the extension too. Flies everywhere. Will be great when the carpets go, but for the time being they are protecting the floorboards.
Thanks for the comments.
We are hoping to get it habitable in three months, to get a mortgage, and then spend until Christmas getting it finished. We probably won’t even touch the cellars and loft for the foreseeable.
Haven’t met any ghosts yet, but there is a crucifix in the crawl space under the hall. Jesus looking worse for wear with smashed arms and legs.
A local builder has bought the plots either side and is building on those independently. Shame, but only way to make it affordable!

Great project OrmanCheep – best of luck. I don’t live too far away, some beautiful old houses around Heaton Moor.
THere was a similar place went at the top of Heaton Moor Rd recently, abar 700K, maybe you saw it? Epic looking place outside but basically derilect inside.

Fantastic project, I’ll be following this one with interest.

Out of interest, did the nursing home hand over an asbestos register with the sale? (fire lining to lift shaft!?)

No, they didn’t hand over an asbestos survey, but they had one done for all communal areas some time previously, and advised me they didn’t know of any asbestos.
I had an exhaustive one done before exchange. Only asbestos found was in the soffit in the extensions. I even had a second survey done on the fireboard, and no asbestos confirmed.

There has been a bat survey done already, and a nesting bird survey done yesterday. Both found no evidence of bats / nesting birds.

Everything is going so smoothly, I’m just waiting for the bomb to drop.

Garry_Lager – Member
Great project OrmanCheep – best of luck. I don’t live too far away, some beautiful old houses around Heaton Moor.
THere was a similar place went at the top of Heaton Moor Rd recently, abar 700K, maybe you saw it?

Yes Garry, great place, but needed an awful lot spending on it, and was going for about £830k.

Did you see the huge one on Mauldeth Road / Clifton Rd? This One…

Used to belong to the Lord Mayor of Manchester. Even has blunderbus on the wall, and various animals heads. More like a museum than a home.

Good luck with your project it will go well as you bought it on my 50th birthday. Cheers 1 shed.

We’re on week 4 of downstairs renovation, hope to be moved back in at the weekend. Tiring isn’t the word…

You’re mad!

Will be following with interest! Great to see a building like this getting renovated, not just pulled down.

I’m renting at the moment – so am v-jealous!

Have been so busy, but I’ve been playing catch up tonight, and have put a few updates on the blog.

Lynwood Renovation Project

I think if I’d had a proper plan and budget, I’d have died from the stress by now.

Luckily I’m taking a more laid back approach. All I’ve said is that we’ll be in by Christmas. I haven’t made the mistake of specifying which Christmas.

AMAZING ormancheep…… deeply impressed and equally jealous.

What struck me was the sheer footprint of what you were demolishing – more than the size of the average house! What’s left looks great though.

Are you going to try to restore the brickwork on the north (?) elevation…. or are you rendering or something?

What are you going to do with the fire escape? I imagine that’s probably worth a few bob.

Yes, batfink, we are underway with bricking up the north side. We salvaged 2500 original bricks from the demolition, so are using these. We are putting in new windows, and brick arches above/ brick plinths below. Just very slow going at the moment. Brickies are in high demand!

The demo guy will keep the fire escape (it was factored in to his costs).

Have you tried britainfromabove.org for photos? Might get something side on (you never know). Or local Facebook group/ newspaper might turn something up.

That looks like an epic task you’ve taken on. It will look stunning once completed. I get stressed painting our two bedroom house.

There’s a local historian on the Chorlton Facebook group, I’ll see if I can remember who he is and drop him a message for you and see if he’s got any old pictures.

top stuff this.

it will be epic when done looking at that…but will it ever be finished 😀

Looks great, but a shame the front is on the side and obscured by the new house. Big loss of kerb appeal I imagine, but hey ho, as you say the end justifies the means.

It’s going to takes AGES getting all the details finished, but you know that and it’ll all be worth it in the end. Good luck!