In a word? Moneypit.
It might be an exaggeration to say that there wasn’t a single horizontal building element in the whole place - but not overly so. Slanted window sills, sagging floors, tilted architraves, the bowed ridgeboard - all pointing to underlying skeletal decay. Given the same problems in neighbouring properties on the terrace, my guess would be poor (or no) foundations.
You could probably get around the wierd layout inside, which sees a narrow stairs wend its way upwards such that there are steps into just about every upper room (if you want to go from one front bedroom to the other front bedroom you need go down three steps, across a landing, down 4 or so steps, across a small landing and up 5 or so steps!!). 4 beds (two generous enough) and a cramped bathroom would distill down into a modern three bed + decent bathroom + small study/storage room. Period features inside are limited to a bit of cornicing in the front room and hall, a couple of fireplaces and four panel doors throughout.
At mid-floor (entrance) level, opening up the wall at the end of the hall would lead you more conveniently into a reasonable, but not that spacious, kitchen/dining room.That, and the sunny living room to the front completes the main living floor. Due to the stairs dividing the house laterally, you can’t really break through from the front living room into kitchen/diner area - so would be left with a northerly illuminated kitchen. It sounds like a big house sq ft wise, but division of that space over three floors detracts sustantially from practical functionality.
Basement level consists of two large rooms: the front smelling dry, the rear smelling bedsit damp. Ceiling here about 7ft high but functional all the same.
Generous enough garden (accessed via crumbling rendered brick stairs from middle floor or from the basement) with the sash-windowed garage at the end of the garden on the verge of collapse.
This is a from-the-ground-up renovation job including, I can’t but conclude, a new double apex roof with the near certainty of some unpleasant surprises in the brickwork once the crumbling render/plasterwork is removed. Plus windows all round. Plus much plastering of walls and ceilings. To start with.
The heavy set bay window, which wouldn’t look out of place on Omaha beach, the poorly proportioned ‘church’ effect windows, the equally oddly proportioned arch over the hall door - as well as the inner layout generally - are all suggestive of an amateur at work. This would go someway to explain the poorly performing structural aspects.
There’s an offer in of 200k but to my mind, I’d prefer to pay 100K more and start off with something that was both better built to begin with as well as being a little more attractive and perhaps better located … so as to make all the effort worthwhile.
