Extending and redecorating the entire house.... Help !!!

[mumtosp]

Hi all,

After more than 2 years of searching for the perfect property, we have finally found one :) However, everything in the house needs updating and on top of that, we have decided to do a 6 metre extension downstairs.

We have an architect who has drawn up the plans and submitted it and we have almost decided on which builders to go with...
Now we have to plan every tiny detail and I don't know where to begin ! and it's stressing me out :( I keep jumping between looking at kitchens to looking at bathrooms to thinking about carpet or hardwood floors to deciding where to get the fitted wardrobes from .... it's a bit too overwhelming for me....

I am very exicited, but also worried about all the decisions I have to make!

Any advice on how to plan and decide for such a big remodel will be helpful. We will not be living in the property while the work is being done..

TIA :)

[lalalonglegs]

You are going to have several weeks/months of the house being a building site so, unless you are going for custom-made everything, you will have time to choose and plan. I find the easiest way to plan is to work out what money I have to spend and the easiest way to do that is to see how much of your budget goes on contingencies before you get to the nice bits - you may find your budget for the finishing touches might be significantly lower by then . Be nosy at friends' houses if they have something you like, ask them where they got it and how they rate it - get some basic plans for eg. kitchens priced up so you know what you can afford. Look in magazines so you can see what styles you are drawn to and take it from there. Never buy fittings too far in advance unless you have somewhere off-site to store them as they inevitably go missing/get damaged.

[mumtosp]

thanks for the tips LaLa :)

[Eachpeachpearplum1985]

Watching. We are about to do the same thing and I feel exactly the same as you. I'm hoping things become clear as we go along. I think as long as you have archtects plans you can go and get some ideas and prices for kitchen design. We are planning to do the bathroom as a priority as ours doesn't even have a bath in at the mo but we need to sort out the heating first as there is currently a big immersion heater in there. Aaah! We were told it would take 6 weeks from ordering the bathroom to the installation.

[mumtosp]

1985 I am sure it will all come together at the end... at least that's what I keep telling myself :)
6 weeks !!! arrggghhh.... I better order my bathroom soon then !

[cooper44]

do you use Pinterest mumtops? When I've done total renovations I have a board for each room - spend a an embarrassing amount of time pinning stuff I like and then try to plan each room like that.
LaLa is right - you won't have to make smaller decisions yet if you've got builders doing big work - but you will have to plan to a degree if you want electrics changed around or if you are putting in a completely new kitchen etc.
I think even if you really love renovation the endless decisions do get exhausting though.

[namechangedtoday15]

Do you have planning permission? Or do you not need it? I'd be wary of doing anything until the plans were signed off.

I think you need to have a clear idea of your budget and have worked through the fine details with the builder. The 'cost' can quickly become 'cost plus £x' when you factor in all the extras you didn't think about (extractor fans, boiler, radiators, electricity board, apparently roof tiles that are twice as expensive as normal tiles ) before you even get to the exciting bits like kitchens and tiles!