Home Extension Thread 2019 - The Extension

[TheFatberg]

Only a few posts left on the first thread of 2019, so here's a new one to get us started.

[TheFatberg]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/3524230-home-extension-thread-2019?pg=1&order=

Link to the previous thread.

[WhereDoesThisToiletGo]

Love the title!

[TheFatberg]

We're apparently almost at the end of a two storey extension - DIY kitchen arrives next week and after that the old kitchen can come out and become a utility room. Electricians are in this week and we've ordered our downstairs lights (the kitchen / dining room and living room are all open plan).

I think the decorators are in to do upstairs at some point soon too.

Current issue is that we now need to get new things for the rest of the house, to avoid it being like Big Brother series 3 with the rich house and poor house! Skirting boards and radiators, plus decoration and some new carpets.

My mantra - "it'll be lovely once it's done" - as I fight through dust and clutter.

[TheFatberg]

WhereDoesThisToiletGo thank you!

[WorrisomeHeart]

Thanks Fatberg! I can’t say we’ve broken ground unless you count the scaffolding. Flying back to NZ tonight for the funeral so really hoping to see progress once I’m back next week.

[northernruth]

Are you only allowed a certain number of posts per thread? Didn't know that!

Am I being an idiot to consider Wren Kitchens? Am off there later to look at their ice cream coloured new kitchens

[WorrisomeHeart]

Oh and in terms of doing work to the ‘old’ part of the house - ours will be very much a phased approach. We are going to include the skirting and finishes etc for the new side to be the ones we want eventually for the old side if that makes sense? I guess it will also depend on how much damage is done to the old side and what takes priority at the end of this phase. And also how much money (if any) is left..

[WorrisomeHeart]

northernruth I’ve heard really bad things about Wren customer service, although no personal experience. And even good ones can go sour - look at the current state of DIY Kitchens!!

[WorrisomeHeart]

@TheFatberg - are you getting concerned about your DIYK delivery? Have you had confirmation from them? I really hope it goes ok!

[TheFatberg]

WorrisomeHeart we were told last week that they're making the kitchen this week so I'm hoping that's still the case. My partner has been dealing with them so I've sent him a text now checking!

Northernruth you're only allowed 1000 posts per thread, so 40 pages.

[avocuddl]

Thanks for the new thread @TheFatberg ! Shall we mark it with a lil summary of where we are?

We have planning for rear and 2 story side extension. We are starting in September with the rear part and have chosen to landscape the garden instead of scraping around for the funds for the side bit! Hopefully do that next year.

Kitchen designers (howdens) are coming today and tile samples arrived this morning (thanks Soaked!) current fave hopefully attached!

Would like to do the rest of the house fatberg, but will probably do it once we've done the side too.

[shalalala]

@northernruth we've just installed a Wren kitchen and I've been impressed. I was a bit nervous about going with them after reading lots of horror stories but they had the best design and look for what we wanted (am super picky!). But I have had nothing to worry about and it looks totally fab. We had our own kitchen fitter and sourced our worktop/splashback/upstands elsewhere as I didn't like Wren's selection.

[avocuddl]

I think I'd like new internal doors in the rest of the house, think it makes such a difference

[WhereDoesThisToiletGo]

@WorrisomeHeart , I''m sorry to hear about the funeral, you did say a few days back that your (?) grandfather was seriously ill.

[WhereDoesThisToiletGo]

I'd love new internal doors but settled for new S Steel handles throughout instead. But I admit the modern handles don't look quite right with the traditional 6 panel doors, so it hasn't quite been the modernising upgrade I had hoped.

[northernruth]

@shalalala thanks for that - I've been searching and searching for a particular style of kitchen and had almost given up/ compromised but they've just launched a style that is spot on. We will have our own fitters so that might help. Am off to look at the showroom today

[WhereDoesThisToiletGo]

Just ordered 4 shades of blue samples in the Alusplash .

Also got samples for blinds and really happy with them, especially the price

[avocuddl]

Sorry to hear about your grandfather. Hope it goes as well as it can

[PazRaz10]

Thanks for the new thread. We've pretty much finished a ground level kitchen, utility open plan living dining room extension - affecting every room and space downstairs! I still like coming here to see how your're getting on and to offer any experiences I have as you all go along!
We haven't really modernised the rest of the house. We did decide swap out some doors downstairs that weren't budgeted for to make them all match (they don't match the upstairs ones!), and we also brought forward the upstairs radiator upgrade as it seemed sensible whilst the ceilings were off downstairs to redo upstairs pipes and radiators.
I also like that the whole house had been plumbed by the same guys, so if anything goes wrong we know who to call! They are also going to upgrade our upstairs bathroom in the future and so they will know about the rest of the pipework.

[soakedat3]

Love the terrazzo tile avo. V on trend! And I can see "my" marble one in background . Are you thinking terrazzo for splashback?

Thanks for starting new thread @TheFatberg. I didn't know that about mumsnet threads.

Summary for us : one storey kitchen and utility extension at rear. We have managed foundations but at a strange standstill. No idea why but apparently concrete is coming this afternoon again. I'll leave them to it. My current stay sane mantra is thank god they get paid in installments!!

New dad builder is coming around to tiling up to ceiling at cooking side. We still have not finished our decide lights and power homework.

[soakedat3]

Wheredoes what kind of blinds are you getting? I've not thought that far yet!

[PazRaz10]

@soakedat3 With regards to lighting, could you ask the electrician to come round to discuss - ours was excellent at talking it through. It was also good to hear his knowledge about lighting placement and shadows - ie at night, chopping at the counter/island and not being able to see cause your body is casting a shadow - at this point I left him too it and he placed them where he thought best!
Be aware that lights can quite easily be moved too - following our ceiling being plastered, I realised that the pendants were too far apart and they just moved one of them. As long as you are following the same ceiling joist or moving to another one, it can be done.
It's this kind of thing I wish I had known, as it felt the most pressured decision to get right at the time, but actually it was fine to move it when it wasn't quite right! Also first fix electrics doesn't have to be the final layout - they just need to roughly know where to run the lines - i.e how may locations they need electricity running to!

[avocuddl]

Yes Soaked I ordered these on a whim as I thought I was set on the marble but now I really like it! They are 60x60 tiles though but I think it could work!

[WhereDoesThisToiletGo]

It's one of these zebra blinds @soakedat3

www.blinds-2go.co.uk/enjoy-roller-blinds/20444/enjoy-vision-luxe-cumulus.html?q=enjoy&is_v=1

someone recommended them on last thread so i ordered some samples. Cumulus looks rubbish on the site but the sample is lovely.

Blinds are quite tricky as our kitchen is very dark- we have no south light at all. Very small east window which faces the road so we need privacy when making early cup of tea, north facing French windows which don't do much, and 2 small west facing windows which allow setting sun straight in your eyes when eating evening meal, and will shine on TV in extended room.
So we need to be able to easily adjust the light during the day, it needs to be blocked at certain times yet allowed fully in at others.

[soakedat3]

@avocuddl, if you try to match the colour with grout you could aim to have it look like single slab of stone which is such a luxe look. I looked at larger marble tiles to try and get it but in the end thought it might be too much for our kitchen as worktops will be marble-esque also.

Our kitchen is north facing so we will also have a light issue WhereDoes. I am considering no blinds.