Home insurance, urgent help if anyone can

[TheApprenticeAdult]

The facts are, building extension started about 10 yrs ago. Massive problems with builders, got it to a point of structural safety, dispensed of builders. Huge events ran parallel in my personal life and I could only then cope with baby steps in progressing the house situation after the mess we were left in. Had a new builder in doing the bits needed piecemeal (as we lived here too) and I was dealing with other life changing things so couldn't devote full attention to it, so chose things which would have the most impact on us living here. 2nd builder stopped working after he lost a child, understandably, while my own life was in turmoil outside of all this going on so no more work was undertaken. Had structural survey done a few years ago to double check structure sound, it was.

Home insurance people have stayed same throughout (been with them over 20 years) No claims made. Nothing has changed this last 7 years. Insurance due to renew agsin & suddenly there is a chance they might decide not to insure us! I don't understand as no risks have changed.

So PLEASE if anyone has knowledge of this area are there any specialist insurers who might be an alternative for us? I've googled & found one but they want full past costings & future costings for remaining work (it'd take months to get quotes etc and I'm not in a good place to pick this up again yet, terminal parent amongst other things, the house wotks will need my full attention).

Wtf can I do? I feel like I'm at risk of being uninsured for my actual house & want to cry. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Helpful posts only please, I'm feeling really sick & stressed.

What do you need to do to get to the point of building regs being signed off (they couldn't care less about decoration, and exposed brick as long as electricals, gas etc are fully finished) if you have a time scale your insurance is more likely to give you an extension.

Unfortunately you have already exceeded the normal time limit for insurance, my insurance gave me 12 months to finish mine before cover would lapse - can you see their point?

But it hasn't- its currently been referred for checks or whatever they've been told. She can just phone them and say don't worry I've sorted a new policy - done. And unless the new policy specifically has an issue with unplastered walls etc then she's done nothing wrong.

Home insurance people have stayed same throughout (been with them over 20 years) No claims made. Nothing has changed this last 7 years. Insurance due to renew agsin & suddenly there is a chance they might decide not to insure us!

Is that because they've only just found out that for the last 10 years you've been having extensive building work done, with all the additional risks that entails?

No I have communicated at each and every stage, since before the initial work even began. They've known every stage as soon as I've known. I've been honest & open the entire time.

Yes to a degree I can if they'd given me the same time limit at the start, but I was never given a time limit & they never added one as eg the knew the project was put on hold.

What makes a house not mortgageable?! I believe it's not without a bathroom but don't know regards kitchens.

The kitchen extension makes to old kitchen bigger, so think old kitchen rectangular, extension removed outside wall, to make it a bigger rectangle. So original sockets still in old kitchen. Extension part has sink & washer plumbing with drainage done. It has no working electrics in the extension half but as it's a bog room essentially with one half new one half old, the old half has electrics. Am I mortgageable?!

You could try Tysers, ask for Peter McLean

🙄 I give up. Good luck.

Why isn’t your broker suggesting alternatives? That’s what they’re for.

I see the kitchen has been extended but if you've been like this for 10 years, the old kitchen must still be operational, isn't it? Or how have you managed?
It's really difficult to figure out where the extension is at really. And I don't think you're able to actually detail what is the minimum that needs doing to be signed off.
Maybe your starting point is to sort that out.

You have to have kitchen and bathroom to be granted a mortgage but you must have a kitchen if you’re living there? And you’ve got a mortgage now haven’t you?

Yes but I've not remortgaged since buying my house so any mortgage perspective hasn't come up in that way. So I've no idea on that. What does a working kitchen officially need bare minimum? Some sockets, a sink, cooker connection? We have those. Plus plumbing for a washing machine & the same number of cupboards as before the extension (they just got rearranged to tide us over until ready for a new kitchen).

I think I struggle to think clearly on it because it feels overwhelming, because on top of completing the work I've referred to here, the original house also needs factoring in (rewire, plastering, various woodwork replaced as house is old and it's just time to do it so it'd match up too). Then my thoughts get muddled the best way to do it. I feel one builder needs to come in to do the lot cost wise, but logistics wise it'd be more manageable to do it a job at a time as we live here too.

I'd get a project manager to oversee it if i had the money cos I don't fully know where to start.

Some seem to only deal with people in certain situations, which maybe I don't fit now.

These look like they're aimed at the very wealthy. Sadly, that's not me!

Thanks though.

OP, I mean this kindly, but surely your life would be easier and more comfortable if you stopped procrastinating and dithering about the best way to tackle this and simply got on with it? Just do the kitchen for now, if you can afford it. One room is easier to get your head round and project plan than a whole house refurb.

It may not be 100% cost effective to do it in smaller projects, but at least you'll be moving forward and avoiding mini crises such as this.

@Gazelda yes you're probably right. I struggle to think straight on this & feel guilt over messing up etc. But whatever I do seems to cause problems one way or another. I'm generally risk averse and everything has risk here which is perhaps why I'm so very hesitant. Need hand holding IRL but there's no one which affects me too. I'm not arguing with you tho, I totally hear the theory of what you're saying.