What unexpected bill have you ever faced

[thisisasurvivor]

Aibu to ask what it was and how you coped

Am very lucky I have. Been able to build a new house

Saved for a long time
Lived on floor at friends for years
You name it

Managed to get it all going two years ago

Now builder warned me prices went up for many things so I saved extra and today he came with the final bill

It's 35k more than expected and due now

Going to take on another job and ask if I can pay it over tue next year with 10 per cent added for the late payment

I know the builder well and have dealt with him for 15 years now

But my god !!!

No one come at me please
I did try my best to save extra when he told me the costs had changed
Just wish this was easier

How was that a surprise? Were you not given a quote and keeping on top of prices and costs? You sound massively ripped off. I know this isn’t the ‘point of the thread’ but how the fuck do you end up with an unexpected 35k bill?

Surely he warned you how much it was going to be as the costs started going up? Few people have a spare 35k knocking around.

This thread isn’t going to go how you want it to. There’s some absolute idiocy involved that people will have to question when you’ve got an unexpected 35k bill

I manage commercial construction projects as part of my work and building material prices have gone through the roof. Monthly repricing of jobs is written into contracts.

I came on to say a high water bill when I had a slow leak/dripping toilet.

35k?! That’s very irresponsible of the builder to not warn you that costs has spiralled that much to be honest. I don’t know what the original quote was but if you were quoted £150k and the final bill was £185k I don’t know anybody who would be able to absorb that cost.

No sadly not

No monthly re pricing

First quote was 2021

He did say a few times that he would be up to go over things

And I did save extra

But my god !!!!

Not a rip off. Have gone over what he sent me multiple times
Just madness really

So yeah luckily I can do extra locum work but it means a year of 60 hour weeks pretty much

I had a bill for over £1k for electricity. What was most surprising was that I wasn’t even a customer of British Gas. Yet they chased and bullied me for two years for that money. I’d literally never been a customer of theirs 🙄

Original quote 190 k

I said I couldn't afford that so he agreed not to build a garage

Quote was down to 178
Dec 2021

Nov 23 here we are

I did ask for the uo to date quote in April and back in July

I did save extra too for this
And I realise this is a first world problem

Did they apologise at least ?
Awful !!

Your messages scan

like Thin Lizzy songs

except it's your builder
who's the highwayman

I do 60 hr weeks just to survive in my rented house, and I'm 61.
You'll cope.

Hilarious

Il survive

And lucky to have extra work

Just this amount is unexpected

And I wish he had sent me coatings update back months ago when I asked for it that's all

Not a bill but we've just been provided with a breakdown of costs for our potential £650-700k house build. We started the designprocess late year. The price is now an eyewatering £960k, needless to say building prices have absolutely skyrocketed this last year. We won't be going ahead until prices stabilise.

I understand your pain

Isn't it just insane

I'm not looking for sympathy

Just not sure what to say at all!!!

That's a huge jump

Sounds about right, for anybody questioning it.
Building jobs do often come in as more, especially now.

Biggest bill I’ve paid in the spot is £3,000. Had to get a loan.

What was it for.

Also forgot to say
Builder took 659 off the final price

He is a neighbour and we trust his work

Can you not get a mortgage/loan to pay it?!

A similar thing happened to my parents friend recently and they are actually challenging part of it since the builder hadn’t kept them informed of the extra costs, we’ll see how they get on..!

Anyway, I once had a large gas/leccy bill of approx £500 because I hadn’t been doing meter readings, my own fault!

So I have maxed out all credit cards and not eligible for any more loans

Didn't get a mortgage
So got to battle through it

Which I will
And yes I am very lucky
Just will be a tough time (single parent too ex pays zilch)

Would getting a mortgage be possible now the house is (presumably) complete? Might be worth investigating.

Hello

It may be something I need to now look into

I just worry about it all hanging over me for 10-15 years as a single parent

I wonder if the year of additional locum work for a year may do the job??

Gosh I don't know

Been turned down for mortgage before

Can't get any loads tried the lot

I got sent a bill for £200 odd by the security company the police called out to break into my mum’s flat when she suddenly died last year. That was unexpected. Then the funeral costs etc. A few grand altogether that I hadn’t expected to have to part with that I couldn’t really afford, especially when DS2 was only 8 weeks old.

@thisisasurvivor I appreciate this will be a shock and I suspect you don’t like not being able to pay this immediately.

Take a breath and think about this logically. If you believe you could pay off £35k in one year by doing 60 hour weeks then you are in a relatively fortunate position.

A small mortgage for £35k at this stage may make sense. You can get 5 year mortgages and possibly 2 year ones.

A 5 year £35 k fixed rate mortgage at 5% would have monthly repayments of £661. https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/mortgages/mortgage-rate-calculator/

Given that you have maxed out credit cards you also need to factor in monthly repayments to pay before 0% period ends and you end up on high interest rates.

Work out your total monthly debt repayments, including a 5 year mortgage at £700 a month. Add on your other monthly/annual out goings and this will give you the net pay you need each month. Hopefully this won’t need 60 hour weeks.

Use a broker to find the best 5 year fixed rate mortgage.

I meant to add, you can usually over pay a mortgage by 10% a year so could possibly repay in less than 5 years.

If he didn’t send you costs when you asked I certainly would not be paying a late fee!!!