Doing an extension in stages, total nightmare?

[WynkenBlynkenandNod]

We have planning for an extension that runs out next summer and we don't want to lose. I've got someone to start the building reg plans and we will get the foundations in next spring so that we have officially started before it runs out.

I am thinking that we'll leave it for a bit and do some saving then get people to do each stage as and when we can afford it. Has anyone done it this way rather than getting in one main builder and if so was it a complete nightmare?

I think it would probably work out more expensive in the long run if you were to do it that way as builders will probably give you a better price for doing the whole thing.

Have you spoken to the planners? They might be able to reassure you that another planning application would be rubber-stamped.

That's interesting, I've been told you it works out cheaper overall dong it that way as you can take the best quote for each part but was wondering if this is the actual reality.

I haven't spoken to the planners, was Reading about extending it but don't want to run any risks of something going wrong and it not being renewed so it's easier to start.

We can go for the option of just doing one foundation trench according to the surveyor then we could get someone to fo it in one go further down the line. Maybe I should start buying lottery tickets !

I think if it was a loft extension or something out of the way of the main house then it could be feasible to do it this way (have the mansard built and then wait to fit out, do stairs opening etc) but if it is a conventional extension at the back of the house then having to pass through a building site to get to the garden for months/years would be very depressing and make the rest of the house feel dark and odd.

If the foundations can be done and then covered until you can afford the whole project, then that's the best way to do it in the circumstances and you can still get the best quotes by subbing out all the trades, you don't have to get one contractor to do the whole thing.

Often a builder will prefer to do a job from start to finish - it's hard to come in half way through a job and trust the workmanship that has taken place before. If I was doing it in stages I'd try to use the same contractor for each stage.

Another thing to consider - the bigger the job the more competitive the price; bigger jobs offer more job security and allow the contractor to work more efficiently.

I think it's best then to do the minimum to the foundations to be deemed as having started, then get all the finance in place to do the rest in one go. I can use the covered. We have a weird plot with garden all around and the extension is off the front so one concrete filled trench for a year or so isn't the end of the world. I shall use it to put pots of flowers on! Thanks for your help.

Can you check whether your PP can be extended before it expires, not requiring a whole new application? We are in similar situation and thinking about this. Three years passes quickly doesn't it?