What is the cheapest way of adding a room onto the back of the house and could I do it myself?

[StarlightMcKenzie]

That's it really?

I know nothing, so presumably I woukd have to factor in evening classes or something?

I need walls though. At lease I need one to put a long table against and one to put a load of cupboards against.

I think it might be a case of doing it ourselves or not doing it (which absolutely isn't an option).

Unless you are a builder don't do it yourself. You also need to check if you need planning permission and building regs otherwise you could have problems when you come to sell if you do or with your insurance.

We paid 11.5k for our huge kitchen extension. It was built from a tiny kitchen that was already there and extended down the garden. We are in south Norfolk. I would imagine its different depending on areas.

Grrr. Quotes are ridiculous and I KNOW they are no reflection of cost af materials and labour but some arbitrary figure based on an expensive postcode we have no choice but to live in ( very complicated). As a result have to live in teeny house but Ds' disability means we have to have the extra room.

We're in Scotland and currently getting 2 extensions one at side, one at rear. The rear one is a sunroom type but with a solid wall on one side. We're paying 15K for it, it's 3.5 x 3.5m. A friend got a smaller conservatory for 14K.

The cheapest option would be a conservatory from B & Q etc. If you can get individual trades in for each bit, eg laying the floor, constructing the walls/roof/ electrics/plumber for a radiator it can work out cheaper than just getting an all inclusive quote. And if do bits yourself to save even more.

my dad built a utility room on the back of our old house so it's possible. But this was 25 years ago so building regs have probably changed a lot since. We had to dig out footings, lay a concrete floor, put in electricity, plaster board the walls and ceiling, put in windows etc... the roof was flat, so no tiling issues.

Also it wasn't a room intended for family use - it was just because the kitchen was tiny and we needed space for the dogs beds and the washing machine, fridge and freezer. It was probably about 10 feet square and had no radiators.

We didn't touch the house itself either, this new room was simply plonked on the back of the house and the existing back door became the door to the utility room.

It was hard work and dad had a few mates helping as well as us. I'm still bloody good at mixing concrete

i had a small 6ft extension on the back of my house which extended the kitchen and the dining room, couldnt go further than 6ft due to the drains.

that cost £10,000. i live up north.

i cant see how you could build something yourself tbh - are you proficient at drawing up plans?
do you know what you have to do to comply with building regs?

i would never have a go at DIY building unless i was a builder or a brickie and knew what i was doing.

fwiw our neighbours house has a DIY double storey extension on it - it doesnt match and looks terrible - it was done in the 70;s when building regs were not around - its now breaking away from the rest of the house. it will be expensive to fix and i know that when that house was up for sale it put potential buyers off.

If your ds has a disbaility have yiour thught about applying to a charity for an extension. I think the CAB and the libarary both have extensive databases of charities... They amy or may not be able to help you.

If you ds is in receipt of DLA and you are on a lower income have a look at the family fund, it doesn't help with extensions but may be able to help out somewhere else.

You will need to consult professionals otherwise you could end up worse off with an unsaleable (or nearly) property with an ineffective / leaky / dodgy extension that would not be pleasant to live in!

I haven't got a clue but got a quote of £60k for tiny extension. Figured could go to building school myself for a fraction of that.

Blimey, get another quote. Go out of area to find cheaper builders. That's more like a two-storey extension price to me and I'm in London.

We're on a teeny income for the area but just above low-income thresholds. Ds disability is hidden and often denied by professionals who want to deny provision (although is now in a special school so denial not so easy).

But I guess no harm in researching (doubt we'd get anyone to give us £60k though)

Also the 'room' is to be a classroom to make up for the deficiencies in his education which will be denied as a need I expect.

But even half that quote is more than our annual income. Proves have gone up due to relaxed planning regs making builders and extensions more in demand. There HAS to be a cheaper way!?

Would one of those garden offices be an option? I've got an idea they cost from about 10k including installation, but I'm sure it varies by company. Very quick, no impact on the fabric of your house at all. They have light and power, so they're fine if you don't need to use them as 24 hour living space.

Oh yes. That sounds like worth looking into. But, I need to be able to keep an eye on my two that aren't at school yet, so it would really have to be a part of the house. Woukd that be possible?

why not look at a conservatory then starlight?

do you need a class room? could you not teach from your living room or dining room?

60k is overpriced.

i would shop around a lot! how big does this extension need to be? is it just to be used as a classroom?

if your DS is now in specialist school will he need extra home schooling?

my DS has hidden disabilities (AS, dyspraxia, dyslexia) - never managed to get him statemented but he had a tutor who came to our house - would your funds be better spent like that?

Have you looked into a DFG ? If the room is required for his disability it will pay for it.

Disabled facilities grant. Contact local social services and ask for an OT assessment. Pm me if you want more details

another out of the box thought here but could you hire a portakabin as a classroom? just temporarily until he is out of education? ive no idea how much they cost though....

Vicar, thank you. Even if he had a tutor he woukd need somewhere to be tutored. We only have one reception room which is dining AND living room AND office AND a playroom for 3 children.

But actually I have invested a huge amount in my own skills to tutor him myself so woukd rather do it.

Yes he does need additional help. He's falling behind in the national curriculum as special school focuses on therapy.

Thanks Penis. The last time we contacted SS for some help they told us to stop asking or they would raise it to a child protection investigation as there is no reason they could see why we woukd need any support except for poor parenting.

But, a quiet or safe space for Ds and his sensory issues might be worth a revisit, so thank you for the suggestion and kind offer. I'll think about it and get back to you.

i think in that case i would look at a conservatory, but make sure you have proper blinds and heating (so it doesnt bake in summer and freeze in winter) i reckon you could get something like that for about £10, maybe even less. Here i see ads for basic ones from £4995.

you could easily turn it into a class room.

i do feel your pain - my house is tiny and we only have one reception room too, i just used to leave dS and his tutor at the dining table and make myself scarce - with DD, i take her to her tutor so dont have that problem so much.

i think if youre going to invest in something then you need to make sure its all done right and to building regs, that way at least it will add value to the house.

Portacabins are around £70 per week.

Perhaps we coukd buy one instead!?

Social services don't tend to support parents so determined to help their children that they enrol themselves on a bricklaying courses

You could buy a static caravan for next to nothing - so am guessing portakabin the same. We are living in a £800 static caravan whilst we do the house up. Been here since April. It is OK. People live in them full time.

It was a bit hot in summer - but open doors/windows helped. Is OK in winter as long as you keep the heating going - we have a couple of electric heaters from Argos - just keep them ticking over.

The most expense we had was transporting it here. £1200.

If you haven't room for a static, what about a cheap caravan?

Check out ebay. But you could potentially get somewhere possible to heat and stay dry for much less than £60K Though clearly not adding to your property's value.