Gobsmacked by extension quote

[littlebearsmummy]

We have a rather scruffy dormer bungalow and have planning permission for a small two storey rear ext and extra bedroom over what was an integral garage. This plus some internal rearranging of living space. Lots of bits of work but nothing huge.

Yet we've received a quote from the builder we were hoping to use of £300k including vat and all fittings. Good job I was sitting down for it. I'm sure we could knock the house down and start again for that!! This is in south east but not a massively expensive area.

That does sound extremely expensive OP!

In 2012 we had a 7 x 5m single storey (but with double-height floor to ceiling window into the apex taking advantage of the view) kitchen extension built in the SW (Wilts/Dorset border) for around 40k. That included solid wood kitchen units, limestone flooring and bespoke windows. Our architect reckoned we could do the build for less than half that! DH did some of the plastering, the rendering, tiling and kitchen fitting himself. I painted the units and decorated.

For what it's worth, we live in East Dulwich and want to do a wrap around kitchen extension, re jig of utility, under stairs loo, and bit of shelving for an office area. Our three quotes range from 167-190k inc vat, excluding glass, sliding doors and kitchen. That's on top of the best part of £20k to get planning, structural engineer drawings etc. We're a big flabbergasted.

Crikey! A double storey extension - new kitchen, new bathroom, new bedroom, invokves knocking down all back of house - in 2012 cost us 70k + kitchen cost, plus damp course and total replastering the rest of the house. All in was about 95k. 300k sounds like an 'I don't want your business but don't actually want to tell you that' quote.

A lot of tradesmen now have never experienced the early 90s when there was no work and most of them worked for virtually nothing. Less than minimum wage by today's standard.
Lots of greedy ones too.

Currently having an extension built. It's small but complex in that it ties a victorian house and an existing 1910 extension together. So 8 pieces of steel needed.

I had quotes of up to £100k. Current builder is doing it for £40k but this doesn't include the Kitchen or the parquet flooring.

Most of the others wanted between £50 and £60k. Although one did recalculate his numbers and realised he had double counted and also came in around £40k. The rest were greedy.

It's a full house refurb. So also had quotes for plaster repairs/re-skimming etc. three came in between £8k and £13k. And one greedy one wanted £40k! He had no shame either. When I said no he claimed every other plasterer were using cheap foreign labour! They are not. They are all local.

I'm on the edge of London btw.

300K is utterly absurd. That sounds like a "fuck off I don't really want the work" quote to me.

We were quoted 80K for the world's smallest loft conversion about 3.5 years ago by an architect-led firm. Fabulous reputable local builder did it for 35 incl. VAT.

See if you can find builders who specialise in two-story extensions, and ask around. friends of friends, etc.

We are at scaffolding height 2 storey side extension just a little over 3 meters wide and 8 1/2 meters long the ground floor and first just over 3 meters wide and 4 1/2 meters long. We are self building and so far we have spent £13562 that includes all my beams as I had to have 4 beams 2 at rear and 2 in the front and a wind post also my tiles and materials for my roof.. Most of that was for footings and moving all my drains and pipes around.