Anyone starting an extension imminently?

[Karcheer]

Ours has been a long time coming, planning permission was granted 18months ago, but our builders finally start on Tuesday.
Would be great to have some build buddies

How's everyone's weekends been?

We got home to all our plastering having been completed . Completion of upstairs is tantalisingly close. I think 3 weeks and we'll be in.

Nothing this weekend. Even the pets are getting a bitbored of the whole thing. Builder is due to phone tomorrow to confirm the concrete on Wednesday. Fingers, toes and eyes are crossed.

Madblondedog that is wonderful news. That is ever so exciting!

PandasRock much sympathy. Our biggest fear was having neighbour problems. I think that some people really believe that all they have to do is object and the work will not be permitted.

I may have spoken too soon. There is a rather large wet patch up there. It's under one of their big tools, can't work out if they've used it in the rain Saturday and it's made the floor wet or its come from the ceiling (it's directly below the hole in the ceiling for the extractor fan)

Gnome got fingers crossed for you

Day of chaos is about to begin stairs to lift are going in plus doors and windows, electrics and plumbing! Plus I have a thrust infection and both kids are ill!!

Stairs to loft not lift!!

mcbaby stairs going in was the most exciting day so far for us, even though the mess from the wall coming out was insane.

Hope you feel better soon

Stairs have been moved tomorrow. Hoping it won't be too bad mess wise as the cealing came down a few weeks ago so the hole is already there and waiting.

Well, we had the party wall surveyors around today (ours and theirs), and it would appear our surveyors issued the wrong notice

Thankfully, after a few tense moments, and a lot of breath holding while they went back to consult neighbours, it has been agreed work can go ahead this week, so the big works can start - yay!

Now to book removals/storage for half the house the bits of furniture which we can't house elsewhere, and eeek! The fun and mess starts here!

pandas that's great! join our happy gang of mess and chaos!

Today the perimeter of the house was cleared (removal of their rubbish and random stuff (flower pots etc)) ready for scaffolding and the carport continued to be built (stock bricks).

Been informed today that we have our kitchen until first week of Jan. Great news. Then full smash through to lower level.

V noisy today finishing knocking out the top floor. Builder ordered windows and should be fitted in next couple of weeks. Roof nearly ready for tiling.

Budget steadily increasing due to knocking out flooring, additional joists not picked on up structural survey, additional depth to foundations etc. Getting slightly annoyed with how much extra we are being charged for stuff that really needs to be done not whimsical changes.

Those of you just starting to plan make sure you have an additional 20% put aside especially if you live in period bloody property which had previous extension just thrown up

Oh and now found out we cannot keep the combi boiler in kitchen due to it being designed to be on internal wall (it would have to be fed through 2 different steels) so moving it into Bed 3 my dressing room in year 2050 when can save more funds

I am not negotiating on my new dream kitchen layout, it is the only reason we are putting ourselves through this anyway!

Xmas party season starting this week so at least I can hit the bottle [why is there no wine smiley?]

Welcome Panda

Glad your PWS's got sorted, it is such a precarious situation when neighbours have instructed their own surveyor also.

We've been in mess and chaos for the last 3 years ! We bought what will be a very nice Edwardian monster of a house, which had had nothing done to it for a good 20 years at least (some parts far longer). We have a massive project ahead of us - the actual ground floor extension isn't huge, but we are pushing out/extending the first and second floor catslide roof to square off the back of the house, plus knocking through kitchen/dining room.

We've nearly got the first bathroom and utility room done, which would give us the front half of the house to move into while the whole of the back is rebuilt. With the party wall stuff sorted for now, the major excavation and knocking down an old outbuilding can start tomorrow. Fun!

I am amazed and in awe of the scale of all your projects. My own is very modest.

Builder called today. Concrete and 4 guys to barrow it round are booked for Wednesday then another guy is booked for a couple of days later to put the footings in. We are on a promise .

Welcome Panda!!

Gnome I would still say any modest disruption to your life is major. It's hard work having people around and having life disrupted, no matter how small.

Our stairs go in this week. so excited. bedrooms carpeted this weekend also. I've done a list. I've checked it twice. Building Control is definitely naughty not nice.

Stairs go in the thursday. We've had a word with the shit builders and given them the final dates. We're pushing and pushing and pushing.

In 8 months, we've, removed one supporting wall, 4 chimney breasts, added in 4 steel beams, moved a bathroom upstairs, gutted the whole place and done a loft conversion. I feel exhausted. Next week is it. The end point. Carpets go down hall stairs and landing.

And today...today when the end is in sight...when life was about to be normal.....I discovered I'm pregnant with baby number 1. Fucking marvelous hahaha! As you can imagine we were not trying. DP has given every indication that we are going ahead with it all. Jesus Christ.

Can i join you? We are still early stages of planning and our application goes to parish meeting very soon. Next door have objected though which is their absolut right however im a bit about as in almost 20 years of living nexr door to them we have had a really harmonious relationship ..... so not sure how successful we are going to be.

I've written an email to our architect to put together an email for the planning dept regarding the roof height change... Watch this space...
Meanwhile back at the ranch, the bricklaying continues...

Mahusive congratulations Wombat!!! We've just started trying for number 1 so we've got a date to aim for with work being finished

Karcheer you can apply to the council for a non material amendment to your planning to agree a new roof height. (But they didn't accept our reduction in roof height as non material so we had to apply for full planning again).

mcbaby yes that's what I'm thinking, did they say why they didn't accept it? I would have thought a reduction would be very straightforward?

Haven't you watched grand designs? Everyone gets pregnant ;) well at least that's what I'm hoping after two rounds of I've lol!

They decided the roof reduction was material do our project. We were only reducing the back part of our extension so not visible from the streets but it was changing it from fully pitched to be flat on top of the rear extension But they did accept it through full planning with a few tweaks (although I think we are going back to the fully pitched one now).

The refused the non material amendment pretty quickly within a week.

Ours will remain pitched it'll just be about a foot/foot and a half higher I guess...
The top architect is popping over today to take a look. The builder said the council are committed to come back within ten days so at least that's good.

Hope the architect gives you the answer you want karcheer

We've just received the plans for our next extension. Our architect seems to be obsessed with bifold doors despite us saying we probably won't have them

He is going to write the email. We are going to try for a non material change. Basically he says they'll come back and accept it as a change within ten days but then take 28 to actually decide... Gawd knows what this means re our time frame... Scaffolding coming on Friday.

We have half a flight of stairs! Our walls are so off square thu have had to go away and remake the top half again. But that will be the start of next week, and now I can't let the kids upstairs and the cat is desperate to discover the new loft!!