Home Extensions 2017 - come along on the journey

[RedRobin1]

Hi just wondered if anyone has recently started or about to start a home extension. Haven’t seen a 2017 thread so starting one here.

Our two-storey extension is due to start on 1st March and we have just started packing boxes. The planning and research has been ongoing for 2-3 years. Had planning permission approved a few years back and completed all the research around what we would like in our new extended and how we would like to design it all - extending the kitchen / dining area downstairs to create an open plan living, dining and kitchen space and an extra bedroom upstairs.

Have two DCs under 4 and need help / advice / tips and general hand holding.

Is anyone else starting theirs soon?

We should have been finished now but still a way off, not helped by holidays. Roofer was supposed to finish off the roof whilst builder away but haven't seen him. Kitchen is going to be done in September. As long as we're finished for Christmas (Dsis coming over from Oz) I don't mind.
jigster you're kitchen looks amazing. We're looking at a very similar worktop. What is your floor? We're having grey units, can't go too dark in our kitchen as not much natural light.

Your, not you're!

Sorry to hear that things aren't going your way Monkey but wanted to say that I'm glad you've added a couple of swear words in there as I was wondering how to start my post ... so I'll begin with this ...

Fuuuuck! We are complete and utter novices regarding extensions and everyone's posts have scared the shit out of me! We haven't even stepped foot on the first rung of the ladder yet. This is where we are at the moment ...

We have arranged to meet with 2 architects next week (I want to see more than 2 but there doesn't seem to be any more to see - our house that we want to extend is in France, we don't live there). I thought that we were being a tad premature because we don't want to start building for another 18 months to 2 years but I thought that, since we only visit once a year in summer, that we could start the process of drawing up plans and haggling with the planners - the house is about 110+ years old and we want to add a very modern extension to the side and back, not sure how much the municipality/mairie are going to agree to.

We have had a Project Manager for a couple of years who is overseeing the renovation of the main house (rewiring/re plumbing/plastering/septic tank etc) but I now have a cavernous pit in my stomach as I don't think this extension is going to go well and because of living away from it (we don't live in the U.K.) I am even more worried. All this talk of building regs/surveyors/steels/everything is giving me an ulcer! 😀. I really don't know how I'm going to handle things by not being on site or even anywhere near site! I have naively been imagining the finished project and shopping for kitchens and bathrooms without thinking about the in between bits What an arse!

However, having now found this thread I can at least realize that my expectations are so far removed from reality and I can begin to plod forwards in the direction I'm supposed to be going in rather than being blinkered. So thank you all for that 😊

And fingers crossed and glasses raised that everyone here can finally relax, sometime soon, in their newly designed homes.

Hi four they are from tile giant synergy Perla porcelain ...I'm having them outside on the patio too as they are in/ out tiles ..wanted that look especially with the bifolds ...

@jigster01 your kitchen is absolutely beautiful! I'm hoping to end up with something very similar - unfortunately it's a few months till we can do the fun stuff like tiles, handles etc.

right I'm going to jump in. Our extension started on Monday. We have had a -fucking horrendous depression inducing- difficult renovation project which we now live in and are extending. This time, instead of being -stupid- clever and managing it ourselves trade by trade we have a firm we have come to know doing the work. So far so good. So much less stressful. They have turned up every day for a whole week, who knew such heady heights of punctuality were possible?!

Long may it continue Love!
Feeling really fed up with it all today and I haven't even lost the use of my original kitchen yet!
God I wish they would just bloody finish it & fuck off!

My builder has been ignoring DHs calls all week. Dh text him this morning to ask why he was being ignored. Got a shitty text back saying 'you call me at 8pm or on a Sunday, how is that slightly acceptable?'
Umm, DH has been calling from his work office, during, ya know, office hours. Fucking prick. I SO wish we could sack him. I HATE him.

Oh Monkey it's so shit isn't it!
I know exactly how you feel , I like to think I'm a measured, professional reasonable person but the absolute hatred I feel for my builder I didn't even know I was capable of!

I think the trouble is, good for him he still gets his weekends while we live week after week in a shit tip of their making!

Can you try & find someone else who can take it on? I did & it made me feel a little bit better! DH seems determined to stick with him though!

It's so hard when you've agreed a quote with someone and they start being crap; you give them so many chances and they just take the piss consistently. I have often wondered what would have happened if we hadn't sacked our roofers, but I always come back to the sleepless nights and depression where our house was roofless through winter storms, and they were lying through their teeth saying they'd have it done by x, y, z. The only reason we sacked them was because my parents stepped in with builders they knew, and paid. We won a court claim against the original lot, but 14 months on they still haven't paid what they owe. However, I do have a roof. My blood boils slightly less than it did.

Have been lurking, but to the poster who asked about Ikea kitchens L was told 10 to 14 days. I phoned today and was also told there had been price changes over the weekend so any design would have to be requoted.

We're now on the other side of our extension but it took over my life for months earlier this year so still interested to hear others tales (and see pics!)

Tips we found:

• howdens handles can be purchased at a fraction of the price for the same supplier on eBay. We sent off for one and checked it was identical before ordering a load more (1.50 vs £8 per handle!)

• top shape worktops 'premium' laminate are compatible with ikea units - there are not many with the right depth.

• can't have too many plugs with USB ports.

• we have a whole wall of inbuilt shelving (designed specifically to fit in ikea boxes and toy boxes in bottom half, and bookshelves and decorative spaces in top half) - i love it.

• if anyone is in Manchester area and needs a good builder, ours was amazing, can't rate him highly enough, he said 8 weeks and it was, no hidden costs.

• eat out as much as possible and let your standards drop (significantly) during extension.

• we've also gone for artificial grass in our new garden, 100% love it!

• don't make the same mistake I did and try and paint rooms while the electric lights have not yet been fixed (working to spotlight/headlamp)... the end effect is not great!

• record builder regulation visits with details of person/time. Our (local council) ones lost records of a key 'pre plaster' visit which they did do requiring a load more faf.

So 1 week later, they came back yesterday for one day!
Took my outside wall out with no notice & without any dust sheets or any barrier what so ever!
The whole downstairs is covered in dust! I even had washing on the radiators!
But I've got to the stage where I'm just grateful they've done something so I'll suck it up!
#ihatemybuilder

Builders are arseholes.

Mine is being sacked on Monday.

Yesterday things came to a head. Id had enough of being woken in the early hours with water pissing onto my head. So I called a structural engineer round. He took one look and condemned the lot.

He passed my details onto a builder and they had a 'crisis' meeting over the crying mad woman

Builders came straight round and basically the entire roof has to come off and be redone. The steel isn't supported properly and is dangerous, and everything is so wet it's crumbling. 5 months. 5 FUCKING months and we've basically got 3 external walls. And I've paid him 75% of the money.

So, tomorrow I've got building control coming round to tell me exactly what they want new builders to do. New builders are booked to put on a new roof Tuesday and say they can have it done and watertight by Friday.

Ex-builder (who doesn't know he is ex yet) spent today SHITTING himself. He tried to redo the roof today in anticipation of the inspectors visit tomorrow, but doesn't know I have new builders ready to go.

Luckily, new builders are kind and it's only going to add an extra £5k ish to the project.

DH is then going to request £3k from old builders in compensation for the cost of a new roof, and to repair all the damage done to my existing roof and internal ceilings. If he doesn't pay, we will sue him for damages and report him to HMRC (he's been paid cash so I doubt he has declared it) and to trading standards.

Does that all sound okay?

Joining the I hate my builder brigade...

Look, I have a progress photo of our kitchen.... in the 3 WEEKS since the last photo this is ALL that has happened since. Bonus, our kitchen tap works. But there is no sink.

We'd been told that builder would be here from Monday until it's all done as he's finished his other projects. He's done 1.5 days this week and didn't even turn up today.

Of course our issues are nowhere near as bad as MFGrace's but pleased it sounds like you have a solution!!

I'm insanely jealous! It's dry! It's painted! It's huge!

We will be left without a kitchen after all of this, our kitchen budget has been spent so basically we are fucked. But I'm going to keep smiling We will have appliances and a sink. But nothing else. I can live like that for a while, right.

Hold of tight just a bit longer spydie

Lol 1.5 walls painted seriously though, in the 3 weeks they have added work top, tap and extractor basically.

Of course you Can!!!! But can you go somewhere like Ikea? We did our kitchen at last house from Ikea and with interest free credit that could be useful if you our of budget?? Even if you only fit out part to keep you ticking over?? I just really feel for you with all the rain we have had. It was pouring in ours before the leak got fixed, but at least that was a downstairs extension rather than your bedroom

Was it you that said you were also in Kent, or am I making that up?

Monkey so pleased he's getting sacked!
Obviously sorry it's come to that!
Spy the kitchen looks amazing!

We will get there in the end I'm sure but god it's soul destroying!

I've been lurking on here - sorry to see all the problems others are having.
We're 4 weeks into a first floor extension over the garage. Have just found out the steels are currently resting on wood, which is a no no. With all the rain roof has been leaking like a sieve, our utility room is knackered. Builder did a job for a friend and came recommended, but I'm starting to wonder..... Monkeyfacegrace , can I ask, did you just ring the building control people and ask them to do an inspection? Our structural engineer is great, but he's on holiday soon an am worried builder might try and pull a fast one......

Yep, I just called them. I paid for the council building control service right at the beginning. Was about £550 I think. For that, they come out as much as you like, and then give you the certificate at the end. I just had to give them 24 hours notice. So they'll be here some time today!

Surprise surprise they haven't been back since Wednesday so obviously not coming back until next week!
So we're left like this for the weekend!
No door on the front just wood propped up with scaffold poles despite the door being here in a box! So we're not even secure! 😡😡😡

Fuck sake Rick. It's awful isn't it.

I've got building control coming in the next couple hours. I'm shaking with adrenaline.

I feel like we all need a meet up at Christmas (as surely to god itll all be done by then!) and we can drink ourselves to oblivion and have a good counselling session.

Can I join? We've started our single story extension a few weeks ago.
Slow going because we got confused about the sewer build over notice but that's all sorted so builders have started now. We are using a local firm so hoping it will be fine

The thing bugging me is the sheer number lf decisions to be made. Mind is blowing ever so slowly.

We are also having our porch done so that's creating a nightmare as we have the back and front being ripped up.

I'll try and attach pictures of progress.

Forgot to say what we are having done! New porch. Extension will be for a kitchen/diner living area.