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?

Rolling my eyes at the lack of progress. I'm sure that the roofers only laid about 5 tiles today

Monkey I like your style te the kitchen! It must be abit scary but I get your desire to get it all done! 6 months of disruption under your belt already!

What the fox Thank you that's very kind! He's promised us (again) Removal of rubbish Monday, Screed Tuesday! If he doesn't deliver we're going to tell him to do one & cut our losses I think! We're soooo close but it's taking sooooo long!

Believeitornot you're not in Bucks are you?

monkey the kitchen will be worth it. In the thick of all the shit we spent our last £ on the worktop even though the house was nowhere near finished and I'm so glad we did. House still isn't finished, but the expanses of honed granite are just perfect.

No we are south of London!

Just joining in here as have just finished a big extension job to our house, and would like to hear other people's experience as ours was quite bittersweet!

anothernextsale we are in a similar situation as you, old house with very old extension, wanted to extend further, thinking it might be permitted development. Thank goodness we got a brilliant architect who had advised us just before we wanted to start the job direct with a builder, turns out it can be a big issue if you are extending an extension, no matter how old! I would advise getting a decent architect to take a look at it first, it can be quite a minefield when touching old properties... as I've learnt in the last year!!!

TeamRick

Do you have a skip on your property? Is it full and not been removed or is the rubbish just everywhere?

So definitely no work starting on Monday. Half the amount of scaffolders turned up yesterday. Did well but we still don't have the tin hat or the waterproof sheet things. They said another lot would come today but they haven't turned up. It's not a massive deal it's just annoying.

We're still plodding along. Our builder is one of the good guys but I still feel like I'm constantly banging my head against a brick wall! Progress has been slow throughout but has slowed down even more these last few weeks. When they are here, they're great but we go days with nothing happening. We should have been finished by the end of July. I find the whole thing fustrating.

Teamrick I don't know how you are keeping your cool. I hope he fulfils his promise next week.

Whatthefox both! An overfull skip and rubbish all over the place!

This is 2 weeks ago, I think it's worse now!

And that board there in the front is the only barrier between me, sat in the living room watching tv and the outside! No wonder it's so bloody cold!

The new front door which we've had for about 6 weeks is in a box inside! 🙄

I didn't mean to post that picture of the back- that was me ecstatic because I had a washing line for the first time since April! 😬!
Sent pic to DH!

But all the rubbish so can see at the back is now at the front, hence why it's worse because he obviously hasn't done anything to generate rubbish in the last 2 weeks!

Does your skip have a phone number on the side?

Have you tried calling them and asking them to take it away? If the skips are paid for beforehand, they might just take it! Might piss your builders off though

Note that they'll probably leave an empty skip though. If builder hasn't paid them then they won't take a full skip away either.

Maybe I'm just trying to rile your builders into action

TeamRick,

I don't know how you can keep your cool.
Half of our street is doing some sort of work. I feel so sorry for my next door neighbour as they have noise coming from both sides. Traffic has slowed down as well due to the number of vans around. (Which is a good thing really, I hate when kids race down the road.)
If it's any consolation, a lot of front gardens look like your around here at the moment.

I must say ours is pretty good, the guys put up a portaloo, the skips are packed neatly and the groundworkers have swept up after themselves on pavement and back every day.

I just bought a reclaimed front door off ebay, it'll probably have to be stored in the living room until needed. It'll be funny when the 32 packs of engineered wood will arrive. There's a really small space downstairs now they've removed old extension and I have a large long haired dog who wants to be indoors full time.

We've been hit by a delay on windows here. Windows/doors we were told had a 2-3 week lead time when we ordered are now more like 6-7. Plus, we can't order a set of windows/doors until the third and final extension is part-way up and it's likely that lead time will apply too. The builder is saying that decorators won't touch the house until all the windows are in. Why they can't do most of it then just touch up around windows is beyond me.
DH has developed insomnia and for the first time in my life I have eczema appearing! I know these are first world problems but I'm never doing this again. Once we're back in the house, the next time I leave it for good will be in my coffin!

We are about 8 weeks into our build and so far things are going well. We nearly have our gable end and have had a lot of walls demolished internally! It all looks a mess so hoping it improves all of a sudden! When I read your stories I feel a mixture of excitement when I see those approaching the end, anger for Rick and Monkey what terrible times you have endured and mild panic at the current state of things atm! My current concern is radiators as I appear to only have two and a lot more glass! Will catch the builder tomorrow for advice. Keep posting everyone I especially love the progress pictures.

Photo

Photo

@counttotenandbreathe

That's impressive for 8 weeks in!!

We are hopefully finally going to have somewalls demolished this week. The roof was finished today (yes today as in Sunday)! So hoping for some proper action, dare I say it.

It is a first floor extension @believeitornot so not the whole back having French doors where window is and 4 pane bifolds where current patio doors are.

Tika I haven't always, I called him a fucking disgrace once on the phone, I was shaking I was so angry but I did apologise the next day! Needless to say he will at some point get a text to say, actually I was right and he is a fking disgrace!

I've checked the skip and the telephone number is scratched out, DH did offer to chase skip man himself if builder too busy! - bit tongue in cheek needless to say he ignored it!

We will see what tomorrow brings!

Shame about the phone number!

Any progress today?

Btw have you advanced this builder any money, or are you paying by stages of work done?

Hi Whatthefox no progress at all today! No skip & rubbish collection, surprise surprise!
He did reply to DH to say that giving him skipman's number would put him in an awkward position! 🙄!

We've been paying as we've gone along, there's not much left to pay because there's not much left to do! I just wish he would bloody do it! He's getting no more money until it's done!

Screed promised tomorrow!

I'm as unsurprised as you are TeamRick

How much do you have left with this guy ie is he doing the screed and leaving or is he doing the internal work too?

Remember to let your screed dry properly. This bit can't be rushed.