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?

Both of you will get through this. You're both way tougher than you realise! But it's shit that it's happening.

monkey do not accept the floor as it is, trust me you will have problems later with warping and lifting, it will not dry out properly with that degree of flooding. Please insist your plumber replaces the floor especially if the house is yours in the divorce

Everyone with troubles: hang on. Be more relaxed with schedules, they rarely go as planned. If you are living with noise and dust, and can afford to shut down and go stay in a hotel for a few days, do it. You will come back much more refreshed and able to tackle things. I spent the year during our whole house renovation screaming at my husband. He was enormously understanding and I'm still embarrassed at myself

monkey my heart goes out to you, what a shitty time. No wise words just

Agree totally with whatthefox about taking a time out if you can.

It really only is a house, nothing is more important than your health, family and mojo etc.

Our build went relatively smoothly and my dh and I still nearly killed each other.

I can't do this any more. I haven't stopped crying all day. I'm literally sobbing. We were so close. So so close. The floors were done ready for my kitchen. Why me? Why us? Me and DH have been through so much together. Cancer, a late miscarriage, 3 kids, marriage, house moves. But this has broken us, completely and utterly. I can't bear to spend any more time in this house. Ex builder has ignored our letter before court and swanned off with our cash. The build is wonky and the finish is shit. We are £15k out of pocket which is on credit cards. We are cold, hungry and tired. The kids don't deserve this. I'm gutted.

I'm so sorry Monkey, wish I could fix things for you

Didn't you say you were in Kent? Or am I confused... but I'm in Kent if you need a helping hand at all fellow pissed off builder victim to help hunt him down for you

monkey I have no words. Just wanted you to know that I'm thinking of you. I'm so, so sorry for the literal cavalcade of shit that you've had to put up with on all fronts.

monkey I don't know what to say but thinking of you. You're having such a rubbish time.

Monkey no words!

This just demonstrates the total lack of care & responsibility some of these tradesmen show!

They turn up when they feel like it, fuck up your home & then swan back to their own, no doubt warm & lovely houses without a backwards glance! Oh they might send you an invoice though! 😡😡😡

You will get through it, you've come through so much! ❤️

monkey - it's completely unfair.

What has happened is utterly, completely, sickeningly shit - in fact, this leak is the shitty icing on a pile of turd cake. whatashowever is absolutely right, though - at the end of the day, all a house is is just a pile of sodding bricks. As a couple who have been through cancer and an awful miscarriage, you know this better than most - you could be living in Buckingham Palace but it won't stop the most awful things in life hitting you when you least expect it. Right now, this build feels like it's never-ending, but you've come a LONG way since the start. Think about how it was (do you have pictures?) and what you've achieved!

You will get the physical mess sorted. You'll get a new floor, paid for by the guy responsible. In the grand scheme of life, it won't be long before it's done and dusted. And the other problems with the finish may also be remediable with less fuss than you think. I say that as someone whose house doesn't contain a single straight line! There are ways of mending, of patching, and of unashamed disguising, that will help a lot.

Can you get out of the house today, and spend some nice time on yourself? Literally have a day on strike, which is just for you to recuperate - no washing, no ironing, no running around after everyone else. Maybe do a takeaway for the kiddies tonight and a special treat of a movie together. Maybe go shopping, or to a local museum. Put on a soft jumper, have a hot chocolate. You've had the worst week and you deserve it

I have booked a day at Longleat Center Parcs Aqua Sana tomorrow

Good. I am really genuinely relieved and glad you have. I think you need it.

Oh monkey... I was also going to recommend a pamper day. I’m so glad you found a way of grtting away from it all.
Hugs to you.

Monkey so sorry to hear your latest news. Have a fab relaxing day . You deserve it . And keep with the mantra “this time next month this will be all be fixed (or maybe the month after)....

HELP! BATSIGNAL FOR URGENT ADVICE!

So I've chosen a colour I really love for my aluminium windows and they can all be manufactured in it within 16 days.

EXCEPT for a rooflight. I dunno why, but this would have to be sent to Somerset for painting, and it will take weeks and weeks and weeks extra - there will be literally nothing going on for months.

The company think they can colour match the rooflight so it is pretty close to the doors/windows, but it won't be absolutely spot on.

In terms of sightlines - you'll see the rooflight from the new garden room, and possibly from a bay window upstairs but not at all from the ground.

Part of me wants to be all uncompromising and "NO IT SHALL BE PERFECT", but another huge part of me things - actually I can probably live with a close match for the sake of cracking on with this.

WWYD?

guilty100 colour matching is pretty accurate to BS and RAL colours as long as company taking it seriously. The paint type will have more impact - the finish will always make a difference anyway.
But frankly, with a roof light by definition surrounded by light even if it was identical the paintwork will look different to the paint elsewhere.
You are probably aware but you can get the specific composition of paints and equivalents and near matches at e-paint.co.uk
In short, crack on, you nutter 🤣

whatashower - thank you so much for the rapid response! Really encouraging to know the RAL match can get pretty close. The company seem pretty diligent, to be honest.

The finish will be a bit different - I'm going for a very slightly textured finish on the windows, but the rooflight will have to be smooth - but there's nothing I can do about it (well there is - I can wait 3 months, but not prepared to do this). It'll be really high above the floor - 4 metres - so I am just hoping that will help soften down any difference.

The walls are supposed to start arriving tomorrow.

guilty if the finish is different the colours will look slightly different anyway so don't sweat it. RAL colour matching is generally very close.

monkey have a wonderful time pampering yourself, you truly deserve it!

Phew! I have just told the builder to proceed. I feel like the commander of the Starship Enterprise whenever I make a decision at the moment, it feels strange that something actually happens as a result of it. Someone get me some tea, earl grey, hot!

the novelty of this very quickly wear off and you will all have to put up with me whinging about it thereafter

Good decision Captain Guilty! At ease with your cuppa.

Good decision Guilty!
*
Monkey* - have a relaxing day, it sounds lovely!

Problem here today, there is an issue with 1st fix electrics and the roof insulation & plasterboard! I'm not sure who's fault it is- I suspect just a lack of communication.

The guy doing the plaster boarding turned up this am but as the electrician didn't he's gone home!

Tumbleweed!!!

Oh Monkey I really hope you're having a wonderful relaxing day, you utterly deserve it!

Good decision on the roof light guilty! I find that I'm getting more flahule (i have no idea if thats even a word, let alone if its spelled correctly?!) with decisions like that as the build comes to its last few weeks! BUT, I'm also getting braver with risks and laying down the law with the trades too. I feel like if i were to do it all again I'd be ACE!!!

Surprise surprise plumber was a no show today - ongoing issues over the money he's charging - refusing to break down his labour rates and just presenting us with a figure for 'labour'. I wish id kept a log of all the times he's popped info 1/2hr or 2hrs here and there. Im sure he's banking them as whole days grrrr

Tiling nearly finished today, although the extra mosaics i collected this morning are an entirely different colour?! So we've decided to make future of them and do the back of the shower niches in this new lot - fingers crossed its not a 'flahule' decision too far

I think it is a made up word hidehide but as we live in the land of make believe with builders you can probably get away with it!

I've got to tell you this!
Since the supports were taken out of the kitchen ceiling there has obviously been a very slight shift in the bathroom above! The bathroom door keeps sticking!
DS has had to rescue both me & DH on separate occasions today! 😂

We’ve been pretty much at standstill for 2 weeks. Reason: I seriously think that someone around here is putting a foot into our project. Builders say they never had issues like this. Basically, we really struggled to get permission to extend which massively compromised the design. (This is the reason I never posted our plans... they’re just not great), had to make changes because pf site difficulties, council’s been sat on it for ages. Today the building control officer has told us that every time we call he’s putting us further down the queue.
Little consolation is the fact that I told my husband to change architect for building regs drawings and to go through a private company instead of local authority for approval... He didn’t listen... I had quotes for both... I’ve just forwarded him details of our conculillor. I reqlly wish I had a job so I could be away from it all all day like he does.

Hi all, gosh it's always a mixed bag on here isn't it? Hope you're ok monkey...?

We've had another setback today as well - yet again it's going to take more time and more money to correct all the wonky bits of our house. I know there's nothing our builder could have done but it's just incredibly disappointing when everything is beyond your control. This (rebuilding the ceiling) will use up the very last of our contingency ££ so nothing else is allowed to go wrong, starting from... NOW!

Also, as I now can't be certain we'll be done by Christmas I'll need a plan B for the relatives who are meant to be staying with us - argh!