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Original poster

Home Extensions 2017 - come along on the journey

970 replies

RedRobin1 · 06/02/2017 13:04

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?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
112
Fourmagpies · 19/04/2017 17:30

Our builder has confirmed he'll start beginning of May! Slightly nervous. Still sorting out remortgage, it all started out well but then legals seem to have ground to a halt.

jigster01 · 19/04/2017 17:41

Building control came and is happy at @1.5m so team you might not need it deep as 2m ...Ours was also because of trees nearby ....
We have a type of lean to attached to back and in the rush of everything my DS and I were emptying it all out ...It was so funny my son fell back and fell in one of the dug holes ,which i had only just fell in!!! only about a foot deep ,no one hurt Grin!!!

ShortLass · 19/04/2017 18:10

Flyfisher in my extension, the builders have knocked down the extension and left the wires hanging. I had a meeting with the electrician today. He's going in when there aren't three builders getting in his way to sort it.

I would just say to your electrician that s/he needs to sort out the wiring in the knocked down extension. He will know better than you what needs to be done. Then you can also talk to him about putting in necessary electrics for your project.

TeamRick · 19/04/2017 22:07

I hope we don't have to go down the full 2.5m but there are big trees just over the fence so not too hopeful!
The Cat had to be shut in last night as his cat flap now opens in to thin air!
He woke us up at 2.00am & 5am! Sigh!
I really want this bit over!

lostlalaloopsy · 20/04/2017 18:11

We are due to start any day! Unfortunately the guy who was going to dig the foundations has been in an accident so slight delay.

We are putting on 2 storey extension which will be an extra bedroom and family room onto current kitchen/diner.

The outside part doesn't bother me, but I am really dreading the whole knock through. Especially upstairs where we are having to move doors/bathroom etc.

jigster01 · 21/04/2017 20:30

Footings in today ..Progressing well ..Bit of a panic earlier ..B/ control told builders we didn't need as much steel as a lintel will be sufficient over bifolds ( engineer was covering himself as he knows how strict they can be )so builders were happy .DH said we would need new drawings to confirm this ...All agreed and then B/C said he had revision A plans, we were all working from B ,and then asking for C !! It was a panic ( i know, it's confusing )but all good to continue.So i suppose we have saved ourselves a few hundred £'s ?? ..Will go towards the contingency i expect !Grin

spydie · 23/04/2017 11:30

This is us 4 days in.... have had to go down to 1.5 metres since we are on clay.

Nothing has been taken away yet as our arseh*le distant neighbours moaned and moaned to the council who then changed their minds. Upon speaking with other neighbours, they are apparently notorious for lying so we are not surprised, and we don't want the aggravation involved in pushing it. Builders have agreed to use someone's parking space up our drive so the muck will at least start going tomorrow. Not sure how the concrete is going to get in though Hmm

Home Extensions 2017 - come along on the journey
Tatlerer · 23/04/2017 20:34

spydie your distant neighbours sound like a bloody nightmare and the council being cowardly custards and giving in to them is beyond the pale! They'll just have to suck it up when the concrete goes in- I mean what else can you do?!?

TeamRick · 24/04/2017 22:53

That is a nightmare! We have an enormous pile of soil in the front garden! Sigh!

EJC85 · 24/04/2017 23:26

Flyfisherlady best of luck with project managing it all. I have the same concerns as you. Hoping it will all work out somehow in the end. Terrifying is an understatement!
Also great idea about the course. 😉

jojosapphire · 25/04/2017 22:53

Yay we have walls! And a doorway! Amazing how fast it goes up....

Home Extensions 2017 - come along on the journey
Borisrules · 25/04/2017 22:55

I just thought I'd come along and add some experience. We're at the kitchen fit stage of a 3m extension across the back with utility and underhouse storage.

Things I have learnt....

  1. velux windows must go in as low as possible into the roof. Our neighbours had an identical extension at the same time and theirs went in half way down the roof. We didn't specify and fortunately our builders knew what they were doing.

  2. RSJs can go in at different heights depending on the technique used. This can make a big difference with head clearance when underfloor heating etc is put in.

  3. work out how you will use your space well in advance. This helped us with kitchen design, lighting and tech
    Wifi is the future. I'm so glad we had the forethought to get an Ethernet cable run all the way into the utility for a second router and really glad we thought to have an optics /hdmi cable run down from the wall mounted TV to ground.

  4. underfloor heating manifolds are quite large and require cupboard space...

  5. think about where your windows are at the beginning.... our kitchen sink has ended up a bit out of line with the window as we didn't think of that...

  6. Howdens kitchens seem good quality and if anyone is dithering over laminate just do it. I can replace the worktops 8 times over for the cost of Corian... the laminate with a decent fitter looks excellent.

  7. choose your window colour in advance of starting...I agonised over this for way too long

  8. buy plenty of tea, coffee, biscuits. Buy fairy platinum washing up liquid and rubber gloves. It cuts through grease even in cold water. Eat microwave meals, buy paper plates, sacrifice some nasty mugs for the builders. Buy those toilet bowl cleaning tablets from Lakeland as no-one ever uses a bog brush...
    If you don't want them to use it (Hoover/mop etc) then hide it.

We had a George Foreman lean mean grilling machine which saved our lives.

Keep a sense of humour.....

We had 3 nights of weeing in a bucket.
Our builders have been amazing but not very good at warning us about things.... (no upstairs bathroom, no access to fridge, surprise new front door with no keys etc etc....)

Good luck everyone.
We had a 20% contingency and have used most of it. (Mainly on extras we chose to upgrade but at least 2k on unpredicted electrics.....)

Here's a photo...

Home Extensions 2017 - come along on the journey
jigster01 · 25/04/2017 23:29

Thanks for the tips Boris ....Can you expand a little more on the velux and spacing ?
We are having 3 -1400x700 on a 5m extension ..Thanks

Borisrules · 25/04/2017 23:37

I'll measure tomorrow! I think the main thing is to make sure you choose and that they go in as low as poss...

PippaFawcett · 26/04/2017 12:08

Hello, I'm joining as we are just getting builders quotes for our renovation. It has taken about two months to get builders to come round to quote!

Pigleychez · 27/04/2017 19:55

Jigster - The builders placed our Velux's lower than the architect had drawn them. On the plans he had the right up high.

Still nothing happening here. Still waiting for the doors :(

Home Extensions 2017 - come along on the journey
jigster01 · 27/04/2017 20:20

Wow they are lovely big windows ..Do you know the size ?
I mentioned to my builder about placement and he said we could have them placed anywhere (ours are also put high on plans )

EJC85 · 27/04/2017 20:27

I love to come here and have a nose around the current projects. All looking great Smile

Boris thanks for your insights. Will keep that in mind when my time comes!

A bit of an update - our architect has submitted the revised plans to the planning people! Fingers and toes crossed it all goes smoothly this time and it doesn't take forever to get an answer.

Good luck everyone!

Pigleychez · 27/04/2017 21:30

Jigster- They are 114cm x 118cm each.

Pippa- Chasing people has been a huge annoyance here too. The latest being the flooring guy for our quote. You would think they would want the work!

PippaFawcett · 27/04/2017 21:41

I wouldn't mind so much if we didn't keep getting strung along! I think the good ones near us can pick and choose their work but keep other options on the back burner. We are in a new area so we don't know the good firms like we used to!

jigster01 · 27/04/2017 22:52

Thanks pigley one more question! Are your velux manual or remote? We were told remote would be an extra £450 ish per window so atm we have said no but our ceiling is on a slope and highest point is around 3m so I'm going to need an extra long stick !

Pigleychez · 27/04/2017 22:59

Jigster- Ours are manual and yes, we too will need a long pole! :) We toyed with the idea of electric but the cost put us off. We have 4 metre bifolds (and a side window) so if we need air we will mostly just open them.

Velux do the poles for about £30.

jigster01 · 28/04/2017 05:58

Thank you ...very similar set up... 2.5m bifolds and 1800 window for us so hopefully very bright and light

KimKardashiansArse · 28/04/2017 08:22

Hello fellow extenders. Can I join you? I've read the whole thread. It is brilliant to see people getting walls built and knocked down!

I am hoping to complete a loft conversion and kitchen extension this year. It's a Victorian terrace, side return extension and L-shaped double dormer loft conversion. We're lowering the ceilings a bit for the loft conversion.

We are using Econoloft for the loft conversion which isn't going very well at the moment. We signed the contract just after Christmas and they said their lead time was 3 months. 4 months later they've only just finished the drawings. We're paying them £50k and they're currently arguing with us over whether our contract included a piece of work costing £100...

On the kitchen front we are in party wall hell due to arsehole neighbours. They've one more week to reply to our notice. There's no way they will consent so I am resigned to pissing £2k+ up the wall for them. Angry

Urgently need more Wine and it isn't even 8.30am.

I've also got the manual or electric Velux window dilemma for the kitchen. We've got 5 Velux windows so the cost of electric would be Shock but I also don't like the ideal of manually opening them all every day. Why is it so bloody expensive? Do you get one of those control panels for every single window?

KimKardashiansArse · 28/04/2017 08:24

All of that and I forgot to ask my question!

For those of you having bifolds: where are you getting them from? Does the supplier fit them too or is it supply only and then fitted by your builder?