Home extensions 2017- the one where all builders are dickheads.

[monkeyfacegrace]

Link to the old thread.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/2847599-Home-Extensions-2017-come-along-on-the-journey

As you were ladies.

I have hallway envy!

!Looks at narrow hallway with wall mounted coat hooks groaning under the weight of too many coats!

rick - I am shocked and appalled that they were still using Artex in 1998. It must have been deeply, deeply unfashionable by then! I'm glad you're getting used to being spoken to like a client again!

tika That hallway looks lovely! And not overkill at all. Your stairs are gorgeous. I am .

Bax - even though your walls are breeze block, that still feels a light and airy space! Imagine what it will be like when painted!

So happy to read about all the progress. It feels glacial when you are in it, but from the outside, with other people's builds, it seems quick!

I am just packing at the moment. I've managed to get two rooms upstairs into a liveable state and have packed the study (full of DH's books, so a huge job though a small room), the living room, and nearly finished the dining room. Still got the kitchen to go. A charity are coming tomorrow to pick up surplus furniture. It's been very hard work, and I am both physically and mentally tired now. Plus, I have REALLY BAD PMT WHICH IS NOT HELPING!!!

I am starting to plan the study furniture. There will be a very long but narrow desk running down one side of the room - 300 cm x 60 cm. Under this I'm going to put one set of drawers for DH's random work crap, and two for clothes. I'm wondering whether I could use Ikea's kitchen units and a worktop to create this?? You can get ones that are 60cm high, and with a plinth and worktop, that would make a 70cm high desk. I could build the whole lot in and use cover pieces to make it look like expensive bespoke office furniture? Wotfink?

Morning, may I join you?

I've been lurking for a while... but our build finally starts today. I was woken at 6.30am by the bricks being delivered! We've already had the footings done by another builder. We're building a 2 storey extension, adding a kitchen/ dining room, utility, study and an extra bedroom. 12 weeks to build hopefully ( crosses fingers! ) ... Although I'm already expecting longer.

I love your kitchen tiles Monkey , if you don't mind sharing I'd love to know where they were from?

Sherbet - welcome !
Your build sounds similar to mine!
Once you’re out the ground it flies up. Have you got a picture of your plans?

Hi sherbet I am the opposite, post build now but still clearing up and redecorating 😁

Cant stay away as have to follow the horror stories fantastic progress everyone is making.

Your post begs a question to everyone here.

Was anyone NOT told their project would take "12 weeks"?

Is that secret builders code for 'as long as it takes?" Sometimes less, sometimes more?

Hope everyone has a fab busy building week.

We’re on week 11 now and we’re told 16 weeks. I just want downstairs to be ready for Christmas!

We were not told 12 weeks, we were told more like 16 as well. I have no idea if we are on schedule or not!

Our initial estimate was 12 weeks too! That was adjusted to 16 after a few weeks. It’ll realistically end up being 18-19.

Our builders have a few projects on the go, which is understandable - it has affected us but if we’d insisted they work exclusively on our job we’d no doubt have had to pay a huge premium. But whenever I feel frustrated about progress / communication etc, I think about TeamRick and twatchops and it puts it into perspective. (Sorry Rick!)

We were told about 20 weeks but it's going to be more like 26. Which we always thought it would be! Partly down to a slow start and partly to extra work which turned out to be necessary. Our builders only do one job at a time.

One builder told us it would take 9 months. They do multiple jobs at a time. Good that they were honest, but no thanks!

I've never even been given an end date! The builder just comes every day and cracks on, sometimes with other trades, sometimes with mates, sometimes alone. I think it would be possible to do this whole thing quicker, but I am not sure I'd have had the same attention or room to be part of every decision, which is what I wanted. As long as we can see progress at a decent rate, we're happy. I think in our case, our patience has been extended no end by the fact that our house was absolutely horrible before this all started - we've been living in what can only be described as a design nightmare for years and years . It was so embarrassingly bad that I don't think many families would have put up with it for that long, and we were just avoiding having guests or people over to dinner. So even with everything but 2 rooms packed, it doesn't even feel that much more inconvenient.

Slight rage here as the kitchen filter cannot fit the kitchen because the wall in the extension isa slightly different depth to that in the original bit of the house. (It would mean the units wouldn’t be flush)

Dh and I spotted this last night - makes me wonder if the fitters would have merrily fitted the kitchen if we haven’t spotted this.

Gah

Oh no Believe! But wait - can't they leave a small gap behind the stretch of wall that's set back? The worktops will cover it all anyway...?

Sorry, that makes no sense - behind the units on that bit of wall, I mean!

Oh no believe! What a pity.

It will be OK, you'll find a way through and a solution, it's just annoying when you think it's all coming together and you encounter an issue. for you.

Told 16 weeks also! Nearly 7 months ago! Meh!

Believe I know exactly what problem you're having because we have it too! Realised that the stud wall was going to be a a couple of inches further back than original kitchen wall!

DH is building a double stud wall to bring it in line! Feels like a waste of space but I wanted a straight run of units!

He has been slowed down in his fake wall building because when he removed some of the old plasterboard to start work, he exposed the back of the steel and realised the bolts hadn't been screwed on to the back bit and there was no concrete in there either! 😱! Twatchops had only poured concrete in to the front bit that was actually visible! 😡😡😡

I'm really not holding out much hope that really will be 12 weeks, especially having read this and the last thread! The builder was only 1 week over on his last job though....so who knows.

I'm 25 weeks pregnant atm, so if it did take 12 (or even 16 ) wks we may have a small chance of having a kitchen when the baby is born... so I'm holding out a small amount of hope...

I have plans i can share. Can i attach pictures if I'm using the app?

@TeamRick it’s so annoying isn’t it!

@NamedyChangedy well yes that was our solution but he’s refusing in case he gets it wrong, so he’s waiting for the stud wall to be built first.

I’m glad I’m not home to deal with this - DH is - as I would struggle to contain my temper 😡

Gah that must be so disappointing, I feel your pain! At least there's a simple solution and it'll be fantastic once it's done (he sounds like a perfectionist, which is good in his line of work!). There's still plenty of time for fitting and floors pre-Christmas! Trying to find positives here...

Head builder has since popped over and boshed some heads together so things are moving. I do like head builder as he’s got common sense but seems to be the only one who has!

So the stud wall is being built right now

@NamedyChangedy I think what bothered me was the lack of foresight. We just happened to measure it - the builders should have really been on it.

I find builders’ teams consist of one slightly clued up person leading a bunch of complete numbskulls

TeamRick, has twatchops actually not put concrete where it should be?
He’s a complete cowboy!

So it seems What! I thought he was just slow!

whatthefox am sure you are right about the clued and numbskull combo as the norm but I can confirm from a horrific roofing experience that the converse - a good team led by a wholly unreliable, disorganised, dishonest and infuriating owner (who repeatedly claimed he couldnt possibly be ripping us off because he was 'a Christian') can be an even worse experience 😡 At least, thanks to the long-suffering and decent workers, the actual roof passed building control!

TeamRick I hope you’re putting your case together for the small claims court. And a letter to him beforehand to detail the remedial work you had to carry out.

We’ve been told 16 weeks, I never believed it.

We had a discussion with builders who have finally realised/admitted that we’re a lot more behind than we’ve been told all along. I’m now trying to reschedule the kitchen delivery to mid Jan. I’m okay with that to be honest.
We’re still doing groundworks, they’ve filled 3 skips with soil today... I don’t blame the builders for our delays, we have a difficult site and a more difficult council to deal with. I feel like moving out of the borough after it’s all done...