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 had my first CF moment today.

Was walking down the road, saw an old guy with a chair coming the other way. Thought nothing of it, other than to register it. Got back from the shops to find said chair in my skip!!

I hate people like this! If he'd just asked, I would have said yes.

Have come home today and the electrician has disconnected the phone line without asking so no internet . This would happen when dh is away. Ds is autistic and the internet is his wind down time after school so he was in tears and dd has revision that she needs to do online. I've managed to create a Wi-Fi hotspot from an old modem and a SIM card (with dhs over the phone support!) But not sure how much data is on it. That electrician better be back tomorrow (So I can wring his neck!).

On the positive side I have finally ordered the kids bathroom tiles. Honestly I was struggling to find anything I liked but I think I've got something nice now. It's not what I wanted but that wasn't practical so I've gone with simple and easy to clean!

Titsy that is . Clever you for creating a solution though- I wouldn’t have had a clue!

I had a bit of a set-to with our builder today. For weeks and weeks he’s blustered and blagged about being on schedule so we handed in notice on our rented flat (cutting him a week’s grace with the exit date). He’s now saying we ‘sprung our move out date on him’ and it will be an uphill struggle to get it done, should have given him more time, come up with random reasons for delays which he’d not mentioned at all until we confirmed our return date. He even had the gall to say that working around us once we’re back will cost** him extra in time and labour. The truth of the matter is that we could afford to stay in the flat for a while longer but we’re both desperate to be home by Christmas and we felt like the builder needed a rocket to pick up the bloody pace.

I just feel like the next 3.5 weeks of my life are going to be the most stressful of my whole life- worse than the stress I felt during our last 2 house moves, worse than IVF- then I think get a bloody grip, first world problems and all that.

Someone tell me it’ll all be fine? Please? Someone? I’ll buy you a if you do...

Whisky CF indeed! Our next door neighbour bless him craned out of his window a few Saturday nights ago at 2.30am as he could hear a commotion and thought someone was trying to break in to our place. It turned out it was 2 blokes in a van carrying away a couple of shitty red armchairs that our builder had got on the cheap and installed in the house as a bit of an R&R area for the builders, then subsequently left outside on our driveway.

It'll be fine!!!! and more
Hopefully it'll give him a prod to get back on track and be honest with you.

Hi we’re right at the beginning of an extension. Choosing architects stage

Could I ask how you did it? Did you just get planning permission from the drawings then use builders by yourselves or did you retain the architects to oversee the build?

Thanks!

We haven't seen our architects since they sent us the building control drawings. I know some people use project managers but to be honest I find most builders do that themselves. Ours have been brilliant and just let us know when they need things by (bathroom tiles etc).

That is definitely cheeky whisky - next time you see him you should say ‘oh I’ve got a chair for you back at mine, you left it behind’! A few of my neighbours have put the odd thing in ours, but they usually ask first. Lots of people have a good rummage as well and help themselves if they think nobody’s looking, I find it fascinating to see what they’re taking!

Our architect offered to provide a project management service, and in hindsight I’m so pleased we didn’t take him up on it.

It would have involved a fortnightly visit to the site, which isn’t nearly often enough. And it would have been yet another middleman involved. As we’ve been living here throughout it’s been easier to keep an eye on things ourselves. Also, by the time we got to the stage of construction drawings we realised that our architect was rather useless and would add very little value.

Be strong @Tatlerer, and hold him to it. He’s probably just got last minute jitters as the end of the project approaches - haven’t we all!

My builder who has been very clear and upfront until now, has clammed up on us, muttering about additional work and a ‘demanding’ spec. Hardly. I get the impression he’s trying to scrabble around for more money but can’t find anything concrete to charge us for.

We have a completed mist coat now but it’s been pretty shoddily done (slapped on, with lots on the windows and floors, which are staying) so hope that’s not an indication of their waning interest...

Thanks so much Titsywoo and Namedy. Really great to know, you've just saved me ££

By the time we start next year you'll all be done!

I think a project manager is vital if you don’t live on site, or your busy job doesn’t let you visit the house everyday. Othwise they aren’t necessary.

Very CF of your neighbour 🥃

@Titsywoo we had similar with our phone line but the boss builder sent him back at the weekend to fix it (it happened on a Friday!)

@NamedyChangedy our builder remains interested - been sending polite emails and came over in the evening before trip away this week which was good of him. But our payments are very clearly staged and the invoicing has been clear so we can see what we are paying for.

@Tatlerer it will be fine. Promise

I’m starting to pack up our kitchen. We’ve been lucky enough to keep the old one while the new one is being installed. We’ve really been quite lucky!

Builder reckons 3-4 weeks then done 😬😬😬😬😬

Hmm I'll have a word tomorrow then believe and get him back. I've just realised the heating isn't working either so I think he's cocked up the boiler too!

I'm mainly annoyed because when dh is away I like to get into bed and watch netflix but now I can't!

Given by the dragging on of their previous project, my lot seem to keep going with little jobs after the main stuff is done. So I am hopeful they won’t lose interest.

Can I join you all please?? I'm only half way through reading the thread, but loving all the pictures.

We started in September, wrap around single extension. I need somewhere to vent!!

Building is up but we've had to pause as due to architect fuck up and malicious neighbour we've had planning enforcement round. Apparently our building is 20cm higher than on plans. Architect specified the insulation but not how high it would be. Neighbour has been out there with our plans and a tapemeasure i reckon.

Anyway we are now waiting for council to hopefully agree to a non material amendment.

Builder is pissed off, we're pissed off. Agreed to pause work but do internal stuff to existing house, to remove chimney breasts and he's doubled the quote. It's on her side.

I'm so annoyed. He's been good up until this.

We warned everyone who quoted what she was like.

Surely they can't just double quotes.

Oh gosh, that's awful. for you extension. How utterly stressful.

A good builder should know the planning regs and the importance of the height - if I've understood you right, the architect didn't provide accurate drawings and the builder didn't pick up on the mistake?

I don't have any practical advice, because I honestly don't know whether you take this up with the architect or the builders. But I'm pretty sure the full cost of putting it right shouldn't fall on you. Do you have a contract? If you do, maybe post in the legal forum for some advice? Hand-holding and support in the meantime.

tatlerer- 3.5 weeks is a blink in time. It'll be tough, but it honestly won't be that bad in the grand scheme of things. Definitely not worse than infertility! If you can survive that, you got this.

Project-management: my thoughts on this is that you need to be hands-on, on pretty much a daily basis. Others may not make the decisions you would make. Case in point: yesterday my electrician tried to convince me to get colour-changing LED lights for the kitchen worktop. "But they flash PURPLE!" he says. Meanwhile, my plumber is open about the fact he thinks I'm a total idiot for paying £400 extra for Worcester Bosch over an Ideal Logic boiler.

Welcome extension (great user name) but sorry we have to ‘meet’ you in such stressful circumstances!
So, he’s doubled the quote for the chimney breast removal, not the whole thing, right? Did he put it in writing (the original one)? What justification (if any) has he given?
Your neighbour sounds fun!

whisky thank you. You’re right that’s it’s short term pain for longer term gain, hopefully. I saw your boiler thread! My gas engineer/plumber is another WB fan so he’d be on your side!

Thanks, yes, just chimney breasts. But he's refusing to take any responsibility for errors to height.

The chimney breasts were left off original quote, so i chased it and got email from secretary apologising for leaving it off and saying what it was.

We ummed and ahhed about converting to bookcases, they said work the same. He would makes more sense to take them out and is now saying that's a totally different job. I've both emails from secretary which I'll be showing him today.

We've set price quoted for the rest of the job and he's not tried to increase that.

Our neighbour has tried to cause problems
/ disrupt the process as much as possible.

extension - I don't get the chimney breast thing. Do you mean that they were going to remove part of the chimney breast, and use the interior hearth-space as a bookcase? Versus total removal? I wonder if the builder was planning to leave so much of the chimney that an lintel wasn't needed (which might look quite strange), and whether the difference is the steels/supports you'd now require to take them out altogether? That's the only change I can think of that might explain a cost rise of that proportion.

How many books do you have? Have you thought about putting bookcases down the entire wall, in one line? You would get deeper shelves in the alcoves, and then much shallower ones where the chimney breast protrudes for smaller books/CDs. This is what we're doing in our dining room.

Whisky I saw our gas engineer this morning. He said inter-logic is a terrible boiler choice. He installed several on a major council contract and was having to replace key parts within a few months. He thinks your guy is on a kick-back.

That's interesting tatlerer,and thank you so much for checking for me!! I'm definitely going for WB now, however much I get ridiculed by our plumber for it! The Trustpilot reviews for the two could not be more different. I'm hoping to get at least 10 years out of whatever I fit, so I want something that's a bit of a workhorse.

Hi all, lots to catch up on. We’re about to move out for a few more days . Lots of action going on here.
Upstairs is insulated and plaster boarded ready to be plastered. All our stud work is done now.
We had a little wobble about the snug/kitchen size but we’re happy now! Wobbled are normal I guess!
Were hoping for another big transition this week!

I saw the extractor we want in the flesh today! Decision is made!