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.

Good Lord, bax, that's a thing of beauty. I can see why you love it!! What is it called?

My wall lights have arrived and I'm a bit disappointed. They are called the Tornado TF41s (why?) and are made by a small company. But they are fabricated from what looks like fairly rough plaster. I have some Astro lights that are made of something similar and they look a lot less rough and ready. Am debating whether I can be bothered to send them back.

Bax that’s so cool! I love it!

whisky Rough plaster lights need to be painted (some need plaster first) to look good. They are usually sent with not a great finish, your painter/decorator should be able to improve them with a few coats of paint.

Make sure you get the correct height for your lovely extractor bax, if it’s too far from the hob, it will be pretty useless as the steam just disapates sideways from the hob. Be picky with your installer!

Mind you, Astro lights are generally pretty good so if you’re not happy send the tornado ones back and get some more Astro.

Bax do you know how big that extractor is? I am still a bit in love with it too. I’m wondering if it is wide enough to work effectively over a 90cm hob.

Oh whatthefox you're brilliant! You've sorted me out yet again.

I've had another look, comparing the lights to illustrations of them fitted, and actually the bit that's super-rough will be under plaster anyway, and you won't see the slightly wonky lines of the surround because that, too, will be filled. The recessed bit you will see is actually a lot better. I suspect the whole thing will blend in with paint! Phew, phew, phew. Emergency trip to post office averted!

The problem with the Astro recessed wall lights is you can't change the bulbs. So when they're gone, the whole thing is useless and you basically have to rip a big hole in the wall to change it. I know LEDs last a long time, but I want these to look good for longer than that! It was quite difficult to find some of this kind that didn't have this problem.

By contrast, the Astro ceiling lights I have are fitted with removeable bulbs. Though hopefully I won't have to get the ladder out to change them often as some of them are 4 metres up.

Talking of ceiling height, I know it's only November, but I am already mourning the fact that I won't have a Christmas tree this year, since trees indoors is one of my absolute favourite things about December.

I was a bit about this last night. DH has promised we can have a SUPER HIGH tree next year instead. I am already figuring out what I can get in!!

9 foot tree for you next year 🥃!

I’m sure your lights will look great, blending seamlessly into the wall when painted.

Anyone with high ceilings looking for an extractor solution in an island, the downdraft extractors are now quite good. CDA, Miele, neff etc all make them. Need to get a vented one though, they work much better than the recirculating ones.

Hello & welcome extensionmadness!
*
Bax -* love the extractor!

I'm currently hunkered down in my bedroom, supposed to be working from home!

There are 3 guys downstairs plasterboarding my ceiling, the window fitter is due at 2.00 and we have power & lights in the extension! Woop woop!
I'll post some photos later!

Whisky I was looking at the Astro lights, that sounds pants! Are the tornado lights fire rated?

It’s 700mm so quite big!
We only have normal height ceilings as we’re double storey.

rick - you're cooking on gas!!

4years - the Astro ceiling lights are fine (don't be put off them, they are lovely), it's just the wall lights where the bulb is fitted. The Tornado wall lights get around a fixed LED by having a weird and unusual bulb that costs 18 bloody quid.

I think it's only ceiling lights that get fire rated??? (Not sure about this, does anyone else know?)

Ah thank you, I was confused, I think because I’m looking at ceiling lights, I hadn’t picked up that you were talking about wall lights!

Bax your extractor looks amazing. My Bosch one will look positively boring compared to that! Though it's not in full view of anyone coming in to the kitchen so I couldn't justify spending loads on it.

We have plasterers today putting up more plaster board so I escaped to a local coffee shop to work.

I've just been told we may have glazing next Weds or Thurs!!!

I'm trying SO hard not to be excited in case there is a delay and I am crushed. I know it sounds stupid, but I can't wait for the knock-through to be over and done with. I feel like a bit like when you're hiking and climbing the major mountain on your route. You know you're only half way once you reach that summit, but you get a pause and a view, and some kind of feeling of reward!!

Very exciting whisky!

I just want everyone to get weatherproof and toasty warm as soon as possible. We’ve got some cold weather coming at the end of the month. I don’t like the idea of anybody shivering this winter. ❄️

Good luck whisky!

So quite pissed off here. Kitchen fitter has fucked up the fitting. I’m drinking wine and eating shit because I’m cross. Basically I’ve had to delay the worktop templating because he’s got it wrong. He should have made them level with the units in the existing bit of house. Too complicated to explain but it’s wrong.

What a muppet.

Bannisters! Still no internet though .

Sorry to hear about your kitchen believe. I hope muppet can solve it today.

Our scree is finally dry and the tiles are going down for the kitchen floor and hall.

He had to take up half after I took the photo as the laying patten was different. I had not noticed but he had spotted it.

This was on Tuesday so hopefully when I next go there on next Tuesday he will have cracked on with the bathroom too.

Lovely seeing the updates and gorgeous photos! We’re having very similar flooring although it’s a bit lighter.

That’s so sweet to think of everyone struggling in the cold. We’re at our friends house whilst their on holiday. It’s so lovely being in a home again! I didn’t realise how much of a struggle it is until we got this respite!
I’m certainly not complaining though as we will have an unbelievable house in the new year.

I know we have plasterboard/plastering going on and our plumbing is being done (we’ve had a temporary tube in our back garden 🤢). Builders are working this weekend too, another bonus of moving out!

Love your flooring Devon, what is it and where’s it from?

@Baxdream I know exactly what you mean about respite - being away over half term with a working kitchen was such a luxury, I’d forgotten what it felt like!

Oh @Believeitornot You’re not having good luck with these fitters, are you? Am hoping it’s a quick fix!

We have almost half a floor so far, which looks great. Hoping that means we can start fitting the kitchen next week, then templating the week after. Painting seems to have been abandoned but I don’t really care for now, I just want a kitchen!!

The flooring looks like wood but they are actually tiles.

I wanted a hard wearing floor in the kitchen. But I wanted a softer country look to offset the very modern white kitchen that is coming.

The tiles are Italian - not sure of the make (can check the box next week) but the tile name is Cottage Olma.

The builders ordered them from Italy (we are in Europe).

The cost per square metre is around 55 EUR.

believeit - I'm so, so sorry, that sounds like a shitty day. I hope you can have a good conversation with the builder this morning and get it sorted out. There are always fixes. for you in the meantime. It's unfair that this is happening.

devon - those tiles look lovely! It's astounding how like real wood the ceramic/porcelain ones are these days. If you'd asked me, I would have said that was absolutely, definitely real wood.

titsy - your hallway looks lovely! What is the staircase made of? I can almost smell the new wood!

namedy - your floor is GORGEOUS! Is it real wood? I love a herringbone parquet. I'm having it in the new study and hopefully also the new hall if there's enough left. But mine is totally fake - Amtico!! I got it on ebay!! .

I am decamping to lovely BIL's today to be spoiled til I have to come back Sunday and finish packing the downstairs. It's actually a birthday present - rather than getting me something, they promised me a weekend away in the midst of everything. They're so thoughtful like that. Their house is gorgeous, and I will greatly enjoy being warm and not having to make cups of tea for a bit!! Things get really tough next week and I'm slightly worried how I will cope. I was homeless for quite a long while (9 months!!) as a teenager and I keep telling myself that if I have been through that, this will be a cakewalk. But home means a lot to me as a consequence of that, too, so I'm hoping I don't freak out and start crying on the builder when they start knocking through, or anything.

I love your banisters titsywoo.

Our builders are mostly working on our loft conversion at the moment and the bones of it are done which is good but I think I will continue to be quite nervous until it's properly watertight...