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.

Yikes you have my sympathy whisky - hopefully it doesn't last for too much longer. Not having water is the worst hardship of all, I think.

We're also camping out in two rooms - our living room was turned into the builders' command centre months ago, with tools, suppliers and tarp-covered furniture all piled-high. A friend popped round over the weekend and had tears in her eyes, 'you've been living like this!? With the children?' I felt like someone on one of those Hoarders shows having to reveal the state of their house for the first time. Not too much longer now though!

I have to admit I'm not overly impressed by the quality of the finish so far, as it seems fairly slapdash; drips of plaster and paint on the floors, little cracks etc. I'm hoping they'll step up their attention to detail for the last push over the next couple of weeks.

devon can I have a little sprinkle of your fairy dust, pretty please - I need some good luck over here too!

And oi believe - no teasing, we need pictures!!

Namedy - Awwwww, that's so sweet of your friend, sounds like she really cares! You really are close now - so very close - take heart. And yes, I would talk to them about the quality of the finish straight away. Sounds like there's still time to heave them up a bit, and get it how you would like. Setting high expectations is good.

And yes, not having water is making me realise how bloody hard it is for all those millions of families across the world who don't have this amazing luxury. Imagine if you not only had to use saucepans etc but you had to walk miles to fill them as well. I think a Christmas donation to WaterAid is in order from us.

The rooflight is definitely here. It is huge and was an 8-man lift to get it up to the first floor roof. They have done AMAZINGLY to get it up there in one piece, I felt so utterly grateful to each and every one of them because it really looked like heavy work.

(Sorry, by "us" donating to WaterAid, I meant DH and I, obviously! Not volunteering the whole forum to do it )

Namedy do pull them up on the finish now. Always better to get in early.

whisky I hope the chaos is over soon. Your Wateraid donation reminded me of the small rant delivered at my daughter when she complained about having to go upstairs to get a glass of water.

Once our work is finished I am twinning both our new toilets to help provide toilets elsewhere. It is a fab idea: www.toilettwinning.org/what-we-do/

dust - what a wonderful idea about the toilet twinning!!

PIL are very active in their local twinning society. They made a huge fuss that we weren't getting a second loo installed as part of the work, even though it's not their decision, ewe have no space for it, and we don't need it. I am SO tempted to get them this as a slightly evil present!!

dust and whisky I am twinning our new toilet as well. I saw their stand at Glastonbury and put it in the renovation budget as soon as I got home

Your PIL definitely sound like they need a toilet twin for Christmas whisky

I am very happy this morning because Building Control just signed off our staircase, which due to an issue with the original back wall of the house needing to be better insulated now needs to be steeper than originally planned. Our ensuite is going in over the stairs and it would have caused massive, massive problems to have to re-design the stairs. It feels like the first thing in the whole build which has gone our way (not Building Control, who've been perfectly reasonable, just all the bad luck we've had in general).

Keep going ladies we can do this!
We have a tap in the kitchen but it's like an outdoor garden tap 😂

We have the plasterers and builders here and our appliances have just arrived!

I am a regular donor to water aid for many years. Thanks for the link dust I’m going to buy a block of toilets what an amazing idea!

Good progress everyone, it’ll all be worth it in the end!

Our lounge has been overtaken now 😱. The builders have looked at the extractor (the biggest box). I did explain it's very pretty so will be worth the fitting 😂

Sounds like we're all in total chaos! Our fuse box has stopped working today so dh has been having a breakdown. I just bought some long strips of carpet to put down in the dusty hallway till it's carpeted. The dust being walked through the kitchen drives me insane. Dh is not careful about it. The problem is we have engineered wood and the plaster dust gets stuck in the ridges of the wood and it's a nightmare to get it out. There's noway they'll be done on friday. There's so many little bits to do. I really hope they are gone by Xmas though!

@Titsywoo what happened to the fuse box terrible!

@Baxdream ah it’s nice to see the boxes and even better to see them empty. It’s very tangible seeing it all stacked up.

@DustandRubble, I’ve not heard of this twinning. We aren’t getting a new one but will take a look anyways.

@NamedyChangedy disappointing to hear about the finish. Our builders have been very good. The head builder is a bit of a perfectionist. Thankfully.

I will take some pictures when home. The latest ones have the dcs in them

Oh and our worktop should be fitted this FRIDAY. FRIDAY. That’s the day after tomorrow

Our plasterers achieved all this today! Brilliant job!

A bit of progress today with more floor down.

Plus a picture of the oven

Love the flooring and I have serious oven envy!! 😍😍😍

Yah Bax they did good!
Believe looking good too!

Exciting times we're all getting there!

Can I join the party? We started our two storey extension at beginning of Sept and have the structure built and tiled, but the next phase is chipping old render off (noisy!!!) then windows, then the dreaded big bad knock through. We are going to keep living in the house when at some point we'll have no kitchen or bathroom. We must be insane. I need the online support through the next messy month.

And yes it's 5:45 and I've been up an hour thinking about tiles and worktops and lights, oh my!! Am going to check out the Mumsnet tap now... peace and love and containment of brickdust to everyone.

Welcome Pump, my sympathies, my extension has caused me more sleepless nights than anything else ever!

Fingers crossed for you, we've been here the whole time and it's been hell at times!

Welcome!

We've carried on living here too. I wish we could've moved out but it just wasn't an option. Thankfully we've had two breaks, one at my parents and one house sitting whilst friends were away. It was a lifesaver for breakthrough week!

We're currently without a kitchen but things are slowly getting better!

Good progress *Bax - it's amazing how quickly plaster goes on when a skilled professional does it, isn't it?

Exciting Believe, you're very nearly there! I considered that oven for about a millisecond before I remembered that it wasn't remotely within my budget. Bet you can't wait to use it.

Welcome Pump, and well done for getting so far already! It is a bit insane isn't' it? We've been here throughout too and are pleased we've been able to endure it (just about), as we've ended up needing the money we saved by not renting.

whisky I just love your way of seeing the positive in every situation, it's a real skill, one which I must try to exercise more often!!

Hello Pump. We are also living here with the work going on, it’s not that bad. I’m definitely bored of not having a kitchen sink, finally caved and bought (eco) paper plates and bowls to cut down on washing up. Washing up in the bathroom sink is such a pain.

We are about to see a lot more of our builders. They are behind and want to catch up so have asked if they can work weekends, within the limits of noise restrictions. I told them to crack on, anything that gets me closer to having that kitchen sink!

Today they are all over the house and I am lacking places to hide from them. I’d go out but I need to sort laundry as my godsend laundry lady comes this evening. I love her. She takes my washing away and brings it back clean & folded. Although I will still cheer when my laundry room is done.

Hello ladies... guess what? I'm in love. With my new rooflight. It's 3 metres long and took one almighty heft to get in. One of the windows guys hid in the loo for a bit to avoid having to heft it, but was quickly rumbled and extracted by his mates.

It's wonderful. I can see the skyyyyyyyyy!! Like being in a James Turrell sculpture, but with central heating and cushions (well, eventually I will have those things anyway). And the whole extension is wonderfully light now. I absolutely LOVE it.

Had a bit of a brainwave last night too. I'm having a large study window fitted into our box room, floor to ceiling. A bay has been constructed for it around 80cm deep, which really opens the room up a lot. It feels a bit like a very, very light turret! I decided last night that I'd clad the inside as well as the outside in cedar. I'm hoping this defines it as a little nook, like an eyrie at the top of the house. I am chuffed with myself about this idea.

Can’t wait for the pics whisky

A 3m skylight sounds very dramatic!

A 3m skylight sounds amazing!!!!

I'll try to take some. There's been a lot of internal scaffolding that has made it hard to get into the rooms, but this is starting to clear now in preparation for plastering. In the interests of expectation management , it's only 3 metres LONG, it's not 3 metres square!! The width is about a metre!

I may have my underfloor heating switched on tomorrow!! Desperately needed as all the other radiators downstairs have been removed for weeks until plastering/decorating is done. I have been told I have to turn it on very gently, though, as the screed isn't yet thoroughly dry, so I'm not anticipating that it will be that effective for a while.

whisky that sounds amazing, can't wait to see pics. Your study sounds like a great idea too.

We're close to the end. Worktops went in the kitchen today. Love them. Hopefully you'll be able to see the slight sparkle.