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.

DH and I have pretty much the same taste. He's much less invested in the house than I am. It tends to be that I do all the research into finding things - which is actually quite a lot of work- but he does occasionally say "Hmmm, I don't like it" to something, and he's usually right when he does. I have been known to fight my corner for something I really love, though, and I usually win!!

I feel like I am minding a toddler with the electrician. He threw up his arms last week and said that the plumber (whom he clearly dislikes) hadn't fitted the right valve on the boiler for the underfloor heating. To make things more complicated, the electrical work on that bit of it is being done by a SECOND electrician, a mate of the first. Cue a five-way negotiation, with the plumber, two electricians, me, and the underfloor heating company, after several days of which it emerges that the electrician has the wrong end of the stick and everything is fine. So I had a cold weekend last weekend for nothing. Both plumber and electrician were here yesterday, and bickering constantly - the electrician was basically trying to pick holes in the plumber's work, and the plumber was saying "But that's how it's supposed to be done!". Every time the plumber's phone went, the electrician started drilling into the wall with the loudest drill, forcing him outside!!

The upshot of it all is that I still don't have any heating downstairs, and as far as I can make out, it's because my electrician is deliberately trying to throw spokes into the works for no other reason than some egotistical vendetta. In the end, the second electrician didn't even turn up to do his bit!! I was sick of it by the end of the day and had stern words that the UFH better be on by the end of today or I would be displeased. It has to be turned on very, very slowly, so I probably won't have anything resembling proper heat downstairs until Sunday - and it's due to get cold at the end of tomorrow.

The knock-through here is taking ages. I can't remember when we started - week before last? But it's still going on, with endless dust and noise and disruption. I am dusting and hoovering my living space every day, and the amount of red building dust I'm pulling off each time is astonishing.

I have kind of given up on the dust. I can’t even vacuum the living room properly as there is stuff everywhere. We have someone from the electricity company coming to move our meter so the electrician can move the circuit board. Which means everything from under the stairs is now in a pile in the living room. I’d like to know why I own so many bottles of white spirit...

We are going to need a new thread soon!

I have decorators! Im smitten with the hague blue walls
Im waiting in for my kitchen delivery today and then that gets started tomorrow……the end is in sight!!!!!

hide - I am MEGA JEALOUS!

The builders have started on the hall. So there is literally one clean room upstairs (me and the cat) and the bathroom, and the entire rest of the house is a scene of total devastation. The builders aren't bothering to clean up at all at the present moment, so there are just piles of rubble (literally) everywhere.

I can see progress! Builders have been busy fixing the walls in the kitchen here. I have two plastered walls and a frame in place on a third where they are building out to cover the steel column. The electrician has done all his stuff so the ceiling can go on. The foundation for the old conservatory is being dug up after building control said “no way” to reusing it for the extension.

It really does feel like we are building now rather than just knocking stuff down.

@HideHide Hague blue is lovely isn’t it! It is the colour of my island and I can’t stop staring at it.

A new thread wow how time and posts fly!

Underfloor heating is on!!

A big yay for the heating!

We're done! The builders have gone! They did a great job today of cleaning everything down and we are definitely dust free now .

The decorator is doing his thing upstairs. DS's room looks horrendous (the turquoise is even worse in reality so I'll be buying nice big furniture to cover as much of it as possible . The decorator is our neighbour who has been doing the job for 20 years - DH thinks his work is flawless but I'm not so sure so that remains to be seen, I'll reserve judgement until he is finished in the kids bedrooms on Friday. Their carpets hopefully go in next Monday, the builders need to come back and put a fire door on the kitchen as building control won't sign off without it. Then in 2 weeks we are having seamless guttering fitted. After that we are buggering off to NYC for Xmas and will think about finishing everything else off in the New Year (have to finish the hallway and put in an ensuite for us and a utility room still!). I shudder to think how much debt we'll be in at the end of this. Probably around £20k. How many times will banks let you take out of your mortgage? We've been here 4.5 years and we've already taken £70k then another £50k for the two extensions. Still have 82% LTV so not too bad.

Here's my new front door!

Nice door, we are looking at getting one like that. And hooray for the end of builders! Will you be having a glass of something to celebrate tonight?

Well done titsy , bet that's a relief.

We're very nearly there except the decorating, some 2nd fix carpentry and electrician has a few bits to finish but we have a fully working kitchen as of today.

Ah it must be amazing saying goodbye to the builders! Although I'll strangely miss ours 😂 Love your front door 💕
We've put stuff on credit cards too. We remortgaged in October to pay for this with full intentions of remortgaging again now to fix at a better loan to value. We're then taking another £30k to pay everything off and finish the garden.
The finances are the most stressful bit!

Ps we've just had a quote for decorating at £3k. That's madness!!

@Titsywoo I’m so jealous at you saying goodbye... I swear my builders just want to keep hanging on in there because they’ve slowed the fuck right down again (head builder is away) and it’s annoyed me.

We remortgaged to pay for this and we will not have enough. The living room needs sorting as does the study and eventually we want another bit of work done plus carpets etc.

@Baxdream decorating does cost a fortune! We saved money in our last place by painting ourselves but I just can’t face that this time.

Thanks all. Yes I'll kind of miss our builders too - they have been so good. Every weekday they were here for 10.5 weeks for about 8 hours a day. All the snagging is done so the only things left are the ones we are doing ourselves. Well apart from the ensuite - need to get quotes for that soon. The door is a Rockdoor (Jacobean style) and we got it so cheap. I just went straight to the manufacturer (GAP UK) and it was nearly half the cost of the people they recommended to me when I went through their website! We got supply only though and the builders fitted it then got someone else in to do the trim around the edge.

Glad everyone else is moving along so quickly! Some fab looking kitchens on here!

Titsywoo maybe you should start the new thread to bring us all luck?

I love the fact that people starting after me are finishing. It means my end is in sight! Always nice to end on a happy note

Titsywoo your front door looks absolutely fab!

Good updates today, we're all getting there bit by bit!

Whisky woop woop for the underfloor heating! Ours goes on for the first tile Monday! I can't wait! We should also then have a thermostat and a timer! 😂😂

Email from Twatchops today demanding the £800 so he can pay the plasterer! He's going to pass it to a debt collector! 🤡🤡🤡! Given it a stiff ignoring!

I am jealous of you people having decorators in, we're doing it all ourselves!

We've bought our kitchen tiles today & really hoping that will get done before Christmas! The fab guys who cleaned my patio doors are coming back to do those!

titsy your builders aren’t in London are they? I could always use another recommendation to keep in mind for future.
Your rockdoor is fabulous and how clever of you to get it half price! Excellent tip. I’ve used rockdoors before and they’ve been solid and sturdy.

Whisky I’d have a strong word with your builders to clean up. They should do a basic tidy up and sweep at the end of each day, with a more thorough wipe down and hoover at the end of each week. Piles of rubble aren’t acceptable. It’ll be so much work at the end if they don’t tackle it at least part way as they go. I’m feeling a bit pearl clutch-y that they would treat chez whisky in such a way

Please someone who can do links make a new thread!

new thread!!

Spoke too soon. Builder just called up to say he thinks we owe him £7k more than we say we do! We're definitely right and I think he has done his VAT figure wrong but it's stressing me out thinking he is going to argue his (incorrect) corner. I'm tired of stress :(

Oops I'll move that to the new thread - this post should completely fill this one