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.

PM called and updated me on the week's progress (we are in temp accommodation so can only get back to check once a week).

False ceilings are in - in the bathroom, kitchen & sitting room. Plastering all finished.

Am hoping tiling will start next week.
He will send me a plan for next week's work after their planning meeting today.

Got to love German builders for their efficiency .

Hoping progress is happening everywhere and that the windows man has not run off your money pp.

That all sounds positive Devon.

I also hope that window man turns up with some windows, definitely worrying.

I sent a slightly sarky text to the builder today asking if anyone was coming. They came and dropped tools off today. Next week is meant to be the big week. Steels arrive on Monday. We have a massive box frame going in, I think it is the biggest these guys have tackled. I am quite glad I will be away so won’t have to witness the inevitable chaos.

Logging into new thread...

Shower... I’m really sorry about your cat. I gave mine up for this reason in the spring. I saw him tumble under a car last year (he was so lucky to have avoided all the wheels) and was in a constant worry after that every time he was out.

Oh, I love pictures of extensions taking shape... I’m totally jealous of the stage some of you are in.

Monkey - how’s your floor doing?

We almost have approval from building controls to finish the foundations on the other side of the house... the officer is just really enjoying his power, have no idea why, it’s been okeyed last week but now he came out again this week just to stall us again until he comes back next week because he wasn’t too happy after all. I don’t even go out any more I’m so angry.

And the builders finally admitted that brickies have messed up (husband has been saying this to them for a week), turns out that the nice bricks they laid to about knee height were all uneven and curving everywhere (brickie’s been sacked). So they took two more days to carefully save as many as possible and are in the process of rebuilding it. Very precisely and slowly.

Am I the only one who didn’t go for a blue kitchen? I have a friend who’d ordered a kitchen from a company I was going to order from, in the colour I was thinking about getting it in... so I decided not to go with any of those.

I've just been to Ikea!! And I've totally fallen in love with quartz worktops even though they shatter my budget.

Not only that, but there's a quartz splashback that matches the quartz worktops, which I also love. But it would be around £300! BUT. IT. MATCHES. THE. WORKTOPS.

I feel like some kind of mission creep is setting in. I've gone from being the kind of person who takes water with them to avoid spending £1 on a cup of tea to nonchalantly doing bank transfers for thousands.

Someone give me a slap!

£300 is totally worth it whisky!

I once fell in love with a type of granite in a stone yard.

Reader, it was £40,000 for the slab. I walked very reluctantly away....I still dream about it

£40,000!!!! So £300 is practically NOTHING isn't it? It's just pennies. A big, big, big heap of pennies.

Exactly whisky

Think about it this way, if you don’t get this splashback, you’ll have to get another one right which won’t be £0 right? So the real cost is the difference. And nothing else will ever match. And you have to look at this everyday. And kitchens add value to homes if done right.

Have I convinced you yet?

whatthefox - I think I love you!

I just have to convince DH now!

In all seriousness, I'm prepared to take on some of the decorating to help offset the cost. My existing lounge and diner will be repainted the same colour as part of the work, and since I had them taken back to brick a couple of years back, and painted them very, very carefully afterwards (I'm so proud of the finish, you can't see a single roller or brush mark anywhere), I don't think it will be that much work redoing them - I can probably get away with a couple of thin coats.

I am rubbish at glosswork, though - might get a professional to do that bit!

Do it do it do it.

Worktops make or break kitchens. The doors can be repainted but the wrong worktop is expensive and messy to replace. Plus you save £300 in painting costs at least

Tell DH you have made an executive decision as Chief Designer and he case is closed.

Well it's time for the big patio reveal! Ta Da!

I had workmen that came everyday! They removed full skips & had new empty ones delivered and they have finished on time & vanished without a trace!

the not he

I lack proofreading skills

I love it TeamRick!

What tiles did you use, they’re fab!

Lovely patio!

Whatthefox thank you I love it too!

Italian porcelain, the indoor ones are the same (if we ever get that far) I am over the moon! Really cheered us up!

A gazebo, patio heater & the BBQ out of the lock-up and I might move outside! 😂😂

Rick, it's gorgeous - you must be so pleased!

Another vote here for matching splashback @whiskyowl! It's not that much more than you would pay for tiles, and will look fantastic. Was in a very smart/expensive German kitchen show room earlier and they all had matching surfaces, looked very slick!

No reply about the windows from PM so far, am bracing myself for the worst.

Namedy I hope you get the windows sorted, that sounds stressful.

Whisky I agree with what, go for the splashback, it'll be great!

Rick your patio is a thing of beauty!!

Hi everyone else!

Got an artist's impression of my blue island (although the blue is a bit darker in real life).

Which I meant to post, but either the Mumsnet app or the half bottle of red I've had is impinging my progress.

We have a leak on our landing, nothing major I don’t think. The joy of not being watertight when the heavens open!

tatlerer - that made me laugh! Hope you can find the picture this morning

rick - those tiles look superb and really well laid! How lovely for you to get some progress.

namedy - I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you.

I have roof joists just about up and a temporary covering of chipboard with a very noisy tarp over the top of it. I'm slightly disturbed by how dark it's making my dining room. Rationally, I know I am being ridiculous and silly. Of course there will be more light when the skylight is in place and when the walls and ceilings are white, but it's a bit... cave-like right now. Someone is coming this afternoon to prep the structure for spray insulation, which will be completed on Monday. This is the stickiest stuff in the universe so I am staying well out of the way, and making sure the cat does too!

Going to have to start thinking about packing up the ground floor pretty soon now for the dreaded knock-through.

So our supposed watertight roof (of the new extension) is leaking

DH thinks there’s no rush to tell the builder. I think we need to email him today.

Anyway will be back later to properly read replies.

believeit - Noooooooooooo! You poor thing! And why do these things ALWAYS happen at the weekend? GAH!

I would be on the phone! I dunno where you are, but we're due a storm and torrential rain here later on. There may be things you can do to minimise the problem and any damage?

Well it’s a slow leak so not too bad - and we don’t have anything which could get damaged so that’s ok.

I’m just so cross because it’s a new roof!!

And yes we are due the rain later!

Lovely patio Rick!

I'd send them a message Believeitornot - we had the same with the roof on our extension a couple of years ago. For us the builder had accidentally dislodged some lead flashing and the roofer had to come back and sort it. Is the inside plastered yet?

We've had another good week. Went up to have a look yesterday. The bedrooms are great but I'm a little concerned about the bathroom. Because of the slant of the roof there is less usable floor space than expected and I'm struggling to fit in the loo and sink without them being so close that you bump into the loo when using the sink or having the sink elsewhere and having to manuovre around it when walking through the door. I'll draw a quick diagram and upload it in a sec to get your opinions.

Also does anyone know if internal bifold doors can come as firedoors? We need firedoors to every room but a bifold one on that bathroom would be a lifesaver!

So here's my not to scale diagram! The door can't be moved and although the airing cupboard could be moved (well the boiler/water tank could be put in the eaves) it's isn't really useable space anyway. As the roof slant is too low to allow a sink or loo even if the shower was a 90cm quadrant. The only way I can see it working is a sink on the right butt up against the shower but only 500mm wide max. Then there is enough room for a bifold door to swing in (otherwise the door will have to open outwards). Any other ideas would be appreciated! The ceiling height is 2.1m on the right then slopes down to about 1m on the left.