Home extensions 2017 - Christmas is coming

[Believeitornot]

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Ohhh whatashower you are so lovely! It has been really great having someone who has reached the light at the end of the tunnel on the thread. Your advice has been brilliant.

I think you're spot on about this being a war of attrition. I didn't appreciate fully, when the build started, what a huge role simple persistence would play. It's so, so easy to get tired, give up and to say "Just put the house back together SOMEHOW". I'm really trying to resist doing that, but I am getting tired out!

namedy - you are NOT the only one drinking/eating too much - I absolutely have been too and am in the same boat. I've put on SO much weight in the last 5 years anyway thanks to illness that this is the last thing I needed! But it's really difficult to eat healthily with stress and no kitchen. I'm not going to be done until February, and probably not totally finished til March - which I figure is the perfect time of year to start a health regime (Janaury is just TOO cold and miserable). I love the idea of a post-build rehab group.

Just signing up for the post build rehab group if you'll have me! I too have put on so much weight!

Posting from the warmest of houses☀️🔥🏝🏖! It's tropical! The underfloor heating is amazing and as it seemed to be the last issue we had, I'm breathing a sigh of relief!

I'll be back after Christmas with some photos once the tiling is done!

Thank you for all your support over the year! Hope you all have a fabulous Christmas- even if you're not quite finished. May you all have an operational boiler for the festive season! 🎄🎄🎄

Merry Christmas all! Our head builder has promised a blitz today and tomorrow. We will def have a near finished open plan kitchen/living/dining space by Friday and will engage in some mega cleaning for guests on Christmas Eve.

The utility is less likely to be done but I can live with that.

I’ve spent a long time thinking about where things will go and have meticulously planned the use of each kitchen drawer and cupboard which is why we’ve ended up with not so much space. Our last kitchen just replicated the old one and it had too many cupboards (yes!) because we also had a utility room.

I’m going to leave a case of beers and a card for the builders - is that too generous

And I too will be joining a January health drive. I have got into a terrible habit of evening wine and regular take away curries etc etc.

Glad you're warm at last Rick!

Believe- I got a case of wine and gave them each a bottle. Only before you all say "ah how lovely" I did it on Monday because I really didn't want to give the electrician one and he wasn't around that day. [Grin] Also got a massive fruit cake for the whole crew this week from Costco, which has gone down well!

We've got a bottle of whisky for a main builder and we're giving £50 to him, the second builder and the labourer. We're clearly too generous 😂

Brilliant news Believe glad you will have a lovely space for Christmas!

DH have the super hero plasterer an extra £100 to go towards their Christmas do! They were very grateful for that!

I still haven't found any bar stools! Sigh! Might have to get myself down to Dunelm tomorrow!

We have these

Oh not at all shower! Luckily, mince pies are a bit rich for me - don't think the builders would say the same though, I put out a tray of 12 this morning and they were all gone by 10.15!

I know what you mean, running out of steam is a very real phenomenon here too - I admire anyone who can sustain their energy and enthusiasm even through the final days, it's sooo hard! Our downstairs shower room and utility are at risk of seeming like after-thoughts, because they are. But I can't dwell too much on all that now, I'll just be glad it's finished.

Post-build reset for me too please, for realsies!

Ah Believe you've answered my next question - what to get the builders as a Christmas pressie! A case of beer might be just the thing, as I don't get the impression that these guys are big wine connoisseurs! I also got some nice yule logs so will chuck those into the deal as well.
Bax that is exceedingly generous of you - if only I had two spare pennies to rub together, I might have done the same. But bearing in mind the size of your build, they probably deserve it...

Can I join you at post build rehab! I picture it as a spa where all our tensions are massaged away, with scented candles and dim lights.
Today we got new flooring in the utility, entrance, stairs and landing. DH is away working for a few days and I had dreams of him coming back to a clean organised house. Well, that's not going to happen. I need a small army to move all the kitchen contents into the new cupboards, so it will have to be done gradually. I'm putting it all through the dishwasher before I put it away.
Psychologically I think the whole process messes with your head. I'm actually slightly dreading having to produce meals again. It feels like I haven't done proper cooking in ages.

We have half a ceiling! And lots of plasterboard down. The rest has to wait for the central heating pipes to be rerouted as currently they are in the middle of the room.

I am very hopeful we will likely have a kitchen in January.

Got home late and I’m not sure the builders have done much

Bax that is a really cool bar stool! Love it!
Hetzapoppin I was dreading it too! I almost couldn't remember what we used to eat back in the day before all this started!
I think it is all life changing, maybe life gets split in to
BE - before extension
AE -after extension

I was eased back in to cooking by all the excellent planning I had put in to my kitchen! 😬😬 it is s joy to cook in!

Gah Believe how frustrating!

It's not even 9am and I have our main builders, plumber, plasterer, 2 labourers. The worktop men are due any minute and the electricians this afternoon!

Hi, would like to join this thread. We desperately need to convert our conservatory into a extension, planning to do in 2018. We hope that won't need to do planning application (below 3mx3m), but have no idea what we need to do yet.

Have you got an architect or someone to plan what you want zoe?

Good news! Having built a bit of stud wall the builders can see that their idea of where to put the kitchen door will not only work, we can actually have a proper door. And it means I have space for one of those pull out larders.

Dust that is brilliant!

Welcome Zoe, could you check your council's planning website? I think 3 meters is within permitted development, we went out 3 meters or less but as we are an end Terrace we still needed planning permission. Worth a check to see what their actual rooms are. And as Dust suggests an architect would be able to manage that for you.

Rules not rooms! Grrrrr

It’s about the only thing that has gone right today Rick. We got an automated reply from the water company saying how busy they are so no idea when we might hear back about what we can do with the sewer pipe. We could be in some weird half built house for ages! They are now suggesting we just don’t pay them in January as they are worried we are going to have paid the whole job before they finish. While they would always finish it they don’t want to leave us in that position.

This has happened 😍

A-mazing!!!!

so the builders have shifted off for Christmas. The place isn’t quite finished but nearly there.

They’ve sent their final invoice but haven’t actually finished. I’ll have to speak to them tomorrow to say why should we pay if they’re not done

Just to add the end panels and tiles still need to be done- plus another coat on the walls.
The bonus is they've done us 30mm worktops when it should've been 20mm 🙈. Not bad for £2500!