Home Extension thread 2018

[Baxdream]

Thought we should get the new thread ready!
Our front door is in. Long story but it arrived damaged 😫 it's in and lovely but it's going to be replaced!
Our fencing has started today, the short ones are new, the others are getting ripped out

Good luck ponzusoup. Today is decision date for our planning application. Fingers crossed!

Good luck 2015 are you expecting good news?

Ooh what sort of doors are you getting?

I've finally painted the cloakroom this morning, we just have the silicone man to come later and it's a room finished!
Our new bathroom is mid going in, it feels like a huge backward step here but we've been promised it'll be finished by Saturday!

We had our landscaping company round yesterday and our total spend is now 8400 😱. This means our September holiday that we normally would do is a definite no no. Like hubby said when we're exhausted from work we can look at our lovely fence instead 😂

Thanks ponzusoup. Our planning application is approved. It was an amendment to previous one as such, but since we raised the height of roof, we had to submit whole new application.
Now the next step is construction drawings amendment and then builder quote amendment.

Baxdream,
What all is included in the landscaping. That is big quote. I haven't budgeted anything for it yet.

It's a large patio (granite slabs), levelling our including removing concrete, new fencing and lawn. Landscaping is expensive!

Baxdream,
Yes that sounds like a lot of work. You would have lovely outdoor space to enjoy, don't need holiday. I didn't know landscaping could be that expensive.

Oh no... I was thinking about 2k for leveling and chucking down patio slabs, area about 20sq m...

Our patio is around 36sq metres. But not a big garden really (not anymore!)
We're in the SE so that might be why and we've gone for a well established company with excellent reviews. I can't cope with anymore delayed building works so we've gone for a recommendation!

My builders are going to do it.. As it leads directly off new bit.. So digging out will be done while groundworks being done. Hopefully that will keep costs down

Bad the doors are ' just' bi folds 3.6 m. I wanted sliding doors but they were expensive for nice ones and bifolds seem better value these days.

So they did arrive but but the traffic door is on the wrong bloody side! Builder put his hands up ( he's lovely) and said he'd buy new ones but it will take 28 days so will seriously delay the build as they won't be able to plaster around them ex etc.

So do we go ahead with traffic door on ' wrong side' or not?

Should say bax not bad

Depends on whether access through the other side is compromised or not. Personally I'd probably wait the 28 sate, after all you could be living there a long time.

Ponzus I’d wait, good your builder admitted fault. We have the wrong traffic door everybody is blaming each other. We have actually sat at the supplier personally and told him what we wanted and they still not managed to get it right.

We have bifolds too. I would have loved sliding doors but it just wasn't in the budget!
I'd have been gutted if ours were the wrong way round. However in my money saving ways I'd ask for a discount if I kept them! If it's not a massive deal I'd say I'd keep these ones but would knock £2k off or a big percentage of the cost!

Good idea from Bax. If it being the wrong side doesn’t make them hard to use or will annoy you on a daily basis. If it does make them hard to use than 28 days is nothing compared to the years you will have to use them for.

We had the wrong access panel supplied on our last house (goodness only knows why we are doing it all over again, should have learnt the first time!!) - we agreed to keep the wrong ones, but only after they agreed a significant discount (can't remember how much exactly). So if you can live with the wrong ones make sure you are compensated, otherwise insist on the correct ones.

Thanks guys. Have decided to keep them and am hoping to get some fencing done in return. It's not such a big deal which side it's on tbh.

Next dilemma is wooden flooring and how to lay it. Supplier suggesting straight into screed with glue. Builder wants to float it on underlay. Thoughts? I think latter will make it easier to get up again. ( altho yes it's weird to be thinking of pulling it up before it's even down!).

How is everyone else doing?

We’re outting underlay down. I thought it was standard for insulation. Ours is about 2 mm orange thing which builders say is the best. We’ll see.

Our staircase has arrived today. It look like a whole Ikea project, literally just pieces of wood.

I’m not sure what ours is on. I think it is just on the new boards they put down as our original floorboards had to come up.

What type of wood flooring is it? What do the manufacturers recommend?

I must admit I thought that the standard process was underlay (insulation and damp proof if needed, this can also help it be a bit quieter) then floating fit, so that the floor can expand and not buckle.

We are having engineered wood.. I presume it needs underlay?

We have engineered wood on screed. It has underlay

Thanks. It's engineered oak. There's underfloor heating. Sounds like underlay is the norm on here. My builder also said that. It's the supplier who recommends going directly into the screed. Confusing!

So we've had a strange weekend 😫
Our old bathroom was ripped out last weekend, we said to the builders we wanted it finished Friday night/Saturday morning. It wasn't - no shower, radiator had a leak, boxing in to do...

Anyway we're at the point where we've had enough. So we gave them the option of walking away. They've taken this option.

So the only work outstanding really is the bathroom, electric vehicle gates and our building regs certificate!
We owe about £2500 so I think it's a fair split! I just hope he still gets our certificate!

On a positive we got a plumber out yesterday who sorted our shower out in about 2 hours!