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

I know it's such a shame as they've been so good!

We've just had a structural engineer round to assess our roof - it's the last bit for building regs sign off! Hopefully we might be signed off this week...

Our landscapers arrive on Wednesday, honestly I'm as excited about this as when our builders started! The company's Facebook photos look amazing so I'm sure it'll be fabulous

Tikka, I'd check your paperwork as you can request the door with or without grain, so check if they delivered the correct product?

That's a shame about your builders Bax, I think a lot of tradesmen struggle with the business admin side of the business

Watching with interest. Due to start our modifications, rather than full extension, next month.

That is a shame about your builders Bax -- judging by your pics they have done a great job. In a selfish way though, at least your work is for the most part complete.
I am having a major wobble as we've still not got a grasp on the kitchen design...I just wish it was done. I am fairly certain I would like a norton door from DIY, probably in a light grey and then either dark blue/charcoal contrast. But its the layout that is doing my brain in!. Grrrr. I feel cheeky going to various places asking them to do me a design when I am 99% sure we'll use DIY ( mainly for budget reasons ).
We have 2 steels up now though which is great.

Bobkate is it the style or layout of your kitchen that's worrying you? Surely the collective wisdom on here can put your mind at rest (not my wisdom, I hasten to add ).

No news here from the good folk at the water board. It has only been three working days since I submitted my application though - up to 10 for a response. Has completely shut down any extension chat at home as both DH and I are concerned about permission being granted.

4year.... nooooo..... we weren't even offered a grain/no grain option... ffs

I’d like to tap into the aforementioned collective wisdom...

Can’t decide which way the engineered wood floor ahould go in the main kitchen/diner area. The plans aren’t too long, so it’ll look quite rustic. Would they go towards the bifold doors or sideways? They’ll go along the length of the hallway but I guess the stairs going down could break the pattern.

We also can’t agree on the colour of the light bulb cover things to go on our new lights: the fake candle look or the dark brown (please ignore the ugly LEDs and the fact they don’t go all the way up)...

Hopefully, are you waiting for a response for a build over application? We've just received our application approval this week, over 2 months after we submitted it and we are halfway through our build. The annoying thing is every time they ask a question, or request some documentation we provided it straight away and every time it takes them 5 days to respond. Each and every time, it's so frustrating.

Tika that's actually a really tricky choice! I was totally going to say keep the same direction as the hallway, but actually it's not that simple, with the break of the stairs and then the visual 'block' of the peninsular (breakfast bar?) in front of the steps. Either way you're going to end up with some short planks - either between the steps and the breakfast bar if you go parallel with hallway, or in the kitchen if you go perpendicular. I'd be inclined to go perpendicular to the hallway I think. Oh, and I'd go brown on the light, fwiw.

Humpty yes we are, and I've completely lost my nerve continuing with the design until we know. Two months will make me actually cry! The situation is that we're a mini terrace of four houses, and the sewer, shared with other properties, runs parallel to the back of the house (boxed in red in this plan of the house as it currently is). We want to knock down the current single storey extension and rebuild a full width one to a similar point, but that would cover the entire length of the sewer within our property (7m). There is what I assumed is an access point (2nd photograph, that concrete circle is about 30cm across) right next to the current extension. I'm quite happy to keep that access point inside the new extension with a double seal cover, but if we need to keep it outside, even if it can be moved to the edge of the property, it's going to really impact on our design options - we need to fit a bathroom and a kitchen in that 7m width.

The TL;DR version is that it's not just building over a small part of the sewer within the property, it's the full length of the sewer within our boundaries, so I'm not at all confident about getting permission. And moving the sewer is out of the question financially.

Tika,

I have no practical experience but I have read that wooden floor should be laid either in direction of light or along the door. Since bi-fold are largeest doors in the room and will be giving lots of light, lay it towards bifolds so it follows both light and door rule.

This is how we did ours!

tika we were told to lay floor going away from the main light source. I wanted it to go across which follows the original floorboards and that is what we ended up with as when they came to lay the floor, they needed to do some remedial work which if they were going to do the other way, would have delayed them. I don't think it really matters, the fitters were happy with the end result. I might have a photo.

Can't add a photo, I'll try tomorrow.

We're still not quite finished, it's so fustrating. Render was done last week, new front door is arriving Friday which is really exciting as we've been here 13 years and have had a broken door handle ever since!! Door handle completely broke a few weeks ago so we haven't been able to use the front door. Builder has moved on to a new job but is coming back to do the few remaining bits, just not sure when. Skip still sat on drive :-(

Gosh that sounds like our builders four magpies! I hope it gets done soon..

Our landscaping has started 😍 they are a totally different level to our builders. They arrived at 720am yesterday, all materials arrived, they were smart, nice van and they even had a packed lunch so no need to go for lunch!
What a difference!

I'm on the home straight ladies. Floor going down today. Lights in but not connected. Worktop measured and ordered coming next week. Cd we finally be done for bank hol weekend? It will be 14 weeks since we started.

We built over a drain too ( feels like a million years ago now but it was January!). And thanes Water were really quite laid back about it. The man on the phone said they almost never refuse a buildover agreement as there is always a way around it. And they also never seem to check anything after / during the build.

Kitchen planning and colours anxiety I can totally sympathise with i am crap at all that. I've gone for something very neutral overall with the plan to jazz it up with artwork furniture and accessories to get some vivid colour in it. So if you are scared go neutral? I did avoid white units tho as I've done that before and wanted a change.

Ponzusoup I'm really hoping South West Water are similarly laid back. It's frustrating just having to sit and wait until they get back to me (and then, presumably, sit and wait even longer for an actual decision) but I'd rather do it now than while we're building and have to make a major amendment.

Fourmagpies I thought we had it bad having had a broken door handle for two years! Although I reckon it will be four by the time we actually get round to replacing the door - getting the porch glazed and the door changed is going to be one of the 'nice to have' jobs at the end, rather than a key structural job.

Things are moving glacially here. The only progress is on the shower. Hopefully by Monday we will be able to use it. And hopefully the walls will start going up. I am stuck because the bifold company came to measure and are all “5 day lead time, let’s go!” But they can’t fit until the frame is in.

This is what happens when you pay for a decent company.
Two days in and we have a nearly complete fence!
They turn up at 730, bring a lunch box and work hard!
No wonder they have such a good reputation!

It's been so long hopefully that I don't notice it anymore but will be glad when it's gone! We wanted to wait until the building work was finished as obviously don't want it damaged so this feels like another step towards being all done.

Sounds like it bax though don't think mine has gone bust! They have done a great job though, can't complain about that.

That looks great bax.

Posted this in a new thread but I think it's best placed here!

I have been planning a side return extension for the last couple of years all the paperwork is sorted with the exception of party wall. But neighbours know that I am planning to do the work.

I live in a two bed Victorian house in Plumstead and want to do a side return extension 2x3 metres into the return.

Chimney breasts will be removed in the current dining room and back bedroom

Bathroom is currently through the kitchen but will be moved to occupy half of the current dining room.

The remainder of the dining room, side return, kitchen and old fugly bathroom will then be a huge kitchen diner.

I have painstakingly sourced all my fixtures and fittings except for the large tiles and some kitchen appliances.

I have my kitchen, hot water tap, extractor fan, lacquered column and marble radiators. 80sq metres of engineered flooring that I got from a show flat. Vitra bath, Grohe taps, plugs, dimmer switches, lighting. Bought a real marble reproduction Victorian fireplace with cast iron inset for £65 on eBay today. In total I have spent under 7k on 85% of the fixtures and fittings I will need for the full house renovation.

I have bought for the full house reno even though I will mainly be focusing on the extension and downstairs bathroom initially.

Got some quotes through for the extension and the kitchen and I am not sure if these builders just don't want the job as they are quoting 100k which is a huge amount of money shock

Have 4 more quotes, well if the builders decide to quote and 3 more visits arranged.

My sister who is an electrician has agreed to rewire the rest of the house for me and I have an old family friend that will take care of the plumbing.

Feeling really overwhelmed at the mo. Doing this by myself and I am just over it already.

Sorry about my essay. How many builders did you see, what kind of quotes did you get for your extensions and how did you cut costs. Thank you x

I had 5 or 6 builders round, but getting quotes out of any of them was impossible. We got 2 actual quotes in the end. I’m afraid I can’t advise on cutting costs as our quotes came out ok.

Sounds like we're all getting there, some slower than others! Bax your landscapers sound great. Have to say our builders are quite like that in that they are here at 8 on the dot everyday, don't take many breaks. They've been v frustrated this week as the top of the goal post steel has still not arrived. I actually don't mind as I feel it's giving me a little longer to get my head round the kitchen issue! I'm away at the weekend - escaping for a girls weekend to Sweden YAY! - but I may well add my kitchen plan number 479 ( or that's how it feels ) next week for you all to pick apart