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

oh I hope this conversation goes ok. We've already spoken about some issues to the party wall they had when we submitted planning and amended plans to suit. I just hope I can answer their questions!

Bax,
I really need your tips on how to keep the cost manageable. What you have achieved in the cost is amazing. Did your builder give quantity survey document or something? How did you manage payment at each stage?

Yes to keep posting photos bax..... helps to see what we're all working towards!
Oh I so get the frustration 're the 'look of the finished result. So far, touch wood, my DH is fairly okay with all I've suggested but I sometimes just drip feed and wait for the penny to drop!! Our diy norton quote came back in at just over 9000, that included a quartz worktop, basic freezer, fridge and 2 cda ovens. That was for a bespoke colour island and standard colour everywhere else. What else would we need to think of? Handles? Anything else?

Bob Kate... What was same kitchen with Howden? Or have you gone straight to DIY?
Dd and I have spent four hours with tape measure and the little cut out units from DIY planner.. And finally got hang of it.
We have added to shopping basket as we went along and it's come in around £4k with sink and tap and handles but no worktop. Howden price for same without worktop was 7.3 k... The DIY one allows us to have the curved units I wanted and a wine rack.
We are not having appliances as got them.
I am just struggling with utility room as Howden quote encased boiler and housed washing machine etc. I lost will to do anymore tonight so going to ring DIY tomorrow for help.
Currently shopping basket at £3444 so just two utility room units to add... I reckon with worktop we will get near to 5k.
I need to add the flyover and top trim bits but currently very excited.
That's for Norton in grey.
Not sure how much more for bespoke paint if we go navy blue

To be honest I think the howdens might possibly come out cheaper or very similar at least. Our original quote from them, that was slightly different came about about 9700 ish...but I need to spend time going through what was included and what has changed.
The howdens one had a corner pantry/larder type thing. I don't know if it's mega cheeky to go back to her again to change the quote. Does anyone know if DIY would price match if the Howdens one did end up cheaper? Maybe it would be worth going back to Howdens again!

I'd definitely negotiate hard with Howden. I got an original quote down quite a lot by just telling them I couldn't afford it. Still being hassled daily by Howden so when finished DIY quote going to go back to Howden to see if they will match it.

I was thinking back to when we were just going to do a small extension front and back...now it's a full house rebuild, including raising the floor.

The back is totally gone now and this area will be kitchen, two beds, bathroom. We're living in that box at the back of it

devil that is immense!!!
With regards to the Howdens vs DIY - I know I prefer DIY, the choice, etc so I would rather be able to haggle them down - but I'm guessing that's a no no!!!

Bobkate technically DIY will price match but it's like for like and it's unlikely Howdens is exactly the same (drawers & inserts already installed, same thickness of cabinets, same guarantee etc) We saved a 10% by ordering our Norton in the January sale, but it doesn't seem to be in the sale often

devil are you adding a floor to a bungalow?

Wow Devil that is immense!

We have gone for howdens kitchen and day 3 of fitting today and I have to say its worth every penny. The quality is fab. We went over budget though, but needed big tall cupboards 2x extra as we had a water soil waste pipe we needed to hide.

Bax, keep posting. Makes me think this is all worth it. Still living in total chaos and hating it right now!

Pardon my ignorance but what is the difference between DIY kitchen and a Howdens one? We have a kitchen fitter coming next week to give us some quotes.

DIY has no planning or design service ( though tbf they are absolutely fabulous at helping with design ideas and difficult bits on the phone). Basically you have to measure up, and decide what you want where etc. I thought this was impossiblebut then found on their website a downloadable grid with little cupboards etc to cut out...have spent the whole day cutting and sticking, like a jigsaw puzzle..it is actually then quite easy.
Howdens have nice design people who come out and do all this...and then give you a quote....
I found DIY much more transparent and you can see exactly what you need and what it costs, my Howdens quote ran to 6 pages and half the stuff listed i have no idea what it is .
However DIY feels like an enormous risk...terrified i have measured wrong etc and also currently struggling massively with a pennisular worktop...we need 1540 mm wide and howdens have quoted for two bits of laminate and a joining compound and promised we would not see join, DIY didnt know how we would get round the problem....if any one has any wisdom to offer on this..please share..i have fried my brain now

A good joiner should be able to join the worktop together so you can't see the join. Have a chat with your builder, see what they say.

@theredjellybean have a look at Worktop Express, they do custom laminate x

I can't remember who suggested it, but thanks for the recommendation of the Haynes extension manual, it looks great. Haven't had a chance for a thorough look yet as DS (9) is reading it from cover to cover!

Ha @Hopefully you'll have to use him as your project manager 🤣

Extension and lots of internal walls etc coming down. Living in. Starts soon. Should I push through or try and think of escaping with the kids for the whole of summer to escape dust and chaos? Is there anywhere cheap though? It’ll still be going on after summer but at least they’ll be at school all day!

4yearsnosleep he'll probably do a better job than me!

snowglobes do you have any relatives you can decamp to for the summer if it gets unbearable? We will live in when we start but I am planning to inflict myself and the DCs on various parents, in laws and anyone else gullible enough to have us for every school holiday.

Sewer survey complete, just need to sit and wait for word from the water board now. Have also emailed my architect to set a tight schedule to get everything to build point - I want to be getting builders quoting by July at the latest, and that's looking less and less likely every day he ignores an email or ignores what I've asked for.

I've considered it several times Brandnewhouse (we had a big fall out with him about two months ago when he appeared to be totally ignoring our design brief, and we should have walked then, with hindsight), but the longer we persevere the less worthwhile it seems to ditch him and go with someone else. I am going to see how he responds to the email I sent yesterday with a suggested schedule - I really need him on board with it, and if he can't commit to it I think we'll have to abandon him. It's a shame, as he's lovely and very creative, but I think maybe he hasn't been self employed that long and still hasn't got the hang of managing all the 'boring' bits and he general client management that probably somebody took care of when he was working in a bigger firm.

Do you need the architect once you have the final plans Hopefully?

We didn't - in fact ours got lots wrong (grrr another thread) and the builders were fab.

Snowglobes we have lived in. Its the dust that drives you INSANE! We have been at work/school once they knocked through though or out. I wouldn't want to be in the house as there is nowhere to go without being in the way and when they drill into walls its noisy!

We might have an oven tonight. Hooray! Got a washing machine and sink last night. After 4 weeks with no kitchen this is heaven!

I spend a LOT of time contemplating the whole sunk costs thing. I know that logically we should ditch him, but the fact that he's so good when he does pull his finger out makes me stick with it each time I weigh it up. Ugh. I'll see what he comes back with from my proposed schedule.

Hope everyone's plans and builds are going well. We are at the end of week one. Front side of the roof stripped and pretty much re-tiled. They will hopefully do the other side next week and then move onto stripping the render. So far so good ... only another 25 ish weeks to go!!