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

Kimlek our architect is really really big on proper contracts with builders, and with only accepting quotes from builders who will accept our contract terms. BUT friends we have spoken to have said that builders have so much work on that they don't need to take on the 'difficult' clients with tight contracts because there is so much other work to choose from. So no real advice there from me, I'm sure others will know better the reality rather than the rumours.

Bobkate I think if you are having the oven within a wall unit and there isn't a handy surface (ie no hob on top) you might want the door to rest things on (although what if it breaks? I am always worried to rest things on the oven door).

Ilovechocolate that sounds like amazing progress!

hopefully if your planning goes in in July it should take 3 months to come back. Are you expecting problems? Did you do a pre-planning application?
Our planning went in last July/Aug and was back October. I had builders round in November - hoping to start Feb this year. Most weren’t available and the others didn’t come back with quotes! So did another round of builders in Jan/Feb. Have now had 2 quotes in - one yesterday! They can both start in a couple of months. I’m in Surrey. It’s taken an age!!
If you already know the builders you want I’d show them your plans now and find out availability. Keep dialogue open as planning will be likely and structural engineer calcs won’t alter timings.

hopefully also find a structural engineer now as that took me around 6-8 weeks to get their quotes in. Just send them your plans and request a price then the minute your planning is approved you can employ them. Doing the actual calcs only took a week or so. I reckon you’ll be ready to go to tender properly in Oct/Nov.

Hopefully, I got my technician to do all the calcs with the structural engineer before we got the decision on planning (although ours was permitted development) so that I could start getting quotes x

bobkate I have not missed having a door to rest things on. The oven is right by the worktop so if I need to take something off I can. But actually the door being out of the way means often I can do whatever I need to without taking stuff out the oven.

If you are going for two you could have one with door and one hide & slide. We have a Neff combi oven/microwave underneath and that has a fixed door.

Bobkate- I am really looking forward to having an oven in a tower again mainly because when you have little ones around it is one less thing for you to think about as they can’t reach the buttons, also you don’t get a face full of hot air when you open it!

Kimlek yes we had a contract. We had payments in instalments once things had been done. 1k deposit. 1k still to pay once the builders have been back and inspected and re-built the step they had to knock out to get the digger to the back garden!

I think we were really lucky then reading this - Hopefully OMG. Why is he so slow?

We had our architect drawings in December along with the structural engineers report. Sent it all out to 3 builders. 2 quoted in January and work started in February (as the builders had literally just finished a project, we got very lucky).

NB We started in September last year with the architect.

We have gone for a Bosch double oven. No slide and glide door. I love it. TBH its just heaven having an oven again after a 3 weeks/a month without!

kimlek your timescales sound a lot more realistic than what my architect is suggesting in terms of quote/build time, and much more what I was expecting.

I think we need to pick 10 builders and phone them for a conversation at least, about availability and very rough prices. Will definitely also track down and get quotes from structural engineers so that side is ready to go ASAP.

We are reluctant to start calcs before planning is granted as there is no precedent locally for the (very tame) extension we want - it just so happens that we are the first! We did pre-app and they were perfectly positive, although we are applying for the upper limit of what they were comfortable with so that combined with the lack of precedence means I'm reluctant to plough ahead with structural engineer etc until planning is approved.

10 Builders for quotes!! I guess lots of them don't reply perhaps?! WE only asked 3.

If you’ve got 10 recommendations then definitely ask. I probably asked around 10. A lot were booked for 12/18 months. In hindsight that would have been fine but I was expecting to start Feb! I was told by the builders that visited in Oct/Nov that quotes would take 3 weeks and they’d be ready to start in Jan/Feb but they never quoted despite chasing lots & lots. Obviously gave up on them!! You could be luckier hopefully!!

10 seems to be standard round here to get 3-4 quotes back

We got Caple appliances. I fell in love with our extractor and I just got everything else to match.
Ideally I wanted neff but they are pricey and I prefer the fact ours match.

I'll have to read through this thread but hoping the next one I expect- our loft conversion starts beginning of July

Kimlek we do have a contract, well in so much that we have all signed the ( extremely comprehensive ) quote. Even though it was daunting seeing it all written out, with such large amounts, it's great to know that is all it will be ( obvs besides kitchen itself, tiles, flooring ). I think we were lucky with our builders - we knew their work ( from several neighbours ) and they did provide the most comprehensive quote. One quote came back on an a4 piece of paper!
More of our frame went up today. The weather certainly makes the whole thing more pleasant. We also tackled the garden today, after lots of weedkiller, we've now covered the whole lot in black plastic in the hope of smothering the bloody ground elder!

What percentage of build cost were your deposits please?
bobkate I think a detailed quote is a godsend! One of ours is very detailed (12 pages) the other less so (2 pages). The 12 page one is waaay too expensive so I’m having to check the 2 page one includes all my specs. It does keep saying ‘as per schedule of works’ & ‘as per plans’ so I think I’m ok but don’t want ‘to think’, I want ‘to know’!

Kimlek could you re-write the cheaper quote with the information from the schedule of works and ask the builders to sign that as part of the contract if you decide to go with them? So that there can't be any debate over what 'the schedule of works' or 'the plans' are later.

Thanks for all the advice yesterday. I'm feeling less hysterical about it all today, and will probably start phoning some builders for initial chats over the next few weeks.

hopefully I wrote the schedule of works myself, which I sent out to builders along with the plans. I need him to confirm that everything listed in it is included - there’s some bits not mentioned. But you’re right. a good way would be to ask him to sign it!!

We wrote all the things out we wanted included - ie some sockets changing to double sockets. etc.

However, damn it we missed off new skirting boards. Having to do that ourselves now - don't forget these people!!

We paid a 1k deposit.

bobkate your list of appliances sounds similar to ours except ours wasn't an island extractor. We choose mid price for most things. Our tall fridge is Bosch, tall freezer is John Lewis, 2 single ovens from Neff - mid range, one hide and slide, the other is exactly the same but fixed door, Neff hob (we have 60cm as that bit of worktop isn't very big), Bosch extractor. To be fair ours were mostly Bosch/Neff as we get a family and friends discount which worked out well on some things but not others.

We decided we didn't need things like the steam function for the oven but I would have liked a warming drawer (couldn't justify the cost though) so the dough proving function is quite useful. I also like the pizza function! After the first few times of looking things up, we're fairly used to the different functions now.

Morning!
So builders are due to arrive and start on site on Tueaday. But oh lovely neighbours are kicking up about the party wall agreement. They are happy extension wise but not happy with how their fences are going to be managed. We have an incline on our garden and they want to make sure that their fences are not put at risk by our work. We've already agreed to move in 6" so they don't have to take the bloody things down but every suggestion we give them is rebuked. Ugh!
They are lovely neighbours and politically within the village I can't afford for things to get strained so I'm just praying our structural engineer will be able to give them the reassurances they want.
Does anyone know what happens if I don't get that party wall agreement?
Build size is actually within permitted development even though we got full planning. does that make a difference?

I don't think you can start work without the party wall agreement? That's what we were told. We only got ours a week before work started eek!

We have bosch oven and gas hob too. Love them.

Indesit washing machine - and Zanussi fridge freezer.

Mostly from AO.com as found them a good price.

I need to buy a new hoover, doh hoovered up too much dust!
Looking at the Shark ones.