Home Extension Thread 2018 - summer edition

[DustandRubble]

A thread to share the highs and lows of all things extension, loft conversion, renovation related. Bring your own dustpan and brush.

I think you should definitely withhold judgment until the paster and paint go up and it’s knocked through! In my experience, all three of those things make a huge difference.

Thanks Linguaphile (great name!) that’s what DH is saying when trying to calm me down. There is a possible but expensive solution if it’s still dark - there is a tandem garage running alongside the house we could shorten to put a side window in the kitchen. We’re over budget already as foundations had to go deeper than planned so I’m crossing everything that it will be ok

Oh it makes a huge difference. Ours was quite dark but now it's finished it's so bright and I had nothing to panic about

I’m so glad you told me that Baxdream, I am definitely panicking tonight. Do you have a window in the existing room? Our existing kitchen has a patio door and a window on the back wall which will be knocked through. There are no other windows in the kitchen. I’ve designed the lean to with one full glazed wall, a side window and three Velux in the roof so I am flabbergasted about the lack of light at the moment!

Here's mine during the build. This is what's now the kitchen. You can see how dark it is!

That does look dark, where is the window, is it on the right?

Yes it was boarded up at that point though. Our dining room used to be really dark but it's not now it's all knocked through

Jelleybean,
If you are going for curved units, it would be very difficult to find right size laminate
and cutti g it wont give neat finish. May be go for wood for peninsula or may be not have curved units.

Hello! checking back in after a couple of weeks away. Our planning permission application is finally PROPERLY in, after the architect didn't realise some information we needed to supply (Architect Incompetency Shocker ).

I was talking to a builder we know yesterday and he said most builders round us are looking at TWO YEARS lead time at the moment, and it's not so much 'get 3-5 quotes and choose one' as 'desperately beg a builder to add you to their waiting list'. This is not terribly good news, and I'm hoping he's just being pessimistic, but we're going to start phoning building firms next week to see what sort of lead time we're looking at.

We are in Devon, for anyone interested in location. Apparently it's down to all the new builds round us.

@mum2015 why won't it have a neat edge? Lots of worktop companies advertise bespoke cutting and edging services for curved corners etc?

I read it on review on diy-kitchens website. Also saw at a friend's place. The rounded edge wasnt very neat and endstrip was coming off.

Hopefully,
We have put in new planning application too. Fingers crossed. Ours is a bungalow extension too. No builders signed up yet. May be we will be around for some 2020 thread

2 years Hopefully OMG!!!!! We got so lucky as we asked for quotes last December and work started February! Latest start was May.

Bellatrix it will make such a difference when all opened up. We have no natural light in our kitchen at the moment, when the boards came off briefly it was like a whole new room. It’s amazing.

Hello everyone. We are still going here. Endlessly. More sickness, more delays. I am definitely facing a school holiday with the building work not finished. I have given up being worried or depressed about it. Helpfully other stuff is going on that is way more worrying!

Anyone had bespoke laminate worktops with curved corners????? I am panicking now

DustandRubble will your kitchen have a window? All the light for ours will have to come through from the extension windows and skylights. On a positive note, they have been quick. Started mid June and windows go in on Saturday, knocking through next week. Can’t fault the builders

Ours will get light from the bifolds and the skylight in the extension. It’s along the wall furthest from the bifolds, so no windows directly in it. And our dining area is shielded from all windows/doors but I think will still get a good amount of natural light seeping in. Based on when the back was off anyway.

I've been paranoid about getting enough light as our kitchen and dining room are so dark. The dining room was transformed when the conservatory was removed and is much lighter. Our structural engineer has reassured me that it will be really bright once we have 3 large velux, bifolds and a large kitchen window

Jellybean no idea about curves on laminate - I think laminate is way better then it used to be

We are progressing along steadily. Concrete is in foundations and block work is starting ... can't wait for the walls to be up!!

My current kitchen is the darkest room in the world - I can't wait for the light and airy new one (new window, French doors, and roof light!)

Sorry I've been MIA for a while.
The build is going well but I'm struggling living in it all.
Trying to stay positive but it's so hard!

Stay strong amazing it will be worth it in the end... it must be so hard living in.

We have finally got bricks coming out of the ground! About to order our sliding doors, optimistically ordered a new sofa yesterday too!

Busy couple of days, now the windows are finally in the builder is back doing the rendering so the house externally is coming together. Front garden now converted to parking space, pending delivery if gravel. I've been painting our walk through wardrobe in our master bedroom this week which is coming together.

Can't believe after a 2 year long process, from buying house to planning to finding builder etc we are now 2 weeks away from moving in. Feels surreal, but, there is alot of work still to fit in before then! Kitchen still needs finishing (issue with Topsco worktop delays atm, anyone else having trouble with Topsco?), lots of making good on all plastering around windows and subsequent paint touch up, flooring throughout house, lots of little odds and sods, still waiting for our sliding doors and front door to be fitted, porch to be retiled etc. And I've got lots of painting still to do, 3 handmade kitchen larders still need a splash of paint.

Must get cracking!

Hi
Sorry been away so long, I keep nipping back to read but never post!
So our baby is now almost 5 weeks old and the building work is nearing an end. Painters are in today and the builder has told me all should be finished by next week!
I am finding this unbelievable as they still need to fit the ensuite, tile the kitchen, put the floor down and finish the paintwork. I can but hope. So far the project has taken 9 weeks.

Wow choclatr I hope for your sake they are true to their word and finished soon it must be hard with such a tiny baby.

We are away this week, brickwork approved to DPC level by BC so thy are continuing up this week. I should have the shell of the extension up by the time I get back! Sliding doors ordered, it finally feels like we are making progress. I need to start thinking about some of the decisions I’ve been putting off now-full tile or half tile the bathrooms?!! Lighting for bathrooms (it all seems so ugly so should I just go for spots? Or doesn’t anyone have any inspiration for slightly industrial/black bathroom lighting?) lighting for hallways... sigh...

Hope everyone doing ok and the warm weather not causing too many problems.