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.

Hi Huffahouse, I recommend that thread too, I learnt loads! Link here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/1554664-The-MN-lessons-learnt-kitchen-thread

The DIY kitchens planner is here: planner.diy-kitchens.com
I think it's still being tested but it mostly worked well for us, we got our kitchen from there and I love it! You need to ask them lots of questions and read all the kitchen advice info on their website, but I loved having full control over every detail of the kitchen, and I'm so happy with the result.

Well we've had full use of our new space over Xmas, and I couldn't be happier. The utility isn't finished yet, tiles still need grouting, skirting boards to fit and a few other bits and bobs, but we're nearly done! Renderers are nearly done too, so most messy stuff is finished and I've been able to clean up all the dust and chaos. It's definitely worth it!

Our extension is supposed to start in a week or two. My brother in law is project managing it. We’re packing up the rooms (slowly) and will probably move out very soon. We’re going to live at my parents house.

Morning everyone. Apologies i fell off the thread in the run up to Christmas.

Ours has continued to move forward - we have a roof! And tiles! And windows arriving next week. Biggest potential hold up is actually the Gas board who still havent been to move the meters so in one part of the extension there is still a part of the old garage wall still up where the meters have always been. Builder was told it would be 8 to 10 weeks - and that ofcourse was 8 to 10 weeks ago.

Plumber is booked though and tje scaffolding will be starting to come down apparently this week. It does look like part of the house now :)

@SpaceBergerac I spent yesterday afternoon on the DIY kitchens planner after your recommendation. It’s very good. I had been into Wren Kitchens earlier as I wanted the price of a walk in corner larder. £2490 for one unit! (Which reduced to £1800 if I bought a further 4 items) DIY kitchens have a unit which I can adapt for my plans and I also found some tambour units too!

@Catquest1 it’s so exciting when you see the progress!

Myname - I also spent yesterday afternoon (and evening) on DIY kitchens. I definitely need to spend more time on it if I'm going to get it right....
We also have a quote from Ikea and now I'm unsure what to do.
Am I right in thinking that DIY kitchens does not include appliances?
If the cost is similar, what would swing me to DIY kitchens or Ikea?
We are also awaiting a quote from magnet...

Building work has started here, with outhouses and walls being knocked down - exciting, but scary!

Cat - we have the electric board / meters that needs moving, so a door can be fitted on that space - is this similar to what you need to do with moving meters?

Huffahouse are you anywhere near the DIY showroom? It's well worth a visit if you are, as you can really get a feel for the quality of the units and see if you like their finish more than IKEA. We previously had an IKEA kitchen and it was fine, showing its age after 10 years but that's fair enough! Main issue for installation is lack of service void at the back of the units, so it can make fitting more complicated in some circumstances. Also I found they offered less range in unit sizes than DIY, I would have struggled to get units to properly fill the space in our utility. I also liked DIYs styles more, but that's a personal thing really. Also worth bearing in mind that IKEA units come flat packed so take longer to install. Our fitters were really impressed with the DIY units, said they'd fitted a 20 grand kitchen recently that was similar quality!

BUT, the thing with DIY is that you need to be very involved in the process (in my experience), you need to know all about end panels, plinth, pelmet and cornice, think ahead to any fitting issues (eg will induction hob fit over a particular drawer unit), work out which way you want your doors to open, where the split will be etc. I quite enjoyed the process as I like to have full control over how the finished product will look, but I know this wouldn't work for everyone! You need to read all the advice guides they have and ask lots of questions. And unfortunately some of my questions were answered wrongly, so I'm currently waiting on them to send a replacement broom unit for the utility as the information they gave me on the shelf height was wrong!

If I did it again? I'd still choose DIY, I absolutely love our new kitchen and it's worth the hassle! Sorry that turned into a bit of an essay, I've been painting the utility all day and too exhausted to do anything more than play on my phone

Oh and to answer your question, DIYs figure off the planner won't include appliances, I got most of ours from elsewhere cheaper anyway

It sounds wonderful space and I'm pretty tempted to go for DIY - I'm just worried about the involvement in it and making mistakes 😬.
Do you have any lovely kitchen photos? Do you find the quality much better than Ikea?
My sister doesn't live far from the showroom - and we were nearby over Christmas, unfortunately before I realised 🙄 but I will try to visit.

Some pics for you Huffahouse - not quite finished but you get the idea! Still need to decide on splashback, paint skirting boards, get pictures on the wall etc. The quality is definitely better than our IKEA kitchen of 10 years ago, but my friend has a new IKEA kitchen and it looks amazing, so difficult to compare.

Huffahouse bit further. The meters have always been on an inside wall of the old garage (which was essential free standing and has now all gone bar this one pillar of wall which the meters are on) They need moving to the far outside wall of the new garage so about 5m

Thank you for the lovely photos and advice!
Kitchen is beautiful space!** How are you finding having the sink on the island? We can't decide whether to have sink, hob or nothing on ours.

We have a bit of a dilemma. Before Christmas our builder told us we needed to get bricks ready for the build. I had expressed a desire for reclaimed bricks, but they were out of our budget....so we bought some bricks that do fit with the look of our 1930s bricks and we had 3000 delivered to our garden.
It has now become apparent we can actually reuse (reclaim) our own bricks and there will probably be enough... so what can I do? Can I return the unused / unopened packs of bricks or not?! I have the receipts etc, but no mention of returns on there 🙈

@spacebergerac - how much space did you leave between your island and your wall units please? Your kitchen looks lovely.

@MyNameIsJane it's 110cm from the edge of the island worktop to the tall units, and I'm really happy with that distance, enough to fully open dishwasher etc but close enough that the 'kitchen triangle' still works.
Huffahouse I really like the sink on the island, it doesn't feel in the way when I'm sat on the other side of it, and because it's a single undermount sink it doesn't break up the smooth surface too much. I agonised about the sink size but think I got it just right! We also have a big Belfast sink in the utility so if I was soaking anything big it would go in there.

Can I join you all here. We are just in the planning stage, currently getting lots of builders round to quote. Had one back so far which was eye wateringly expensive! Keeping my fingers crossed some of the others fall within our budget.

Looking forward to reading everyones

Sorry pressed post too soon
Looking forward to reading everyones progress and sharing our build story. Have lurked on this thread for well over a year and learnt a hell of a lot before we’ve even got going.

Good luck , what sort of extension are you planning ?

Smallish single storey kitchen extension. Are you having work done or planning it chicken? I’m really hoping things can start May/June time and be completely finished November time. I want to be able to enjoy the run up to Christmas in my lovely new kitchen. Hoping that’s a realistic time line and I’m not completely delusional...?!!!

How’s everyone else getting on?

Hopefully we start a month tomorrow. Everything crossed 🤞🏻

thisgirlcan pre planning stage at the minute , trying to sort finances first. Good to get some ideas and tips on here first.

4yearsnosleep,
Good luck. Fingers crossed it will start!

I've been lurking on this thread for yonks but we're finally putting our building warrant in so I'm finally joining in.
They say it will take 4 or 5 for the warrant to be approved. When should I start getting builders in to quote? I've got a window from now until October to get this done. Do I wait until the warrant comes through or do I line someone up now? There have been a few letters through the door from companies who want to tender. Did this happen to any of you?
@Threesocks and @SpaceBergerac your kitchens are lovely! Socks I love your colour scheme.

Months. 4 or 5 months.

I'd start looking for builders now @Fooferella because with an expected wait for a good builder, October could end up being tight. I'm always a bit skeptical of builders that tout for business in that way because every builder I've spoken to is busy! Ask around for recommendations (not that that did me any good) but in general a recommendation is the best route. Check companies on companies house as some builders have a habit of folding their company when there's cash flow issues, screwing over customers and starting again!