Home Extension Thread 2019

[4yearsnosleep]

Time to start another extension thread. 2019 for lots of newcomers and hopefully lots of finishers too!

We're Day 5 of builders on site and have a roof framed. V excited about the big velux

Thank you @Hoppahouse

wheredoes I can’t think of anything that you could use full height 150s for - unless it’s a very narrow ladder??? We have base 150s for trays and cooking oils and tea towels planned but having seen them in person yesterday, they aren’t really fit for much more. Unless you use them for herb storage? Or bottles of squash or something?

very narrow ladder
Yeah, it's either that or two very narrow wine racks that will make us look like boozers!

I'm beginning to realise that planning this kitchen around my slightly odd sized American FF is really restricting the options.
Considering ditching it for an integrated fridge and separate integrated freezer is the way to go.
I know that if we keep the existing FF, we'll compromise the design and the bastard appliance will die 6 months after the kitchen is finished

You need the thread FF which is a handy 900mm 😂😂

Ooh are you secret spaghetti makers? Might be ideal for drying pasta 😜

Seriously though - could you put the ironing board in one?

Much as I would like to join the thread FF owners club, a 90cm appliance won't actually fit inside a 900mm housing.

Hah oh good point.

For Tupperware lids - this seems like a good option?

Other uses for 150 wide tall units...
Hanging 6 tea towels, one above the other
Dedicated cupboard for extendable feather duster.
Drying tights
Somewhere to put the removable extra leaf from my posh dining room table (actually, I like this one)

Ah finally managed to upload the screenshots of one of my kitchen designs.

Can I have your advise please? Currently can't decide whether to keep the window on the left hand wall. Keeping it means more light but will mean no wall units and neighbour could see in through it.

Other concern is lack of work surface although my husband thinks I'm worrying over nothing.

OOOH lovely! I would say lose the left hand window, you’ll be fine with light with the roof and doors. I also think you have masses of bench space - remember you have the island as well.

I agree.
We have a (sort of) similar layout in that we have the one window where yours is next to bifolds and skylights. Our island goes the other way round though. What size island will yours be? We have absolutely plenty of prep space with ours (2.7x1.2m) and just one wall of worktop on the side.

@Rhica I agree with the others, lose the window, you've still got plenty of others
Just think about your lighting if you're going to have a dark painted kitchen.

Thanks for the replies 😊 looks like we will be fine then for space
@hoppahouse beautiful kitchen! island will be 2m x1.2m thanks for posting the picture. Useful to see what it looks like with a row of wall cupboards as I was worried would be too much but actually kind of looks more finished

Had a rethink re kitchen layout with separate integrated fridge and freezer and I think I've got it cracked. Looking forward to design meeting this week with (cheaper) alternative designer, see what he comes up with, otherwise get him to put my plan thru his fancy software.
Your various bin suggestions have been welcome and helped me identify the bin combo I want.

So you know those times when you think ‘oh wouldn’t it be great to extend our current house, that sounds like a completely unstressful thing to do’ and then the next minute you switch back to reality and want to slap yourself with a wet haddock? That’s me today. SE has sent over initial loft specs for us to discuss with the builder tomorrow. He has included no less than 7 (yes 7!!!) steels in the loft alone. This is for a standard semi detached loft conversion from hip to gable with a rear dormer. My builder is aghast, the architect seems confused and I am having to play go between them all.
I am now completely wishing we’d just gone with a loft company for this part and not worried about the floor plan being different to normal lofts. I would beat my head against the wall but that would probably mean we’d need another steel.

Is this your loft?

Loool - if that is my loft then I’d better up the painting budget 🤦🏼‍♀️

@WorrisomeHeart, can you get a second SE opinion? What does the SE think needs 7 beams to hold it up?!

I have no idea! We are meeting the builders today so I’m hoping that will help with some comments to take back to the SE. I really am just flabbergasted. The architect has emailed to say that timber construction (which is what the builder was planning, but SE seems to be expecting masonry) is fine and if we want to go with extended masonry up the gable wall then we have to dig a test hole to see if the current foundations would hold it. Why on Earth we would go down that route when the house is already rendered so it won’t matter if the gable doesn’t match the current bricks, I have no idea!!!!

Great meeting with the builders - they are going to call the SE direct to talk it over as they can’t see why he’s gone steel crazy and think it’s completley overkill. Great to see them again, as someone up thread said, they had easy answers for all my difficult questions which gives me a huge amount of confidence.

I think over-spec-ing for steels is a SE thing.
And foundations.
They obviously want the house to be solid but I think there is an element of "It's not my budget, better suggest an extra 40cm in the foundations" just to be on the safe side...

We had that with our foundations

Let's just say that my foundations will be deep enough to bury me in.
Standing upright !

Ooh, I can join in now. Today it's been a hive of activity here. 2 new steels are in where the old exterior patio doors were and the electrician has been making lots of holes ready for new sockets and lights.
The main wall between the old dining room and kitchen should be coming down tomorrow so I'll finally get to see how big the new space will actually be.
But OMG, I underestimated the dust. I washed the mugs, boiled the kettle and had to rewash them before making coffees as there was a new brick dust film on them within minutes.
I'm very pleased after reading one of these kitchen thre