How much of a faff is an extension?

[ps1991]

We need a bigger home. Our choices are to but a 4 bed, most probably a new build or to buy a three bed with room to extend and have about £50000 to spend on doing it up and extending to enable us to have a bigger kitchen/dining/ family space and a fourth bedroom. Would this be a reasonable amount to spend on it, from beginning to end, including new kitchen bathroom, architects, planning permission etc. I have never had any major work done to a home so really don’t have a clue where to start. We have a 12 week old baby so don’t want to do something is going to cause major stress! Any tips would be helpful, thanks

We have gutted a house top to bottom and in this house converted a double garage into a playroom/store and added a kitchen extension. But also did double glazing throughout, new boiler, every room renovated.

The kitchen extension cost lots because there is the initial build and then the kitchen cost on top.

It isn't just the time for the build but shopping for the kitchen and bathroom stuff. Unless you are incredibly decisive and have time then maybe just buying a brand new 4 bed is the answer. No work, no mess, no decisions.

Builders's dust is a nightmare and even after they have left you are still cleaning it up 4 days later as in the kitchen is totally hygienically clean and then a plaster dust suddenly appears again.

I am a SAHM so was here for the whole thing. I am very decisive and could make snap decisions when needed. My builder turned up on time, every day, was tidy, on budget and on schedule. That isn't the case for most people. And no I can't recommend him as he has moved on to renovations only after 20 years of building.

My children were in primary school so were not here but after a few months I was just desperate to have my house back to myself. It isn't something I would do with a young baby.

£50k sounds a bit low to do all that to me. Kitchens and bathrooms cost more per square meter because of the plumbing work you need.

I've not gone through an extension yet but I did knock though from a kitchen to dining room in previous house and it was very dusty. Not ideal for a small baby in my opinion but I do read that a lot of people manage to do it.

I doubt 50k would be enough. We've just extended and it was 42k for the builders alone. Add on kitchen, flooring, lighting etc etc.

£50k won’t be enough for what you’re talking about. Extensions as a rule of thumb cost about £2k per square metre so you’d be looking at adding a room that’s 5m x 5m for that with nothing in it. I assume by your room list you want two floors and actual things on the rooms eg kitchen, bathroom etc.

Also having renovated our house this past year with a toddler and a baby I’d not recommend it. People constantly in and out the house, dirt, plaster, nails on the floor and the constant noise just as baby falls asleep. It would be easier to buy a new build and just move in at this point in your life.

It pretty much dominated our lives for six months and I wouldn't be in a hurry to do it again. And it was just the ground floor. No way you could do two floors for 50k,it would be at least double that. We got through it by the boys being at school and me working in an office.

We did two floors - a double story front and side extension. 13 months after it all started we are almost there... The builders were here from the beginning of March 2018 and left in late September 2018. We had to move out from May to Mid August - the week after we moved out we went back to the house at the weekend and you could see the loft hatch from the front door - no upper floor from one side of the house! We had stupidly thought we could lived through the chaos but it wouldn't have been possible.

Other bits and bobs have been done at weekends ever since.

It cost £100 grand. But we had a lot of work done. There were only three rooms in the whole house left untouched - two upstairs bedrooms and a small downstairs toilet. Even then, one bedroom of those had a wall replastered and the cloakroom was half replastered. We moved walls, stairs, had two new bathrooms and a kitchen fitted (the old kitchen is now a teen den, smells like it too), new radiators, flooring.... plus we had to then sort the front and back garden of the house because both were wrecked.

I underestimated the amount of work and the disruption. And at one point I felt overwhelmed by the number of decisions I had to make in what seemed like a short time (my husband isn't great at that so I felt really under pressure). But I'm very glad we did it. I now feel the house works for us. And I still like the builders - they were great and did a good job. Not sure I could have dealt with all this if I'd had a baby!

I said almost finished - the cloakroom took a battering through and is still in it's half plastered/slightly mouldy state. I will eventually paint that as it's like a hovel compared with the rest of the house...

I think you will need more money - our original builder quote was £58,000 plus VAT but that didn't include fitting of kitchen or bathrooms, fitting of flooring and any other extras or buying any of tiles, bath, sinks, kitchen itself etc. I did my own budget and everything came to £97,000 which didn't include the garden so I was quite close!

Well, 50k wouldn't be enough for what you want to do. There are a lot of costs even before a builder sets foot on the site, and then there can be 'surprises' along the way. Our 2 storey extension cost around 150k, but admittedly along with a total house refurb as well. You also need a contingency fund.
We lived in one room for 6 months (over winter too!) while the work was done. We coped because there are just us two adults. If we had children we would have had to move out. The dust and dirt is just amazing. You go from being initially shocked when you find ceilings removed or holes in walls to becoming a bit meh about the whole thing. I do remember finding some rubble in my bed one night and not really caring. It was worth it in the end, but not something I would want to repeat.

Looking at a similar project so following responses

That won’t be enough. We’re doing a 33sqm side extension - two storeys so 66sqm altogether and have been quoted that and more FOR THE SHELL. Absolutely nothing done inside. Just outside walls and a roof. Yay.

Sounds a bit light - what part ok the uk are you in?
We're east mid and about to have two beds and two shower rooms cut into bungalow loft, extend the whole side of bungalow, 12x2.5 m as well plus knocking through many walls and new kitchen 4x bathroom - looking at around 150k suspect without kitchen and bathrooms tho - I'm scared!!

Definitely sounds low. Our kitchen extension, 17sq m, and moving the bathroom upstairs is going to be roughly £90k for just walls and ceilings.

It would probably get you the extension and plumbing, but not plaster, paint, flooring, fitted kitchen, etc. If you're happy to do up a shell in due course, and have 3 months of builders, then it could be the best way to get what you want. If DIY or living in an unfinished house sounds like hell, don't.