Home Extension Thread 2019 - The Extension

[TheFatberg]

Only a few posts left on the first thread of 2019, so here's a new one to get us started.

Huh! I dropped a China mug this morning and it hit the granite worktop and ended up in pieces on the floor.
It wasn't until this evening that I noticed I've actually taken a substantial chip out of the edge of the granite!
In 19 years I've never managed to damage it - just as well it's being replaced in a couple of months time.

It is literally my favourite thing in the house at the moment. I didn’t even realise that those parts were wine racks until we got it here 😂. Oh and the socket is a USB one so that we can charge tablets etc out of sight

That's clever @worrisomeheart!

I'm feeling a bit more optimistic today. Even though we've still no brickies. Kitchen still confirmed as Monday and they finished prepping the kitchen floor for tiles today. Took them sooo long! Every little dot is a screw. I thought they were assigning the apprentices busy work but apparently this is what the tiler asked for (he didn't want the matting suggested by new dad). Our floor is going nowhere! Just the utility to get the same treatment now. :D

Kitchen is progressing as is upstairs

@321pastamaker, the home building & renovation website has good guides as does real homes mag website. The home building one has a form you can fill it for approx costs per sqm.

You can also chat to architects and builders. I don't think they charge for initial chats. Least the ones I spoke to didn't. Note : always take costs with big pinch of salt!!

@soakedat3, they are very helpful websites. So many things to think about and all of those fees!!

@WorrisomeHeart and I are kitchen twins with near identical layouts and a larder obsession! Like you, charging phones and other tech was an integral part of kitchen design - we currently have a messy collection of charging cables strewn on a small chair in the hall beside the only plug with not enough room for a table to put them on.
I've got a designated shelf planned with its own USB plug too!

I haven't been a very active poster on this thread but did share a few comments/photos up thread.

Well, we are now just about finished (couple of outstanding doors having to be made specially and the end of the island still to fit) so I thought I'd share a photo or two.

We're very happy with the overall effect and cooked our first dinner in it tonight.
In case anyone is interested, they are DIY kitchen units with a Santa Margherita Pewter quartz worktop. Lights are from John Lewis.

@WhereDoesThisToiletGo - the ooh was for the deals on food storage. Sad that I am. But I think I am going to ooh at all the photos and progress too.

Big news!

We have (as of today);
Hot water
Working underfloor heating
Plumbed in dishwashers
Plumbed in washing machine
Wired in ovens and microwaves

I think I can declare that I will move home tomorrow!!

I love your lights @GreenShadow

It's lovely @GreenShadow, I bet it was amazing to get to cook in it! What oven configuration have you gone for?

My chronic indecisiveness has been playing up re ovens.

Oh that is STUNNING @GreenShadow. How long has it taken you to get to that stage?

I had the best washing up experience of my life last night using my new sink and tap 😂

@WhereDoesThisToiletGo I’m looking forward to seeing your kitchen once it’s in! I like the idea of decanting and am going to try and do that - however my DH and two DSs won’t abide by my kitchen organisation rules! 😂

@GreenShadow can I ask what your wall colour is please?

Good luck @mynameisJane - hope you get the green light to move back in!

Looks great @Greenshadow! Your kitchen looks so serene and dust free!

@WorrisomeHeart
It might not train your menfolk but decanting stuff certainly makes finding stuff easier to me. Before I had bags of sultanas, and almonds and sugar and stuff all clipped with clothes pegs mixed up in a big basket. Alternating between having 3 bags of one thing and none of another. I've been buying a couple of containers every now and then over the last year and gradually decanting stuff. I have a fancy label maker which gives me a ridiculous amount of entertainment. I haven't labelled all the containers as I'm likely to move stuff about when the new kitchen gets organised.
This way I can see yes, I have sultanas but I have nearly run out. (I use a lot in curries)
I wish I'd discovered these cheapie ones before I bought a load of Sistema dear ones.

I had a panic earlier. I know extension is tiny but it's the knocking down internal doors walls that will make the most difference. But I drew out a scale plan of new room with cut outs of existing furniture and it doesn't fit in as well as it did in old small room!

Oh now a label maker is a GREAT idea. That might be my treat to myself for managing all of this 😂

Carpenter has just sent me a sneak peek of the splashbacks install as I’m in the office today.

@wheredoes do you mean it won’t fit and you have to buy new furniture as well??

The plan was to buy new furniture but the sofa I've fallen for is bigger than our existing one.
I think we'll wait and try old stuff in new room and play about with layout before we shell out on new sofas

Label maker + containers = pantry porn

@Wheredoesthistoiletgo my first trip this morning was to Home Bargains. Thanking you very much!

I’ve also put the nice duvet cover on my bed so there’s no going back to my ma & pa’s now! 😂

@WorrisomeHeart the alusplash looks beautiful.

@WhereDoesThisToiletGo We had the same problem with furniture - removing walls means we actually had less places to put existing sofas and cabinets. We have lived with existing furniture since April and only now are deciding what we think will work in the new space!
OH was keen to buy immediately, but we're so pleased we waited even if it meant 17 year old sofas in a really modern space!
We only hung the first thing on the wall at the weekend - fear of getting it wrong and ruining our lovely new walls!
I can wholly recommend these, they were recommended by our builder and really do work!
www.screwfix.com/p/fischer-self-drill-plasterboard-fixings-metal-35mm-100-pack/47347?tc=HB9&ds_kid=92700045789846840&ds_rl=1241690&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1249475&ds_rl=1245250&ds_rl=1249475&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuNWZkqKC5AIVQ7DtCh3VgQU3EAQYAiABEgLJOfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

@soakedat3, who do you talk to first... a builder or an architect??

@PazRaz10 That's reassuring that I'm not the only one worrying about sofas! You're right about losing the walls, the old room was square with 4 walls and corners - the new space only has three walls and 2 corners!