Home extension 2019 the Third thread- Drowning in Dust

[WhereDoesThisToiletGo]

And we're off again

4 weeks but I'm I'm thinking 7 or 8 tbh, I've no reason to think it as they've been great so far but I just can't imagine it being done! Maybe when they get the roof on/doors in it'll seem more real!

Thanks for vinegar spray tip!

Builder said when they knock through he's going to board up my internal door and put duck tape around all the edges so no dust gets in. Still thinking I should get dust covers for sofas what do you think?

Fuckity fuckity Fuck.

PD refused. A cock up between the architect and the planning department (I haven't decided who's neck to wring first).
Our roof is 30cm over the height allowed on PD, even though a) the planning officer knew this 4 weeks ago when they visited the site b) the architects knew this and knew it wouldn't pass PD but submitted the plans anyway and c) our neighbours ' extension roofs are all taller then our and done on PD and d) the planning people knew this on Friday, didn't tell us and told the architect they would be issuing approval today - so we spent the weekend packing.
The planning woman is now 'doing us a favour' and repurposing the application to Full planning and 'only' taking another 4 weeks to do it.

We are living in boxes already and now won't have a kitchen for Christmas

Am furious. Really hopping mad. Other people's incompetence strikes again. Bastards.

Off to drink gin.

Well I didn't expect to get anything for kitchen - Id looked on facebook marketplace and they seemed to be priced at a level that people obviously didn't want to pay £600 ++. I guess the cheap ones go quickly, so I asked for £100 for the island - lovely bit o granite, and £100 for the rest of the units. Appliences extra. Pretty basic Builder's kitchen, it wasn't made for us, but I guess I'd styled it to look nice.
I just wanted a token amount so that it didn't so go landfill (and I didn't have to pay for a skip to send it to landfill). I didn't want it hanging around the garage for weeks either.
Quickly got offer of £350 then someone else offered £650. She didn't even want to see it and wanted to transfer me the money (eh up, that sounds dodgy)
Anyhoo, I insisted she come look , she did and paid me half in cash as a deposit the rest due on collection at the weekend. Really nice woman. I knocked off £50 as the builders broke one bit of granite .

Worth trying, but do it on a day when you can spend all day on Messenger!

@lightlypoached ah bugger on the PD refusal. What a waste of time.

@lightlypoached Thanks for your advice. He’s promised the plumber tomorrow so it’s finished apart from snagging and the garden. That’s a great idea about getting quote from a landscaper thanks.
Sorry to hear about your mess, it amazes me that in this day and age the building process is still so hit and miss. I thought that I’d be ok with just a little conservatory! Best of luck with yours hope that the planning is approved swiftly.

Lightly poached re PD, that's so annoying.
Worriesome love the sliding doors. We are having these on our extension.

@lightlypoached - What?! Why on earth did no one tell you this nearer the beginning and then you'd have skipped this and gone straight to full planning?! I hate that. I really hate when "professionals" don't seem to care that it's people's actual lives and money they are arsing about with!

I would dust cover the sofas just in case. I didn't but I have pets so it is pointless. I have a new cordless vacuum now to play with :D

Ugh @lightlypoached I'm so sorry!! SO annoying! 😡 take a big sip of gin and repeat, it'll be worth it in the end. And repeat and repeat.. how long have builders estimated the works will take?

Oh shiiiiiiit, I would also be struggling to decide who to be more angry with @lightlypoached - they both should have realised and averted this. That's awful that planning actually said they would be approving it too. I hope the gin is helping tonight and the architect/planning dept get it sorted fast for you.

Love the doors @WorrisomeHeart and that sightline is fantastic, you must be so pleased! We are also planning sliding doors, and seeing yours is making me all the more excited! What make are they?

@WorrisomeHeart could you tell me the make of your sliding doors please?

@WorrisomeHeart love the utility doors - when are we getting a peak inside?

@lightlypoached hmm if it wasn't clear cut PD why didn't your architect apply for full planning straight away? Very annoying

Thanks for sympathies everyone. I know right. The height is 3.3 m and the PD limit is 3m. The planners knew it, the architects knew it but they still all went through the charade of PD application. 'they usually say yes' seems to be the answer and the architects seem surprised it got refused. It's just a shambles.

Issue now is that we can't start until planning is granted (builders policy) so build cannot be completed before Xmas. So if we are lucky by mid dec we will have watertight shell but will be crammed into the lounge with a temp,kitchen and dining table squashed in next to the sofa and nowhere to put the Christmas tree just like being a sodding student all over, living in a bedsit. And because the build now spans end of year it likely to add at least 6 weeks on even if the planning can be granted in 4.

When our loft was done we had issues with the plans and architects (we refused to pay them in the end). So I should have known - don't believe a word you are told, even if it is a completely different firm, highly recommended, they are all the same,

Building. What a shambles of an industry. It needs more women in there to shake it up a bit. When we are all done with our project who's with me in starting an efficient all-women building company that just gets shit done?, it's not rocket science after all. . Mumsnet builders ltd. we'd make a killing

@lightlypoached I’m glad you can now see the humour in it. It really beggars belief that thing like this still happen. They’re supposed to be professional! Yes at starting the company!

@lightlypoached I am aghast, that’s atrocious. What a bloody cock up. I would definitely be up for forming a MN company - I’m a project manager so have some skills in the area 😂

The innards of the utility room may be shown at some point but at the moment it’s a mess. The boiler install is being re-attempted today which will also mean my lounge floor being cut into to lay the new gas pipe. Keep your fingers crossed it works this time!!

Oh and for those asking, the doors are Aïr Lift and Slide doors. Link here, they are hands down the best thing I own. They have even knocked my fancy new dishwasher off top spot. Bloody expensive but worth it and I am SO glad we went for the bespoke colour choice rather than the standard anthracite.

www.discoverair.co.uk/sliding-doors/aluminium-lift-and-slide-doors/

Grrrr @lightlypoached !! YES to forming a company. I'll make the Gin tea!

I am just joining this thread to say our foundations are being done for our rear extension this week after MONTHS of waiting for one thing and another. Everywhere is covered in mud and I am just SO excited! Hoorah!

It will be very interesting for me to find out the exact moment that my sense of humour fails me.

@avocuddl re selling stuff on Facebook. I joined a couple of local selling groups last week and spent a few days looking at listing to get an Idea of price. I originally thought "nobody sells their old but nice kicthen" as there were a few hanging around. But I now know that if you price it right, it will only be visible on FB for a day cos you'll sell it.
The kicthens that weren't selling were asking 600 to 1000. I started low, got loads of interest (admitted a lot were generic 'is this still available ") but I definitely had at least 4 really serious who upped their offers.
Look at what similar appliances are listed at - if the advert goes, it was the right price, it is hangs around for a week, no one will pay that price.
I've never listed on FB marketplace before, but it's really easy. You only write your listing out once, then it asks do you want to also list it on group selling sites local to you, including ones that you haven't joined. Once it is sold, you mark it as such on main marketplace site and it automatically marks as sold on all your other listing.

It will be very interesting for me to find out the exact moment that my sense of humour fails me
Dunno, it was today for me when BBB admitted that he won't meet the deadline for the kitchen installation and I'll have to delay it.

@WhereDoesThisToiletGo - That is annoying but is it because you will get your tiles done the way you want? Hope you can delay the kitchen ok.

My sense of humour failed a bit at week 10 of the 8 week build but recovered when we actually got back into the kitchen a bit. I think it felt harder having them inside my house than when they were doing things outside.

Plastic stick wrap is being peeled today. There will still be some small things left as no radiators yet but the pipe work is all in so I think that will be relatively un-intrusive when the time comes. I will tentatively say we are 95% done inside now. About 90% done outside too.

Actually I did say 2 months a while ago, so that now seems likely. I shall mark it on the calendar with a big red pen. WARNING!

@soakedat3 He always knew I wanted the floor tiled first.
Honestly, i have been half expecting us to miss the deadline so now it's official, i just need to accept it.
He's doing a bit of blustering that's it's the change of plans to remove the supporting pillar that cocked the timeline up, but it's really not. He came up with the alternative no pillar scheme on thursday and we got revised plans with all new steel calcs by Tuesday morning from SE.

Anyhoo.
It is what it is.
I'm not to to make him rush and cut corners to try and get the kitchen in too early and risk them having to do messy work round a new pristine kitchen

I wonder what it is about tiling under that offends builders so much. You would think it means less cuts even though it's more tiles. But even so, it's not like it's a lot of square meters of extra floor!

Other than the kitchen fitting and tiling, are you nearly done @WhereDoesThisToiletGo?

God, no.
We haven't even got our steels in!
They are coming on tuesday.
This is why I KNEW we weren't going to make the install date.

I pointed out that full under until tiling costs me more (I am buying the tiles, they are not in his refurb budget) but it's much easier for the tiler to do as much fewer cuts, so less labour for him

So I've to go into speak to kitchen supplier about the issues we've had tomorrow. They are saying builder telling porkies. Hmmm. That will be interesting! Also the manufacturer wants to visit for a look at the hinges that are not closing properly. Again hmmm.

Quick poll - how many of you paid in full for kitchen before getting it ordered?