Extension / loft conversion thread 2020

[missfliss]

Hello,

Thought I'd start a thread for 2020 extenders and converters.

Might be good for us each time say a bit about what works we have planned / are in the midst of if folks are happy to share some / al details.

Current house:
1970s semi with 2.5 (!) bedrooms on South Coast ( Sussex).
Single storey extension ( large kitchen / diner with bifolds) was completed in 2013.

Planned works
Loft conversion with full width rear dormer and small front dormer to create a new master bedroom with large bathroom.

Stage
Planning permission received, builder appointed to start in March

Costs
Build is £60k including VAT. Bathroom / decor extra.
It is a double dormer with aluminium sliding doors to rear and lots of pipe work due to siting the new bathroom at the opposite end to the existing bathroom below.
It's more than expected but we have non-standard plans and are doing the work to stay in the house for years as opposed to maximising profit to sell.

Reasons for doing work
An adult space to hide away and relax!
Also our son has additional needs and we may need to use au pairs in the future ( new room needed). As our son gets older he may need to live with us into adulthood

Plans
Attached

Next steps
Party wall agreement
Deciding on bathroom fittings / flooring within budget

@weepingwillow22 that looks amazing. Great design

We have a new door.... or even less house, depending on your view.

@intheningnangnong are you going to leave those bricks bare or will you plaster over them? We have an exposed wall now due to the extension and I'm tempted to strip the lime green paint off it and have the bricks exposed... probably easier to just plaster though...

Totally in love with @weepingwillow22's extension...

T

The bricks are a lot more mucky in real life. I’d love to do something a bit more ‘designery’ than just plaster, but in reality I’m not sure it would suit the house.

I've just finished a design project that was meant to be done as soon as the kitchen was finished...
My white open display shelves now have dark blue backs to match the island

Your bookcase looks fab!

Well interesting week here, returned home from caravan to no hot water and 1 toilet plumbed in to the wrong place. And a main builder who has broken his wrist. Bugger, just bathed the kids in my laundry basket. But before it sounds too soon and gloom I got to see my new bedroom and ensuite, and new tiny bathroom.

Very nice @where - the power of colour is amazing.

Our tiny joyless hallway has been a source of consternation since we bought this house. Have chosen Sudbury yellow to cheer it up!

Anyone thinking of wood flooring - get some bamboo! It is gorgeous :)

Ah such a rubbish day. Magnet balls up my kitchen delivery so now that is delayed by a week. They said it was because they were doing me a favour by not charging for delivery of appliances. I'm paying 180 for delivery of cabinets and never mentioned an additional charge for appliances which I woukd have refused to pay anyway.

My builder also sent through (somewhat prematurely) final invoice which was wrong by 4k. I challenged him in this and he admitted was wrong and reduced it but still too high. He def needs a new accounts person as all invoices have been wrong so far. I trust he will correct it but feeling fed up about everything today.

Looks like another week of washing plates in Bath tub for me 😭😭

I’m still having a crap time sorting out my waste pipes (ha bloody ha). Feel like punching my ‘not my fault’ architect, but clearly that wouldn’t be a good idea.

I did find my kitchen door though. Stainless steel (look).

Sorry for everyone’s else’s trails, it’s hard work isn’t it.

Glad the bambo is great though @Loofah01 glad someone is happy

@intheningnangnong sounds like we have the same architect. Our architect completely missed out the waste pipes 😂
Kitchen looks gorgeous. And something refreshingly different too

My sister is doing a house renovation and sormurcdd tradesmen herself. She is having a right nightmare just trying to get them to turn up. Her (latest) plumber is organised by his wife so she has concluded husband and wife team are the way forward. I'm tempted to offer my builder my accounting services as his accountant is shockingly bad

Stainless steel cupboard doors? I think I might be in love.
What's the difference between Stainless Steel and Stainless Steel look?

@intheningnangnong I think happy is a relative term lol Definitely happy with bamboo floor but have spat the dummy at the builder over being tidy and not leaving shite everywhere. We're moving in next week so trying to decorate tripping over piles of tools, materials and rubbish. We came to an agreement - I'm fucking right and they can realign their thought process!

Kitchen fitting starting tomorrow , haven't got windows yet!!

What's the difference between Stainless Steel and Stainless Steel look?

About 70k .... it looks the same to me though. Taken me ages to find something I love - at a reasonable price. I think this The One.

Builders do seem to be messy bastards @Loofa01. I’d go nuts too.... I’ve realised I’m quite bad tempered!

@Rhica I think they leave them off as they’re difficult to make work!

Our builder completely changed where the architect had put all the waste pipes anyway... I do often wonder about this disconnect between architects and builders - why are architects not so good at grappling the practical side of building and therefore costing accurately etc?

In other news. I spy a truck full of plaster!!! Happy days...

Still no word on windows... I feel your pain @Loofah01

@birdbrained because they’re usually sitting at a desk not doing the practical side of things... I had to have quite a close hand in some things as the architect had placed, for example, boxing for pipes and the builder was busily putting in said boxing; when asked why as the pipes were under the new floor they said coz it says so! Keep a close watch people lol

Windows arriving tomorrow it is rumoured...

We have steel.... and no bloody bricks .

We have 1 tap that runs both hot and cold... That is it but it's better than none

Otherwise struggling a bit, the new bathroom is tiny. We can get everything in but it's not great. When we looked back at the plans it seems the architect pot in positions of space saving things without telling us this. So it looked fine on paper. Plumber has moved 1 pipe which now means we can get everything in but it's going to be a very small utilitarian room.

Ah this middle bit feels so boring... all the 'building' has happened. Now it's first fix so lots of electrics and plumbing - which seems to involve ripping up floors that have already been laid... longing for something a bit more exciting like windows!

We want to book our kitchen delivery in... but the builder is being cagey about when they will be ready for that...

@birdbrained I'd book a date, a sensible one, and tell the builder that's what's been done. Then they'll have something to work with and you can usually shift it if the builder seems to be a bit behind

@birdbrained I can't wait for the middle bit. Although we now have windows our builder seems to be taking an age to knockthrough and get started on the other bits. I think he now has new projects that were meant to have started after ours completed and is now having to juggle.

I booked our kitchen installation for mid July and have now moved it to mid August. Our builder refuses to discuss any dates but the kitchen supplier wanted a date even if only provisional.

The builder has however said he will be ripping out our old kitchen tomorrow

Hope you get your windows today Loofah.