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

@Loofah01 hi we are only adding 18m2. The 45m2 includes existing kitchen and dinning room area. As slightlydustcovered has said. But I understand everything is more expensive than one might originally think. We think we will spend the money getting the pretty ‘bones’, and go for a cheaper kitchen if need be. Our current kitchen is only 2 years old and we will hopefully reuse quite a bit. We just didn’t like the previous owner’s taste (a bit too purple and gold). @Rhica thanks for the comparison, hopefully we wont be not too far out.

@mothergooseinnorthwest It does sound a little expensive to me for the north west judging by what I have seen posted on here in the past. We are spending £1800 per m2 in the SE. However ours is 2 storey which works out a bit cheaper per m2. Smaller single story extensions always work out a bit more.

When you get your quotes make sure you get as much detail as possible as you would be surprised what some builders miss off. If you take your current quote, remove the numbers and then give the line items to another builder to quote against you can ensure you are getting a comparable price.

I found that (excluding the kitchen) half the cost was for the shell - footings, brickwork, roof and floor slab and half for first and second fix plumbing and electrics, plastering and painting. In my experience many builders tend to miss off any carpentry (cupboards, doors etc) from their quotes, no idea why. Our steels were a similar price to slightdustcovered at around £1k each.

@weepingwillow22 thanks. That’s so helpful. The first builder didn’t give a detailed breakdown and we didn’t want to ask as 60k is unlikely to became 40k just because we asked. 68k offer listed all jobs and a total but no sub cost for each job. Again we didn’t ask because it is so much over.

Interestingly, the first builder said shell including steel is 48k and if we want electrics, pluming, joinery(skirting broads) and plastering, it is 60k. So that’s no where near the half half distribution you noticed.

I had a quick look online, my steel beams will be about £900 in total for materials only. So if I am to allow twice as much for labour, it will take us to £2700. Similar to your pricing of 1k each.

@Slightlydustcovered @mothergoosenorthwest Oh my bad, way too tired at the moment to respond properly it seems. You're right it's very clear about being 18m2.

Have just put in simplest terms possible the exact timing the builders now need to adhere to as they don't seem able to do this on their own.

Everything has gone really well until this last few weeks when it's being finished off - the concept of deadlines seems new to the boss man!

@loofah01 I can sympathize, I am finding the lack of a plan is starting to wind me up. Particularly as WFH at the moment I am trying to plan around them. I hope I will look back on lockdown and laugh at the situation. But now it just feels like endless delays. Good news though Windows should be here Tuesday apart from our custom one that's in Denmark still!

Been over this morning to sort out small things. Some items missing from the kitchen order (panels), brick edging on fireplace has been binned (they fucked about too long and now extra work and cost involved) and made sure EVERYBODY knows when things are happening and when to be clear.
Oh and bifolds are delayed to next week.

@mothergoose

All our quotes were significantly more than we expected. Now that we are halfway through I can appreciate why a bit more. It's easy to base the cost on the sqm of the new extension and forget about the disruption to existing areas. We are getting around 40sqm of new space - but in reality the whole house is being replumbed, rewired, replastered.

Builders may also be being cautious at the moment. The costs of some supplies have certainly increased while good builders are still not short of work. Ask the builders if they can see any sensible way of reducing costs. Our builder was very good at working through different options with us and making suggestions for things that would save money. Good luck!

@weepingwillow22 hope that your coping with the adhoc living arrangements! Really looks like an amazing space your going to have.

@missfliss it does drag on a bit doesn't it. I keep saying to my husband that it feels like we are at the point in a long distance flight/drive when it feels like it's never going to end!

@intheningnangnong bricks! Plaster! Windows! Praise be to the midsummer building supply gods! What's the secret - pagan dancing or a sacrificial goat 🐐???

We are still making progress. The flat roof is going in... plumbers and sparkies plugging away...

Just... Want... Windows...

Still trying to decide whether to salvage the existing wooden floor in the living space or just lvt the lot. It feels criminal sticking lvt over real wood... but it would save a lot of hassle.

Might go and do a little dance for the Almighty Building Supply Gods...

@birdbrained def dance, it’ll help either way (ignore the heatwave)

I can’t wait to see if any of the bricks are being made into a house type shape.

We also have an extra bit of foundation.... and an extra bit of bill

My time is currently split between buying things from screwfix, picking things up from screwfix, decorating or organising the build team. I'll be glad this time next week as we'll be in the house at least!

@birdbrained your roof looks great! Is the space for a lantern? We are having flat roof with central lantern as well. Went to see one that’s done. Really loved it, makes the ceiling look very high.

And thanks for the builder estimate advice. I have had time to process it now. We will keep looking and make it clear which bits we will do ourselves and I am sure a good builder will come along.

If I have learned anything from reading through older posts is that, good builds can’t be rushed. I am not a patient person and have already paused the build due to lockdown so it’s going to be a challenge.

Hope your windows show up soon.

@Loofah01

My time is currently split between buying things from screwfix, picking things up from screwfix, decorating or organising the build team. I'll be glad this time next week as we'll be in the house at least!

@Loofah01 I spent so much time doing the Screwfix run. Usually for trades that were only in for one day. Our nearest branch is 15 minutes drive away and I decided that it was more efficient for me to go and buy the missing essential widget so that the plumber or whoever could keep plumbing. A month after we finished, they opened a new branch 5 minutes away!

@loofah01 so close! at least doing the screw fix run is helping progress. I hate sitting here not being able to do anything!

@Oopsiedaisyy welcome! Work before you move in is of course the ideal scenario. But of course timelines don't always work out that way...

@mothergooseinnorthwest yes a lantern - looking forward to it going in! But worried it might turn the kitchen into a furnace... but hey ho at least there will be light!

So l have just seen this from another post and I'm in love aliceinscandiland.com/2017/03/12/how-to-extend-your-home-with-style-for-less-than-you-might-think/

We lost our wall today and are reliant on acroprops to hold up the house until the steels arrive. The grey bit that is left is just insulation and plasterboard. My DH has refused to sleep in our bedroom which is directly above and will be on the sofa the next few nights!

What a wussy lol

Kitchen has finally kicked off, a few days late... but looking good all the same. Anyone considering DIY kitchens - the units are very well made and finished. Good and sturdy

Placed my order with diy kitchens today @Loofah01!

@birdbrained Make careful note of everything. The online bit is very organised into units with doors, end panels etc but the order paperwork really isn't! There's no real explanation of where it all goes (eg plan with references to order) so it take a bit of working out when it comes to install. One example today - top box above fridge has filler panel but no filler panel in sight...it turned out to be the random long one sent through that needs to be chopped in half. Makes sense, but you have to be aware for it!

@weepingwillow22

We lost our wall today and are reliant on acroprops to hold up the house until the steels arrive. The grey bit that is left is just insulation and plasterboard. My DH has refused to sleep in our bedroom which is directly above and will be on the sofa the next few nights!

I remember them putting those sideways props into our wall.

Question that threw me today - how high do you want the mirrored cabinet? Argh, how fucking high is normal?! I'm really all decisioned out now so just put the thing on the wall.

@Loofah01 please do put on some pics of your DIY kitchen if that’s not too cheeky to ask . I am seriously considering it, along with some ikea carcass + fancier fronts combo. But the later seems more of a hustle. Went to my local high street kitchen’s website. Their projects are around 20k to design, supply and fit a kitchen, ouch. They really don’t look THAT good!!!

@Loofah01 funny thing about mirrored cabinets. When we first moved into our current house, I had to have my husband lower the medicine cabinet or I can only see my forehead. I think the previous lady owner of the house is probably 6 foot tall!

@mothergooseinnorthwest I mixed a corner unit from DIY kitchens with Ikea units.