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

Hello! Can anyone give any idea of how much to expect to pay for a loft conversion in the northwest? I haven't got a clue!

@mothergooseinnorthwest I will get some pics soon

Top tip of the day - if you can afford to pay for someone to do the decorating then do it! Just been doing some skirting and in agony now!

Carpets in tomorrow...

@ItsLeviooosar my friend in chorlton had it done for 30k but that was at least 4 years ago. So I think it would be quite a bit more than that now.

Four vans on site today - the most of the whole build. They're going for a big push... we might have a staircase by the end of today... Excited.

We are having to rip out most of what we had left of the kitchen tonight which includes the kitchen sink and dishwasher 😭 so there is room for a steel to go in. Washing up in the bath it is!

It'll leave us with our oven,hob and 1m of worktop 😳 might have to relocate the herbs, spices and condiments to our bedroom 😂

Well We are making very slow progress, and to top it all someone broke in to site and stole a load of tools. I'm in a low point with it all, and this set back is one we didn't need. I have a Screwfix run to do and just struggling to motivate. It's been over a week without hot water now. On a positive note our custom window is now in the UK.

Oh no @Slightlydustcovered that’s horrible, and a pain. How did they get in?

They broke in to our neighbors car and found the only ( small) gap in the hedge. It's not accessible from anywhere else, irritating as I had been only discussing with Mr dust covered how we were going to block it up last week. I have improved my mood by buying a big bar of chocolate on my way back from the Screwfix run. Need to add some money to the budget for some new clothes as I'm not sure the build is doing my waistline any good at all. Since I posted the building god's have thrown me a bone and we have an extra plumber.

That is terrible slightlydustcovered. Were they the builders tools? Hopefully they were insured.

We are at peak dust atm and zero kitchen. Our kitchen consists of a fridge freezer in the hall and microwave oven. Currently washing up in the downstairs toilet. It is the noise that is driving me mad at the moment though. I would normally get out with the children but the rain is pouring and options of where to go are limited. On the plus side the wall is fully down now and the space looks great. Steels should come tomorrow.

We had the carpets in yesterday, kitchen continues today with applicances going in. I told the builders to clear their crap out the garage (let them use it as storage) by close of play today as we need it for moving in on Friday. As yet, they haven't moved a thing.
Still left to do - thresholds, skirtings, a shit load of decorating, bifolds to be fitted, front door to be fitted, quite a few electrical things!

last minute dot com!

Oh and I agree - shit news @Slightlydustcovered :(

We haven't had any break ins but did have some tagging and a torrent of friendly neighbours dumpting all their shit in the skips. 3rd lawnmower arrived yesterday.

Ah @slightlydustcovered that is rubbish news. I will join you on the extension stress eating front.

Work looks super tidy @weepingwillow22 hope your husband is sleeping more soundly now!

Last push @Loofah01 not long now!

I can hardly believe how many people are on site given the last 6 months of max 3 builders. Looking forward to my 4 o'clock nosey!

@weepingwillow22 your build is looking amazing. I’m rather jealous as we wanted a big vaulted veiling but the budget was already blown and it needed the roof to be reworked and more steel

Hi all
We did a large extension back in 2017. Firstly, I hope you're all surviving okay, I know how hard it is!

We're now thinking of buying a dated bungalow and going through it again. I feel crazy! Has anyone moved out or got a caravan on their drive? We've just gone on the market although haven't quite hit Rightmove yet!

General fed up rant ( sorry)

It's d - r - a - g - g - i - n - g now.

Just see dirt and dust and unfinished stuff everywhere. It all feels so far off still and I'm bored of it. I feel like I've lost all enthusiasm now. I was so excited and now I can't remember why :-(

@missfliss

General fed up rant ( sorry)

It's d - r - a - g - g - i - n - g now.

Just see dirt and dust and unfinished stuff everywhere. It all feels so far off still and I'm bored of it. I feel like I've lost all enthusiasm now. I was so excited and now I can't remember why :-(

Just go upstairs (or upladder) and look at the big window in your loft room

@Slightlydustcovered sorry to hear that. What bad news. Hope you get over the shock soon.

@Loofah01 great progress re kitchen and carpet! Must be exciting so close to finishing everything.

@weepingwillow22 that looks so spacious!! It’s worth it putting up with all the noise IMO

I sent my 2 year old back to childminder today and had more of a breather while WFH which I used to chase builders for estimates, some of which are over 3 weeks past their promised date now. Good news is we finally have an estimate that’s reasonable! 38k instead of 68k or 60k! I feel relieved really that we didn’t underestimate the cost of things too much. If the last two builders will gave a reasonable estimate as well, we might end up with three workable estimates to choose from!

@missfliss although We haven’t started yet but I just want to say that I feel you. I felt like giving up when our planning got turned down first time. But you are so close now! You gave me balcony envy you know.

@missfliss you are welcome to join me in a large glass of something. I have opened a bottle of fizz just because I can. Well slightly more chipper by the end of the day. Flashing is pretty much complete on the roof, the velux arrived just after the builders left and the very nice delivery man agreed to lug it in to the house for me. And the plumber has moved the toilet in to the right spot. I am still concerned the bathroom is very small but am trying to counter that by ordering a massive mirror. I have also finished a piece of art for the bathroom just so it feels a bit more mine. Thanks for the support though all, I find sharing the pain on this thread very cathartic.

thanks very much all of you for the support and kind words - it's great having this thread in general.

I'm letting myself have today to moan and then i'll buck up tomorrow.

I suppose due to WFH throughout I've been living with it more than i would have done if I was in the office. For all of us, near the end or just starting out we've all been affected by Covid delays in one way or another.

So I reckon of all the extension / conversion / renovation threads on mumsnet, past and present, we have to be the most stoic!

Overly familiar hugs to this cohort of 2020 extenders xxx

@Slightlydustcovered i'm so sorry about the tools. I completely missed that post :-(

I'm finding in this last week I haven't the time or energy to properly update on here! Do get to read through though :)

Bifolds going in today, maybe front door. Packers currently packing away rental house for the move...

I know the feeling missfliss. It just seems to drag on and on. I realised today is 5 months since we started and the end seems a long way off still. I am just trying to focus on the progress that has been made and am thankful that at least the weather has been largely good so we have been able to spent a lot of time outside.

Slightlydustcovered I think the big mirror sounds like a great idea. We did the same in our small cloakroom and it made a huge difference to the space.

Loofah, sounds like an exciting day for you, it sounds like you are so close.

I am having a frustating day. We need an extra steel which is now having to go through the middle of a run of floor to ceiling kitchen cabinets totally ruining the look. My DH has also decided we should get underfloor heating and new flooring installed in the room which we are currently using as a temporary kitchen. Although it does make sense it means a lot more disruption and my new temporary kitchen will be the hall.

@weepingwillow22 don't worry too much about the kitchen, a similar thing happened to my sister in law. Apart from they just forgot it was going to be there. In the end her very able husband just chopped the section out the back of the units. You would never know it was there.

It's been so slow here too.
Feel like we have a room now and I can see the space more though.
Had to have a chat with the builder about how slow things were going and he seems to have had a more productive day today.

Our doors are being fitted on the 21st July then the flooring and kitchen will follow. I'm hoping by the first week of August we will be done!

First 2 pictures are of my old kitchen which will become utility/downstairs toilet/shower room. 3rd picture is the new extended bit.