Is there a 2021 extension thread?

[Yellownotblue]

Just that really, I found it very informative (and exhilarating and at times heart breaking!) to read the 2020 extension threads. I couldn’t find a 2021 extension thread. Please can you direct me, or if there isn’t one, let’s start it! All welcome.

As for us - we’re awaiting PP for our extension and our architect said the work might start as early as March (ha! I’ll believe it when I see it). It’s a large extension and we will need to move out for about 9 months so I’m a bit flustered at the thought of moving out in 7 weeks’ time. We’re extending over the garage, in the garden and in the loft, and doing a shedload of other stuff from electrics to roofing and redecorating everything. We’re in SW London.

I have been gone for a while to have a baby and it has taken me a whole week to catch up on the chat here. Baby is 7 weeks old and we are getting very close to starting our loft conversion next month so I ought to get out of my new born bubble and get ready for the works to start.

We are converting the loft on our 2 bed bungalow to include two extra double bedrooms, a bathroom and a single bedroom which we will use as an office.

We are at about £60k on our spreadsheet but this doesn't include the plumbing quote for the radiators and bathroom. That came through earlier and I almost passed out at £8700. It doesn't include the radiators to the bedrooms and we provide the wall tiles and floor tiles. It dies include everything thing fitted and Plumber sourcing the materials which are average but for that price I would have expected better ones? Maybe I'm out of touch with how much things cost.

Huge congrats on your baby @Notyetthere! Wow that does seem a lot but I also have no idea of price tbh.

Home from holiday and they've pulled down the old kitchen completely and the space is MASSIVE. So exciting. They've also felted and slated most of the roof except around the window bits

Congratukations@Notyetthere!

The concrete for our foundations is supposed to be being poured tomorrow. Then they will be able to dig up and redo the sewers. It’s over two weeks that’s been lost now and it’s mainly caused by the builders not having read the spec from Thames Water before going ahead.
They are also doing some internal work for us and it was supposed to be finished at the end of last week. Then it was supposed to be finished today and of course it’s not. There’s 4 of us and a dog living in two rooms 😩. I’ve just really had enough of it now.

Terracedtardis - that sounds like a nightmare! I go through stages of having had enough then something progresses and I get all Zen and whatever will be will be.

Callmejudith - sound like great progress!!

The end wall of our side extension started today - the beginning of blocking off the side access. Too late to start worrying if it’s a bad idea now 🙄😂

Nogging for new roof started. Still feels like it will never end but I suppose it must, one day.

@callmejudith The quote seems high. However having gone through the products list, they come up to £4000 and the rest is labour which includes plumber and tiler. FIL paid £11k for his with £5k for labour. Safe to say the credit card will be used at some point.

We're due to have the kitchen prefit on Friday evening but that part of the room is a complete state. I'm guessing the measurements of the walls are the most important thing but I'm worrying about that now.

I'm looking for decorator quotes. I had planned to do it all myself, but with a baby at home progress is achingly slow. We don't really have the money, but I just want it done now

congrats @Notyetthere

we are still mid rewiring - i'm starting to get annoyed with the electrician and him me. We had to get the rest of the stuff delivered this week out of storage so although we had managed to unpack all the stuff that we had delivered in the first place, we always knew that the rest was coming this week. He is grumbling about access to walls and floors but it was never going to be a semi empty house for months!

I'm also slightly infuriated with the architect. We do need one due to the complexities of the build (the previous 2 unauthorised extensions, one drain being used as waste and surface water when designated surface though flowing into a combined sewer, conservation area and a building of townscape merit) but it's been weeks since we engaged him and nothing. He wants a proper measured survey done first which is fine - he said he would get quotes and come back to us. I chased him up today to find out he's on his 2nd holiday of the last 4 weeks! The problem is we know the planning department here is absolutely overwhelmed so we know what type of delay we will get once the plans go in so we really need them in as soon as possible. ARGH!

in addition, even though the kitchen here is abysmal, there is no point us doing anything till we have drawings in and planning permission to rebuild the back of the house. But the oven here is unusable so we arranged a new one to come - we were all so excited only for the installer saying there is no way he can put it in (it's part gas/part electric) because of the way the kitchen is configured. We need to dismantle about 50% of it so the oven has more clearance (it's the same one that was in now, just an updated model but quel surprise, it was not installed legally!).

so at the moment, we've been here almost a month and still don't have proper working electrics, nowhere to sit and eat and half the house unpacked. And to add to that, we're on our 5th skip clearing out the shit that was left behind and stuff that we don't need any more (having moved 2 houses into 1).

we've managed to dig up all the concrete in the back garden (300 sq feet of it almost!) so we have a massive mud pit out the back now (the dog is delighted). Trying to get quotes for someone to do new topsoil and turf at the moment. Tree surgeons coming next week to assess the trees and then put in for planning to prune them (previous owners had butchered them).

it's all just so slow!

@Notyetthere I didn't think that quote was that unreasonable. We will also need new plumbing (1 boiler and 2 hot water only boilers for some odd reason) and the labour quotes are quite high to run new pipes. It sounds like your loft will be absolutely massive - what a great addition to your home!

@StrongArm wow that sounds so stressful and utterly infuriating.

My builder has pissed me off today. We had a phone conversation when I was away last week about the whole floor/steel situation and now he wants to talk about it face to face. Just flipping get on and DO IT. I can't see how we are ever going to be finished.

@StrongArm Thank you. Yes you are right about the quote. It took me a long time to go through the all the items and my conclusion was that it was reasonable.

As for the loft, yes it is a large space. The bungalow currently has 4 large rooms which we are replicating in the loft with a full width dormer at the back. We are using all the space up there.

@StrongArm

congrats *@Notyetthere*

we are still mid rewiring - i'm starting to get annoyed with the electrician and him me. We had to get the rest of the stuff delivered this week out of storage so although we had managed to unpack all the stuff that we had delivered in the first place, we always knew that the rest was coming this week. He is grumbling about access to walls and floors but it was never going to be a semi empty house for months!

I'm also slightly infuriated with the architect. We do need one due to the complexities of the build (the previous 2 unauthorised extensions, one drain being used as waste and surface water when designated surface though flowing into a combined sewer, conservation area and a building of townscape merit) but it's been weeks since we engaged him and nothing. He wants a proper measured survey done first which is fine - he said he would get quotes and come back to us. I chased him up today to find out he's on his 2nd holiday of the last 4 weeks! The problem is we know the planning department here is absolutely overwhelmed so we know what type of delay we will get once the plans go in so we really need them in as soon as possible. ARGH!

in addition, even though the kitchen here is abysmal, there is no point us doing anything till we have drawings in and planning permission to rebuild the back of the house. But the oven here is unusable so we arranged a new one to come - we were all so excited only for the installer saying there is no way he can put it in (it's part gas/part electric) because of the way the kitchen is configured. We need to dismantle about 50% of it so the oven has more clearance (it's the same one that was in now, just an updated model but quel surprise, it was not installed legally!).

so at the moment, we've been here almost a month and still don't have proper working electrics, nowhere to sit and eat and half the house unpacked. And to add to that, we're on our 5th skip clearing out the shit that was left behind and stuff that we don't need any more (having moved 2 houses into 1).

we've managed to dig up all the concrete in the back garden (300 sq feet of it almost!) so we have a massive mud pit out the back now (the dog is delighted). Trying to get quotes for someone to do new topsoil and turf at the moment. Tree surgeons coming next week to assess the trees and then put in for planning to prune them (previous owners had butchered them).

it's all just so slow!

@StrongArm we had the same problem with our cooker. We paid a local guy cash, stressing we knew it was not a legal fitting but we were desperate. He took pity on us, thankfully, otherwise it would have been a complete rewire straight away. This is our very dodgy set up

@Notyetthere

I have been gone for a while to have a baby and it has taken me a whole week to catch up on the chat here. Baby is 7 weeks old and we are getting very close to starting our loft conversion next month so I ought to get out of my new born bubble and get ready for the works to start.

We are converting the loft on our 2 bed bungalow to include two extra double bedrooms, a bathroom and a single bedroom which we will use as an office.

We are at about £60k on our spreadsheet but this doesn't include the plumbing quote for the radiators and bathroom. That came through earlier and I almost passed out at £8700. It doesn't include the radiators to the bedrooms and we provide the wall tiles and floor tiles. It dies include everything thing fitted and Plumber sourcing the materials which are average but for that price I would have expected better ones? Maybe I'm out of touch with how much things cost.

Congrats on the baby! I hope everything went well!

Really good meeting with the builder today, feeling less anxious and we agreed where we'll be when we move back in on 30 September.

I've also rearranged our kitchen layout slightly as the range cooker is now directly underneath a beam which looks crap. It does mean we can't have the extractor hood that we wanted but I need to do some research on that.

Frustrated yet again. Kitchen fitter didn't turn up on Friday evening. Got to the house this morning and no builders to be seen. 24 days until we move back in.

@Callmejudith

Frustrated yet again. Kitchen fitter didn't turn up on Friday evening. Got to the house this morning and no builders to be seen. 24 days until we move back in.

How annoying! Have you thought about a ring doorbell so can see how much time they are there when your not?

That's actually a great idea though now the kids are back at school I'm intending to be WFH at the house 3 days per week and any time no one is here I'm going to ring the boss. I've really tried being nice and it's got me absolutely nowhere. I'm so sick of this.

that's so frustrating @Callmejudith - they are all managing multiple jobs at the moment but they could at least be honest about it

@Sewfrickinamazeballs I had to double check your picture to make sure you weren't in my kitchen

@Callmejudith

That's actually a great idea though now the kids are back at school I'm intending to be WFH at the house 3 days per week and any time no one is here I'm going to ring the boss. I've really tried being nice and it's got me absolutely nowhere. I'm so sick of this.

I would be pissed off too. Hope your paying them by stages!

@StrongArm

that's so frustrating *@Callmejudith* - they are all managing multiple jobs at the moment but they could at least be honest about it

@Sewfrickinamazeballs I had to double check your picture to make sure you weren't in my kitchen

@StrongArm Getting rid of this kitchen will be the most amazing day! The rest of it is so bloody awful (plastic cream sink, fake wooden beams etc.) I've had to stop using the dishwasher as it keeps giving me electric shocks - we have no RCD, trip switches or earthing on our electrics so better safe than sorry!

I wonder if you guys can answer a question for me as we're a bit lost.

We've had the architectural diagrams and a very technical and detailed report from the structural engineer for building regs. Should we submit that or should the builder we select? I'm not sure if that's a step like planning that we need approved ahead of starting to work.

We're struggling a bit at the moment knowing the order to do things. In past projects, the builders took care of structural engineering reports and building regs but we had to get those done ahead of the quoting this time. Is there a checklist of what we should be doing?

@Callmejudith - that sounds very frustrating! Working from the house is the way forward; otherwise they find other jobs to move onto!

Do you all have a written schedule of works from your builders?

Our architects submitted out drawings, but we were going through planning so maybe different?
(Never doing planning again!)

We’ve managed to tweak the side extension roof after realising the ceiling height in there was going to be tiny, I could reach it. And I’m short, DH is tall so it would be rubbish for him.

The fall was going front to back, which is quite long. Have agreed with neighbour we can switch the fall to right to left and squeeze guttering in along the boundary. It shouldn’t even overhang theirs at all but the boundary line isn’t straight to may do by millimetres in one bit. Anyway, we’re redoing the fence, their gate and their front wall and they’re happy with everything so far.

Roof insulation and other stuff got delivered yesterday, but roofing guy disappeared to get a tool, got a flat tyre and only came back to measure a few bits. Hey ho. He should be back today and maybe some roof can go on, it will make everything dark for a while though.

Spent most of yesterday painting DDs new summerhouse, not finished first coat yet and definitely needs 2, sigh.

@NewHouseNewMe, you sound to be at a similar stage to us. Architect submitted our plans (which needed amended) and then drew and submitted detailed plans for building control. Will seek builder once this has been approved, the rationale being that we will know exactly what’s being quoted for.

In your case, it’s a structural engineer doing the drawings, so perhaps he could submit on your behalf?