has anyone extended a terraced house?

[cocopops]

we live in a terrace with no rear access so everything would have to come through the house.

Just wondered if anyone had done this and if so, how much hassle it was. Did you have to move out?

thanks.

bump

Moving out really depends what you want to do. If it is a huge, two storey extension that is going to interfere with kitchen and bathroom for several weeks/months, then yes, move out. If it is something relatively simple effecting one room (eg. side return) then it may be possible to live through it. You can set up a temporary kitchen in another room and spend a lot of time eating toast and microwave soup . People always say you shouldn't do these sorts of things with children around but, ime, they absolutely love the excitement - the only people on the site who do...

Yes, materials will have to come through the house unless you are having loft extension or basement excavation in which case the house remains relatively unscathed until the extensions are knocked through into existing living space.

If you haven't chosen builders yet, one thing that is worth asking people with whom you check out refs is how well builders dealt with disruption they caused: did they sweep up properly at the end of the day? How were materials stored (eg: in temporary weather-tight area in garden or strewn all over the hall?)? Was working area effectively blocked off from rest of house to minimise dust and dirt? Were weatherproof groundsheets laid in hall to protect flooring etc?

What are you having done?

I had my loft done and as LA said, it was pretty mess free until they knocked through into the main house - we went away for a week then!

We had our kitchen and pantry made into one, and an outbuilding made into a pantry and it was pretty messy.

Quite fun though, as la said, you will live on microwave food and toast!

Agree with what has been said - what are you having done?

Lala, you are so right! I vividly remember my parents having a new kitchen fitted and having the whole downstairs floor re-laid, so we set up camp upstairs. Mum and dad's room became a makeshift lounge, and my room became the dining room. I still remember the excitement of takeaways and simple meals cooked on the gas camping stove.
I was around 8 at the time, my sister was 5, we both remember it fondly!

If you are having a loft done, no materials will come through the house. When we had ours done (semi) the builder put scaffolding to the front of the house and created an access hatch in the roof. Through that he brought in all materials. The only messy bit was when he broke though the ceiling and fitted the stairs from the landing but we scheduled that bit to be done when we were away for a long weekend.

We are thinking of knocking down an existing offshoot and building right across the back of the house. Would probably also knock down wall between dining room and kitchen to create large open space. The only access to the rear of house is through the kitchen and the offshoot which houses the back door although there is a access in a straight line from the front door through the dining room window!

we're just about to do this. No rear aceess either. Having a bedroom and bathroom put on for dd who is in a wheelchair. Am dreading the builders here for ever (they have to gut the kitchen too) and all the bricks/cement/crap coming through the house.
We have a hall, then the living room which is the width of the house then the kitchen diner so its sort of open plan.
Unlike David Cameron, we can't afford to live elsewhere during the estimated 3-6 months this is going to take
And I'm worried about cooking. dd has to have cooked mashed food as she can't eat sandwhiches or anything non-mashed.

It is hellish but you do have to be bullish about it. Demand that your builders clean up at the end of each day; make sure that you have at least one room that is sacrosanct so that they can't go in there and create more mess; make sure that they cover up flooring etc that isn't being removed as well as possible. If you can afford it, and you don't have a downstairs loo currently, hire one of those portaloo thingies so they don't tramp up and down stairs spreading more dirt and chaos.

Please don't worry about the cooking too much. You can do a lot with a microwave and you can buy electric saucepans that will heat water and allow you to boil veg or whatever. Even if you can't afford to move out, is there any possibility that you can go to spend occasional few days or week with relatives to break up the period of the build.

Good luck - try to keep your builders in line and try not to let the chaos get you down.