Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Extension thread 2021 - countdown to Christmas

999 replies

Callmejudith · 04/10/2021 09:52

New thread for continued celebrating, moaning and commiserating

OP posts:
Thread gallery
143
RebelGeek76 · 09/10/2021 13:15

We're going for dove grey for our main run of units and navy island and opted for an upstand instead of tiles as I know I would've spent forever and a day trying to chose tiles!

I've been so focused on the build and big stuff haven't really given much thought to finishing touches. Need to source sofas for snug area that we don't have to wait weeks to be delivered, not too bothered if they're cheap sofas at this stage especially with a toddler and plan to get puppy early next year. Already decided on Wevet for walls and Oval Room Blue for feature wall around chimney breast, plasterer finishing off today so hoping we will be able to start painting middle of next week and start fitting kitchen next weekend.

@LivingInABuildingSite must be so frustrating, what stage are you at now? Hopefully things will pick up a bit of momentum again.

LivingInABuildingSite · 09/10/2021 13:50

Well the rubber roof layer is on the rear extension, just waiting for the lantern.
The rear wall is done, they are just adding a line of bricks to go under the bifolds then just waiting for them to be installed.

The side roof is nearly done, due to finish carpentry on Monday, then the rubber guy is coming again. Then waiting on the skylight and back door in there.

The solid subfloor is down in the whole of the rear extension and side. They don’t want to put the UFH & screed down until the glasswork is in and it’s watertight. Then wait for the screed to dry (the quoted possible 7 weeks).

Then tile, then kitchen.

But…they could lay the UFH and screed without waiting if they spend some time (& £!) boarding up the lantern hole. And we don’t have to tile before kitchen.

Kitchen is coming from Howdens, and their standard white handless so should be ok Re stock levels. So could get the run including ovens, sink, DW, fridge done sooner (pref before Christmas).

I need the temp wooden walls across the back of the original house to come down (been there 2.5yrs and counting), so they can find out how much of the bit of wall that runs down the middle has to stay for support. That dictates what I can do with my island, how long it is, etc.

Then they might put the walls back up for security and (limited) warmth.

Then electrics, water, plastering, let plaster dry, paint, etc.

THEN, they can rip out the old kitchen, dig up floor, back to UFH and repeat.
Then the current TV room, which opens out into the extension, or will do, needs its floor sorted. And so on.

Which is why it won’t be done by Christmas. Or certainly not at the current pace anyway.

LivingInABuildingSite · 09/10/2021 13:50

Sorry that was long!!

HappyBackHome · 09/10/2021 14:32

Thanks @callmejudith, that’s what we are leaning towards as well, we used Dulux Easycare Matt paint at our last house in the kitchen, and it was very easy to give it a wipe over when needed, so might go for the same here again Smile.

PoshWatchShitShoes · 09/10/2021 14:57

We had oak worktops in our old kitchen. They never felt fully clean after a wipe down and it was a pain needing to instantly mop up any splash etc. Glad to be rid of it.

New kitchen is arriving on 18th October. I need to order our new worktop (quartz) next week for templating in early November. I've got till mid-November to decide on kitchen colour thankfully. It's being painted on-site, so that's one decision I can delay a while!!

I've chosen Stiffkey Blue for my living room with Wimborne White on the woodwork, so will probably go light like Slaked Lime for the kitchen.

My bedroom is painted Oval Room Blue at the moment. Such a lovely colour.

sluj · 09/10/2021 20:01

@LivingInABuildingSite
Just set up the cat hub and scanned the cats ready for DH to screw it to the wall tomorrow. They are so used to coming through a hole in the wall, they will have forgotten how to push a flap. Looks very fancy and easy to use, I'm just hoping the WiFi signal works when I put it in its proper location.
Tonight, I am leaning towards Dove Grey units but we will see what tomorrow brings. Possibly with one wall ( the freezer wall) in a darker grey?
More ceiling painting to do tomorrow as the electrician wants it painted before he fits the spotlights. Not fun.

Callmejudith · 10/10/2021 05:18

We still have no screed and no plaster on one of the walls where the kitchen is going. I literally want to scream. 3am and I’m awake again panicking. I have never hated anyone as much as I hate our “foreman”

OP posts:
Hothammock · 10/10/2021 05:47

Why does the build blight strike at night. I too am fretting over our missing windows and doors. We aren't expecting them for another month at the earliest. Also there is a new soggy Wall appeared in the middle of my house, the old part, and it just isn't drying out. I am gaining an extension and serious rising damp as a penalty clause.

sluj · 10/10/2021 08:28

It seems like windows and doors are one of the hardest things to source at the moment. We waited about 6 months for ours and work pretty much stopped after a few weeks as we didn't want the back wall knocked out till the windows and lantern were in, it just didn't feel secure.
Our original window supplier in Hertfordshire went bust in the middle of it all. I wish I had read the reviews as they seem to make a habit of it. The doors, window and lantern are in now though and were worth waiting for.
Latest delay is grout for the new patio slabs.
We were lucky in that we are building a new kitchen in the extension so the current kitchen has been fully functional throughout so minimum inconvenience. I really feel for those of you who are cooking with makeshift arrangements. I did that 30 years ago and wouldn't want to do that again. Though it did make me value a microwave.....

NewHouseNewMe · 10/10/2021 08:39

@HappyBackHome I went for upstands in last house but after a year or so, had the whole space tiled. I found the walls got grubby and stained, so was relieved when finally tiled. But it's a decision you can make later if you need to.

NewHouseNewMe · 10/10/2021 08:44

@Hothammock what have caused the windows delays and has that caused the build to take a year? I've been getting windows replaced elsewhere in my house and it's taken 6 months so far and we're still waiting for the final one. Literally everything has been wrong. I don't think it's the manufacturer, rather the supplier who are hopeless.

NewHouseNewMe · 10/10/2021 08:47

@sluj I didn't see your post when I wrote mine but I've had similar nightmares all year with a shocking window supplier in outer North London (PM me if anyone wants an opinion on who to avoid).

Who did you use in the end and would you recommend them?

sluj · 10/10/2021 09:11

@NewHouseNewMe
Our nightmare glazers were Elements Windows in Hoddesdon, I don't mind naming them as I am not saying anything untrue and they reincarnate under new names anyway. Very fancy show room in Pindar Road but don't be fooled by that, like we were. They did install the sliding doors but we have no guarantee and it turns out they were not working with the guarantee company for the year before they went bust but were still saying they were.
The one man band we went with in the end is called Surelock Homes Glazing in Waltham Abbey. I would recommend them, they did the lantern and side window with no problems.

NewHouseNewMe · 10/10/2021 09:36

Thank you @sluj - very helpful.
I can't make and shame mine yet as I am pending am expensive window worth £1500 still and need to get the Fensa dogs. Then I will take great pleasure in posting a review!

Hothammock · 10/10/2021 09:46

@newhousenewme We got our roof lanterns from CSS midlands and they were installed by the builders. Lead in time was about 8 weeks. That all went well and the company communicated well.

For our windows we have gone with a small local company we have used before for other windows in our house. They have always been timely before but there are just big problems with supplies at the moment. There have been components missing or unobtainable because EU suppliers have stopped importing to the UK. We were trying to match the windows with ones already installed in 2020 but it seems that manufacturer went bust and while they have started up again they have big delays for reasons that are not clear. We are giving up on that product and on Monday I will switch to another manufacturer who our fitter say are honouring orders with about a 5 week lead in.

My doors are hardwood and we waited about 6 months for the joiners to accept our order just because they had delays from covid restrictions and then a massive backlog. Now prices are stupidly expensive because wood has gone up. Fortunately we paid a deposit and fixed a price just before that happened but I can see how the situation is a toxic mix for many small companies who are part of a bigger chain. The end result is chaos across the trades.

There are so many reasons the whole thing is taking so long. Our builders are old and slow and methodical. They don't call in extra labour preferring to do everything themselves. They stopped for 3 months due to lockdown. They are not efficient workers as they do things like going together to the shop everytime they need something. This means they are jolly, resilient and get everything right and tidy but the cost is the time it all takes. They haven't done any other jobs since they have been working for us and we have managed periods where they are waiting for supplies by getting them to do other jobs added onto the overall job. They have been really good about that. There was a point they thought they were starting a new job in end August and that got a bit angsty as they wanted to finish and go but I think then they realised they couldn't take on another big project due to the bad supplies issues. They just have some small jobs lined up after ours which has taken the pressure off them a bit.

Everything we order is either delayed, wrong, partly missing or broken and we then have to sort that out which is so stressful as it takes me away from my job and I have to deal with all these awful receptionist people on the phone. I have had to cancel orders on some bespoke items after 12 week waits with no delivery date in sight. I just ended up compromising and getting a different product. It was a shame but if I hadn't done so it would have caused even longer delays with other parts of the job.

Buy everything on the credit card so you have protection.

Callmejudith · 10/10/2021 11:51

We also had delays on our doors but that was due to our stupid foreman too.

Builder has turned up today but is doing quiet stuff so hopefully the neighbours won’t hate us. I took a massive bunch of flowers to the new neighbours yesterday who are lovely. She works in interior design so said they’re completely not phased about the work and it’s fine and they’ll be doing similar at some point. They’re also going to removing the ginormous bay tree from their garden which ie brilliant as it’ll give us so much more light.

Latest issue today is the boiler keeps loosing pressure. Our friend is the one who moved it so luckily no issues getting someone out to fix it

OP posts:
StrongArm · 10/10/2021 13:11

Hi all - good to hear your progress! Getting architect to redo floor plans then will share

Just one quick thing - are you all still opting for gas fired boilers? We have started looking at air source/ground source pumps but I am not convinced!

LivingInABuildingSite · 10/10/2021 13:46

We stuck with a gas boiler a couple of years ago when we did the loft and had to move it. I’m sure newer tech will come out that is better but not sure we’re there yet.

My lantern/bifold company did say there is a shortage of glass, like everything atm.

I’m distracting myself with thoughts of a new big tv - anyone else considering a Sky Glass? They come out soon. Not much info at all on the sky website but I found a nothr site that explained it a bit more.

Thinking if I get the electrician to put a plug socket and wire an Ethernet cable to high up on the wall, then mount the tv there, there’ll be no wires at all. No sky box, won’t hook up the ancient DVD player to that tv (think I’ll set up the old one in the front room with other machines).

NewHouseNewMe · 10/10/2021 13:49

I did extensive research on air pumps @StrongArm. It very much depends on the age of your house - if it's well sealed and insulated, and adding underfloor heating is possible, it can be a great idea. Ours is a period property so we'd need to gut it completely to get it to work. I've heard of people who use them for certain zones, e.g. extensions or external buildings which can work well.

There are also a number of charlatans out there who promise the world but disappear when installed. One very honest guy we contacted said not to do it with our age house.

sluj · 10/10/2021 14:10

@strongarm
There are plans to phase out gas boilers and replace them with hydrogen ( I think) in the next few years so make sure you get one that says it can be converted. At work we sometimes have to repair our ground source heat pumps and finding a contractor who can do it is a nightmare. They come from opposite ends of the country and charge accordingly so just something to check.
@LivingInABuildingSite
Sky glass looks interesting and you can actually hire the TV. I'm not sure if the hire costs include the package costs though- probably not. I am planning on using the Sky Q minibox for our new kitchen tv but I know what you mean about wires.

Hothammock · 10/10/2021 14:14

We have stuck with a gas boiler too as we have a huge system in a period house and the tech just isn't there yet to move to another system. We haven't even opted for underfloor heating as I think it will just be too expensive to run in our house (and I have an aversion to underground pipes having suffered from leaky old ones on a few occasions). I'm hoping that at some point in the future there will be a government subsidised plan for moving older housing stock onto something other than gas boilers but I really don't see it happening for another decade at least. Let's see what innovations materialise for increasing use of other options in new housing stock first.

StrongArm · 10/10/2021 15:41

Yes I agree - dp disagrees and wants to swap the gas boiler for 'something' now. One of his friends has a ground source pump but he's in a detached house in the middle of nowhere! We are mid terrace in London and I can't see the point - you need all sorts of other equipment and I just don't think it's worth it. This house actually has 3 boilers rather appallingly - so anything we do, even if it's gas, will be more efficient.

Sky glass made me laugh tbh - reminds me of the old Radio Rentals days! But one thing I would say - if your internet can be variable, having tv totally reliant on the internet will drive you up the wall. But if it works ok it's a clever idea (though not enormously different to using Now tv on an internet enabled tv other than upgrading your tv/hardware every few years!).

Indecisivelurcher · 10/10/2021 16:40

I looked into an air source heat pump for just the extension. They work a bit like a reverse fridge. The fact it makes a noise and the cost put me off. They are normal places like New Zealand though where there is no gas central heating. My dad has one over there.

I think there's a bigger type of air source heat pump that can replace a gas boiler and circulate warm water but it's not available yet.

Likewise a hydrogen boiler could straight replace gas one in the future but isn't available yet. I think there are community trials underway somewhere like Fife.

Don't take my word but I think that the water these technologies circulate is at a lower temperature, so more water is needed for the same heat output. One thing to perhaps think about now is whether to upsize pipework to take this change at some point. Future-proofing.

The government will need to seriously invest in getting everyone off gas to meet climate targets. In the meantime insulate Britain have a very valid point... Whatever you think of their methods. It's one reason we've added a wildflower roof.

LivingInABuildingSite · 10/10/2021 17:21

I’ve just been looking at photos of a sedum roof on Instagram. Is that the same as a wildflower roof?

I wish I’d thought of it sooner. Do you think it could be added onto a normal rubber roof? I might ask the roofer tomorrow. Looking at it, I think it would mean redoing the edging bits to hold in the soil. But I don’t know if the joists are strong enough for the weight.

Indecisivelurcher · 10/10/2021 17:42

Similar, but imo better! We are adding it as an after thought onto a normal rubber roof! I will try to attach a photo of my builders own roof, which gave us the inspiration! Strucut

Extension thread 2021 - countdown to Christmas
Swipe left for the next trending thread