Extension Thread 2021.....aka "where's the bloody builder?"

[Callmejudith]

New thread!

Need to catch up on everyone else, but first I need to vent, so far in our small bit of kitchen that's going in new, we've had the wrong pan drawers, we're missing an 800mm cupboard, don't have enough plinth, all these things were picked up on different days so I've been sorting every day, and now it's been realised the existing half kitchen has a soft edge worktop, the new half is square edge and they don't make soft edge any more. So much blummin stress! Fitter basically can't carry on until missing cupboard and new worktop delivered.

Oh no @Indecisivelurcher what a massive pain!

@Indecisivelurcher sounds like an actual nightmare, one of those you can't wake up from and just goes around and around....

@Indecisivelurcher oh no! Definitely a several steps backwards situation and really frustrating!

Seriously tempted to put up with the worktop edge being different, will defo get it up then decide if I need to rip the other half out or not. Fingers crossed no one will notice as they're opposite ends of room.

Evening all - sorry to hear about delays and missing bits and smashed render. So frustrating and upsetting when trades just fuck about with something as previous as one's home!!

Today was better than expected. The bath is being delivered TOMORROW!! Bet it's the wrong size/colour/cracked. Must try to be positive 😆

The foreman is also the kitchen fitter. I asked him to unfit what he'd done on Saturday and re-fit it. All my fault, as I got original plans wrong and would have had a ridiculous overhang for the worktop, but now I think we've fixed the issue I saw last night and thought was too late to remedy 👏

Electrician fitted new wall lights in my bathroom. I think they're too low. Kind of need the vanity unit in place to judge it properly...

And the decorators are getting on with filling and sanding and doing the ceilings. I've decided on the colours, so that's it and no change of mind 🙈

@Indecisivelurcher if the worktops are opposite sides of the room, no one will notice. You'll notice, but hopefully only for a short time. Hope it works out ok. I'm at the pretending I don't care stage now. Sending a hug

I agree that you won't notice once it's in. Especially if they're at opposite sides.

Posh it's lovely to see a bit of colour on someone's walls!

Sorry to tag on when I'm right at the start but nice to chat with others going through it! First builder quote has arrived and it is 30k more than we have. Although half relieved it's come in under 200k! Had second builder round today so interesting to see how much he says. One builder can start in May and the other end of Feb. I was worried they would say Winter next year!

I was right yesterday when I said I'd believe it when I saw it. No replacement plasterer today as promised but apparently will be here tomorrow and has promised to finish by Saturday 🙄

Sorry to hear others didn't have great progress today either

@Indecisivelurcher I agree no one will notice. Also you might be able to make something of it to make it more deliberate for yourself. So on the side with soft edge, could you have a picture frame or other decor item with hard edge, and then on the hard edge side, a frame with soft edge. So it becomes a deliberate design point in your head, that no one else will notice anyway. (Can you tell I have done this) 😂

Well we are definitely at the steps forward stage here, because the glasswork for the side extension got fitted way earlier than expected (they had a cancellation, wasn’t expecting it until Jan at the earliest).
So the roof was able to be finished.

Then the plasterers could come sooner and it’s drying nicely.

Now we need to order the kitchen sooner then expected as well as make decisions on, and order the utility stuff.

It’s all good but … cash flow is now a problem we are about to hit like a brick wall! Have to pay the last glasswork bill, and the last roofing bill, both I was hoping to put off for a bit.

Am going to ask my DBro if he can lend us some serious cash or we won’t be able to order the kitchen (hoping we can pay in instalments but that hasn’t been mentioned). Ever so slightly stressing!

We are mostly funding everything from my inheritance after both my mum and dad died. Stresses me out knowing it’s all sunk into the house. Need to start lottery ticket buying 😂

Chased up the bespoke carcasses we need to finish the kitchen. Apparently they have been ready for a fortnight but he hasn't had time to let us know so we could pick them up.

: /

@LivingInABuildingSite that glasswork arriving early is the kind of stroke of good luck that means everything will work out well in the end!

Welcome @GardensandGrandDesigns. I’m not much further than you, just finalising the contractor after quotes. I found quotes can contain different things so it’s good to put into a spreadsheet to compare.

@Indecisivelurcher have you got a photo of the new worktops? I’d be tempted to change because I’d never unsee it.

Is there an idiots guide anywhere (MN or elsewhere) about where to start? We remortgage next year so an opportune time to borrow to do some work. Need new kitchen, preferably with an extension out to incorporate a dining area and utility, moving a toilet downstairs from the old outhouse loo to the pantry (1930s house), remove a redundant chimney and breast all the way down. And about a million other jobs done too but that’s the starter for 10. Kitchen is ancient and will probably need to be taken back to brick with a new ceiling.

I really struggle to get my head around how it all works and what should happen in what order! Plans then quotes then choosing a builder and then working out how to coordinate all the trades and when to order kitchen etc etc 🤯 please help a simpleton!

Hi @GingerAndTheBiscuits my advice is don't spend a fortune on plans that you may not be able to afford. That's my own learning experience. Our architect was incredibly expensive and really quite shit!! The actual build now varies quite a lot from what was on paper (due to affordability and also ideas that has now evolved), which I'm pleased about, but has caused stress and issues on site, as I don't have all of the drawings I could have had.

Also, some of the work we've had done is great, but only now it's nearly finished I'm seeing where we could have made other decisions and compromised on time and cost. My architect never spoke about those types of value judgements and the builders just quote on what you send them.

Write a very detailed specification of work. Try to choose a builder who is detailed in their reply. We pull out our spec frequently to look at changes. It's helps when considering costs and overspend too.

Also, use a builder that comes recommended. My builder and his crew are fantastic. It feels like we're on the same team and the owner and foreman both problem solve and have lovely personalities.

I don't like some of the sub-contractors, like our electrician. Cos any changes equal teeth sucking, a bit of surliness and a lot of extra cost. Our old plumber (fired from the job) was a grumpy ass and it does make a difference to the atmosphere on site. I know it's usually a matter of months, but the time period is intense and any bad attitude is unpleasant.

That's some good advice but I fear we have already made mistake no 1 with dream plans that we can't quite afford!

Thanks for that Posh! We have a good idea of what we want, so before jumping in with two feet with an architect would it be worth asking a couple of builders to give ballpark quotes for what we’ve proposed (I have my own mocked up drawings) so we can scale back if they’re too ambitious? Prices seem to vary so wildly and have shot up so much but I’ve no idea if it’s a job that would cost 50k (which we have some hope of borrowing) or 100k (might as well sell up and move somewhere else!)

@GingerAndTheBiscuits I tried to get indicative costs before getting plans done and it wasn't successful. One builder came over and said send me the plans. Another builder that my neighbour used refused to come over until we had plans.

I should have drawn my own for that first step, as we didn't need planning for our work, just building control.

I know my builder now won't quote without a detailed spec of work. He said it takes him 2 weeks to cost each major renovation, so he wants to know that the potential client has skin in the game before he spends the time. Actually he just charged a prospective client £1k to cost a job without plans (at the client's insistence that he quoted now), but it's refundable if he wins the tender. They're so busy. I suppose it's similar to EAs insisting you're under offer before you can view properties.

Good luck!! Also, make sure you have a healthy contingency. Our material costs have gone up, but there's a fair bit of remedial work we didn't anticipate until everything was stripped out!! Joists running the wrong way, leaking pipes, pipes in a different position to expected, hidden public sewer access under a tiled floor and electrics that we thought were good, but wouldn't now pass inspection, so needed a major upgrade.

This is on a house that looked perfect and I thought needed only cosmetic upgrading and a bit of structural work to open up 😂

Good luck!! Recommendation on builder is really key to a successful project. Mine are on site every day, it's the same crew for the past 3 months. The labourers are all kind and tidy. And most importantly, they are really calm when I make last minute changes! The delays we've faced are primarily due to suppliers I've sourced. I couldn't fault them actually, which is a big positive and I'll use them again.

I don’t suppose you’re in the West Midlands, Posh?

Great advice from Posh. I was utterly clueless really before we started. We started with a "Design and Build" company who did our plans for £2k which was pretty good value. We did know exactly what we wanted and like Posh our finished product isn't actually that close to the plans. I'm glad we didn't spend more.

We didn't go with them for the build which in hindsight was stupid. I felt like we did all the right things in choosing our builders, read reviews, got local recommendations, saw their work, contacted other customers, but they've been CRAP.

Most of our problems have been with suppliers or teams we have contracted for specific jobs outside the contract with the core builder team. Everything the builders have recommended or led on has been ok. I don't know if this is about relationships in the trades, or about communication between different jobs but just be aware that is often where hidden delays and extra costs can lie.
Also as others have said, prepare for knock on issues. If you add new electrics, you might need a new board, if you add rads, your boiler might not be powerful enough... And so on. Some things you just won't discover until work starts. So be really sure what your core outcome of the project needs to be, and where you will be willing to make compromises to keep the show on the road. Make sure you have enough contingency to deal with all this, but avoid compromising on the things you can't change in future. For example you can't tag on an extra 5sqm in future, but do you really need the underfloor heating.... And so on.

And in Other news, my doors have arrived, and of course they don't fit. DH has had a fit of his own at everyone, and hopefully there is a solution and the doors will actually fit incredibly snuggly and the door people will make good.
It's all such a drama.
Another example of one team working with another team and something not working out. This has been where the major stresses have been for us.
It will be 3 steps forward and 2 steps back but that's still 1 step forward. Every step counts!!

Excellent advice from @Poshwatchshitshoes. We were also novices; we downsized and bought our house will the intention of extending it. My husband had the "vision" and persuaded me. We moved in on a Friday and the architect was there on the Monday and we applied for planning the following week. We only used our architect to draw up the plans and oversee the planning process. We then went out to tender but only approached builders who we'd had personal recommendations for. Our first shock was that none of the quotes were anywhere near our architects "ballpark" figure! Luckily due to downsizing we had a pot of money unluckily that's virtually gone (it was twice the ballpark figure). Our builders have been fantastic and made some great suggestions that we would never have thought of eg a mezzanine floor above our dressing room for my shoes and handbags accessed by the proper staircase - genius use of space!
It's been slower than predicted, far more expensive and stressful than anticipated. Is it worth it? It's looking definitely so but we still have probably 3 months to a complete finish - ask me in March!!