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

[Callmejudith]

New thread!

Good luck with Airbnb @MissFritton65

Wow. Haven't checked on this post in a while but amazing progress everyone! Sorry for those having shitty times.

Question - for those living in whilst renovating the whole house, how much did you put into storage and what did you leave out?

I love my kitchen fitter, he really is fab, all round Nice bloke, gets on with it, interesting conversation at break time, he even makes ME coffee. But man I wish he wouldn't keep pointing out poor workmanship by the builders that I'd never have noticed otherwise 😆 next time he can do my damn radiators!

@MissFritton65 😬😬😬 I think you need an upgrade!

Thanks @posh luckily the weather was ok until after the roof went on, I also can't wait to have a mega clean and decorated for Chrisrmas

I’m not decorating anything for as long as Poss in the hope that more will be done. Don’t know where the tree might be able to go yet.

We’ve stayed in the house but we did the loft extension a couple of years ago so that gave us more space upstairs. Haven’t put anything in other storage, but have boxed up stuff (crap) in various places. Have also been working on getting rid of crap and clutter so we have less stuff generally.

@Indecisivelurcher - lol 😂

Only worried about snow because I’m volunteering at parkrun on Saturday! 🥶
We had snow when we had no proper roof a few years ago. Wasn’t ideal.
Our house right now is freezing without snow!

Hello everyone just checking , good to see how some of your spaces are progressing and to read of the little and not so little triumphs. Nothing much to report on my rental flat renovation apart from some boring cock ups and let downs by tradesmen. In principle the kitchen is being delivered by ikea on Monday AND the kitchen fitter will be there AND the flooring guy AND British Gas to sign the boiler repair off. Can hardly believe it and have booked a day off work just in case there’s a kitchen fitter no show and a domino effect of disasters. Can’t wait to report some progress on here!

We've found a local Airbnb for tomorrow and Saturday. We are going into Manchester for dinner Sunday evening (booked ages ago) so have decided to spend Sunday night at home - our bedroom is probably the least affected room as Airbnb off the beaten track and further out. We are back in these lovely holiday cottages on Monday. Talk about nomadic!

@MissFritton65 was just about to say that you sound like a nomad. Great that you've got the dates lined up 👏

Good luck @whataboutbob. Hoping the stars align for you on Monday and everyone who is supposed to be there turns up!!

Just popped to site...they got on with lots whilst I was away 👏

My utility is nearly fitted. Just the top wall units to fit. I love it 🥰

And the decorating is underway. The colour match in the boys' bathroom isn't perfect, as I want to blue to match the shower tiles, but I love how it looks in theory and we just need to try a different blue tomorrow.

@PoshWatchShitShoes 🤔🤔 I thought the dates were lined up this time! But I've learnt through this thread that builders don't do real time.

And the floor repairs are coming along nicely. This will all be sanded back and varnished, so apparently will look brand new🤞

And the T&G panelling in the bathrooms is now being fitted. Still needs beading added under the bull nose edge, but I like it.

Today I'm finally starting to see how the finished house will look...hopefully amazing 😂

Miracles do happen. All my doors and windows are in. Not perfect but the gaps that remain are considerably less drafty than the boards that were there on Monday morning!
Unfortunately it was an awful process, with a stroppy fitter who was like a bull dozer and our main builders lurking and complaining about the mess he made. The situation just deteriorated. The boss man is coming tomorrow to try and get to a solution where we will pay up I suppose.
The main issue we have is that one set.of french doors have been fitted so that one reveal is 1cm smaller than the other side- so at an angle. This makes the smaller reveal impossible to render as it is too small. We asked him to move the doors, explaining the practical.reason, but he just wouldn't. He kept measuring the distance off the internal ceiling to prove it was straight, refusing to notice that when measured off the walls, floors or external wall it was that annoying 1cm wonky.
It's.so irritating to be making a fuss over 1cm. It must be demoralising for the guy too and tbh I am now worried he will damage the entire thing if he moves it with bad attitude.
Still the good thing Is we are warm and dry.
Many sympathies for those still waiting, it is all so tedious.

Bloody hell @Hothammock what an arse hole!

That's going to be stunning @PoshWatchShitShoes, love the colours and your floor in particular.

We’ve just finished a loft conversion so I can say that after 4 months of no show plumbers and carpet fitters with COVID we are finally moving up there! But we did have:

Plumbers who got COVID the first week so couldn’t start
7 week delay for the Juliet balcony doors
Stroppy roofer
Builders who worked 9.30-2.30 most days
A week of the builders teenage labourers doing the painting (and moaning about their girlfriends/hangovers/lack of weed intake

Then a whole month of second fix where I had no I’d jea who was coming and when. Came home from school run many times to find the plasterer/electrician/mastic man waiting on the doorstep. Lucky we’re WFH.

But good points - great space. New en-suite looks fab.
On budget
They did the painting for £1100.
New doors look great.
Plasterers and electricians were fab, we are using them again.
We have a view over the local national park now!

There’s certainly a hierarchy of trades though. Scaffolders at the bottom, electricians and joiners at the top.

Love seeing photos of progress.

Need to decide on utility stuff here but not for a week or so as kitchen guy away next week.

Meanwhile I have ordered my new f/f! Checked and rechecked again and again to make sure I was ordering the right one. It is fancy pants and ££ but I skimped last time and don’t want to make the same mistake again.

Trying to pay for kitchen but don’t have their bank details on any paperwork. Hope to do that today.

Kitchen and f/f due to arrive on Friday, eek. I have a governors meeting from 3 ish so hope it all comes before then 🤞

In sad for me news, paying for the kitchen is the last of my inheritance from my parents. I hope they’d be happy with how I’ve spent it.
Kind of wish I could’ve kept it as some sort of nest egg for me but the house is a good investment I know that rationally,

Good to hear you're through the other side @Littlecaf. Sounds like an amazing view!! And it's fab to get good trade contacts too.

@LivingInABuildingSite your parents would no doubt have been delighted to know you've got a great new space and safe home etc, especially as the news nowadays sounds like well all be hibernating again soon. Home is more important than ever xx

Popped to site. Electricians are doing some very expensive new RCD board rewiring.

Sadly that means the electrics are off and the joiners have disappeared for 2 days as they "don't have enough power"....wasn't expecting that as there's still stuff for them to do in the kitchen and the kitchen painter is arriving early Monday and the worktop templating is taking place on Tuesday!!

I really want to have a Christmas tree up. Still the grinch. Still not buying presents. Still haven't decided or ordered the sockets/switches 🤦🏼‍♀️

I do like my hallway fabric though, so that's a win 😂

@MrsF oh no!! Glad you’ve found somewhere though. I’m sure one night will be ok.

@Butwhhhyyyyyyy that’s super exciting – pictures please.

@Indecisivelurcher that’s exactly like my flooring guy, he even got out a massive set square and showed me that the walls weren’t straight – I told him at this stage I didn’t give a shit

@PoshWatchShitShoes cthe utility looks so good! I absolutely love my utility room, give a little squeal everytime I go in there

@Hothammock YEY for doors and windows finally even though it sounds absolutely horrendous.

@LivingInABuildingSite I’m sure your parents would be delighted that you’re investing it into the heart of your home.

@Littlecaf the view sounds stunning. Funnily enough a friend came over yesterday and commented how lucky we are that our view from the back doesn't have any houses as it's down a railway line so just back gardens. I've never ever thought if it before!

Kitchen installer didn't turn up yesterday ggggrrrr though I realised that Wren can't start taking our monthly payments until he's finished so actually if we can get away with no December payment I'll be delighted. Frustrating though and didn't hear a word from him.

Today I'm putting my living room back together, have missed it SO much. Flooring is in and looks amazing and sofas come this afternoon. Ridiculously pleased to put my "shit" box back in the cabinet lol.

I need to do a separate thread about my lighting woes. I have an idea but it may look utterly shite.

Ha!

@PoshWatchShitShoes get those bloody sockets ordered! Urgh the day our electricians did the board there was just shit everywhere.

We've decided to go with Christmas tree in the front room, I really really wanted it in the new space but it's just not going to work and will end up covered in paint. I've promised the kids that we'll have loads of fairy lights in there

@PoshWatchShitShoes get ordering lol!

Thanks for the nice comments, kitchen paid for now ✅

Have bought some DC Christmas presents, but don’t feel I’ve done much. No decorations up at all yet, normally wait Til December anyway. Hope to make the rear extension a grotto lol 🧑‍🎄 🎄

We are now in our 6th Airbnb since we moved out on 10th November- perhaps I'll forget about the build and just enter The Guinness Book of Records!!
Spent some time at the house before we came here. Things are moving on at a pace. Positives they are laying a dry wet UFH which isn't screeded so no drying time but using screed in the hallway so doing that last thing this afternoon. Apparently it's all to do with the surface covering- tiles on the dry system and parquet on the screed. I'm assured both systems are very effective but the dry system means it can be tiled on Tuesday and switched on by the end of the week whereas if we'd had screed, they wouldn't be able to tile until mid December and that delays the kitchen installation.
Unfortunately the shower tray was too wide to allow a reasonable space around the toilet so have had to order another narrower one😬😬. Skirting going in our bedroom and we now have a ensuite window - yay!