Extension Thread 2022....plaster, panic and pics

[Callmejudith]

Slightly naff title but I haven't had enough coffee yet

Well, pity me as we moved out for 6 months and it’s probably going to be 10/11 when we return . We are paying full rental prices for a house as we couldn’t get a flat as landlords didn’t want us with our dog. It’s eye watering expensive and I can’t allow myself to think about it too much.

@Oldowl - will you have to pay two lots of council tax? They’re a bit mean like that where I live If the annexe has a kitchen.

@BlueMooMoo have you tried putting something on Facebook to see if anyone has an annex or something? Lots of people have them but don't put on Airbnb.

For those of you who ordered kitchens directly from Handmade Kitchens of Christ Church, DIY or similar, were you petrified about ordering in case you got the design wrong? I am tempted to go to a kitchen supplier to remove the stress but the next step up seems to be Tom Howley or similar budget busting options!

So we've offered £200 a month over the rental price of a flat and that has made one landlord open to a 6 month let. We are viewing it tomorrow so fingers crossed we can get it.

Regarding the kitchen question, yes we've ordered from DIY and in the end I've just had faith and gone with it. Hopefully all will be fine in July when it arrives!

[quote nomoneytree]@BlueMooMoo have you tried putting something on Facebook to see if anyone has an annex or something? Lots of people have them but don't put on Airbnb. [/quote]
Yes tried that too. I think the likelihood is we're just going to have to grin and bear it with occasional breaks away when I can find something. Thankfully the builders aren't here at the weekends.

@NewHouseNewMe

For those of you who ordered kitchens directly from Handmade Kitchens of Christ Church, DIY or similar, were you petrified about ordering in case you got the design wrong? I am tempted to go to a kitchen supplier to remove the stress but the next step up seems to be Tom Howley or similar budget busting options!

I'm not so worried about the standard colour units as in theory it should be relatively easy to order anything I've forgotten. The bespoke units make me more nervous but like @gardens I went for it and am hoping it's all ok. As long as the kitchen cam be functional, then if I have to wait for an extra piece and get the builder back then so be it.

@Newhome321

Renting locally, 2 bed very small flat would be £5.5k at least and this is the money we dont have too. We have been “away” for 2 weeks near the seaside and no builder came the last 2 days. It has been 8 weeks for a 14 weeks project and now it seems will be at least another 10 weeks awggg!

Ouch! We're not looking to rent in our immediate area so have been scouting other cheaper locations but there's just not a lot around. Assuming you must be in London for that kind of price? Have you got any tips for things that have made living in more bearable?

@NewHouseNewMe

For those of you who ordered kitchens directly from Handmade Kitchens of Christ Church, DIY or similar, were you petrified about ordering in case you got the design wrong? I am tempted to go to a kitchen supplier to remove the stress but the next step up seems to be Tom Howley or similar budget busting options!

Yes, I was a bit worried when we ordered from DIY, more about the panels and fillers than the units, though we did ring up and they went through it with us. Many people use a design that they got from Wren etc and send that up. Others use a designer, Karen from One Plan is often recommended and is currently moderating thr DIY Kitchen reviews page in Facebook. She seems to know the DIY units inside out Somehow I managed to order an extra 400mm cupboard so I now have an extra long cocktail cupboard!

Bonus!

@NewHouseNewMe

Well, pity me as we moved out for 6 months and it’s probably going to be 10/11 when we return . We are paying full rental prices for a house as we couldn’t get a flat as landlords didn’t want us with our dog. It’s eye watering expensive and I can’t allow myself to think about it too much.

@Oldowl - will you have to pay two lots of council tax? They’re a bit mean like that where I live If the annexe has a kitchen.

Re council tax, it depends who lives in it:

MIL: no council tax payable
Adult DC: 50% (of a new band for the annex... we pay £320 a month for our 4 bed house)
Renting it out: Full council tax (new band for the annex) payable by tenants. That is why we might move in and rent out the big house.

@sluj that just means you have to have twice as many cocktails! Win!

Okay I’m going to have to be braver or pull in the help of someone like OnePlan. This week is decision time.

@NewHouseNewMe handmade kitchens of Christchurch do the design for you. You have to have an idea of what you want in advance but then they do the design process with you. I've planned ours on the diy app so I have a pretty good idea of what I want. Our builders will organise a fitter and a painter. I've found them to be great so far but lead times are very long.

Our extension is now finally under way, seem to be making good progress so far. 4 loads have been removed from the side of the house via 16 tonne truck. Our house is at the bottom of a hill so lots remove. Cement for foundations going in on Monday. I’m being asked for lots of decisions I hadn’t even considered, roof tiles colours, etc. been wondering around our street looking slightly suspicious trying to assess similar houses. I now realise how unobservant I am!
@Sewfrickinamazeballs I could also use some pointers on lighting. We remodelled 7 years ago and it was death by spotlight other than a the obligatory pendants over the breakfast bar. We’re now extending this space to a much larger kitchen area and will have a run of tall units one wall, no wall units on the other with an island and dining table beside one and other. I’m struggling to figure out how to have nice mood lighting for the evening when there are no wall units to light under. I’m also thinking it may be too much to have pendants over the island and a feature light over the dining table when they run back to back.

@JoanDarc your layout sounds similar to mine. I've paid for 4 grab lorries at nearly £400 a go too, and more to go. At least our foundations are poured though. They are coming back next week to pour the slab.

@nomoneytree that’s great to hear your progress. How long are you anticipating the build to take? Our builder is working on a 12 week timetable to completion, we’re at end of week 1, it seems very ambitious. We’re extending out from an existing single story extension then building the first floor over the combined space, so isn’t entirely straightforward. (Is any project?)

I’m very envious of the 12 week builds! Ours is a projected 40 weeks. We’re on schedule so far, steel frame in, garden room done, timber structure starting to get in next week. First masonry wall went up last week, it’s so beautiful I nearly cried! I christened her Muriel 😁. She’s big, strong, black and gorgeous.

I love our builders and project manager, my neighbours are great too. But I’m very bittersweet about our architects, feeling quite let down about how little support they are offering (while still sending monthly invoices 🧐).

I’ve gone off spotlights too @JoanDarc. In a previous house it was also death by spotlight and while it was fashionable at the time, some MNetters ruined it by calling them ceiling measles.. Plus we always seemed to have blown a few even with super expensive long life ones.

On lights, how are people dealing with lights over (say) a table where there are huge skylights? I wish I’d considered that before the design and windows were purchased..

Mine is even long @Yellownotblue and I know other recent “graduates” here ran very late. Given supply issues, it’s long surprising. We have tried not to take shortcuts even when it means lengthening the build, e.g. an exact match of our bricks took weeks to source and samples from all over the place. Could we have planned ahead? Possibly yes but the original provider no longer had stock so the search started.

Our skylight is to one side. I cannot be doing with boiling to death while I'm eating lunch. We have two industrial triple pendants over each end of a 7ft refractory table, plus one over the the island, and then 10 spots which are switched separately.

Ours was 12 and stuck pretty much to schedule although we are finishing lots ourself. Only another week til they start laying my LVT thank the lord. I cannot cope with the dust much more. Then we have to start on the bedroom / dressing room / en suite which are just bare plaster and radiators at present.

@GardensandGrandDesigns hope you managed to get the rental?

I am an infinite loop of nonsense with our next door neighbor who has objected to our plans. Council overruled all their objections as not relevant and we have planning permission and building warrant approval, but they are stubborn as mules. Unpleasant.

Find out Tuesday, builders also start Tuesday

Kitchen lighting wise we have 4 velux roof windows on an apex ceiling, 2 either side of where the kitchen island is. So our over island pendants will have to be hung with different cord lengths to make them appear level, and will be hung in between the 2 sets of windows, if that makes sense.

That does make sense and sounds lovely @Littlemissweepy and yours sounds perfect @RinklyRomaine. All this talk of lighting consultants makes me think that we should have thought about it long before now!

@littlemissweepy - once you have planning and are following building regs (e.g. party wall agreements if needed etc) surely there is nothing more than they can say? Time to smile and crack on I say.

@newhousenewme I am sure you are right, it’s getting ridiculous. It would be nice to not have an adversarial relationship with next door but OMG give me strength.

I spent a lovely half hour at Circa Lighting in Chelsea yesterday, getting inspired. Dreamy!

@NewHouseNewMe

I’ve gone off spotlights too *@JoanDarc*. In a previous house it was also death by spotlight and while it was fashionable at the time, some MNetters ruined it by calling them ceiling measles.. Plus we always seemed to have blown a few even with super expensive long life ones.

On lights, how are people dealing with lights over (say) a table where there are huge skylights? I wish I’d considered that before the design and windows were purchased..

Have the same issue here. I might go for a single one of these lights so I can position it over the table.

We have 4 roof lights and loads of beams so finding spots to put light fittings is proving tricky. Think we are going for led strips around the skylights, a few spots in the kitchen, pendants over the island and this light over the table (and we have under lighting in the kitchen anyway).