Extension thread 2022 part II...demolition, delays and decisions, decisions, decisions

[Sewfrickinamazeballs]

Hi! New thread!

We have Oxford White from Benjamin Moore but I love the plain, boring look.

We were supposed to have the brick layer started with the porch build on Monday after waiting for a week but it was too hot and today he has tooth pain so couldnt come 😢. So the porch build still hasnt started.

Hammonds wardrobe fitting starting this weekend. Will be for all rooms including living room(bay window seat, bookcase etc.), understaircase, 2 weeks work with 3 different teams.

Some of the plaster job is still needed, level 1 bathroom tile, fit, 2nd fix, another 2-3 weeks.

Loads of decoration and carpenter jobs pending however carpenter is not booked for next week. He will return the week after.

I am hoping for 4 weeks till finish now, which is 2.5 months late, 6 months in total while contract was signed for 3.5 months.(loft and total level 1 and ground floor renovation including new staircase, porch build).

Hope everyone is getting on well!

Utterly beautiful corner @AwkwardPaws27

Hi, everyone!

I’ve just come to the thread to ask you lovely ladies for some insight and advice regarding a couple of issues.

1. are you managing the build yourselves? As in project managing. Do you do it with/without your partners? If so, how realistic is it to manage it alongside a full-time job, commuting and a child of primary school age?

2. how early on would you say you got architects’ plans and cost before you started your project? I’ve read some horror stories about builders not really committing to quote until quite close to building time due to current shortages and hikes in prices.

3. how was it for funding? If you went to the bank to part-fund your project did you end up going the equity release route or did you remortgage borrowing the extra money to complete your budget alongside any cash you already have?

My husband and I have very different views on these issues, but the truth is we don’t know anyone who’s embarked on a similar project. We intend to add an extension at the back to house a kitchen diner and utility/cloakroom. We’re in the southeast.

many thanks for any insight you can give us!

Ours is a small 7m² side return extension to turn a galley kitchen into a kitchen diner.

1. Bit of both; we used a local building firm who built the extension and organised various trades (plumber, plasterer, electrician etc) to a plaster finish. They also fitted the bathroom and arranged plumber, tiler etc for this. I have ordered most of the fixtures and fittings, organised kitchen fitter, flooring and will be organising decorating (eventually!).

I was working from home, then on maternity leave, now with a newborn. You may find things move slower if you aren't available to make decisions as things arise (we had a number of things arise, joys of a 115 year old house...). If you can take a phonecall / videocall while at work it'll he easier than if you aren't contactable.

1. Architect first visited about this time last year. Plans were a bit delayed due to covid. Got planning in late November, started contacting builders, out of 6 we managed to get 3 quotes by mid January. Started early April.

1. We remortgaged with extra borrowing (early 30s so equity release wasn't an option anyway), plus a windfall.

1. we have PM who is rubbish so we have almost managing the project ourself.
2. we put deposit in Sept last year for the work starting beginning of March this year
3. Mix of ISA, savings, early 40, primary age kids.

1. the boss guy is our PM so I leave most of it to him tbh
2. i don’t even remember anymore! Started years ago and it’s all a bit of a blur now sorry. Had to change architects as first one was useless. Second one was good but then moved to the US and failed to handover properly.
3. inheritance, savings and borrowing from wealthy brother! Hoping to repay in the future by selling our rental flat but want to hold on to it as long as poss.

The main guys seem to have packed up their personal stuff today, think they won’t be back much.
decorator subcontractors coming next week to blitz all the painting. We are suddenly near the end. At last.

TO DO:

The hallway; including taking out the old under stairs loo and change the wall into open shelves for shoes and school bags

The original old sash window halfway up the stairs - waiting for the glass

Fireplace: hearth (here but waiting for fireplace repair to be done) last bits of skirting, tile repair question, new base plate, new fireback, reinstall surround - waiting for quote from fire specialist - have quote need to respond

painting - more done - 2 decorators coming in the next few days to blitz it all

last electrics (some switches and sockets still to go in) - almost there

repainting the old front door, porch door & side shed doors - decorators next week

security lighting & cameras - waiting for alarm company advice

wall mount the big tv - ✅

patio to be tiled - tiles here, waiting for tiler availability - tiler is fully booked for a while

patio glass balustrade put in (not ordered yet)

electrics in my bedroom ✅

second coat of paint in the pantry - decorators next week
maybe need to wait for door handles ✅

decide on loo roll holder, towel rail, mirror for downstairs loo. Long bare walls atm - maybe lots of artwork as have loads of framed stuff to put somewhere?

extra flooring to match hallway to go under the stairs & the downstairs loo - have ordered sample to confirm

+last bit of bespoke coving to match original

+last bit of bespoke skirting to match original

• deep clean post build, need to find a company

whatever else I haven’t thought of yet…

then I can start putting things in their proper homes and stop living in chaos 🤞

1. we don’t have a PM, only just about to start but we have a main contractor overseeing all trades and an interior designer overseeing decorators and cabinetry. I’m dealing direct with landscapers and kitchen people and tech people, and doors and window supplier, and will hopefully just make them all talk to the main contractor about timing and areas of dependence and overlap.
2. Our delays have been main contractor availability. Architect plans were done in December. Planning permission we got in February and could have started in March, but it is now starting august.
3. cash savings (from a previous house sale) but that will run out before the end, in which case I expect to remortgage.

Hey @BookishKitten - welcome!

1. Half and half - our builder is coordinating all the trades as he has brickies, electrician, plumber, roofer etc that he always works with. However I'm sourcing materials such as windows, doors, flooring, tiles, paint, kitchen etc and managing overall budget. I also have a separate joiner coming in at the end for some bespoke cabinetry and built in seating.

I'm doing it alone, DH doesn't have a clue. I do work full time, but from home about 3 days a week and I've found it's quite important to be on-site when small but important decisions are being made. I tried doing it all a few years ago with young children and a full time office job and I nearly had a nervous breakdown so I very much would not recommend that.

1. We started the process of getting planning permission etc almost exactly a year before the work started. In order to quote accurately, your builder will really need to have building regs drawings, structural calculations etc, so they know exactly how complex the job is. We had a good relationship with ours already, so asked for a rough range before we bought the property, but it went up by a significant % by the time he put in a proper quote because materials were so much more expensive by then.

1. We're doing pretty much the same job - single storey rear extension with kitchen/diner plus utility and downstairs cloakroom. We added some £££ to the mortgage when we bought the house, and are also using some cash savings (hadn't planned to, but that's how it's worked out). My rationale is that the property value will have increased significantly so that it works out, and we also plan to be here for at least 10 years so we need to make sure it works for our family.

Hello! Can I join in? I've been lurking for ages and we're now at the stage of waiting for builders' quote. We aren't extending though (chuck me off thread now!). It's a 3 bed semi that's already been extended (badly) in three directions. We're a work relocation so we moved here last October and are renting. It's taken this long to sell our old house and complete on our new one. Hilariously we thought we could do this and any building work within 6-8 months and easily within the year's tenancy. It expires end of September...

So, what we want to do:

• total rewire. Existing set up was done in three stages, some of it now elderly, some of it badly, some of it with things we just don't want, like wall lights.
• replace staircase to loft conversion. Current one doesn't comply with building regs and is 'paddle stairs'. We want proper stairs. That will mean taking some space from one bedroom.
• two ground floor extensions sticking out to back and side are currently a bedroom each with a bathroom on the far side of each. We want to turn one into a study with a shower room and utility room at the main house end, and the other one into a living room with a loo at the main house end.
• one downstairs wall needs moving as some idiot in the past removed it and left a structural wall upstairs unsupported. This will make the current dining room bigger
• extend kitchen into dining room by removing a stud wall, then install new kitchen. We're looking at Howden's Chelford which a couple of people have mentioned upthread. We brought our appliances with us when we moved so should only need to buy oven/hob which I'm hoping will simplify things(!).
• all windows and internal doors need replacing. The current kitchen windows and patio door need reconfiguring. There are three bay windows so I'm a bit worried how much this will cost.
• we need to replace the boiler so hoping we can install a heat pump instead which will probably also mean replacing radiators and pipework. This is fine as there are some radiators in stupid places at the moment.
• some roof/chimney stack work needed that was highlighted in the survey.
• also want to install solar panels.

No idea how much this will all cost. We did some similar stuff to our previous house but that was years ago and prices have risen so much. We'd like to do the driveway and garden too but doubt there will be money.

We've had recommended builder and energy survey company round to quote but haven't heard from either yet. Builder has some availability from mid- Sept onwards so hopefully it won't be as much of a delay as others have had to deal with. We will also need a structural engineer in to draw up detailed plans. We don't need planning permission though as not changing outline footprint of house.

A bit worried about when we're going to actually get the research done and make decisions about what we need - I work full time with a lot of travel involved and we have a primary aged kid. DH is a SAHD and will be the person keeping an eye on it all but he doesn't drive so can't quickly nip to the tile shop etc!

@BookishKitten welcome to the thread! In answer to your questions:

1- we have a PM that is completely independent from the contractor and from the architect. He is really good and I’m so glad we have him on the project. He keeps everything ticking and has made lots of suggestions and haggling to save us some money. He is a quantities surveyor by trade, so very good at checking that the builders are delivering exactly what they promised - eg insulation, quality of finishes etc. If you are embarking on a large project, can afford a PM, and can find one that you gel with, I would totally recommend it.

DH is not interested/does not have the time or skills to help me, so it’s invaluable to have someone knowledgeable to bounce about ideas and to point out all the things that would pass me by otherwise. There are so many details to deal with - I never thought secret gutters would occupy so much of my brain space! Or the depth of threads on the staircase. Or the best grilles for a/c. He has a real eye for details and just doesn’t let things go. I’m honestly not in love with him, but I now understand why so many women run away with their PM! 😁

2- we hired architects in September 2020, applied for PP in December, got PP in April 2021, finalised plans and called for tenders in November 2021, negotiated with builders in December and January, and work started in February 2022. As of today, we still don’t have a complete budget for the build 😱 and we started work before we had quotes for glazing, cladding, finishes etc - we just needed to get things started on the structure, but it’s pretty nerve wracking to take the plunge before knowing how much it will all cost. We’re sort of hoping for the best and I’m working hard at finding cheap imaginative solutions (aka IKEA hacks!) instead of expensive joinery.

We are hoping to move back in by Xmas.

3- we were very lucky that we didn’t need finance, so I can’t help with that.

Good luck with your project and keep posting!

@BookishKitten we instructed an architect in July last year, planning approved in Dec and our builder started in April. We are having a double storey extension, garage conversion and remodel inside but it's not a huge house. It should be finished in October.

Our builder who owns the small family run company does the project management of the trades which he is brilliant at. I've just ordered the kitchen and arranged the glazing.

Finance, the rubbish part. We remortgaged the full amount which is not going to cover it but we thought let's worry about that later! We got 10k more than the architect estimated but it will be half again so back to the bank. Thankfully our house has a lot of equity in. Well it did have! We don't plan on moving again so we are not compromising very much.

Sounds like a decent project @RidingMyBike . We found that the good structural engineers were all booked up so if you haven’t engaged and started that, it sounds like the important step in time for a September start. Don’t forget to clear building regs either but of course you need the structural diagrams for that.
Moving a load bearing wall though.. Who does that?! 😯 We had an unsupported 1st floor chimney stack so it happens!

@BookishKitten Welcome and good luck for a smooth ride.
My answers are pretty much the same as @Yellownotblue in terms of timelines and finance though we have no PM, instead relying on our builder who is excellent and a lot of coordination through us. We madly decided to use our own electricians (great call and now our builder and they are firm friends in that way that good workmen tend to recognise and respect each other) and plumbers (awful mistake). Our builder said he doesn’t do coving; cue rush to find a coving person. So the need for a PM really depends on how much you’re happy to coordinate yourselves. I also think it helps if your builder knows what his strengths are: that is, he isn’t trying to do coving if it isn’t his forte.
Nowhere is that self-awareness more needed than in installing kitchens. Some builders are ex joiners and can plan/install kitchens with no problem; others miss important details. Ours wouldn’t touch it (self-awareness!) and where we live, I couldn’t get an independent fitter with a good track record which ruled out many options. We went for an “all in” kitchen which is £££ and they’ve been amazing so far but it’s not in yet.

Oh dear god, we've just realised we've ordered our sliding doors the wrong way i.e. wrong side is static. Also the centor integrated blinds, we thought we were getting the insect mesh and blinds but reviewing it because of the doors it looks like the mesh only. Fuuuuuuuu......

We put the order in 3 weeks ago and told an 8 week lead time. Fitting 8th Sep. Do we stand a hope in hell getting this resolved???

Thanks @NewHouseNewMe fingers crossed! I know the building firm we want to go with has a 'pet' structural engineer they use, so I hope this person will be available. DH is totally unfussed and just assumes these people will be available exactly when we need them - I'm the one that got the people lined up to quote as soon as we completed!

As for the wall with no support - from talking to the new neighbours the people we bought from seem to have been very chaotic so no wonder some of the decisions they made are odd!

I've been staring at the council's planning website looking at all sorts of stuff. I was reassured by the builder who quoted who could answer all my questions about building regs etc.

Welcome @RidingMyBike

@GardensandGrandDesigns You can but try, hope you get it sorted!

@GardensandGrandDesigns I hope it can be sorted! I always find if I start with “this is not your fault”, I have better success as they feel sorry for me!

I'll be in the showroom crying if they can't sort it out over the phone! "Please help me, building costs are up 100%, I'm broke and I'm living in a Travelodge and now I'm crying in your showroom over a blind!" If he doesn't take pity on me from that then I'm screwed!!

I've missed a lot. Family have been in hospital so time has been scarce.

Questions someone asked

1. Using building firm with included PM. it's worked for us as working parents although I had been on mat leave for a significant portion which helped.
2. Originally started with an architect in 2017! The first one didn't work out so went with another and got PP end 2019. Lockdown hit and then waited 20months for chosen firm to become available. For us, it's been worth the wait (quote/price raises notwithstanding) as they have done an excellent job.
3. Savings and Remortgage. Unlike others we won't add value per se to the house, but we view it as our home so happy to make it work for us.

Thank you @LivingInaBuildingSite for your informative and inspirational to do lists. Has really helped keep me thinking about the jobs that are happening every day.

@GardensandGrandDesigns good luck! If they haven't started making them then hopefully they can change it for you. Or adapt what they have already constructed.

This week (hoping to):
Finish plastering (they are delayed due to the extreme weather last week)
Finish bathrooms
Door discussion about whether to replace or adapt
Bespoke door finished and delivered
Drain outside fixed
Floor levelling and flooring delivery
Flooring installed
Order blinds

Hope all is well with your family now @BlueMooMoo

Ive got a PM. He's fairly pointless. I don't think you need one if you are doing main contractor. I've spent most of this weekend researching different wetroom systems and drawing an electrical plan. We went to a lighting specialist but his plan was rubbish so we did it ourselves instead.

I literally have no idea where we are on budget (I thought the PM would tell me this but suspect he doesn't have a clue). In my view the biggest problem with the PM is that they are in bed with their builders.

A lot is going on now, the roof should be complete soon, windows arriving soon (no idea exactly when as the pm hasn't told me).

Thank you @AwkwardPaws27

Sorry if I missed/have forgotten any big news on here from anyone.

:tick: Floor delivered

Exciting news is that we have had confirmation the kitchen is due to be delivered this week. Hoping there are no issues.

Cooked (well, cheated with a pad thai meal kit) on my new hob this evening. Should have the dishwasher and tap plumbed in tomorrow - officially a fully functional kitchen at that point!