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

[Sewfrickinamazeballs]

Hi! New thread!

Here is the floor that I dont like either. Decoration wont be starting again till 30.08, I feel they were just saying it, they wont start until beg of Sept. We are currently away for few weeks and really wanted the decoration happening in between.

Good luck everyone, how stressful it was but believe it or not I am already dreaming of the next project with the kitchen. That would need a remortgage so hopefully in couple of years.

Has anyone bought a westin extractor? Are they worth the extra money?

We've made a tiny bit of progress - have arranged for the builder, plumber, electrician AND structural engineer to all be on site next week simultaneously to agree the detailed plans!

But rang house insurer and they won't extend cover beyond 60 days of the house being unoccupied so we now need to find unoccupied house insurance. Any recommendations? I've got the details of Renovation Plan but we don't know details or start date of building work yet so can't get a quote online from them.

@Newhome321 I think it looks lovely. What is it that you don't like? I like a darker floor tbh (we have a dog so anything light just gets wrecked!)

I love that floor too, absolutely beautiful.

@Newhome321 I love it, it's incredibly elegant!

Your floor is lovely! Very elegant and looks lovely in the room. What don't you like about it?

We have a staircase! I went upstairs for the first time in ages! The bedrooms look great and I love the vaulted ceiling. It made me so happy to see it all. I can't wait to get the whole house plastered now to get rid of the building site look 😂

@SpotOnMyBot I hope you're right. Perhaps in a year or two I'll look back and laugh that such a minor detail caused such a kerfuffle. DH thinks I'm being ridiculous.

On the other hand, ammonite is lovely - I had an initial shock when it first went on over the mist coat, but I really like it now. So not all my choices are ill-considered!

Not even heard of them sorry!

@nomoneytreehere

@Newhome321 , your floor is stunning. It really suits the room. I really hope it grows on you.

Thank you everyone,

Indeed I think its a shade too dark, I’d like a slightly glossier wooden floor too.

@Newhome321 inthink the floor is beautiful.

So, we sacked the electrican and the new one has started (much better and in line with the original quote). Who knows how that will play out - i suspect he does free work for our project manager and then loads the cost onto other customers.

Its going to cause us a delay and has sent shockwaves through our site but i just don't trust him and i don't want someone like that in my house. His paperwork is all over the shop anyhow (clearly doesnt declare all his income from his filed accounts) and ive already paid him £2400 which i have to accept i wont be getting back. No doubt he will sue us but i'm pretty confident a 270% rise in costs won't be deemed acceptable and regardless i just dont want people like that in my house. I don't trust the pm either but can't risk everyone walking off site. The other trades and my site manager have all been excellent.

We have lost a good month on our project i would say and have had to put the plasterer and tiler off. Its been so stressful.

In more positive news im almost ready to press the button on the kitchen. We have somewhere lost 20mm in width in the kitchen which is super annoying as it affects the island width which was already 40cm smaller than i wanted it and is now down to 2.2m.

I'm panicking about hinge colours currently (going for a handmade wood kitchen). I had said antique brass but just realised that fridge and range are stainless steel. Literally paralysed about what to do!!

Good that you made a decision, @nomoneytreehere - sounds like he was taking the mick.

Mixing metals isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world, I think it can look fab when done right. I'm no expert, but this might be good inspo...?

Studio McGee - How to mix metal finishes

Sorry I can’t help @RidingMyBike oir house was never unoccupied before the work started. Might be a case of seeing what compare the market or some such portal will offer up.

Yippee to staircase @GardensandGrandDesigns. bet it is amazing to see the final space take shape.

I also really like that floor, looks really good with the treads of the stair.

@nomoneytreehere sounds so stressful, but looks like you have taken bull by horns and have a path forward.

We are only on day 3 and demolition is underway and they are relocating the appliances to the kitchen. Had to ask the boss yesterday if they were planning on bringing a portaloo on site. He said “no but we can do if you like, hadn’t planned for it” Isn’t that the done thing, that do you guys do? This morning at least 2 of them had their morning poo in our downstairs loo before 9am and I don’t fancy cleaning it every night after work!

@Littlemissweepy the portaloo is only about £50 a month. I would tell them you want ine even if you have to pay.

we are also in demolition phase - there's a skip outside and the back of the house is getting put into it. No scaffolding yet but maybe they don't need it.

have sent the bathrooms to the architect to assess

spent about an hour yesterday at work stressing about the colour of the grout fgs - for some reason the builders/architect wanted to know on their big procurement spreadsheet and the floor tiles we have chosen for all the bathrooms (all the same style but different shades) look better with lighter grout. Also had to choose the wall tiles without seeing them which I hate but have just run out of time. Got samples of a few things but in the end, to keep the cost down, I've chosen decorative floors with fairly plain walls for all bathrooms.

@Littlemissweepy we don't have a portaloo yet but once everything is demolished they will need one! it's in our quotes - can you check your contract as they usually specify it

A portaloo is an absolute essential if you're living in, I'd say. We shared one bathroom with the builders last time round and I'd never repeat it, for the sake of my sanity.

A portaloo is included in our quote even though there's four loos in the house and we aren't living there. Admittedly one is coming out and the other three being replaced so there could be a point when there's no loos!

We have had a portaloo on-site since week 1 and it’s very much needed - I’d hate them to be using my toilet all day, feels a bit intrusive.

We don't have a portaloo however the moment we install new toilets they will be out of bounds for builders!

Portaloo from day Zero for us too!

So good to see projects getting finished, and new ones starting! I also love the dark wood floors @Newhome321

Things are sort of disintegrating here. We had our a/c contractor pulling out a few weeks ago, just as first fix was under way, so that has set us back. We’ve scrambled to find another one and will end up paying a lot more for the privilege.

And now the glazing contractor has gone AWOL. They’ve taken a £20k deposit 😱 but are now not responding to emails or calls, their website is down, and they are 5 weeks late on delivery. I’m getting really stressed. The best case scenario is a delay of a few weeks. Worst case scenario, we will have lost 20k and be 5 months delayed. This isn’t fun.

Oh @Yellownotblue that's awful, can't even imagine how stressful that must be 😯 I will have everything crossed for you that they come good. Any chance you paid any on credit card?

@Yellownotblue oh no that is really stressful. I really hope for your sake it's just that they've all buggered off on holiday. Fingers crossed.