Self build extension

[Diyextension]

Noticed a few threads on people building extensions / knocking down conservatory etc , so I’m just about to start doing mine.

I thought it might be good for anybody thinking about building one or for people that have no experience/ idea what the process involves.

i will probably be doing about 80% of the work myself , and then using certain trades , plasterer/ electrical as and when.

Old conservatory will be removed and. Single story (bedroom ) extension will be in its place. It’s 5m x 4m .

progress will be slow as I work full time so days of and holidays only.
it should be a straightforward job , but the only downside is we live on a hill so everything has to be carried up/ or down.

if anyone has any questions , feel free to ask and I’ll try to put pictures on as and when there is any progress.

Very tight and tricky. will be glad when the roof is done. Money is also tight but We will get it done slowly. Thanks.

Had the building inspector round today, everything is fine on the roof ive just got a few little things to finish then I can get it water tight 🥳

I’ve been off this week and thought it was best to get the fascia/ guttering done above the extension before it’s tiled.

Weathers been good and should get the main part done by the weekend as I’ve hired the staging boards and need to get them off hire as soon as poss . 🙂

Thanks, did you notify building inspector after the timber was installed?
Mine did say see you at the roof stage so not sure
Have you ordered the tiles? if yes how many pls?

Here is my list
All structural timber will be 145mm x 45mm treated wood.
Tiles will be Redlands 49 (slate grey) with 3no vent tiles near apex.
Breathable underslaters felt under 50mm x25mm treated battens.
240mm code 4 lead to apex abutment.
Fascia and vented soffit to be white UPVC

Yes the roof needs to be inspected when all the structural timbers are on, thats why a didnt put the fascia’s on in case i had to change/ add anything on the roof.

Not ordered any tiles yet and not sure how many i need till i have a measure up.

You can use the vents that fix on top of the fascia instead of the vented soffits, personally i hink they are neater than seeing it on the soffitt , and you cant see all the dirt and cobwebs that get stuck in them .

your spec looks very similar to mine, though i used 195x44 because of the span and I doubled a couple up just to add a bit of extra strength.

https://www.manthorpebp.co.uk/roofing/roof-ventilation-%E2%80%93-solutions-modern-day-problem/over-fascia-vent

Thanks for the link.

Hi, Hope you are doing great. The rain is here, are you water tight?

Not exactly ☹️ . Ive not done anything on the roof. I did get the fascia / guttering finished above it. But still trying to get the fence/boundary done , its been a lot more work than I expected and due to the amount of time its been raining ive not been able to get much done. With it being on a slope it’s difficult to stand up on when its muddy/wet.

I did get the building inspector round to check the roof and all is fine, and ive got all the materials to crack on with the roof here. Unfortunately im just struggling to find time to get anything done on it.

Neighbours are ok ,but id like to get it done as soon i can.

I did manage to get a deal on the tiles , they were a different manufacturer to the ones I was going to get but are the same in every way and were 40 pence cheaper. If I’ve worked it out right I needed 252 , and ordered 260.

but I do need to get it water tight soon , the floor inside is starting to go green and slippy 🙁 and it’s filling with leaves .

Bit of an update. In between watching the seemingly endless poring rain through the windows I’ve managed to get roof covered over, so at least in can slowly start to dry out. I will have to get the dehumidifier in there once it’s sealed and suck the moisture out the walls and floor before it’s plastered.

Still not finished the fence between next door yet, all that needs doing now is the timber fitting and it’s done 😕.

Due to the weather I’ve lost a lot of the time I could have worked on it , I have nearly everything to finish the roof ( except lead ) so I just have to try and make the most of any dry days.
Unfortunately I had an operation on my hade yesterday so I’ll be out of operation for a few weeks ☹️

The only thing that is going well is the budget, there’s no reason now why it won’t finish on it .

.

Hope you feel much better soon.

With a bit of luck and and a prayer for those pesky rain dancers to break a leg or two we'll soon be over the seasons change and you can crack on.
Amazing stuff though and a great record here to remember what you've achieved.

Thanks 🙂.
Yes the rain must really hold up builders and i can see why they fall behind on jobs in this country. Its the only problem I’ve had while doing the extension everything else has gone fine.

None stop rain again today unfortunately/ fortunately I’m out of action, but it looks grim out there ☹️

Hopefully like you say in will dry up soon ill have to enough time to finish the outside before winter is here, i can work in the dry then .

Great stuff, best of luck

Well done that is amazing

Hi,

So my timbers (8x2) arrived, my roofer said he was going to use screws. I said no, I don't think BCO will be happy

sorry did you use nail and screws or just nails

For the hangers i just used these ……

https://www.toolstation.com/sheradised-square-twist-nail-pack/p10121?utm_source%5B0%5D=googleshopping&utm_source%5B1%5D=Rakuten&utm_medium%5B0%5D=feed&utm_medium%5B1%5D=affiliates&utm_campaign%5B0%5D=googleshoppingfeed&utm_campaign%5B1%5D=4639013904366645698708074&utm_content=Redbrain&ranMID=46390&ranEAID=pfxNKSnglIM&ranSiteID=pfxNKSnglIM-w_KBUHt3JA4FNDwGtnyaUQ

im not sure it makes any difference with screw or nails , the nails were probably cheaper than screws. I mostly used galvanised nails on the rest of it, i did put a few screws in here and there when i needed to pull something into place.

Many thanks.

Finally finished the roof , I’m not sure how many times I’ve been up and down the ladders ( 100’s) But in between the rain , running out of tiles and the builders merchant having none left 🙄 and the dry verges not being in stock 🙄. Somehow it’s all come together 🥳

just the downpipe and the gully for the drain to do and everything is done on the outside.

Waiting for the electrician to come and first fix the inside then I can carry on ( in the dry 🙂)

@Diyextension looks absolutely amazing, you have done an incredible job. So much easier once it is water tight and you can work on the inside without the weather playing a part.

There is video footage of me up a ladder with a head light torch strapped to my forehead banging in clout nails on the summer house roof in some light rain, in the dark, it was only 6pm but so dark because it was winter. It is brilliant to look back on these things and take pride in what you have achieved.

It looks absolutely perfect. Those lines meet all my OCD needs 😁 Really well done!

Great stuff, well done mate.

Looks perfect! How long
has that taken so far ?

Thx , think it’s been about 17 months now since i started clearing the ground around the old conservatory, its been an on and off project in between doing other things. As long as its done for July when our daughter comes back from uni then its ok. Just had the insulation delivered for the roof but waiting for the electrician to first fix before. Ive got some work to do elsewhere at the moment so its not really holding me up yet.