Is this a thing? Hiring someone (a builder?) to make a plan?

[HouseIsOnFire]

Hi everyone, finally moved in and feeling a bit overwhelmed and not sure where to start!

Two things to be clear - last house had to be fully renovated (bought thinking I just needed to paint, and ended up replacing floor joists, replastering every room, rewire, repipe (is that a word?), new kitchen, new bathroom) so it's not the amount of work, time or cost that's overwhelming me. Also, I have NO practical friends or family, and none of them are in trades - they come to me for DIY advice! So it's not a case of bribing someone over for dinner to pick their brains (not that they'd have anywhere to sit, or anything to eat off currently 😅).

I know basically what I want to do in each room. Last house, I did things as emergencies popped up or new disasters were found, and things ended up being done in the wrong order making following jobs more difficult/expensive to do.

Do you think I could ask a general builder to come for a couple of hours (obviously paid) to help me make a to do list/tell me what is possible/who & how things can be done? Or something like a builder teacher or a project manager?

I feel like this must be a thing, but google is letting me down!

A few examples of things I'd like to ask this magical person:

Can I eventually get a bathroom in the loft conversion and make it a proper bedroom (impacts where I choose to put my bedroom) - yes I could get a loft conversion company put but feel bad asking them to come and quote for something which would be in a few years time

There's a gas fire - do I get this disconnected before putting a wall up to seperate the lounge again. How to know if the chimney isn't blocked before removing the gas fire to get quotes for a wood burner - again could get fire installer out to quote, but would be wasting their time as if chimney isn't ok, would just need a nicer gas fire

How to restore cornicing on the ceiling or do I chip it off, get it replastered and reinstate it - I've youtubed but it's not clear

I need to move boiler to sort pipeworks to make 3rd bedroom a double again, am I ok to start on 2nd bedroom before then

Hope that kind of makes sense/makes it clearer!

Ask on here. You will probably be able to get most questions answered. The cornicing, depends on how badly damaged it is. You can get it repaired in sections but it is often worth getting the whole lot replaced.

You can use a smoke bomb chimney tester thing to find out if the chimney is ok or not, or get a chimney sweep out to check it.

I can't see why you would need to disconnect the gas fire before you replace a wall. Are you worried about the gas pipes being disturbed while you are building the wall or are you worried about not having enough air flow for the fire in a smaller room?

Need more details about the boiler move to be able to answer that one. Do you mean can you decorate the second room before you move the boiler into it?

For the fire you can contact a stove company to come out and look at what you have currently. They can then advise.

I guess I feel bad wasting their time as I know it will be a year or so before I do it? Maybe I'm overthinking!

The gas pipe goes through the wall! So would want it gone and routed under the floor if I was keeping the gas fire, but I'd prefer a log burner

The boiler is similar: there's foot high/wide boxing of the pipes which run under the 2nd bedroom's floor (split level upstairs), I don't want to put in new flooring to have to rip it up again. Also if I get a bathroom in the loft conversion, I don't know if better to keep it upstairs? So it's not having to supply up two stories.

Having poked at the cornicing, I've realised it was replica (pine under the paint) so that I definitely can sort, thanks!

Yes you’re overthinking! Don’t feel bad about getting experts out to quote and advise! How else will you know? They are the magical people you need to chat to.

I know what you mean, OP. I have lots of stuff that needs doing, and I even have the money to do much of it, but I don't know where to start, or what order to do stuff in.

And it's all random bits like a bit of repointing, an upstairs floor relevelled, some masonry repairs, a metal stairway refinished... Builders around here want a full refurb or a loft extension, not bits and pieces.

You could ask for a phased plan of works from a main contractor. That’s what I did. He came out and we spent time going through everything that needed doing and the sensible order to do it in, then he gave me quotes broken down into those chunks.

You need my dad. Could tell you all of that. Plus more :-) Retired now, though.

@Remembertotakeabreak thank you!

@TheYearOfSmallThings I know! I do have a kitchen designer coming today, hopefully after that I might have some idea where to start!

@iwishiwasafish that sounds perfect! And then he did the work for you?

@Nolongerteaching so unfair! 😂my stepdad was brought to tears by a curtain pole he tried to put up!!!

I would decide whether you are keeping the gas fire for the medium term and either get it rerouted or disconnected before you take the wall out. Then it will only be a single call out fee.

Carpet is easy to take up and work under if needed so if you are having carpet in the bedroom , you can decorate and still get to the pipework.

The boiler can go wherever you like, it doesn't matter, within reason. It needs to be on an external wall but other than that it doesn't matter too much. Lots of people don't like them in bedrooms because of the carbon monoxide risk so I think moving it downstairs is sensible. Moving a boiler is quite a big job as all the pipes need to go from the boiler to where they are needed, including a gas supply pipe and the radiator pipes.

The gas plumber who moves the boiler will be able to sort the gas fire too though.

We always get all the messy destructive work like rewiring, moving boiler, taking out Walls first and then decorate once we know that is all finished.

If there are lots of people struggling with this, maybe I could hire myself out as a renovation advisor?

@HouseIsOnFire im at a simile stage to you, maybe a few steps behind as in I haven’t moved in yet. Would you like to get in touch so we can provide each other with support throughout the process? It’s daunting and I’ve already come across tradesmen talking nonsense to me thinking I’m just a pretty inexperienced woman who won’t question what they say (which is another problem altogether!) 😂

We got lots of people round to quote, check things even though we all knew it would be a couple of years before I would need them. They’ve all got huge waiting lists anyway. We are now, e.g., using the stove guy to finally put a stove in.

we also got an architectural technician round to advise on loft conversion in similar situation to yours. Really helped as he pointed out a basic issue with the roof.

I'm in a similar position OP. Let me know if you find this magical person.

@geneticsbunny sounds like you may have a viable business idea

We always get all the messy destructive work like rewiring, moving boiler, taking out Walls first and then decorate once we know that is all finished.
Yes, this: generally with houses you do outside in, so make sure the roof is watertight, walls are OK, sort the gutters, replace any rotting windows etc. That way anything you do inside isn’t undermined later by some poxy rain.

Then you do your first fix “hidden in the walls” stuff like electrics and plumbing, including gas pipes, because it involves floors up and walls getting bashed about. Moving the boiler and disconnecting/removing a fire comes at this point.

Then you clear your chimney, build your wall, etc. If you want a socket in the wall that comes next. Install the wood burner.

Then flooring, repairing walls, plastering where all this work has been done.

Then decorating.

Definitely get people out to quote: time spent quoting for jobs they don’t win is factored in when you’re a self-employed trade, same with a loft company, they’ll quote for loads but only win some work, it’s all part and parcel of the business plan.

The best 'plan' I ever had was done by a building contractor.
I needed fairly substantial work to a house, including totally reconfiguring one of the floors, changing staircase, dividing rooms, etc. I had an architect do me standalone plans for the desired layout. Then I met with builders, showed them the plans and let them quote and draw up schedules for getting it done.
The one I went with proposed doing it in stages, with a week between stages to allow for rooms to be repopulated/others to be cleared. First we did upstairs (while we slept in the lounge amidst all the gubbins) then we had a week's break whilst everything was moved upstairs, then they went for it downstairs.
The plan told me, in chunks of two days, what would be going on and who would be on site. So no unrealistic crap like - bathroom tiled in half an hour. Run over time (only half of which was needed) was built into the plan.
Not saying it was stress-free, but it wasn't as stressful as other projects.

@Geneticsbunny thank you! First step to get someone to see of the chimney is good. And this is definitely a business plan! Sign me up if you're in NW!

@fourplusfour the kitchen guy (all in company) actually does do consulting! And answered a lot of my layout questions! So maybe have a look near you?

Definitely! Just let me know how you'd like to keep in touch!

I am steeling myself for rampant sexism and cowboys, its awful you have to assume that's how it will go!

This, with many many bells on! You just need a reputable/recommended builder to come round and you can talk them through what you think you want - part of their job is to tell you whether it's feasible.

I'd love to do this but realistically can only afford to do kitchen at first then will be saving up for each room in turn, so don't want an all encompassing quote!