If you had a choice, when would you time an extension for?

[MyCatIsInCharge]

Assuming summer wasn’t an option - when would be least inconvenient for an extension leaving you without a kitchen for up to six weeks?

We’ve now got quotes in for a single storey extension and have narrowed it down to two builders. As jobs go, it’s quite simple- no steels - and involves putting a box on the back of a 1930s semi to house a kitchen-diner and turning the existing galley kitchen into a downstairs loo and utility. Most people have quoted around 10 weeks (or 8-12 weeks) to complete the job.

We originally planned to go with Builder A (a decent sized firm), as they had said they could start in August. But it would now be October and will take 3-4 months. This means we would probably be without a kitchen over the Christmas-New Year period (we would go to family for Christmas but of course we’d have time off school/work and the house would be in total chaos. They made muttering a about possibly starting the last week in September, which would give them around 12 weeks. I don’t care about it being fully finished/decorated by Christmas, it’s the lack of kitchen that bothers me when we’re all at home.

Builder B also had a mid-August/September start slot available and is a smaller firm but we know they’ve done work for a neighbour. Whether the slot is still available is another matter - we are trying to get confirmation. There isn’t a huge price difference - B is a bit more expensive but the difference is less than 10% of the total build.

Would you consider accepting an October start date for this kind of work? Or would you push back? And if so, until when? January? March?

I don’t really want to wait until March. Or January, if I’m honest! But I feel like doing this work over the winter might be mad. Any thoughts?

I'd go with the builder you trust the most, and not worry too much about timings.

It's so important to have someone competent, trustworthy and who you have a good rapport with to do stuff like this, timings would be way down my list to worry about.

Not least because even if you think you've booked in a slot, that might slip because the last job overran / someone crucial went home/ supply issues. And then your job might over run, so the a lot you were aiming for goes totally out of the window.

With the price of materials rocketing and labour in short supply I wouldn't be too fussy .
Go with asap and work round it

Around 2003. Actually value for money at that time. Now it’s cheaper to move.

Try not to do it during a pandemic op. We did this and lived in half a house during the first lockdown 😬

We've had something fairly similar this year. Started groundwork just before Christmas and finished end of March although we did have steel work. The galley kitchen is part of the new kitchen and the other side is a downstairs suite.

We had an open side of the house for just a matter of days - they completed most of the shell before removing internal walls, so the cold wasn't too bad. Everything was well boarded (low the very delayed patio door space) to give us some shelter. We sealed off upstairs which helped. Honestly I'd just get on with it. Materials are still going up, most builders are super busy. I think I would have preferred to have no kitchen in warmer weather when salads were more appreciated but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet.

Are you sure you'd be without a kitchen for 6 weeks?

We had a very similar sounding build, they installed the new kitchen before starting ripping out the old one and doing the loo conversion. We had to make do a bit, but were only completely without cooker and sink for 3 days.

Thanks everyone, this is helpful. I liked both builders equally - maybe a bit more of a rapport with Builder A but I’m niggled the projected time has extended by a month now I’ve said we’re keen to accept their quote. Builder B seems like a decent guy and the people I know personally who he’s done work for raved about him and his company seems like a very professional setup. I felt like he was a bit more doom-monger about how long without a kitchen but maybe more realistic?

I realise we are lucky to even be in a position to be building an extension and this is very much a First World Problem. And I’m fully expecting supply chain issues and delays - we would have had this done in 2019 but for various reasons it was put on hold and boy do I regret it. Anyway.

Really, @DamnYouAutoCarRental ? That’s interesting. We have been quoted around three weeks without a kitchen by most people - builder B thought six.

The impression I’d got is that they would build, knock through - which involves making a doorway out of what’s currently a window and removing some glass patio doors - and then rip out the old kitchen.

My assumption has been that they’d board off half the living room for us, and we’d have a corner with fridge, microwave, toaster and kettle and be washing up in the bath….

From experience - don’t bother trying to avoid particular times - it doesn’t do you any good.

We booked our en suite in October last year. We’re told it would start late March and take 2 weeks which was a long wait but fine. In March got told early April which we didn’t want as would cause problems for Easter holidays. We said could they delay a couple of weeks. That was fine. Somehow then got delayed 5 weeks and ended up clashing with half term. Which was much more inconvenient than Easter.

That’s a fair point - I just have this awful image of us all being stuck in during the Christmas holidays during the rain with virtually no kitchen facilities or play space and fraying tempers! I suspect I’m overthinking this.

I also think just book it in ASAP and don’t overthink it or the price will go up again!

Don’t overthink it and I’d go with builder with personal recommendations. Ours hooked us up a water supply and put washing machine and tumble dryer in the hall. And had Jerry-built sink and cold water supply. We bought a couple of portable induction rings.

having the garden out of action for the dog was the worst bit..

We started ours in the second week of January, but we were building an extension - the kitchen has only just been completed. I definitely needed a kitchen for Christmas, and it's been finished in time to make the best of the good weather.