Extension thread 2022 part III.. celebrations, crises and will it be finished for Christmas?!

[NewHouseNewMe]

3rd thread of 2022 - can't believe I'm still here!

That's awful, you poor thing @liv

Wow, just heard from builder and they want to start work in second week of October. I was convinced it would be at least November by now.

We might be done by Christmas!

What are you having done @RidingMyBike ? Our builder gave us a weeks notice that he could start. It was a manic week. We’re now 3 weeks into our 9 week build, hoping everything will be done by the beginning of December.

Roof and chimney repairs
Total rewire
Put in support for a currently unsupported structural wall
New kitchen (also getting rid of non-structural wall between it and dining room)
Bricking up one window and two doors
All new windows
Under floor heating
Move two bathrooms
Install two bathrooms
Air source heat pump
Solar panels.

Think that's everything. At the moment precisely zero idea how long all this will take as builder didn't want to say until we'd finalised the quote details.

What are you having done @AnnaCmass that takes 9 weeks? I'm trying to get an idea of what can be achieved in what amount of time.

Last time(!) we did this it was a 6 week project but we were doing less and that was with a very small man and son building company whereas the ones we're using now has 30 employees.

hi
knocking down 3 walls and removing utility room and downstairs shower room to create new large vaulted ceiling kitchen. This includes blocking up existing windows and doors and installing a large ridge beam
installing 2 x velux windows, French doors and a large window in the kitchen
relocating utility and shower room into what was a downstairs bedroom including blocking up window, creating new entrance door and new back door and new window in the shower room
new boiler and 3 new radiators
widening arch between kitchen and dining room
new kitchen including flooring
new stud wall and doors to create a new spare bedroom/ office at the back of the lounge
finally removing the airing cupboard from the smallest bedroom

so far all the ripping out has been done,
the new beam in the kitchen has been installed, the pipe work for the new boiler is in
2 windows have been bricked up
hole for the French doors has been cut
first fix electrics is done in the kitchen

next week is the really messy bit with the archway being widened and the new back door being cut
also the tiled floor in kitchen will be taken up

I’m honestly not sure if 9 weeks will be enough but the builder seems confident

Good luck with those starting out - it’s very tempting at this time of year to think Christmas is quite far away and things will be finished but it’s not that many working days and once you factor in delivery delays or someone getting covid or finding unknown problems under floors, etc. it’ll fly by. Basically don’t get hung up on being finished by then I think!

2 guys here today, electrician doing outside lights (I think, thought they’d been finished already) and painter touching up snagging stuff. Probably doing other jobs I haven’t seen, went for a walk in the rain, bit wet now!

TO DO:

The hallway; change the wall into open shelves for shoes and school bags and sort flooring and hooks; Floor finished ✅ need to pick some hooks asap

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

Fireplace repair - Done ✅

stripping back the old front door and oiling

oiling 3 new doors

security cameras - waiting for alarm company advice - going to ask around a bit more - waiting for another guy to get in touch

patio steps to be tiled - started, nearly done, tiler busy with other jobs waiting for him to fit in last little bits

patio glass balustrade put in (not ordered yet) - must get in touch again

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? Loo roll holder up ✅ towel rail sat on the side waiting…

+last bit of bespoke coving to match original - ordered - coming when the coving guy comes back, not sure on timings

Broken tile in upstairs bathroom to be repaired
broken edge of tile in kitchen to be repaired

Snagging list of tiny things - already started on

deep clean post build, need to find a company

Ah electrician is doing the outside lights that shine onto the steps, I’d forgotten about them. Not the best of days raining on and off.
seems to involve lots of banging which I’m ignoring…

Coat hooks up! Amazing how sometimes a very small job makes a huge difference, can tidy up the heap of coats on the sofa and get the DC into a better routine with their school blazers.

TO DO:

The hallway; change the wall into open shelves for shoes and school bags and sort hooks; Need to pick some hooks asap; hooks bought and put up ✅

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

stripping back the old front door and oiling

oiling 3 new doors

security cameras - waiting for alarm company advice - going to ask around a bit more - waiting for another guy to get in touch

patio steps to be tiled - started, nearly done, tiler busy with other jobs waiting for him to fit in last little bits

patio glass balustrade put in (not ordered yet) - must get in touch again

lights for patio steps - done ✅

Downstairs loo: towel rail, pick a mirror. Long bare walls atm - maybe lots of artwork as have loads of framed stuff to put somewhere? towel rail sat on the side waiting…

+last bit of bespoke coving to match original - ordered - coming when the coving guy comes back, not sure on timings

Broken tile in upstairs bathroom to be repaired
broken edge of tile in kitchen to be repaired

Snagging list of tiny things - already started on

deep clean post build, need to find a company

Sounds like good progress, @LivingInaBuildingSite ! We have just realised we are going to have to get a ceiling and wall above the picture rail stripped of wallpaper as it adjoins another room. Then reskimmed. Including VAT, it will be about £800.🙄 Can’t decide whether to strip it myself and get a plasterer in or whether to just fork out and push on. Anyone know how much it would cost to have a ceiling reskimmed in the SE?

It’s this sort of thing that really irritates me - we’ve been lucky not to have had too many unexpected expenses so far but are definitely heading towards the end of the money….

Annnd the builders cut through another part of the ufh pipe today. For god's sake!!

4 plasterers coming tomorrow to finish plastering upstairs and we move back home on Sunday! We've lived in a hotel in one room for 3 months!!! I'm going to be buying a lot of Dettol on Sunday!

Next week plaster all of downstairs ready for kitchen fitting! Woohoo!

For those living through renovations, any suggestions of anything to put down on a sub floor temporarily until carpet is fitted? Thanks!

Exciting weekend for you @GardensandGrandDesigns, good luck for the move back in!

I am petrified of the mess as the plasterers were there on their own when I dropped cleaning products off at 4pm. Must put my best happy face on for the kids tomorrow to pretend it's "fun" while I scrub the upstairs. Arghhhh! On the flip side, we won't live in a Travelodge anymore 😳 so that's progress right??

It’s definitely progress and it goes two ways because the builders will speed up a bit hopefully when you’re sitting there with a clocking in log book.. 😉

We will be joining you very soon..

Depends on budget but ask on local fb page if anyone is getting new carpets and could you have old ones for free? Otherwise carpetright often do cheap offcuts/remnants in their shops (usually in hideous colours) but I would say the cost would be outweighed by the comfort and reduction in heating bills - it can really get cold with concrete floors/floorboards. Potentially even getting the cheapest vinyl at say £6.99sqm might be worth it.
Have you got any packaging spare - cardboard boxes even?

Good luck to all of you still on the journey! We still have a bit to go but no fault of the builders. We are awaiting a bespoke product which we have finally confirmed supply for but still no date. However the house is basically ready to live in and we are slowly putting together the snagging list for when the builders come back. It's been absolute bliss to have the house back to ourselves and have a bedroom with a bed and carpet!
I only regret a few decisions but I'm so glad we pushed ahead and did it - costs are even higher now and our remortgage to help fund the works would have cost even more. There's no right time to do building work, but the sooner you start the sooner you finish and you can start enjoying your home and living the way you want to

@CameliaLeaf so good to hear you have almost made it to the other end. Curious, what are your regrets?

Morning all, so we made it through the first night back home. We are all in one room with windows on vent to help the plaster dry out so it is feckin freezing. We bought a large cotton dust sheet to put our mattresses on and one of those dust guard doors. For curtains we have unused insulation boards. It's glamorous isn't it? Stress levels getting ready for school and then not getting uniform caked in dust was 100 - chest pains were real!

Plasterers didn't quite finish all of upstairs so once they complete landing and stairs I'm going to get some carpet off cuts to put down.

We should have hot water and electrics upstairs by the end of the day so the only way is up! Good luck to you all this week 😂

I lost a whole reply! So here's the jist

• I wish I had pushed or even queried the architect more on our family room. Even 30cm extra would have made the difference in allowing a variety of furniture placement rather than the one option we have now. I trusted that the sofa placement on the drawings allowed a comfortable distance from the tv - it didn't.

• checked the furniture size on the drawings! We have a generous bathroom but it would have been better to have had extra bedroom space so long term it could have fit a proper desk in. I thought the bed on the plans was a superking but it was a double.

• picked different tiles in the bathroom. I like them but I don't love them and the difficulties with the supplier means I think I'll always slightly feel a bit sour about them. I should have looked harder or splashed out for the ones I was coveting. And now I have to live with them for the next 10years
• colour in our bedroom. We got it repainted twice (and had nearly 20 samples) but it's not quite the effect I wanted. At least this can be resolved simply next summer.

• pushed the builder on getting a room habitable upstairs. It made such a difference to how we felt about the house (especially with getting better sleep!) and it could have been ready sooner with the right motivation and focus from the builder.

• ring fenced budget for a new front door. It would make such a visible difference in that feeling when you pull up on the driveway.

That said, there have to be compromises somewhere. But it goes to show just how on top of every single decision and detail you have to be. Most of these could have been fixed or sorted at the time.

Interesting @CameliaLeaf to hear your regrets. I will start thinking about ours and whether any could offer help to those earlier on. As I’m sure your tips will, knowing the size of architectural furniture is a good one.

@GardensandGrandDesigns how exciting to be back in, but you are brave! Hope each day brings improvements. I got regularly fed up of the dust here.

found a forgotten hole where a light switch used to be behind a door so added that to the snagging list.

TO DO:

The hallway; open shelves for shoes and school bags

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

stripping back the old front door and oiling

oiling 3 new doors

security cameras - waiting for alarm company advice - going to ask around a bit more - waiting for another guy to get in touch

patio steps to be tiled - started, nearly done, tiler busy with other jobs waiting for him to fit in last little bits

patio glass balustrade put in (not ordered yet) - have sent details to the boss builder guy as the company need certain measurements now the tiling is done

Downstairs loo: towel rail ✅ pick a mirror. Long bare walls atm - thinking maybe a large wallpaper sort of mural thing?

+last bit of bespoke coving to match original - ordered - coming when the coving guy comes back, not sure on timings

Broken tile in upstairs bathroom to be repaired
broken edge of tile in kitchen to be repaired

Snagging list of tiny things - written new tidy list and one guy here today who got started on it - things like doorstops put in x 2 ✅ shorter tap ordered, etc.

deep clean post build, need to find a company

We have electrics upstairs and hot water - do people realise how good this stuff is! I promise to never take it for granted again!!

Extension room plastered today, it's all coming together 😁

@GardensandGrandDesigns , that sounds like great progress! Must be good to be back in, even if you’re all on mattresses.

Ours is coming along but I’m at that stage where I’m just desperate for it to be finished. Pretty much all of it is plastered and decorating is underway. But there’s clearly more to do before they can start to fit the kitchen. Although the kitchen arrived yesterday, which is very exciting indeed!

Plan for this week is to get the last external door in place and some internal doors fitted (dreading the mess from that as it involves an archway being squared off…), and then hopefully the internal boarding can come down, and the cat will have free access again…

So, we finally seem to be making progress again. First fix electrics and plumbing are complete. Kitchen arrives next week but we won't be ready for it as the room needs skimming and tiling. Rendering is underway outside.

We are getting our kitchen from Handmade kitchens of christchurch so will need to paint it in situ. Does anyone have a feel for how much that should cost? Its three walls of units plus an island plus utility and we have had one quote of £3,500. I'm tagging @poshwatchshitshoes as i know she had a hmkoc kitchen - hopefully she will see this!

Found you all!! We finally FINALLY have kitchen units in the kitchen. They’ve been painted this weekend and now it all seems to be coming together. I will have actual WORKTOPS by the end of tomorrow we are very much hoping so I absolutely cannot wait. Just need a plumber and an electrician for various appliances and sink. Decorator can’t start for a few more weeks yet but that’s only paint on walls. I will have actual useable kitchen space by the end of the week. I could cry (although hormones aren’t helping here- 38 weeks pregnant!!). Boiler might be fitted in the next couple of weeks so I might finally be able to stop mopping puddles of warm water up that have leaked out of it overnight 🎉. I’d really like everyone to leave me alone now, I’d like a week to bond with the new kitchen before baby 4 arrives and then I’ll be happy.