About to start a 6-month extension build...

[AppropriateAdult]

... and moving in with the in-laws for the duration. Come join me on this wild ride!

@pashmina696 I think the problem is I want something a bit different, but don’t really have the budget for it anymore. Dh is insistent that they have to be large format to minimise grout lines, but the builder is anti LFT’s because they can be a real pain to work with. So everything I choose is vetoed by one or the other.

I have given in for the bathroom and settled on white with a very subtle grey marble, as my fittings lean towards deco, so at least they are in keeping. We both liked the white/grey reeded naturewall panels, so this is the nearest compromise and they were a bargain as well. They’re not matt though, which is what I really wanted.

We were originally going for a darker effect in the en-suite. We’re only tiling the shower recess, so we were going for a green matt tile with an aged copper verdigris accent. Budget constraints meant that they were too expensive, so I changed tack and chose some matt blue ones that would flow nicely with my bedroom colours, but dh hated them. Last lot we tried were large format, but made to look like a patchwork of different tiles - neither of us liked the samples. Still haven’t had time to get to an actual tile shop, but I honestly think that’s our best bet, as neither of us know what we want now.

Spent four hours at the house yesterday, rearranging the stored furniture so that there’s room for the kitchen to be delivered and stored. Noticed the builder has a work plan up for next week that looks promising. Final bit of internal wall to come down, screeding to be done in the extension, woodwork to be finished in front bedroom and hall stairs and landing to be started. We’ll see if it all actually happens, but I do know they have the original team back on site, so fingers crossed.

We have most of the kitchen in now, countertop on, and the flooring has been done throughout and the internal builder has done such a great job with our floor it looks beautiful. Almost all of the second fix electrics done, just one more day of work I think. Stair carpet in, and the bedrooms done.

Cleaning cleaning cleaning now, my god the dust is SO bad. Painter for the kitchen units is starting this week. We are moving in in two more days I think. Utility room still isn't done (it's currently a dumping ground for surplus tiles, flooring, lights etc. so we have no washing machine plumbed in yet 😬) Will be cleaning for days I think

Also struggling with dust @A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 if you have any tips hit me up. I'm just using damp cloths rather than actual dusters then polishing with microfibre one x

Damp cloths, multiple times. Washed my floors on my hands and knees, took up so much more dust and then kept going over it spraying water and with damp cloths for about a week. Found using mop didn't really take anything off it looked just as bad 5 minutes later.

Sounds like you are both near the end now. We've been in for 2 weeks now and feels like we've been here forever. It is soooo worth it.

I've booked a cleaner for when we're finally finished. I just don't have the time to be scrubbing everything, and I would be.

Although do need to do the extension floor in the next couple of weeks because I can then make that into a lounge before the kitchen is put in (builder is off for 2 weeks shortly).

@mrssunshinexxx and @Jesusmaryjosephandtheweedon yes lots of microfibre dusters and damp cleaning. Even after cleaning the ceilings, walls, mouldings and floors on hands and knees and dust is there the next day 😩 Bought a powerful air purifier and I think that's helping. The colour light for air pollution is bad when we get there, then good when we leave. But the whole place still smells dusty.

I used car cleaning sponges on the floor wiped off with dog towels, if it's a hard floor. Feel for you ladies the dust is awful, we are past that now but the memory is strong.

My floor is being laid today hallelujah! Gas meter being moved tomorrow
Kitchen worktop for where dishwasher been fit , Friday. Getting there now

Just reminded me I was going to get a long handled scrubbing brush and use it lightly on the floor with towels to dry it off.

We are in nearly 3 weeks now, the smell of dust is gone and it's starting to need less and less floor washing. Just daily now!

It gets easier as you do the big clean and then start to move stuff in and get it painted and floors done.

Extension done apart from painting now which is being done next week. Builder on holiday from today. Back beginning of August when they start the kitchen. Need to scrub the extension when decorator is done and move the furniture, and make that 'home'.

We are still massively behind, but things are moving. The screed is going down in the extension tomorrow. They are finishing up bits of woodwork prep in the bedrooms and then moving on to the hall, stairs and landing.

Kitchen is, allegedly, being delivered sometime between today and Sunday, but I still haven’t been notified when our 48 hour delivery window is. I’m actually hoping it’s Sunday, as that will give the screed long enough to dry, so that we can store the kitchen in there, leaving the living room free to be prepped and replastered.

Dh went to talk to them on Monday to explain that we simply can’t stay much longer with my PIL’s, so they have to at least get the upstairs sorted so we can camp up there while the downstairs is finished. As a result we now have a new two-week schedule detailing what is going to be done each day and that will be updated/refreshed as things are completed.

Unfortunately, they all have holidays booked at the start of August, as they were expecting to have finished by then, so that’s going to hold things up even more.

I'm so tired and I really want to scrub my house. It's making me feel discombobulated. I'll be so glad when it's September.

Argh @Driverpicksthemusic I can feel the stress in your post. Bloody annoying glad your husband has had a word hopefully they pull their fingers out. Flooring is 95% finished here so I've moved everything back into the lounge which felt sooo good. Kids were so happy to get all their toys again. Tomorrow is my first day child free with no tradesmen in my house for 4 months I'm so excited !

@mrssunshinexxx I hope you are having a lovely child and tradesmen free day! If the weather is as good there as it is here I hope you have your feet up with a nice cold drink.

I just had to make a mad dash over to the house to make a snap decision re changing a ceiling level. One way meant an extra two days of plasterer’s day rates, the other was no extra cost. They sent me a video, but I just couldn’t visualise it and dh is away. Needed an answer straight away so the plasterer doesn’t need to come back. Thankfully it all made sense as soon as I saw it and I was able to answer several other queries while I was there.

It has come on such a lot in a week, which was a relief to see. Bad news last night was that due to ground levels in the garden, we can’t get away with the minimal landscaping we had planned, as the garden slopes more than anyone realised (I’ve never noticed it slopes at all). So we need groundwork to level the ground behind the extension to below damp proof course and will then potentially need a small retaining wall and couple of steps up to the lawn. More money we don’t have.

Annoyingly we are now looking at having to borrow a small chunk of extra money to get everything finished. We wrangled with dropping certain things and cutting back even more, but ultimately decided not it was best not to spoil the build for the sake of what amounts to roughly 4% of the total cost, which will be cleared in 12/18 months. Borrowing is just so expensive these days though, so need to plan it very carefully. We really didn’t want to take on debt but actually at this point it makes no sense not to.

Oh - and my kitchen is being delivered this evening! 😀

That's lovely news! Enjoy it

My roof is almost finished, first fix of the electrics is half way there. Busy trying to plan my utility room on DIY kitchens - has anyone else used them? Seems very reasonable!

@pashmina696 my DIY-kitchens kitchen was delivered this evening. Not unpacked and checked it yet, but so far we have been very happy with them. Their customer care team have been really helpful and despite the dreadful heat, their delivery guys were really efficient, polite and helpful.

There is a facebook group for people thinking about buying from them, lots of advice re using the planner and design tips etc.

We were originally having bespoke in-frame units made, but budget constraints led us to DIY. I was really disappointed to not get my dream kitchen, but we’ve gone for a different style and had a bespoke colour and now I love what we’ve chisen.

Forgot the link to the fb group!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/381845813632207/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=1007168174433298

Thanks so much @Driverpicksthemusic I will join that and refine my plan!! My builder has a guy who would have made me a bespoke Neptune style utility but it's just going to not fit the budget... Hope the kitchen fit goes well! I can't wait to get to that point!!!

@pashmina696 we used Handmade Kitchens of Christchurch and so far very happy. In the 50% off sale (which I think might still be on now) it came at a similar price to what we were quoted by DIY Kitchens. You can get the cabinets made to any size, so it fits any space. They are hand painted afterwards, oak veneer inside, and solid tulipwood on the shaker bits of the door. It looks very similar to the higher end kitchens we were looking at (but ultimately put us way over budget)

Thanks I will take a look at them - they sounded premium!!

@pashmina696 it will be quite a while before it’s fitted unfortunately. The kitchen space is still a long way off ready and my builders are off on holiday one after the other from the week after next. DIY have given us 28 days to check for damages and missing items though, so at least there’s no rush there.

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 that’s amazing. I didn’t even look at Handmade Kitchens because everyone I spoke said they would be far too expensive.

@pashmina696 to give an idea of price, because I always find this useful, with the 50% sale price we paid just over £11k for cabinets. We had a 5.5 m back wall run, and a 3 m double width island. I think it actually came in £150 different to DIY Kitchens

@pashmina696 that included two larders and several drawers