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

546 replies

AppropriateAdult · 04/01/2024 19:04

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

OP posts:
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19
pashmina696 · 24/09/2024 19:44

@Driverpicksthemusic oh no! The decisions are hard - I have picked the same carpet for upstairs for every room - it's a Victoria carpet one which my carpet fitted recommended. They have a range called first impressions and then a thicker one called ultimate expressions - worth a look they have a long guarantee on them, and equivalents in 80/20 as well. Obviously I haven't got it yet but i think it will be fine! Confused Things still super tight to move back... but hopefully good progress this week will help... but have confidence in your decisions - honestly think outdoor lighting is difficult as there isn't much choice unless you go online then you have no idea of quality. I am choosing door handles at the moment!! Anyone with any tips on that please?

Driverpicksthemusic · 29/09/2024 11:13

@pashmina696 sorry, I have no idea on door handles. I’m having similar problems. Our originals are late 20’s/early 30’s and I really don’t like any of the replicas, because they have a ridge around the middle, whereas our original ones are lovely and smooth with no ridge or join.

Dd, in typical style, chose Invictus carpets, which are beautifully soft and plush, but over £45.00 sqm! I am not paying that for her room, given she is a terror for dropping make-up and spilling paint etc (GCSE Art this year) and getting it all through the carpet. We’ve found a compromise though and the salesman said it’s no problem for them to fit it next week, we just need to call tomorrow morning to confirm a day . Dh and Ds1 need short pile 100% wool if possible or 80/20, as they both have dust mite allergy. (Couldn’t use wool in dd’s room as she would destroy it.) Think I will probably go for velvet, as it’s softer underfoot, but still need to make a final decision on colour. We are going with a local shop, as they have been really helpful, I was hoping to reduce costs by using remnants, but their storage was flooded this week ruining their remnant stock.

We found out the other day that we can’t have a living room carpet fitted until the new joists and floorboards have settled for at least a month, so I’m just buying a cheap remnant we can loosely lay in the meantime and will get the living room and stairs done together in a few weeks.

Dd is a lot happier since we went round yesterday. It definitely feels more like a house that needs decorating and a bit of work, rather than a building site now.

Dh, dd and I are planning to move back in the weekend after next. Still two weeks after the builders promised, but by then we will have finished painting upstairs, have all the upstairs flooring down and the builders will have installed most (possibly all) of the kitchen. I say possibly, because they are complaining about my choice of finish/treatment for the oak worktops being time consuming.

This week the living room is being plastered (that’s the last bit of plastering to be done) the en-suite is being grouted and bathroom tiled. They are starting to fit the kitchen on Monday. Oh and our new front door is going to being fitted.

Then it’s mainly smaller jobs, like boxing in the pipework in the bathroom, replacing the bannisters and re-hanging the doors. They are allegedly going to start shifting excess tools and excess materials off-site as well, which will be a relief, as it definitely still looks like a building site outside. I desperately need them to shift various piles of bricks, bags of sand and other bits off the drive, as the new internet company need to be able to access the border to run their cable to the house asap and at the moment you can’t see it, let alone get to it!

pashmina696 · 29/09/2024 12:12

@Driverpicksthemusic I have selected some!! It was difficult but found a good local merchant who got some samples in for me and my builder will order them for me... my upstairs is still being painted. But with the scaffolding coming down this week and my bathrooms are also being tiled I can start to move some things back - my lounge is also being plastered this week but my underfloor heating still needs to go down and this might stop us moving back when we need to - it's all rather tight and stressful but I am hoping for some good weather so we can get the flooring down and dry and hopefully get some dehumidifiers in to help!! I am not bothered about everything being finished but I will need running water and heating of some description! Good luck with everything this week!

Driverpicksthemusic · 03/10/2024 12:56

@pashmina696 Hope everything is moving along swiftly.

We have final gas test and hopefully the new boiler going online today. Cooker connection should also be happening. Plasterer is there finishing the living room, with just the hall left to do tomorrow.

My new front door was fitted yesterday and makes a huge difference to the front of the house. If we could just get rid of all the pallets, sand bags, bricks and skips we would almost look respectable! 😂

Carpets are being fitted upstairs next Tuesday and I am trying to source a new bed for dd for delivery by the end of next week, as somehow all the fittings for her old bed have disappeared!

Still planning to attempt moving dh, dd and I back in the weekend after next.

pashmina696 · 04/10/2024 22:38

@Driverpicksthemusic not as smoothly as I would like! Plumber issues continue but everything else is progressing and hoping the plumbing can be caught up next week so things don't get further behind... been busy fitted wardrobe shopping and can't believe how expensive that is!! Got so much to do but my DH and I plan to start sorting stuff this weekend in preparation of moving out our rental. And just keeping things crossed we will have running water and heating soon!!! Good luck with the bed shopping! I dread to think of what I won't be able to find for the foreseeable future !!! We are also almost done plastering and upstairs is almost painted and tiled!

TheVeryAngryCaterpillar · 05/10/2024 08:43

Hi everyone, have been watching with interested for ages as was in planning for over a year, but now 2 weeks in and footings going in, it's very exciting!

Next week the kitchen is coming out to get a big beam in where the back wall used to be and I need to clear everything out of the way (and put it god knows where), so I'd really appreciate any tips on:

  • how to store all the kitchen shit in the rest of the house and still get to it
  • how to keep on top of the house staying tidy
  • how to stop my kids going bonkers with the unsettlement of it all
  • how to do all this while working alllll the hours but without spending extra money!
newtoitalldammit · 07/10/2024 13:33

Omg! The dust! Our loft conversion is complete. Have spent hours cleaning the bathroom and it's still not clean!

What does everyone use for tiles to really keep the dirt and building dust away?

Driverpicksthemusic · 07/10/2024 15:51

@TheVeryAngryCaterpillar I’m not much help I’m afraid as we stayed in until they knocked through to the extension, then move to PIL’s and my parents.

Driverpicksthemusic · 07/10/2024 15:56

@newtoitalldammit You posted exactly what I’ve been whingeing about this weekend. Spent so long cleaning the upstairs to get it ready for the carpet fitters tomorrow, popped in this morning and it needs doing again.

We were supposed to be hiring an air scrubber at the weekend, but didn’t get to the hire shop in time, so now it will have to wait for next Saturday, as we need to pick it up in dh’s car. I’m hoping that will help with the dust at least a bit.

I think, with tiles, all you can do is just keep damp cleaning over and over again, as it’s the only way to actually remove the dust, rather than making it airborne just to settle again a few minutes later.

I have used the builders hepa vacuum and mopped the floorboards so many times I’ve lost count now. So many buckets of filthy water!

No more plastering to be done now though, so hopefully that’s the last of the really dirty work.

pashmina696 · 07/10/2024 20:24

Driverpicksthemusic · 07/10/2024 15:56

@newtoitalldammit You posted exactly what I’ve been whingeing about this weekend. Spent so long cleaning the upstairs to get it ready for the carpet fitters tomorrow, popped in this morning and it needs doing again.

We were supposed to be hiring an air scrubber at the weekend, but didn’t get to the hire shop in time, so now it will have to wait for next Saturday, as we need to pick it up in dh’s car. I’m hoping that will help with the dust at least a bit.

I think, with tiles, all you can do is just keep damp cleaning over and over again, as it’s the only way to actually remove the dust, rather than making it airborne just to settle again a few minutes later.

I have used the builders hepa vacuum and mopped the floorboards so many times I’ve lost count now. So many buckets of filthy water!

No more plastering to be done now though, so hopefully that’s the last of the really dirty work.

Omg that will be me shortly - my upstairs is filthy but plastering pretty much done - just a lack of running water to fill said buckets at the moment.

A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 · 08/10/2024 11:02

Ugh the dust! I think a really powerful air purifier helped with the dust for us. And barkeepers friend powercream got the dust residue and stains off stuff like the tiles and sinks. Our grout is still a bit dingy - might get a crevice brush.

@pashmina696 we got made to measure flat pack floor to ceiling built in wardrobes, and really happy with them, in case it's useful. Including drawers and shelves etc, it was £2k for a 3 m run with six doors in a shaker design. We used Online Bedrooms, but there are loads like Fittingly etc. Built them ourselves, then paid the builder £100 to cut and apply the panel boxing it to the ceiling. They look like my friends bespoke ones, but she paid about £5k

pashmina696 · 08/10/2024 13:34

A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 · 08/10/2024 11:02

Ugh the dust! I think a really powerful air purifier helped with the dust for us. And barkeepers friend powercream got the dust residue and stains off stuff like the tiles and sinks. Our grout is still a bit dingy - might get a crevice brush.

@pashmina696 we got made to measure flat pack floor to ceiling built in wardrobes, and really happy with them, in case it's useful. Including drawers and shelves etc, it was £2k for a 3 m run with six doors in a shaker design. We used Online Bedrooms, but there are loads like Fittingly etc. Built them ourselves, then paid the builder £100 to cut and apply the panel boxing it to the ceiling. They look like my friends bespoke ones, but she paid about £5k

Thanks I will take a look at these

Driverpicksthemusic · 09/10/2024 09:26

We have carpets! Well only in two bedrooms so far, but it’s a start. Also half my kitchen units are fitted, including my sink and the dishwasher and washing machine have been plumbed in.

Tiling in the bathroom has been delayed, but I have been told the ensuite is being grouted today. So I’m hoping we will at least have that room when we move back in, although they have yet to fit the shower and glass screens.

Boiler and electrics all now up and running too and we finally have a loft hatch, so the house doesn’t feel Siberian 24/7. Not having a loft hatch for months really emphasises just how much heat is lost through the loft!

Finally chose some doorknobs. They aren’t the same as the originals, but the closest I could find aesthetically. Hoping they will be delivered tomorrow.

Dd’s new bed and internet won’t be sorted until the end of next week, so we are delaying moving back in until the weekend after next, which gives us a bit of time to do more cleaning and shifting furniture this weekend. Then it will be a race to sort the master bedroom and get a carpet down in there, so I can move out of my middle dc’s room before they need to move back home in a couple of weeks. Ds1 will be last to move back, as he has huge issues around contamination, so it really does have to be done and cleaned before he can manage it. Gives me time to make his room lovely for him though.

So, we are getting there, still plenty left to do and the major challenge at this point, as others have pointed out, is going to be cleaning and dust removal.

A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 · 09/10/2024 10:14

@Driverpicksthemusic ah yay!! Carpets down and kitchen and en-suite done is huge progress!

I was a bit neurotic about dust and harmful things, with toddler and new baby. I don't know if this would be helpful to your son, but this purifier has an air pollution indicator on it www.amazon.co.uk/Purifier-Wirecutter-Removes-Particles-ap-1512hh/dp/B06ZY1JMNW
Has really helped me, as you can visually see how bad the air quality or dust is at any point, and then run it until it goes clear. Interestingly, it really kicks off when frying foods on the cooker, and when opening parcels. Farrow and ball paints are fine, but other ones have shown up as pollution. And they are smellier also I suppose

Driverpicksthemusic · 09/10/2024 21:52

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 thank you, I can see how that would be really helpful for some/most people. Unfortunately ds1 has ASD and severe OCD, so it would just feed the anxiety and he would probably develop an obsessive need to check the indicator 24/7. He had a similar issue with the CO2 monitors when we first had them installed.

Interestingly, our architect specified a particle detector, as well as a smoke alarm, in our kitchen. Not sure if that is due to current building regs or if they were just being thorough. It doesn’t show a reading though, just triggers if dangerous levels are reached.

I’ve used Lick paint and some of Dunelm’s own brand upstairs and have been really impressed at how low odour they’ve been. We’ve used F&B before, first when I was pregnant (so a verrry long time ago) and then more recently, as ds1 has a real problem with strong smells and is paranoid about VOC’s. The budget is getting rather thin at this point though, so we need to save pennies where we can.

More progress today. Ensuite grouted as promised, shower is apparently being connected tomorrow. My worktops have had all been cut to size and the first coat of osmo oil applied. Second coat will be going on tomorrow evening. Living room is being mist-coated and woodwork prepped on Friday and that’s the last bit of plasterwork that needs prepping.

There are lots of bitty jobs still to be done. Things like door hanging, boxing in some pipework, etc and there’s a fair bit still to do in the kitchen, but it’s all shaping up fast now. Once the interior is all done, they will move on to doing the minimal amount of landscaping we agreed and building dh’s home office in the garden, so we won’t be builder free for a while.

pashmina696 · 10/10/2024 11:30

Driverpicksthemusic · 09/10/2024 09:26

We have carpets! Well only in two bedrooms so far, but it’s a start. Also half my kitchen units are fitted, including my sink and the dishwasher and washing machine have been plumbed in.

Tiling in the bathroom has been delayed, but I have been told the ensuite is being grouted today. So I’m hoping we will at least have that room when we move back in, although they have yet to fit the shower and glass screens.

Boiler and electrics all now up and running too and we finally have a loft hatch, so the house doesn’t feel Siberian 24/7. Not having a loft hatch for months really emphasises just how much heat is lost through the loft!

Finally chose some doorknobs. They aren’t the same as the originals, but the closest I could find aesthetically. Hoping they will be delivered tomorrow.

Dd’s new bed and internet won’t be sorted until the end of next week, so we are delaying moving back in until the weekend after next, which gives us a bit of time to do more cleaning and shifting furniture this weekend. Then it will be a race to sort the master bedroom and get a carpet down in there, so I can move out of my middle dc’s room before they need to move back home in a couple of weeks. Ds1 will be last to move back, as he has huge issues around contamination, so it really does have to be done and cleaned before he can manage it. Gives me time to make his room lovely for him though.

So, we are getting there, still plenty left to do and the major challenge at this point, as others have pointed out, is going to be cleaning and dust removal.

Best of luck!

My bathrooms and all grouted now, plumber concentrating on getting downstairs ready for the screeding so the 2nd fix will have to wait a bit longer. I have carpets for 75% of upstairs coming next week and the decoration upstairs is almost done... asked my builder to hire an industrial vacuum to reduce the dust!! His Henry is not cutting it

newtoitalldammit · 10/10/2024 14:56

Where are you all buying your carpets from?

I went into Tapi this morning, was eyeing up the Oban online but in person it didn't quite cut it.
Will be trying a few independents now.

AppropriateAdult · 10/10/2024 15:01

A question for those of you who've recently finished - approximately how long was the interval between the house being watertight, and being ready for occupation?

OP posts:
Driverpicksthemusic · 11/10/2024 08:02

@pashmina696 we are doing similar. We also used the electrician’s Henry initially, but it was clear that wasn’t good enough. So we’re hiring the airscrubber to move from room to room throughout next week and may also hire an industrial vacuum to help with the initial clean up downstairs.

@newtoitalldammit We tried a small local shop initially, but the quote was shockingly high, so ended up going to a local carpet warehouse that sells both off roll and a lot of remnants. They couldn’t have been more helpful and the prices were much more realistic, plus their fitter was happy to relay the only carpet we kept as it was almost new.

@AppropriateAdult It depends what you are having done really. We have had a full back to brick reno, re-wire, re-plumb, two new bathrooms, one new toilet room and a new kitchen, plus ground floor extension. Shell was watertight inside a couple of months but at the end of October it will have been 7 months and we are not back in yet! The builder told us the whole thing would take 12 weeks 😂😩 We didn’t agree 12 weeks was realistic, so expected about 5 months. Wrong!

A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 · 11/10/2024 10:46

@Driverpicksthemusic probably not helpful in that case sorry! Hopefully the scrubbers will work their magic, and then leave the house.

@AppropriateAdult it took us a surprising amount of time after the house was watertight. Took a week to plaster, had to then let the plaster dry and the floor screed dry another 2-3 weeks, then a test for the screed before we could tile and wood floor, then another week and a half to tile and lay the flooring throughout. Then had to let the Bona floor coating dry sufficiently. We then moved in but with steps of corex on the house to walk on so the dust didn't damage the new floors. Second fix electrics and plumbing and no kitchen as that took another week to install, and then another three weeks before our stone was delivered. We had probably 3-5 trades in most days after it was watertight

A1b2c3d4e5f6g7 · 11/10/2024 10:49

@newtoitalldammit we have ordered from here several times. All wool carpets for about £300 per room. We got lucky and got several room size remnants in the same carpet for this house. And for stairs you need a surprisingly small amount, as each three steps is cut (I didn't realise this) designer-carpet.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOop9yrsJj54nLYPmPYbW5bf-3gcY7wdlm3SsgmL1q_OrZ2fukZBU

You can literally carpet stairs from small scraps, as long as you make sure pile runs the right way, and the landing and tip step are in one piece

Driverpicksthemusic · 16/10/2024 17:53

We are finally moving back in! Well three of us are. Planning to move some furniture on Saturday, then move ourselves and some belongings in on Sunday.

The other two dc will come home once we have restored some sense of normality to the place and had a few more carpets fitted, so probably another couple of weeks.

The interior is still a work in progress, but I am told they will be working Saturday and Sunday and plan to have everything done on the inside by the end of next week.

newtoitalldammit · 16/10/2024 19:41

Ugh I can't believe this!

So our builder put in a new consumer unit and sorted our electrics out in loft conversion. He then issued us with an electrical certificate. All well and good. He mentioned to us a few days ago that he will give us the receipt so we could pay him back for the consumer unit, all well and good and happy to do. But then he's saying he's charging us labour fee for installing the unit!
I was taken aback by this but what the hell can we do as we want to keep it sweet so will pay.
BUT NOW, I'm just getting all the admin sorted for loft and came across the certificate he issued and it's signed off by 2 different people who have the same signature...I thought this was odd so then off I went to the niceic website to confirm the certificate and the website says no results found when I enter the reference number AND when entering my address!

What the heck should I do? I haven't even mentioned it to my husband yet as I want to get all the information possible first.

Driverpicksthemusic · 17/10/2024 07:17

@newtoitalldammit Sorry to hear you are having this problem. It does sound worrying.

There is procedure to follow on the NICEIC website: niceic.com/about-us/complaints/ With most of these things you have to follow the procedure for any form of redress or intervention to be triggered.

Not sure what to think about the signatures, but for the certificate itself there may be a delay in updating the database/website after the certificates are issues.

newtoitalldammit · 17/10/2024 09:46

@Driverpicksthemusic thanks for the info, I'll wait a couple more weeks and check their website. But I feel it'll be the same story.
I think I'm more annoyed that he has presented us with a fake certificate and wanting to charge us. Think he said £200 a couple weeks back but I think that's for the consumer unit and certificate.
I'll let my DH have a convo with him tomorrow, get the receipts and go from there.

Is there any comeback on us once confirmed the certificate is fake? Will building control ask us to pay to put it right?