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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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RunAwayNow · 25/04/2024 19:52

So great to see so much progress!!

Ours has stalled a bit due to some incorrect assumptions made by the structural engineer 😔 Cue several tonnes more steel about to go in tomorrow, then I hope we'll start moving from demolition to creation! Dh and the kids are finding it quite tough at the moment because all we can see is rubble and destruction. I'm still optimistic but finding it tough living with my parents! (Although they have been ace).

The builders actually have an Airbnb which we might be able to rent in a month or so (such a clever idea that they have this service for their customers!). And we are also very happy with our builders - they turn up, work hard and communicate really well.

mrssunshinexxx · 26/04/2024 15:38

End of third week and second floor gone in today! So exciting gunna climb up there tonight and do some measuring of where we want the room splitting

Jesusmaryjosephandtheweedon · 02/05/2024 12:29

Coming to an end here. Seeing lots of progress the last 2 weeks, floors, tiles, bathrooms going in, architrave, skirting and doors going in also. Kitchen going in next week, then the stone for the kitchen and painting and we are done! Cannot believe it.

Very excited now for it all to be finished and hopefully be in there beginning of June!

Toooldtoworry · 02/05/2024 12:47

Still waiting for the party wall agreement because the neighbour is still refusing access to her party wall surveyor.

mrssunshinexxx · 02/05/2024 12:50

So frustrating @Toooldtoworry what can you even do about that if she just refuses access??

mrssunshinexxx · 02/05/2024 12:51

@Jesusmaryjosephandtheweedon sooo exciting ! Our second floor walls finishing this week roof going on a week on Monday. Loving seeing it coming together I do keep wondering when it will actually be finished. I have mid July in my mind but builder won't commit to that 😂

Toooldtoworry · 02/05/2024 14:04

mrssunshinexxx · 02/05/2024 12:50

So frustrating @Toooldtoworry what can you even do about that if she just refuses access??

If she refuses they'll issue the party wall certificate without taking a survey of the internals of her home and if there is damage she'd be hard pushed to claim on the builder or me. We can still start in a couple of months.

Jesusmaryjosephandtheweedon · 02/05/2024 14:10

@Toooldtoworry are you building on the party wall? What is the survey for?

Driverpicksthemusic · 02/05/2024 14:24

@Jesusmaryjosephandtheweedon that’s brilliant. All that flurry of activity and then suddenly you have your home back.

@Toooldtoworry what a pain! As you said though, their loss if they refuse to let the surveyor do an assessment, because if there is any damage they won’t be able to prove it.

@mrssunshinexxx wow your builders are steaming ahead!

Our walls are almost up to roof level and some of the roof components were delivered yesterday. Meeting tomorrow to go over our kitchen plans with the builder, just to confirm I haven’t messed up anywhere before finalising the order. Also going to talk timescales and if we are still on schedule for his initial estimate. If we are, we need to get the kitchen ordered this weekend to make sure it’s here in time.

Two slight hitches though. One is that the gas engineer is not happy about where the architect planned to put the boiler, as it will require a complicated (and therefore expensive) flue. He was keen on putting in the loft, but that’s a hard no from us, given it’s a combi and you need to top them up intermittently, usually in the winter and I don’t want to be clambering around the loft at 6am before we can have any hot water. We think we may have worked out a different solution, builder thinks it’s ok, but need to speak to gas guy again.

The other is that I have triggered my neck issues with all the packing and lifting. Which has massively slowed things down in that department, while I am laid-up with heat packs and painkillers and dh is working away.

mrssunshinexxx · 02/05/2024 19:41

They really are @Driverpicksthemusic we are really happy with them.
Hopefully your builders suggestion will be ok with the GE

Toooldtoworry · 02/05/2024 20:45

Jesusmaryjosephandtheweedon · 02/05/2024 14:10

@Toooldtoworry are you building on the party wall? What is the survey for?

They've got a conservatory and we're building within 3 meters of the foundations for that. The survey is to check the condition of their property prior to, and post build.

They really don't want us to build.

Gogodonu · 02/05/2024 21:58

We are about to start a two storey extension, across whole rear of the house, measuring 4m by 10m.

Weve been quoted 160k, plus 30k VAT.

we’re in Manchester area. What do you guys think of that price?

thanks

Jesusmaryjosephandtheweedon · 02/05/2024 22:40

Toooldtoworry · 02/05/2024 20:45

They've got a conservatory and we're building within 3 meters of the foundations for that. The survey is to check the condition of their property prior to, and post build.

They really don't want us to build.

Ah I see. Wow, I love how it's OK for them to build and extend their home but not for you. I hope you get it sorted very soon.

Toooldtoworry · 03/05/2024 07:03

Jesusmaryjosephandtheweedon · 02/05/2024 22:40

Ah I see. Wow, I love how it's OK for them to build and extend their home but not for you. I hope you get it sorted very soon.

We've got a party wall agreement in principle just waiting a few days to see if they'll let the surveyor in, if not they'll issue it regardless. So build is likely to start as planned.

AppropriateAdult · 05/05/2024 09:59

Hi all, sorry not to have posted in so long. We've had a lot of delays and progress has been very slow, so we're way behind where we expected to be at this stage - and even though I knew that was likely, it's still very frustrating! Our builders are very pleasant to deal with but might need a bit of a kick up the arse Hmm

Great to see other builds progressing - and congrats at getting to the finishing stages, @Jesusmaryjosephandtheweedon! That must be really exciting.

OP posts:
Jesusmaryjosephandtheweedon · 05/05/2024 10:23

Ah that is so frustrating @AppropriateAdult our architect wrote it into the contract that every week over the 16 weeks agreed time frame that the builder would have to pay us a weekly cost. Now I don't for one second believe that's what kept him hurrying along, he is the type to get in and get out, time is money to him. But it's a good encouragement for those a little more lax.

It is very exciting to be nearing the end. All our doors etc are up now. So really just kitchen and painting and snag list stuff.

And then shopping for wardrobes etc stuff we haven't been able to do until now as nowhere to store.

Spent 6 hours in IKEA yesterday just researching what we wanted. Will have to measure up now and go back and buy stuff.

AppropriateAdult · 05/05/2024 13:36

Cheers @Jesusmaryjosephandtheweedon; we have a similar stipulation in our contract (the builders have to pay the equivalent of what we would be paying in rent for any time it goes over) - even though we're not actually paying rent, I'm glad the architect insisted it be put in!

OP posts:
Jesusmaryjosephandtheweedon · 05/05/2024 14:11

Hopefully that will.help push things along when they can.

mrssunshinexxx · 05/05/2024 16:24

@Jesusmaryjosephandtheweedon can't wait for the ikea trips ! Doing a pax wardrobe hack in our walk in wardrobe to save money,
I've got abit of a headache today sick of researching bathrooms there's just so much choice it's overwhelming

Toooldtoworry · 05/05/2024 17:24

We've not started yet but I'm really looking forward to getting the new appliances, etc. Is that sad?

Ridiculously we have designed our kitchen diner around a dining table we bought and shoved in the garage 🤣

Cannot wait to get going.

Zoee3 · 05/05/2024 17:31

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RunAwayNow · 05/05/2024 18:06

@Toooldtoworry that is my tried and tested strategy for all interior design! Find one thing you LOVE then it narrows down the rest of your choices. Our entire kitchen has been designed around one particular terrazzo tile 😅

@Gogodonu that price sounds like a good one. 4 × 10m across two floors is basically a whole extra house! Our builder wasn't the cheapest of the quotes we got but he came highly recommended and gave excellent vibes. So don't forget to check the price against likely quality.

We are really motoring now. The massive dormer is up and has increased space in the master bedroom by around 40%, new roof is going on, think it will be pretty much wind and watertight in the next week or so (our entire house is currently covered in big blue tarps).

Toooldtoworry · 05/05/2024 21:09

RunAwayNow · 05/05/2024 18:06

@Toooldtoworry that is my tried and tested strategy for all interior design! Find one thing you LOVE then it narrows down the rest of your choices. Our entire kitchen has been designed around one particular terrazzo tile 😅

@Gogodonu that price sounds like a good one. 4 × 10m across two floors is basically a whole extra house! Our builder wasn't the cheapest of the quotes we got but he came highly recommended and gave excellent vibes. So don't forget to check the price against likely quality.

We are really motoring now. The massive dormer is up and has increased space in the master bedroom by around 40%, new roof is going on, think it will be pretty much wind and watertight in the next week or so (our entire house is currently covered in big blue tarps).

That's made me feel better. I've not got 'the eye' at all!

mrssunshinexxx · 06/05/2024 06:45

@RunAwayNow sooo exciting huge master ! Are you having an en-suite in there ? We are and I'm so excited about this ! We finished designing it yesterday. Roof going on her next week and builders back today even though it's BH!

pashmina696 · 06/05/2024 07:22

AppropriateAdult · 05/05/2024 09:59

Hi all, sorry not to have posted in so long. We've had a lot of delays and progress has been very slow, so we're way behind where we expected to be at this stage - and even though I knew that was likely, it's still very frustrating! Our builders are very pleasant to deal with but might need a bit of a kick up the arse Hmm

Great to see other builds progressing - and congrats at getting to the finishing stages, @Jesusmaryjosephandtheweedon! That must be really exciting.

Sorry to hear that, are things starting to progress now? I was worried about delays due to either soil conditions or weather but whilst it's been really wet it doesn't seem to have impacted anything too much, especially as it's been so mild. Our soil conditions turned out to be pretty good!

We are into the construction phase now with the exterior and interior walls being built - pretty far off water tight though!!

I have been choosing bathrooms too - it's overwhelming!!!

We picked a dining table and now a sofa so possibly following a similar interiors plan!!

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