Please someone help me with how to renovate my house (like I’m a 5 year old)

[Trickytrixter]

I’ve decided to knock down a wall in my kitchen and do a very small extension and put in a downstairs bathroom. I’ve had the architects drawings and the structural engineer came over yesterday. I am now feeling slightly panicky as I am already starting to feel overwhelmed and have so many questions and would really appreciate some help from someone who has done this before.

I am having a large window installed at the back - do I need to source this or will this be something the builder will do? Ditto any other materials.

When should I start thinking about kitchen appliances/ cupboards etc?
Should I get a kitchen designer in?

Ditto the above with flooring?

Anything else? I know I sound totally clueless, I have ADHD and this sort of thing terrifies me. I’d love to get a project manager in but budget won’t allow.

Thanks so much z

it Is often overwhelming doing a big project.

if the window is a standard UPvc one, the builder can probably source it. But if you want anything even slightly unusual then sort it yourself.

for the kitchen, you can go talk to showrooms who will upsell fancy appliances and make plans. Or you can stare at the IKEA website and draw up the plans yourself. But it is a good idea to get started because the builder needs to know at an early stage where to put the plumbing for sinks etc.

Chat with your builder about who gets what and agree a timescale in which things will be done and who will do them, so you know when they need the kitchen plan for and flooring etc
Our flooring and kitchen were fitted by external companies after the builders finished, they left sockets and plumbing in the right place etc
It’s a lot to think about in one go, so break it up into stages with your builder and do one step at a time.
You can get a free kitchen plan from anywhere like Howdens, then get them to change it around until you’re completely happy with the design and price. You can get three companies to do that and choose your favorite.
Tiling in a kitchen will be done last and you may need to get a tiler in to do it but you’re quite far away from that now!
Good luck, you can do it!

We had a kitchen extension a few years ago. Builder sourced skylights & doors to my specification (Velux skylights, anthracite crittal-style doors). Ditto brickwork (we used reclaimed London Stocks to match the rest of the house) & slate the match the main roof.

I sourced smaller items like switches (to match the rest of the house), lighting, & we also had a bathroom at the same time & I sourced & ordered everything for that.

I used DIY kitchens online planner to design the kitchen, but ultimately went with Howdens as the kitchen fitter our builder recommended preferred them & they could deliver more quickly. In hindsight I wish I'd used a different fitter but DS was born mid-extension & time was of the essence!

Howdens came out for a final measure once the walls were plastered, & then we had the design appointment but I already had my plan so it was basically the same with a few minor tweaks. Location of sink, dishwasher etc was needed earlier for pipes to be in the right place.

Flooring went down before the kitchen was installed, & splashback right at the end; I used recommendations from family for flooring & the tiler.

The architect should be able to do all this for you including the kitchen design and lighting design. However, if you fancy having a go then you can plan the kitchen and power sockets and switches and lightling yourself.

I’d suggest working with an interior designer/ project manager to oversee it. They’ll know exactly what to ask and expect

Thanks all so much - this is really helpful.

Put in more sockets than you think you’ll need and make them the usb / usc type so you can charge phones etc everywhere. We only put 2 of the sockets with usb then changed room around and now have to charge at an inconvenient place

Thank you - that’s something I would never have thought of

Have you done a budget? It’s pretty crucial to controlling the project, knowing what outgoings will be coming up, and when. It used to be the rule of thumb to allow 20% contingency funds for unexpected costs, but now I’d err on the side of caution and make it 35% at least.

@BriefHug - thank you. One thing I am okay with is the budget.

since you have not factored in is whether the builder will source materials or what level of work they will do rather than ANO, then one thing you are not OK with is the budget!!!!

what has your structural engineer said about certifying the work done to create a hole in your outside wall so that the extension is joined to the rest of the house? Will they certify it or are relying on employing a "competent" builder who will rely (pass the bock) on your engineer's calculations?

@Wot23 My father is doing this for me and I have enough funds to cover & a generous contingency.

If you don't want to do much of the planning/sourcing yourself, then you need a really good builder who is happy to do this. S/he will be able to tell you the timescale for planning and delivering the kitchen. DIY Kitchens / IKEA have online planners. Or other companies do the design for you, but obviously you pay extra for this.

Just checking you have building warrant! And planning if it doesn't come under permitted development.

then this thread is pointless, just employ a builder and let them get on with it

No, I don't mean 'have you got a budget to pay for it', I mean 'have you created a spreadsheet that you can fill in with all the projected costs for different elements, so you can decide how much money you have for the more variable aspects of the work?' Unless you've got unlimited finances, you can't really make decisions about kitchen appliances until you know how much money you have to play with, and you can't know that until you've established (for example) the architects' final fees will be, or the builder's quote. It will help with timings too. The boring invisible stuff that you never think about - insulation, electrics, planning permission - can cost more than you think and really eat into the available money for marble work surfaces.

I don't mean to sound patronising - I'm speaking from bitter personal experience here. We started a big renovation with 'enough funds and a generous contingency' and even then, even with a good builder and previous experience, the inevitable overrun gave me sleepless nights. At least I knew what costs were coming up, and when payments were expected.

If you want to feel more in control - even if you hand the project over to a builder to manage - finding a planning template to walk you through a budget and a timetable is the first and most obvious step, even if it's just a starting point that evolves as you go.