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Original poster

Help! Builders are starting extension on Monday - any advice on keeping them happy & me sane?

42 replies

Rindercella · 10/10/2008 17:13

We are having a single storey extension built at the back of our house, fairly small but will come off both the kitchen and dining room. It is expected that the work will take 6-8 weeks to complete. The builders start on Monday. Does anyone have any worldly words of advice to impart? At the moment, I can't imagine what it's going to be like to have loads of people around the house all day and all the noise/mess they're bound to make. Also I have a 13 month DD who is walking and into everything. How the heck am I going to keep her safe during all of this?

I am eally looking forward to having my lovely new room completed, just not looking forward to the actual building work!

OP posts:
MinkyBorage · 10/10/2008 17:15

DO NOT MAKE THEM TEA AND COFFEE!!! let them know where the tea and coffee stuff is, give them a couple of mugs, and let them help themselves. Day 1 tell them you're really sorry, but you're a bit rubbish at making it, and please could they help themse;ves.

MamaG · 10/10/2008 17:18

Tell them to help themselves to tea and coffee

can you block off that portion of hte house, almost? i.e. keep living room door closed so DD can't get into all the mess

Can they get to their van from teh back to save them coming through the house? Try to keep them tramping through to a minimum because they WON'T take their boots off

luckylady74 · 10/10/2008 17:20

I gaffer taped rooms that I didn't want dust getting into every morning!
Ask them to tell you when they're gong to 'break through' the wall so you'll know to be prepared. A friend who works leant me her house in the day so ds1 could have a sleep when I had one done!

Original poster
Rindercella · 10/10/2008 17:24

Great advice about the tea & coffee making - thanks! Will have to remember to leave out the crap mugs and not my nice Emma Bridgewater ones.

Can keep DD mainly contained in the living room and give her breakfast, lunch in there (assume they won't be here any later than 4pm, so should be ok for dinner!).

To do the actual work they have access via a path to the side of the house, but will still need access to the loo at the front of the house...hmm, will have to make sure they don't take the short cut thru' the house to get to and from the loo.

Thank you both for your responses.

OP posts:
mazzystartled · 10/10/2008 17:25

close off the back two rooms if you can. tape em up and keep out
don't let them traipse through the house
get the house rules straight re radio volume from the outset
be braced for it to take 2 weeks longer than they say
go out a lot - take refuge where you can - maybe even go away for a the main noisy and messy bits
work out who is project managing it - identify the key stages and check the work is to spec as it goes along

annh · 10/10/2008 17:25

They will presumably not be breaking through to your house for a couple of weeks so all the mess should be outside until then - unless you are unfortunate enough not to have access to the extension area from the side of your house. When they break through they might still be able to wall off the area they are working in. We had out kitchen extended and when it came to breaking through they built a plywood wall with a door in so we still had a bit of kitchen to work in - albeit, a very dusty bit.

Don't think they even expect tea and coffee as so many people are out at work - any builders we have ever had have come supplied with kettle and mugs! I occasionally used to bake them a cake - helped keep things sweet in more ways than one!

MinkyBorage · 10/10/2008 17:28

don't take anything for granted, ask them what time they'll start and finish each day

jura · 10/10/2008 17:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MrsMattie · 10/10/2008 17:34

Expect it to take a bit longer than they've said. I don't mean to be pessimistic, but if you get your heart set on it all being done and dusted exactly 8 weeks after it starts, you may be disappointed, especially as 8 weeks time is...urm...almost Christmas!

Brace yourself for a few weeks where it really is unbearable. You will probably want to eat out / stay at friends houses / be out of the house as much as possible.

Ask for good warning of the periods when it is likely ot get very noisy and (especially important) dusty. Dust from bricks and plaster + paint fumes etc - can be very nasty for little ones. You might want to be away or at least out of the house during the day during these times.

MrsMattie · 10/10/2008 17:36

Oh, and what's the deal with using the toilet? Our nextdoor neighbours' builders brought a portaloo along with them - brilliant! Ours didn't - and our toilet was filthy, covered in dirty boot marks and just generally grim. Not brilliant!

Original poster
Rindercella · 10/10/2008 17:42

Well, the good news is that we are going away for two weeks at the end of November, so at least we will have a couple of weeks away from the dust and fumes.

All the builders we had to quote said the job would take 6 weeks. This one said 8 weeks to be 'safe'. Arrrggghhh. Can see us huddled in a cramped living room overflowing with all the stuff from the kitchen/dining room, tucking into Christmas dinner

Great advice about milestones, etc. Will have to create a Gantt-like chart.

We're sitting down with the main guy on Monday morning to discuss all of these things, so the advice from you all has been great, thank you so much. Knew I could rely on MN

OP posts:
Original poster
Rindercella · 10/10/2008 17:44

MrsMattie, I fear you might be right. The builder did suggest bringing a portaloo, but DH thought that as our loo is just by the front door it wouldn't be a problem.

OP posts:
RedOnHerBeheadedHead · 10/10/2008 17:46

DH has a building company - they always appreciate a paket of biscuits every now and then - only the cheap ones!

Also, don't get in their way - if you keep asking them questions all the time it will take longer. If you leave them to get on with it, it will be over quicker.

Pay on time! We hate it when they pull you up for being 5mins late, but they think it is ok to hold back payment for another month - they never seem to allow this in tesco though do they??? "Oh yes, I'm happy with my shopping, but I'll pay you next week because I haven't got it this week!" If it's a small building firm (like ours) then they haven't got profits (well, we don't anyway, not at the moment ) and we have mortgages to pay too.

Check that they are insured too - you don't want them doing it if they're not - it could be disatrous for you. Make sure thay have public liability insurance.

I'd get out if i were you and let them deal with it - I would forget about the dusting, because it will drive you crazy!

Good luck!

expatinscotland · 10/10/2008 17:47

if the builder suggested bringing in a portaloo, i'd have done so.

Original poster
Rindercella · 10/10/2008 17:53

Point taken about paying on time Red.

I can see there's going to be a Portaloo in our back garden for a few weeks! It also makes sense as they can have a key to the back door and I can then just lock the front door and not worry.

OP posts:
MrsMattie · 10/10/2008 17:55

But equally on the payment front - make sure they don't start dicking about with the payment schedule. Our builders started saying 'but we need £500 by tomorrow to buy X supplies'. Wasn't impressed with being tapped up for large amounts of money at short notice.

Draw up a payment schedule and make sure both sides stick to it.

uptomyeyes · 10/10/2008 17:57

I gave our builders their own kettle, cups etc and a starter pack of tea coffee and sugar. They always have an electrical supply rigged up on their site so they could happily make a cuppa without having to hang around the kitchen with me. After the first lot ran out they bought their own.

lalalonglegs · 10/10/2008 17:59

Make sure that you know exactly what you want because changing your mind will cost you time and money. If you have any concerns about the design, talk them through with your builder NOW. Don't let yourself be bamboozled into making changes to convenience them - if they want to change something in the plans then ask for very simple explanation why and, unless you are very convinced that it is going to benefit you, say no.

Expect to cry a lot.

lalalonglegs · 10/10/2008 18:00

Any decent builder should have an account with a builders' merchant so I'm always very about giving money for supplies.

brimfull · 10/10/2008 18:10

we had an extension done about 4 yrs ago.

I made them coffee every morning at 10am even though I had said "help yourself".

We got on really well with our builders and they are still friends today.

We had two storey ext across back of house so we did move out when they broke through.

OUr builders were so lovely they would not have dreamed of traipsing through the house in muddy boots,in fact I had to order them to come into the kitchen once.

My ds has asthma and they always warned me when there would be a lot of dust ..I hear my builders!

oh and having the money ready when they needed helped

hifi · 10/10/2008 18:11

dont get too friendly, they will take the piss. i now stay slightly aloof and get a bit more respect.
DO NOT LET THEM USE YOUR LOO.

brimfull · 10/10/2008 18:13

I heart my builders..not hear lol

MrsMattie · 10/10/2008 18:15

Have to say - I agree with hifi.

I don't do the 'feminine', friendly, 'have a cup of tea' smiley thing with them anymore. I am polite, but businesslike. Guess I have dealt with so many different tradesmen while renovating our houses that I am cynical!

heronsfly · 10/10/2008 18:17

My dh is a builder, I agree with gg make them a cup of coffee now and again,and be nice to them, things will be much easier if you can get them on your side

lalalonglegs · 10/10/2008 18:20

I hate this whole idea of getting the builders on your side (although I nearly always end up trying to do it