The builders are in.....share the ups and downs here.....

[nappyzonecantrunfortoffee]

Been as though a few of us have the builders in i thought we could share our fun and try and get through the mire together (even though pavlos stories scared me half to shit).

SO were getting an extension built and they started Wednesday - they seem canny and we have a digger in our garden, guinea pigs at the back of the garedn i have to risk life and limb for to get too to feed and mud - loads of mud - my wellies are caked in the stuff from my guinea pig feeding missions!

Our foundations are all dug out now and most excitingly a mixy truck load of cement was barrowed round the back in to them. Wheres everyone else at?

My next door but one neighbour has the same house as us and has already kindly informed me he is most grateful we went to the expense of getting plans done and he has in deed printed them off for when he gets his done! Charmed but happy to oblige as he didnt object!

Where do you go to stealmlook at neighbours plans?

I am fed up.

Had a big row with builders and landlord this morning as the builders want to remove the hob and they aren't GasSafe. Landlord also wanted them to do it.

They werent even supposed to rip out the kitchen today, but suddenly I have no kitchen all weekend. Aaargh!

No kitchen all weekend?? Eek! Poor you.

I'm just confused. It's a lovely dry afternoon here, but the builders had finished for the day by the time I got home at 3! Surely if there is good weather and it is still light they would want to crack on? Clearly not. DH and I are considering flinging some bricks up ourselves over the weekend - it can't be that hard, surely?

I'll send mine round if u like, I'm sick of the sight of them!

Rain doesn't stop them. They are gonna be here ALL WEEKEND rebuilding the sodding kitchen!

One of them looked knackered this mornign and requested coffee minus the milk and sugar. I think they are probably moonlighting somewhere for the couple of hours they aren't here!

Nick their bricks and build a magnificant bbq

ooooo i came in tonight to my finished foundations with a lovely smooth slab and damp proof course. It does look quite a good size now and im excited for the brickies starting on Tuesday. Im v used to the 2 guys that currently come (the boss and his apprentice) and am wondering how many will be in his new brickie gang thats taking over.

Hi all, Mr Architect #2 was lovely! He is the guy who drew up the original plans so he came armed with them plus alternative plans the previous owners had considered! I got so excited because it is a total rework of the house with a lovely sun room being added at the back- it would involve moving the stairs and bathrooms etc too.

Then he told me it would be at least £90k. Minus VAT. So that's that idea out the window!

He is going to write it all up with costings and he is a fixed fee man (none of this % palavar) and given the plans are already done & granted we would only need to resumbit amended plans. He said building warrant would be about 2 months then we could start when we like

Oh and it looks pretty likely we'll have to move out for a bit of it all. Not so good but better than living in a building site!

Chops, nightmare about your kitchen! Take ways all weekend then?

Sweetkitty, you can steal plans here

Ilike - do you think you will go ahead with something then or are you going to get some quotes to see where the land lies first? I wish we cold move out but only to somewhere with waited staff and hotel service free for say mmm 12 weeks. As it is we will live through the knockthrough then endure months/ years of decorating!

Chops hope your enjoying your takeaways!

Hi Nappy, we will def do the extension next year (I hope, if I can persuade DH) but I guess our focus just now is finalising plans and resubmitting to planning & to apply for a building warrant. Then we will have 3 years I think (?) to get it started but TBH I'd rather do it sooner than later as I have a bit more time just now what with being on mat leave. I think doing it while we only have one mobile child rather than 2 might help too?

I went next door today to chat to my neighbour who has done the exact same extension. It was really interesting actually as she told me how they did it and they managed to live there too throughout the work. They moved the washing machine into the understairs cupboard and also the boiler moved there (our current utility room (where washer & boiler are) is in the part of the house that will have to be demolished first to lay foundations). That was one of my worries- that we'd have no hot water for months! They also had to install patio doors at the back with temporary steps first because our front & back entrances will be knocked down too.

Interestingly too, she said that if they were doing it all again they would def add a small single storey room at the rear. The architect yest proposed adding a bit at the back so the kitchen diner becomes an L shape IYSWIM so I'm going to try to persuade DH to do it! Not sure how much extra it would be though, it will only be another 6 m2 so hopefully not too much. Going to ask BIL tomorrow what he reckons it might all cost as he is in the trade business.

How is it all going with you today Nappy? I can't wait til we are at the building stage! (I think)

oh excellent sounds like youve made up your mind its going to happen! Brill that you have experience of neighbour whos been there and survived! Nothing happening here today - the slabs down and drying out then it will al pick up momentum again on Tuesday.

Yes we really need to do it as our house is ridiciously small, no exaggeration! We only have a small living room and a 'kitchen / diner' (too small to have any more than 6 people eating in it) downstairs and now we have had baby #2 I'm feeling claustrophobic and it will only get worse. Don't want to move either as our neighbours are fab and the reason we moved here in the first place was to escape neighbours from hell! I also love the location of the house and DS's will be able to walk to school within 5 minutes and not even cross a road

Both my neighbours have done the extension and they said they can recommend builders etc so that's great. I was dying to ask neghbour today how much they spent but thought that might be a bit rude (?).

Enjoy your builder free weekend!

Id have just asked in a nice do you mind me asking way - plenty keep asking us!

We so need an extension as well, we have 2 bedrooms and a tiny boxroom for 6 of us from next year, also kitchen is small and there is no storage. DP has banned me from talking about it but he is not in the house all the time like I am, he doesn't try to fit clothes/toys/food etc into cupboards.

Sweetkitty, I am doing my DH's head in too! I am getting obsessed with the extension but I'm making the most of him realising we actually need it as he has always said it was fine as is (before we had DS2).

We have nada storage either, the towels etc are stored at the bottom of our wardrobe and we only have one tiny cupboard downstairs which fits a few jackets and about 5 pairs of shoes.

I think the kids toys just make it seem even more hard to live in it, we are back to massive baby gyms etc lying about in addition to toddler stuff everybloominwhere!

We have just paid the next installment cos they are up to the damp proof course? How is everyone else paying? We have a plan where we pay so much at each stage of building - next payment due when the walls are complete.
Has not been too disruptive yet - that will be when they knock through. Still - will be wworth it in the end. I am already getting excited about worktops and kitchen units !

weve just paid our first installment now at dpc level and next one is when at first floor level then again at top then after roof, then first fixes.... not to siruptive here either apart form im sure im going to forget and crash into the skip and the garden is just wrecked - my lovelg green grass is now just a mud bath!

I wish we were having takeaways - We're eating the food I cooked earlier in the week, microwave reheating everything int he lounge!

I really feel for those of you that are having extenstions and the like done.

Last night the water went off. We seem to have an airlock between the mains tap and the tanks in the loft. Been filling them up with a hose as the builders decided they wouldn't work today after all and aren't answering my messages!

I have become obsessed by the weather forecast. It's not great for next week The brickies will NEVER finish at this rate

Thats what i cant handle and is my worry if we go ahead with the kitchen plan....
Weather obsessed here also - looks ok for tomorrow but Tuesday when brickies start its forecast rain . Finances are tight if i want everything doign so a delay i see as time to save - see theres a bright side!

Nothing happening here either because of the rain . It was pouring here this morning, but its actually sunny at the moment.

Rupert - we are paying our builder weekly, holding a bit back each time for snags. It's a bit complicated but seems ok. Is anyone else having to get out huge amounts of cash all the time?? Our builder likes half cash half cheque. Its probably really dodgy but I'm not thinking about it

Chops - is the water back on?

Hiya, don't know if you know about a programme called 'Room to Improve'? Kind of like an Irish 'The Home Show' - I found it on an obscure Sky channel last night.

Anyway the couple on it did exactly what I want to do at the back of the house! I want to have a small rear single storey extension (in addition to the 2 storey side ext), so the kitcehn / diner is an L shape. I'd love it to be glazed too with sliding / folding doors but I'm not sure how much that would be. The architect the other day proposed something similar but with a sloped roof IYKWIM but I quite like a flat roof, what do you think?

Here's the link to the gallery from the TV prog, check out the last photo- do you think it looks OK with a flat roof or would you go for sloped?

ooops here is the link

I like the look of the flat roof but always think they need replacing or felting when they are buggered - i dunno.

Lots of bricks have arrived today, drive covered with blocks and bricks and knowhere to put our cars so a bit of a pita. A blokey turned up with a stihl saw which was v exciting and there was noise and knocking as they knocked out corner bricks to chase inthe new ones. Wooden dummy window framey things also been made and had to make a decision all on my own as to whether my large picture window in the new room (already will have a patio door init will go completely to the floor or will have a window ledge to pile up crap on. I opted for full length but think it will at least match up length wise with patio door one and not look to daft with odd sized windows splattered about. ALso had plumber round to price in ammendments to his orignal plan if we go ahead with the new kitchen plan . It was a bit exciting anyway,

Yes already been to bank for 8k cash and dh got lots of questions and couldnt remmeber the answers to the security questions which was quite funny as they had to ring me to verify we were related

Nappy that sounds exciting! I think floor length windows sound great, you will get loads of light in. Can I ask (if you don't mind) how much are a set of patio doors? We will need to get them done first in order to get access. And are windows very ££££? In my head I have fallen in love with a glazed room at the back of the house but I am now worried the architect will say the glass alone is £1k's!!! Also, is loads of heat lost through glass?

What are you getting your kitchen done like?