Estimates from builders

[rebl]

We've just submitted our building plans to planning. We thought that in the mean time we would get 3 building companies to give us ball park figures on the work. All these prices include plumbing / building / electrics etc. They do not include providing the kitchen and utility room units, decoration etc. We have a £60k budget

Builder 1: £58k
Builder 2: £78k
Builder 3: £102k

I'm totally shocked at the massive difference between all these estimates. These are wildly differing numbers. Builder 1 is within budget, just. We just plucked him out of the yellow pages. Builder 2 is over budget, was recommended by the architect. The architect thinks she can alter our plans to bring him down into budget. Builder 3 we know really really well as a friend but he's just way out of budget.

How can they vary so much? Should we just file these figures and not worry too much and then when we have got the building reg drawings sorted send them out to tender again and take it from there? Or should we contact some more builders for estimates? We really just wanted ball park figure and we've got figures ranging over nearly £50k which is a heck of a large difference.

I like Builder 2 Option - I bet there can always be cuts and replanning a few things here and there/changing materials etc. and if he was recommended by architect, that's always good. If you've not already talked to the planning dept, they might change things anyway so you'd have to resubmot to builders anyway. I'd perhaps wait and see what planners say and then, depending on what they say, ask option 2 for a cheaper alternative. With the climate as it is, I bet he'd rather lower his estimatea bit than miss out altogether!

What is it you're having done? We've had 3 quotes recently - 2 were for about 30k and one was for 66k

Option 2 sounds good, its always good if the architect and builder have a good working relationship. Its really wortth checking excatly what quotes 1 and 2 include - quote 1 may not incl everything and/or come in massively over budget on the job. They may just be desperate for work so have priced keenly but then will bump it up each month withb "extras".

We have just finished a big refurb and went for local builders with a good reputation and a very good history of coming in on budget. They weren't the cheapest quote, but I bet the lower quote people would have ended up coming in higher in the end.

Quote 3 don't want the job.

We also gave the architect a lower budget than what we were prepared to pay as they always seem to plan designs that come in at least 20 percent over what your "max" budget is.

Wish I'd given the architect a lower budget now. Oh well, live and learn, we'll get it in within budget with some work.

I'll speak to builder 3 who is our friend and find out exactly why its so much more. He's a good enough friend I can just ask him if he's quoted high because he doesn't want the job.

We're having a large wrap around single storey extension at the back and side of house then a double storey at side which runs from half way down the side to the front. The single storey contains a kitchen and family room. Downstairs of the 2 storey contains utility, toilet and pantry. Upstairs is a double bedroom.

There are going to be needed a few rsj's which we obviously knew would bump the price up. We've currently got bifolding doors going from the family room into the garden as well which we know are extravegant but we can change these to double patio doors and reduce the cost. We also have 5 veluxes which will also add to the cost and we could easily loose 2 and not compromise too much on light.

We do need to be able to buy kitchen units and appliances within our budget, plus decorate, floor coverings and soft furnishings so we do need to get the cost down.

I'm also concerned that not one of the estimates specifically mentions lowering a man hole cover that needs doing. But they do all mention moving a retaining wall which is also a thing outside that needs sorting.

Will call them all tomorrow.

I would never use a builder without someone rec. them to me. He might say the lowest figure now just to get the work.

IME the best builders don;t need to advertise anywhere they get all their work word of mouth.

I would go with number 2

As has been said, there are so many things that can vary so much. Bifold doors for example as you know can vary by thousands depending on what they are made of etc.

Its all just a massive exercise in managing expectations and costs, IME. You have to decide where you really want to spend the money, and everyone is different. We spent on roof, flooring, glass and one whizzy structural thing. We cut costs wherever else we could. I fell in love with a Poggenpohl kitchen at a Grand Designs show a few years back, silly, silly money. So we designed one ourselves that was similar using some timber from the front of the original house, some Ikea units and a saw.....

We shopped around for everything. eg.fitting out 2 bathrooms and a loo using the same sanitaryware saved about £1500 by shopping around and haggling a bit.

The very best of luck with it all.

Feeling a bit of a numpty. Just spoken to our friend who is builder number 3 and I didn't read his estimate letter right. He quoted for doing the wrap around by itself and then doing the whole job in one hit. I miss read it and thought I had to add the 2 figures together . His quote is actually £62k (inclusive of vat and of the kitchen of my choice that I had told him we liked, mid range bifold doors, dropping the manhole cover). Thats good .

Think we'll go with him. His work is outstanding, we've used him before and never had any problems. Admittedly on substantially smaller jobs but still, he's fab. Feeling better we can use the guy we wanted in the 1st place. Just feeling like a numpty for not reading the letter properly .

Great news

Hi Rebl, I am nearly at the same stage as you and doing something similar ish- a double storey side extension and a small 3x3m single storey at the back. The architect is currently draing up the detailed plans for applying for the building warrant and we will put it out to tender while waiting. We had a builder out to give us a very rough estimate and he said 50-55k ish for shell and basic electrics & plumbing so sounds quite similar to your quotes.

Are you excited? I can't wait to get it all underway but I'm dreading all the upheaval too! Got a quote to move the elec meter the other day- £500!

ilikeyoursleeves Yes I'm very excited but nervous. Its such a lot to do and so much money. Thats a lot to move an elec meter but I guess its probably standard rate. We thankfully don't need to do that. We are at the same stage I think. You sound slightly ahead of us, not doing building regs yet.

Do you know anything about party wall agreements? like, do we just right a letter to our neighbours or what?

When do you hope to start building? We hope to start May / June time. Builder 3 said it would take about 2 months to do.

I decided to get another builder in to give us an estimate. He's coming tomorrow.

rebl - our architect did the party wall agreements for us and charged us a fortune - over £1k from memory. He took a load of photos of either neighbour's house and as one of the neighbours is a surveyor had him do the bit that a surveyor needs to do.

Not sure how much it would have cost/how much work it would have been if we had done it ourselves.

Take the biggest estimat. double it. then add 50k. that'll be about what you'll need.

all builders are pathalogical liars. it's part of the job description.

Eccentrica - bollocks.

We've just finished a £150k job that came in on budget.

Hi there...we're about to start our build. We got four builders to quote - one we just plucked from down the road and three we had from recommendations. We got a ballpark figure from each which differed enormously.

We then got our building regs drawings done and sat down and worked out exactly what we wanted - down to taps, flooring, lightfittings etc and priced it all up. We then went back to the builders with a very very detailed list of what we would supply (so kitchen units, some windows etc) and exactly what we wanted them to do. All three builders came in at pretty much £10k of each other. We also had a builder who was recommended but a bit more "casual" about the whole thing. We managed to get him in at a good price, knock him down £10k (we told him we only had so much money which is the case) and we've agreed.

I think you really have to have a good think about things. It's the little things which bump up cost - I was shocked for eg when the buildings inspection fee came back at just in at £900 - we are doubling the size of the house but nevertheless there are hidden extras which soon mount up and if like us, you are at the top of what you can afford/find then you have to be really careful.

Good luck !!

Sorry the fourth builder from down the road was the cheapest- I went to see the people he'd done work for and was told not to touch with a barge pole !!....so we then had another guy come in and he's the one I said we've chosen.

Go with your gut instinct as well and someone you know you'd get on with....

Hi Rebl, we hope to start around the same time as you as I reckon even if the building warrant and planning are submitted at the end of Feb (next week!) it will prob be the end of May before we get the go ahead.

I don't know a thing about Party Wall things, eek should I? Is that only for semi-detached properties with an adjoining wall? We are in a detached house so would it apply to us?

I am in a total dilemma no about our plans- we were originally wanting to knock down a load bearing wall to make an L shaped kitchen / diner but the architect said in order to save money we don't bother knocking down as our fusebox is on this wall, so it would have to be moved if the wall came down and cost £££. But that then leaves the kitchen as is and the new room on the other side- might be OK but I think I do really want it open plan. Argh I don't know what to do! We are on a very tight budget but I am also thinking we'd be as well getting it right if we are going to all the effort to do the extension in the first place!

What do you think?

I went to Ikea today and decided we are getting the Pax wardrobes for our new bedroom- they look massive!