Support thread for those crazy enough to be extending their homes this year!

[ilikeyoursleeves]

Hiya, after hijacking another thread about massive extensions (not massive erections LOL) there seems to be a few of us who are about to embark on building projects this year. So if you are one of them come join in so we can share all the excitement, nervousness and bewilderment at everything that needs done!

We are currently awaiting quotes from builders for a two storey side extension plus a single storey at the rear. We had our first quote in today which is £64k. Not sure if this is good or bad, it will be interesting to compare the quotes when they are all in. We are also awaiting planning permission but should get it fine as our house already has planning for the extension that came with the sale of the house (but we had to resubmit as we have changed it a bit). Awaiting a building warrant too.

I'm very excited but frankly crapping it re the costs as we are going to have to remortgage plus DS2 will start nursery so we will have 2 lots of chilcare costs too.

ARGH!!!

So I for one need my hand held throughout all this process I just keep thinking of the end product and hoping it will all be fine.

What's everyone else doing and when?

annh I'd say go on hols if you can, the builders will probably work faster and you won't have to cook meals in the microwave for weeks!

elibean your work seems to be moving so quickly! Do you have any pics of it?

I just went next door to tell the immediate neighbours that we plan to start mid July and show them the plans. They had already seen them though (had a nosy online) and they are fine with everything, phew The only thing she said was she is jealous cos we are adding a single storey at the back too and she regrets they didn't do that. It was great just seeing again the space we will have (they have done the same 2 storey side extension that we will be doing)- I was in their kitchen and they have knocked though to make it a big kitchen diner and it makes such a difference. Their hall seems huge too compared with our current one and once ours is done it will be even bigger than theirs, so I am most excited! It was great being able to see it all in the flesh cos I find it really hard to visualise the space we will be adding. They have no probs with us putting scaffolding in their garden etc as they have been there done that.

Just need to inform the other neighbours now but no-one else will be directly affected, other than noise and lorrys etc. Did you all tell all your immediate neighbours and if so when? I think they will have had notifications in but I want to show them the plans and tell them the start date just to keep them sweet...

Just checking in

No action here

Good work with your windows vonny, and al v exciting for you annh

it's lovely sleeves to see neighbours who have had similar things done - to give an idea of space. most of our neighbours have done something so we have quite a good feel for what it will be like.

just waiting and waiting

oh yes mortgage going to complete beginning of july so that's done

Waiting seems like it goes on forever, doesn't it, ISNT? Then once work starts it all goes too fast...

Sleeves, sounds very exciting! Especially seeing neighbour's house. We're the first in our little row, so hard to imagine - plus, two doors down are doing a bigger one. I hope I don't regret keeping ours smaller, don't think I will though because I really do'nt want to lose more garden - a bigger garden was our main reason for moving! Re telling neighbours, we let ours know we were planning an extension and showed plans early on....then told them when we had a start date for the builders. Thats all. And we only told those on either side, because no one else is affected.

Our neighbour on the non-joined side (the ones who were upset, wanted us to make it lower, etc etc) has extended an olive branch . Well, seedlings, to be exact, and not olive - but YKWIM. Very nice.

Not much happening here either although I was out with a mate today who is using our builder for her extension and she said that they are bang on schedule and budget so that's reassuring to know

I start back at work tomorrow Can't believe where the year has gone.

But I can't be sad for too long otherwise there won't be any extension for us!

ISNT I'm crap at remembering but when are you starting again? Is it July too?

Lurker dropping in.... Elibean SO glad your neighbour is cheering up. I don't know if you remember but we were (are?) having probs with ours. Starting within the next month.

Courage and best of luck all you extenders.

Vonny et al so pleased to know stairs in not too traumatic and that windows are going to get sorted.

Sleeves thinking of you today back at work. Take it easy on the first day back.

Dukes sounds like we'll be starting at about the same time.
We're having a bit of hassle from the property manager responsible for our next door. He's kicking up a fuss about our proposed window. We think we'll need to leave it out, because we need to keep him sweet to get access. It's so annoying since we've already got planning permission for it.
But otherwise the builders are here on Thursday to go through the contract and everything else in detail.

Vonny glad the windows are being sorted

Hi all, well I survived the first day back at work... not in again til Friday so going to pretend I'm still on mat leave

FMAO what a pain about your next door, surely you will still be able to get access even if you keep the window in? Seems a bit unfair that you could lose a window, do you know why the guy is kicking up a fuss? And re your meeting to go through your contract, have you already received a copy and you are firming things up? We haven't got our contract yet so it would be good to know what process others have been through and what qu's you have asked.

I emailed our builder (who OMG I had a dirty dream about the other night- he is quite the dish ) to ask for an updated quote letter to include the extras I asked for (2 velux windows and our decking extended by a meter) and he emailed back to say that was fine, hooray!

We are still waiting to get our mortgage money through and that's about a month since we met the bank- must call them tomorrow....

Sleeves

About the contract, builders sent through a copy of JCT minor works contract, which is a standard contract they use in conjunction with their own terms of business and the detailed specification. I think we might able to make some ammendments to some clauses to suit our specific needs if necessary but I'll let you know more after our meeting.
We're going to go through the specifications again to specify every last detail, although of course there will be some minor changes along the way I'm sure.
I also want to talk about the logistics etc.
hope you get the mortgage

The fuss about the window is riduculous, he is being a real jobsworth in my opinion and we might lose the window but its not the end of the world since its for the (f)utility room so we can manage if necessary. Party wall agreement and access are more important to us.

ARGH.

I called the bank today to see where our new money is and they said the mortgage has been cancelled! During my flakey a few weeks ago (when DH & I weren't sure whether to go ahead with the extension) I had called the bank to enquire if it would be a possibility to cancel the mortgage should we wish to. He said there was no record of our application ie, we weren't in the system as yet so advised me to call the person who had been dealing with us at the bank. I called her and she wasn't in, then we decided to just go ahead with the extension so I didn't call back. Turns out the bank received our application the next day, but they had recorded that I said I wanted to cancel it (when I didn't say that at all), hence us never hearing from them again!

We have been approved etc and it's no problem to proceed now, but how bad is that that they just cancelled it?! I said we'd hold off a bit anyway since the building work won't happen til July, plus I do think we can get a better deal elsewhere. I thought (for various reasons) that we'd be best to stay with our current lender but I'm not so sure now. Plus I think I want the whole thing a fixed rate as I have the heebies about the economy & interest rates (we were going to have our existing mortgage as a variable one and the exetnsion money on a fixed rate). So I'm going to have a look at other options and get back to them.

Bloody bank!

Sorry to hear that Sleeves - banks are amongst the worst for crappy customer service - but if you end up with a better rate it might be a blessing in disguise.

I rang the planning office on monday morning as our planning decision meeting was last week, they called back and left a largely inaudible message but that DH and I both thought we could just about hear him say 'has been approved' so on that basis we told the builder that he could get started.

I'm somewhat relieved to see the website has finally been updated to approved now but while we wait for building regulations, we're going to go ahead with knocking the garage down this week (which means rehousing the boiler and washing machine.

Diggers arrive tomorrow.....

Congrats Mooki! That 'approved' on the website is worth celebrating, IMO Good luck with diggers and rehousing!

Sleeves, so sorry about the bank...honestly . We've had endless hassles with dh's bank (admin, mostly), I think they're just reluctant to part with large sums of money! I'm glad being back at work isn't too bad, big milestone...

Dukes, hello and thank you! Hows it going with your neighbours?

I went and visited the rubble that was our house yesterday, its very exciting (but still a bit scary). All the walls are built, steels in, now the roof is taking shape and they're placing the Velux windows today. I think we overdid it, we have 9 and our builder said 'um, why didn't you just glaze the whole thing?!'. Even more , we can't remember why. Never mind.

We were due to go away for half term, first holiday abroad in years, but dh has a very bad back (needs MRI) and BA are on strike and basically, ain't going to happen. I'm consoling myself with the fact that there's so much going on re extension now that we're better off being nearer home and on hand!

Well today I called a mortgage brokers and they said we should be fine to take out a new mortgage, I was worried that we might not be able to because we have just had a credit check when we applied for the remortgage at our current bank. She said people do that quite a lot esp if they have been approved for a mortgage then the sale of the house falls through.

I am pretty pissed off with my bank as they said that we would probably be turned down if we applied elsewhere (after having our credit checked as multiple credit checks look bad apparantly), so we decided to just stay with them. We were also wanting to keep our current mortgage and have the extension money as a second mortgage with them, as we have a great rate with our current mortgage (ad you can't have 2 mortgages in 2 different places). We were also going to have the option of borrowing back the overpayments we made in the past, should we have needed them, plus DH is self employed so they said it would be hard for him to certify his earnings on order to get a mortagge elsewhere. The woman at the bank made out that this was the way to go and we stupidly went with it, but I have since realised we'd be far better going with somewhere else because the mortgage broker did a search and found a mortgage of equivalent terms but for £100 less a month! We can also get it all in my name so DH's earnings don't even need to come into it!!!

Will def be switching now and thank F that I 'cancelled' the original one!

Still feel really stupid though...

Mooki, brill news that you have been approved!! Where are you going to put your washing machine? Ours will need moved too, thinking under the stairs temporarily?

Elibean, your work seems to be going so quickly! Sorry to hear about your holiday, how crap, are you covered by insurance?

Sleeves, I think it was all meant to be, don't give yourself a hard time! So glad its working out for the best.

Yes, thanks, I think we'll be ok on the holiday front...BA will probably have to refund our tickets if the strike goes ahead, and if it doens't we can re-book for any other time in the next year (autumn half term, I'd think). And the hotel we can cancel two days before. It wasn't a package deal, we did it online. Shame, though

Work feels very fast now - but I do remember, from the loft we did, that the building the shell part does feel quick. Its all the rest that seems to take forever! Now we're talking to window people, plumbers, choosing taps (omg what a minefield of choices) and splashbacks....

All the windows are in in the loft now. The landing is lovely and light due to the extra window we've put in between the first floor and the loft. The whole room is now plasterboarded, and the shower and tap arrived last week. the french doors look fab, very glad I persuaded DH that we had to have them! the builders have started work on the side extension now. Foundations have been dug, and the concrete is setting as I type!

I'd forgotten you were doing a side extension, Vonny....sounds as though we're doing similar work, the other way around. We're planning on doing our loft once we move in! You sound thrilled with yours, really glad.

Strangely, our extension feels bigger now that the roof is up (not tiled, but all timbers in place and covered up with tarp until Monday, when glass goes in window frames and tiles on remaining roof space). I think its because the roof is higher there than over the old kitchen area - feels great.

We have to choose slabs for the patio soon...builder is going to do that for us too. Thinking sandstone, very simple, any thoughts?! Never done this before...

Elibean, we're looking at sandstone for our patio as well! Great minds, eh?!

Just checking in

Nothing happening here

Good to hear all the things you are up to though!

Just checking in too. Not much happening here either but I'm going to try and arrange a new mortgage tomorrow so wish me luck it all goes well!

Oh actually, just remembered- DH's BIL gave us a brochure yesterday for taps, showers and radiators (he is a salesman for this company) and he can get us 70% off!

Some things have happened here but only meetings, no actual building!
Met with builder on Thursday, start date has been pushed back to 1st week of July, which actually suits a bit better than mid June.
Waiting for contracts to come through this week, and then we'll be committed!! (to the build not the asslym (sp?)

FMAO

Vonny, are you me?!

70% off taps is brill, they're so expensive! Just been choosing some...

Good luck Sleeves with the mortage.

Right, crikey. That's the garage gone then.

The washing machine is outside under a tarp, plumbed in to the outside tap. As it was new in December, I'm really hoping the good weather holds up.

The builder had been in and out a few times last week but rarely turned up when he said he was going to and generally without the thing he said he was going to bring.

I was all fired up to have an early doors 'this isn't going the way we hoped' discussion this morning but today he turned up early, with all the crew and the digger and the skip and worked through til 5.

How is it all going Mooki? Builder doing OK now after a rocky start?

The mortgage woman called today and said our mortgage was rejected ARRGGHHHHHHHHHHHH because the application was based on my salary alone (since DH is self employed and we thought it would be easier to do it this way- it was no problem doing that in our last application) and they don't think I can afford it. Well, obviously I can't pay the entire mortgage plus childcare myself- in reality DH pays half of course but that wasn't obvious from the application. So the mortgage lady said as long as DH has 2 years tax returns to prove his income we will be fine.

PHEW.

Although I won't celebrate until we have signed on the dotted line!

Hooray we have been approved for the mortgage! And we will be paying £100 less a month than the one we previously applied for

Just need to wait for all the paperwork to be done now....

PS where has everyone gone? It's so quiet on this thread at the mo...

Hurrah!!! Well done, Sleeves, on the mortgage - great news. It has been quiet recently, maybe lots of people are in that 'just waiting' and not wanting to think about it too much phase? Or, like me, up the eyes in pre-half term activity, flat out rushing around?!

Mooki, exciting and scary, whats the next bit?

I haven't seen ours since Sunday, but dh reports that the insulation is going in to the walls/roof, the electrician has done his first fix (after a flurry of questions about power points and circuits, most of which went right over my head ), and plaster board is about to go up on the inside and tiles on the outside. I'm enjoying seeing it happen so fast, and at the same time panicking about moving house, needing to sort out curtains/furniture/load of stuff we have in storage including excess white goods....oh, loads...

I can't DO anything about any of it yet, of course, hence the panic!