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?

said that's a hard one... do you like where you are? Neighbours good? Would it cost more to move or stay? We thought about moving but we really like where our house is, our neighbours are great (and we moved here to get away from hellish neighbours so that's v important to us), we like the garden and for us to move to a bigger house here would cost way more than to extend.

Re the process taking ages it does actually go in quite fast, we started it in November last year and are hopefully starting building works May / June.

Thanks re door opinions, a wooden door it is then! There are some lovely ones out there whereas the PVC ones do look pretty crap. All the PVC ones we've had are hard to close properly at times (MIL's never stays shut unless it's locked!). Sorry to hear of your burglary vonnyh, how awful!

sweetkitty exciting re architect coming, just think of your shiny new kitchen to get through it all!

hello! been silent for a while, getting on with work (ie job!) and haven't done much about the house. But I asked my dad for a kick up the arse and he found me a surveyor, who is coming tomorrow!!

Decided not to bother with an architect. Not worth it for a small extension under permitted development rules - we're a mid terrace in a 50s ex council estate so I want to keep costs down as anything too ladidah will not pay for itself come sale time. Thinking of the 'ceiling value' that this place could ever achieve - we will do things to a standard that we will enjoy, but I'm not putting in a Poggenpohl kitchen or Porcelanosa cloakroom set! Have got my eye on remote control Velux windows though...

Have done some demolishing though, to clear the way... I'm having two weeks off work at the moment just to chill out at home, and so far we have looked at flooring, multi/bi-fold patio doors, and the aforementioned Velux. On Saturday I lifted 7 rows of paving slabs outside the back which shows the size the extension is going to be, and this morning I took down a brick barbecue and raised bed thing (easy to smash up - can't have been all that sturdy and wasn't big enough to grow anything in anyway).

So, for the princely sum of £1k, this surveyor is going to take us through to building regs approval. Just got to find some builders and other trades to tender for bits of the work and then get cracking!! The first thing we are going to do on BR approval is put in a utility room inside the existing house where the back door currently is - plumbing and venting won't inhibit use of the back door but will enable us to buy a dishwasher. Also going to put in a water pipe for one of those American fridge freezers that make ice. Anybody know if you need an outflow too?

Also, has anyone had a gas meter moved? or significant external gas pipe work? I'm presuming that it is Transco who have to do work between main and meter. Are they reasonable? How far in advance should I make contact?

getting excited now!

Another vote here for a wooden door sleeves Said it's a difficult decision. Sleeves advice is good, but if it helps I'm still going through the dilemma of "are we doing the right thing?" or should we move, even though we haven't really looked for other houses.

Had a bit of annoying news at the weekend, I asked one potential builder about contracts and he's basically said he's not interested in our work now. He said he's now got work until August (which might be true) but said good luck with your project. I think he was put out by the talk of a contract. Am a bit annoyed because he was probably our cheapest option and came recommended by friends. I'm a bit worried that we can't find a good value builder who works to a contract. The other ones we've asked for quotes for, do do contracts but their initial estimates were rather scary and detailed quotes are only going to be bigger I'm sure. It's made me question the whole thing and we haven't even started yet
Enough of my insecure fretting

Lexilicous you sound like you've been busy

Thanks freezing and ilys. It's my fault for looking at Rightmove. Our neighbours here are lovely and I do really value that. One of the other houses is much bigger and detached but is in need of some work and on a main road - so I can discount it on that basis. But I'm really curious about it. The other is a bigger semi which has already been updated with some of the extension work we want. All roads are nearby. Aargh! I honestly don't know if moving would be much more expensive than extending but I could do without the hassle and can't be sure we could sell this house quickly.

Bad news about your builder freezing, what a pain.

freezing that thing about the builder must be really disappointing and upsetting.

I wonder how many of them do work with contracts. All this sort of stuff is beyond my ken really, I am sure that people "in the know" like our neighbours do all sorts of special deals and don't pay vat and stuff and probably don't do contracts but if you don't live in that world you have to do it how you think it needs to be done, don't you. Otherwise you've no recourse.

I feel for you.

At this end we have been on the IKEA kitchen planner thing and designed a kitchen, and are waiting for some more samples of flooring from amtico for this "different flooring in kitchen area" idea.

Also had another builder round, he said he can give us a ball park figure only from the planning drawings, it will take a couple of weeks. Am hoping that it will be expensive so that we can just use the bloke we want to use!

Said you probably need to write down all the costs nvolved with extending V moving too, remember it's not just the material costs as such but moving will involve lots with lawyers fees, possible stamp duty, estate agents, removal costs etc. Mind you, extending has a lot of hidden costs too, we have paid £5k so far with no work started yet!

freezing that's carp re the builder! Are there any recent extensions near by where you could chap on the door and ask for a recommended builder? My guy for example gets 9 out of 10 of his jobs via personal recommendation and he's not easily found in the yellow pages. Have you tried mybuilder.com? I went on there with an advert for builders for our extension and loads contacted me, I didn't go with any but lots gave me ballpark figures for our work. People who have used them rate them so it's good to see what they are like and you would be able to contact their previous jobs.

lexi wow you have had a busy few days! Sounds like you know your stuff and are well prepared. We are moving our elec meter for the princely sum of £400 and that's only to move / extend cables, we need to get our builder to install the new meter and excavate etc. I think they need lots of notice for the work (not sure how long but prob at least 4 weeks ish for elec and from what I've heard the gas people take even longer, you'd better call them soon!). Oooo and i'm interested in your remote controlled velux! We are getting a velux but I didn't even know they could be controlled remotely...

No news from me apart from that I got my Wickes catalogue today, so sad that I am excited about that lol.

Oooooo update from me! Just checked the council website and we have planning permission!

Still no decision re building warrant but I'm hoping that will follow soon? So I can now contact the builder and agree a date for work to start!

HOORAY!!!!!!!!

god i wish we weren't all anon and could nose each others plans

but we are.

ISNT why don't we all take photos of our plans with no identifying info on them IYSWIM? Then put them on our profile? I am so nosy to see others plans too and find it so hard to visualise them.

Won;t they be teeny tiny if they're on profiles? I thought what a fab idea and then thought, I'll need my glasses!

Something like flickr would do it (we could link to the large size of the photo concerned).

We went to see a nearly completed extension v similar to ours just down the road and designed by the same architect yesterday - it was gorgeous. Really excited now.

Does anyone else just love looking at house plans on rightmove? I thought I was the only saddo

I have to admit it is quite exciting redesigning your house, putting windows/doors and walls where you want them. I am trying not to think about it all as we may not get planning permission but the architect seems hopeful.

The way our house sits on it's plot it means that we will be building about 500mm away from our neighbours fence which the architect doesn't see as a problem but I am a bit about. We have more space at the other side but if we went that way it would mean virtually redoing the whole side of the house. DP thinks the house will look squashed against the neighbours but I think it's the price we pay for the space we want, moving to a house that looks "nice" on the outside and has the same sort of space we would have will cost upwards of 125K more. There will be 6 of us living here as well.

If we do get permission it will mean another third on the side and back of the house. The front of the extension will have a small office room, the kitchen will be knocked through into the second third with a utility room coming off of it into the back third IYSWIM? A playroom will occupy the other back part. Upstairs we will knock through the box room to gain an access corridor to a large back bedroom then two single bedrooms to the side, don't need any more bathrooms as we have 3 already and I think that's enough.

Yes, yes, yes to obsessively researching floor plans on Rightmove!

sweetkitty have a look on your council website - ours is v good about planning and has teh guidelines.

We has to leave 1m between the house and the boundary on the not-semi side - we tried for 75cm and were turned down.

Of course it differs hugely what is allowed in each area.

thanks will have a look, I know when our across the road neighbour had hers done she didn't leave enough room for a wheelie bin (they are now outside her front window ) ours is detached though so no wheelie bin issues

We will only have 25cm between our extension and the neighbours fence and we have just got PP so it must be fine. Mind you, it's the fence and not the neighbours house which is another meter or so beyond their fence so it won't look too squashed.

I'll see if I can figure out some way of getting my plans on here so you can see & give me any advice!

OK I've put my (tiny) plans on my profile page if anyone wants a look....

Thanks for the plans sleeves, I could only really see the elevations but it looks exciting. From what I can see you are adding quite a lot of space.

Just thinking the only other way to share plans and be able to see them is to link to any documents on the planning websites, but that would give any anonymity (sp?) which people might not want to do understandably.

Well, surveyor chap came and toned down some of my wilder excesses yesterday...

Wanted to open out the kitchen as wide as possible where the window currently is but to one side (currntly inside a cupboard) is the gas meter and the water min riser. It would apparnelty cost 400 just to call out the gas people and I hadn't even noticed the water main. So we are having a wide lintel for the open plan access but there will still be a unit on one side so it won't be as wide at floor level IYSWIM.

Also, I wanted a sun tunnel into the utility room which would otherwise have no natural light. Bit expensive though and 'borrowed' light from an internal window will do the trick.

I forget the rest... awaiting plans now, prob next week.

Lexi- we have a similar problem, we want to knock down our kitchen wall as wide as possible but on the other side of part of the wall is a cupboard with the fusebox on it. We hummed and hawed about whether to keep about a meter of wall so that the fusebox didn't need moved (saving £££) but in the end I decided to just get it moved cos part of the main reason for our extension is to have a big wide open plan kitchen diner and that wouldn't work if we still had a huge section of wall there. PITA tough!

I called the council re our planning permission and they confirmed that it has been granted The building warrant guy said they are only waiting to hear from our structural engineer and if all is fine then we will get our BW in a few weeks time.

Tomorrow we have an appt with the bank for a remortgage- we need to borrow an extra £90k ARGHHH. I am a bit worried about the massive hike in mortgage payments but I think it should be doable. It will be tough for a few years but fine once the DS's go to school and there are no childcare costs. I'm still not 100% sure what deal to take- fixed rate or tracker?????? I'm thinking fixed for 4 years for peace of mind though as that will be til DS2 is at school. What do folk think?

So of all goes well and we get the money I will be able to call the builder and book him officially for next month OMG!

Meant to say PITA though oops

sleeves We're in the exact same position as you . We heard today that the structural engineer has sent his stuff through to the building control people so should be all through and ready to build in 5 weeks time.

Really really really need dh to get a job NOW. It will soon be the thing stopping our building starting.

Arrgggh
Just had call from our architect about getting party wall agreement from the next door property which is essentially a car park for the local church. Apparently there are concerns about our proposed new window because it means we will have access to sunlight from the next door property

I'm hoping this is just a misunderstanding but seriously objecting to someone getting more daylight? WTF

Freezing Seriously, they're complaining you're accessing their daylight? WTF does that mean? You get that daylight now on your property, you just want it inside and not outside.

Stealing daylight?????

Am so jealous of all you with planning permission, I cannot even get excited yet as we are still at the very early stages. Architect was hopeful though. He said for all the planning/scructural stuff/his fees it will be about 2K before we start, I think this is quite good, he also said that this would invole him still being involved i.e. periodically checking the build etc

ilikeyousleeves - like you we will be 500mm away from neighbours fence not their actual house which is another metre beyond that but it is their side wall IYSWIM?