An extension build

Matt-Page said:
I've really enjoyed reading the progress on this, so thanks for sharing it. The space and finish look fantastic, you must be really pleased. The builder(s) have done a great job, so you've done well to find one that gives you a great end product.
Are you going to Pebble dash the external render of leave as it? I personally have a dislike for pebble dash, but might be difficult to tie the old into the new without doing it, particuarly around your side door! The kitchen looks really nice, and the worktops and flooring will make a massive difference.

This is something I'd consider at our next house if it isn't big enough... You've mentioned you have kids... How has this experience been with them? I can't imagine losing applicances/kitchen/sink/etc with kids, I suspect it would be very irritating and hard work!

Keep up the good work and updates.
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Thanks for the kind words mate. It's taken a fair bit of patience, a lot of money and a lot of work to even get it to this point.

We're not going to pebble dash it, no. We're going to paint it. We're continuing with a view that the render on the rest of the house is knackered anyway, and will need replacing. We'll look to match the render across the rest of the house when it's affordable, and paint the rest.

The kids have been unsettled, but haven't really kicked up a fuss. Their bedroom had a chimney breast removed, and has needed replastering and redecorating, and is in a bit of a state at the moment. A lot of their toys have been packed away to create the space, and there's a big hole for a soakaway in the garden, so they haven't been able to play out there for months. With all this born in mind, they've been fantastically patient really. We've made sure to take them out to parks to get their fresh air and exercise, but the convenience of having the garden right outside the door has been sorely missed. We're now trying to prioritise getting their bedroom sorted a bit, but the ceiling still needs skimming.

The worst bit was washing up and doing laundry. We've had 2 clothes horses and a dehumidifier on ALL SUMMER due to not having a washing line or tumble dryer, and we had to wash up in the bathroom for quite a few weeks, which made me feel like I was about to get Final Destination'd every time I went downstairs with a tray full of really sharp knives. I still hate the fact that we don't have a sink in there and have to use the downstairs loo to fill the kettle!

It's been a HUGE relief to have a dishwasher, a washing machine and tumble dryer all set up again. We've also been able to migrate all our tins / baking stuff / cutlery / plates / cupboard stuff from the lounge back in to the room, whilst still keeping the temporary work surface empty for templating.

We've just had the worktops templated today (dude with a fancy laser), so hopefully we're on schedule to get sinks / hob by the end of next week (maybe!), and a floor by end of w/c 19th September.
 
MInd if i ask roughly ballpark of how much this all cost and how long did you have to wait until work was carried out ?

I heard that if i was to get an extension, i may not even get the builders and material to start work next summer...
 
jonneymendoza said:
MInd if i ask roughly ballpark of how much this all cost and how long did you have to wait until work was carried out ?

I heard that if i was to get an extension, i may not even get the builders and material to start work next summer...
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Including the kitchen? Around £92,000.

We interviewed the builder the year before and trialled him with a smaller job of removing a chimney to see if we get on (we did, he's ace), and we then had to wait just over a year.
 
Karl said:
Including the kitchen? Around £92,000.

We interviewed the builder the year before and trialled him with a smaller job of removing a chimney to see if we get on (we did, he's ace), and we then had to wait just over a year.
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O OK cool so you just got a jack of all trades guy instead of finding a specialists who does chimney and another that does extensions?

Did you look at checker trader to find people or another source?
 
I think "jack of all trades" isn't exactly the right terminology. Any decent contractor will have a core of trades he employs / uses, then calls in any others he needs and he will coordinate and manage them.

You might get some who "specialise" in an area / work type such as loft conversions but most "building" work in a domestic setting is pretty straightforward without the need for specific specialist
 
{SAS}TB said:
I think "jack of all trades" isn't exactly the right terminology. Any decent contractor will have a core of trades he employs / uses, then calls in any others he needs and he will coordinate and manage them.

You might get some who "specialise" in an area / work type such as loft conversions but most "building" work in a domestic setting is pretty straightforward without the need for specific specialist
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What he said.

There are 3 of them - One guy who does electrics, gas, plumbing and a bit of carpetry, one who does labouring, and one who does brick laying, carpentry, plumbing, plastering and rendering. Between the three of them, they cover all services off.

I had real trouble finding a builder who'd even return a call, let alone provide a quote, but got lucky with this one through word of mouth from a series of neighbours who have all had good experiences with him. If you see someone who's had work done lately who lives nearby, might be worth being balshy and knocking and asking.
 
Karl said:
What he said.

There are 3 of them - One guy who does electrics, gas, plumbing and a bit of carpetry, one who does labouring, and one who does brick laying, carpentry, plumbing, plastering and rendering. Between the three of them, they cover all services off.

I had real trouble finding a builder who'd even return a call, let alone provide a quote, but got lucky with this one through word of mouth from a series of neighbours who have all had good experiences with him. If you see someone who's had work done lately who lives nearby, might be worth being balshy and knocking and asking.
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So no point looking into checkertrader etc? just word of mouth etc?
 
jonneymendoza said:
Did you look at checker trader to find people or another source?
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Anyone can setup a chekatrade account and whack on a few positive reviews.

My brothers mate has a very well reviewed chekatrade account and me brother wouldn't trust him to change a lightbulb lol :p

Takes minimal effort to setup a new one AFAIK

Word of mouth is the way to go, I've got a few up here I would recommend and a few I would tell people to steer well clear of

If said business isn't willing to take a small payment on CC to allow for S75 then typically set them aside
 
~Divine~Wind~ said:
Anyone can setup a chekatrade account and whack on a few positive reviews.

My brothers mate has a very well reviewed chekatrade account and me brother wouldn't trust him to change a lightbulb lol :p

Takes minimal effort to setup a new one AFAIK

Word of mouth is the way to go, I've got a few up here I would recommend and a few I would tell people to steer well clear of

If said business isn't willing to take a small payment on CC to allow for S75 then typically set them aside
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Lol Ahh ok cool thanks. I know someone already but he already pre booked for the whole year..
 
Karl said:
Annoyingly, that’s more of a good sign tbh. Anybody who’s available for projects immediately is a bit more suspicious
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Yea I assume so.

I wanted to start renovation work as soon as i get the keys but it's proving to be difficult.

I can at least get the rewiring done as soon as possible as I) a family friend who I have known since I was a kid is a electrician and I called him up about how much notice I need to book him and he said around a month
 
Yeah best to book the big things in and then you have time to do other stuff while you wait. I trust you'll be posting your own build log? :)
 
jonneymendoza said:
Lol Ahh ok cool thanks. I know someone already but he already pre booked for the whole year..
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Unfortunately this is normally the way with the ones that do decent work as they get recommended via word of mouth a lot.
If it's a small job I always let them know I'm happy to have the work done whenever and if they get a cancellation or anything they can just rock up.
 
Hello!

Progress has been a lot slower over the last few weeks. The builder has moved on to other jobs, and we’ve been left with a few outstanding bits that I wanted to get done before I bothered putting some more pictures up - the updates would’ve been “painted that bit of skirting” :D

I’ll do one in the middle of next week which should be a decent step forward from the last photos! :)
 
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