Extension quotations

Russinating

Russinating

Russinating

Soldato
Joined
27 Dec 2005
Posts
17,316
Location
Bristol
We're moving home soon into somewhere that would benefit from an extension, and it would make sense to do this as a first priority rather than decorating/doing other work prior.

We're pretty sure about what we want, which is basically what a house on another street has had. It's a relatively small extension - approx 20m/sq, with only one wall that's currently not there - with patio doors and two sky lights in that area, plus an existing doorway being closed up and a window added into an existing wall (where an old door currently is).

What's the best way to go about getting some rough quotes before we move in and without them seeing the place? We don't want to get 10 builders round, only for half to be way over our budget just because of their standard daily rate, and also we don't want to get 10 round to only discover we can't afford any and we need to delay the build by at least a year (which would be a waste of everyone's time).

I've had good experiences with RatedPeople and the like but for a larger job like this are they suitable or not really?

Also I want to do as much as I can as possible, including flooring, plastering (if I do ok in the other rooms that all need doing) and anything else I can manage. Will builders laugh and say they'll do all or nothing, or will they be quite happy to just do the shell/windows/electrics?
 
Hi mate,

We found ourselves in a similar position to you where we found a house but it needed work to make it right for us.

We went onto some websites and had little luck, but then asked friends an family if they could recommend people and had much more success that way. Might be worth asking on Facebook if anyone knows a decent builder, a recommendation from a client is always good!

Re prices, Clifton is quite and expensive area i believe so you may pay a little over the odds there, we were quoted roughly £1400 a sq/m for the ground floor and £800 sq/m on the first floor. Thats in Leamington Spa.

I have a thread in here asking for ideas regarding the layout. But as an estimate the works detailed in the plans in my thread we were given an estimate of £34k.
 
Thanks guys. I actually got my original measurement wrong and it's only 8.5m/sq. Normal quides I've seen online are approx £1000/sqm, but what could I expect if that was without plastering or flooring? It'll be rough, I know.

It'll be a dining room too so minimal plumbing, just one radiator at most.
 
I had a very similar sized extension done, just under 9sq meters.

I think I had 1.5 meter depth foundations, and cost £11000, without electrics, plastering. Just a basic shell.

This included a velux, three windows, and a new drainage pipe added for a sink.

Add another £1500 for finishing inc. electrics.
 
I wouldn't touch rated people - good tradesmen don't need to use those websites they'll be booked solid by word of mouth alone.

You could ask the neighbour who did their extension, or phone up some local builders and ask to see examples of their work or get references.

No reputable builder would ever quote a job without seeing it or seeing some plans fyi and remember - pay peanuts, get monkeys.
 
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pitchfork said:
I wouldn't touch rated people - good tradesmen don't need to use those websites they'll be booked solid by word of mouth alone.

You could ask the neighbour who did their extension, or phone up some local builders and ask to see examples of their work or get references.

No reputable builder would ever quote a job without seeing it or seeing some plans fyi and remember - pay peanuts, get monkeys.
Click to expand...

Agree, I went to a neighbour who was doing an extension, was impressed with the work the builders had done and used them.
 
Currently building a house myself and built extensions before. One thing to keep in mind is the extra fees. Up to around 15k for the house we are doing, although much more than an extension. This is for planning, architect to transfer hand drawings to CAD, engineer calculations, council fees, building control etc.

Also check what trees you have close by and their distance to the foundations. Certain trees have more of an impact than others and will result in you having to dig down a lot deeper and so more cost for concrete. Similarly check for drains and sewers under where you want to dig, relocating or changing a run adds work and so cost.

For building control and getting your work checked off you can use independent companies which also offer guarantees however due to this they tend to be stricter and ott, opting for the council service has actually proved to us to be easier.

For a quote, could not say without seeing plans and the location as a builder there should not without seeing both. Have you considered building it yourself? If just one new wall and I guess single storey? Shouldn't be too much to get a shell up with a solid or suspended floor, guessing solid. Would save a fair bit on labour costs, although off set against most likely taking longer.
 
Are you talking ground floor only?

*thinking outside the box here*

If it is, and you sound like you're competent enough you could look at an alternative to a brick extension anyway. You could look at a nice wood framed design, lots of ways for walls/plaster/insulation etc to be used and more cheaply than brick.

The only thing you'd really need help with would be the sky lights (depends if you're going flat or slanted roof) and the electrics. You could technically do everything else yourself.

Existing doorway if its internal, stud wall, plaster board, plaster and its done.
 
How does wood compare to brick in terms of, well, everything; insulation, value, stability, longevity, regulatory etc?

I wouldn't be confident enough doing a brick extension, though I've seen a few blogs and DIY builds, but I wouldn't want it to fall down 20 years later :p.
 
A timber framed building will typically give you fantastic insulation as there's no cold bridging issues and you can fill the frame with insulation, we build houses with 140mm timber frame stuffed full of insulation then 80mm kingspan cooltherm insulation on the outside, 50mm cavity then brick clad. 140mm insulation beneath the screed and 400mm of loft insulation with low U value windows typically triple glazed.

If we have a decent MVHR system we only need one oil filled rad somewhere to heat the house.

These are LA houses for rent, the typical LA spec is much higher than the typical PD spec except the finishes, if you're not worried a private sale on a LA estate is great value for ongoing running costs.
 
Having built 1000's of homes with UFH I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole or your dirty todger, when it goes wrong it goes wrong in a big way and all and any saving is peed down the drain.

I'd be looking at massive insulation, air source heat and a decent MVHR. With a log burner for effect.
 
I'm having trouble finding people to get quotes from for this. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I'm not from Bristol so have no family here, and all my friends either don't own or have never used a builder. I posted the job on RatedPeople and haven't heard anything from anyone. I even asked a client who's a building project manager and it's too small for them and he couldn't recommend anyone else.

A bit stuck, short of just Googling for random companies. And if it comes to that, what should I look for?
 
post the exact info you want quoting for, I know someone that might be able to quote on it for you. Very good, been working for others but is starting on his own and i'm lookingat him to work on mine. Does a lot of "alternative/green" stuff too.
 
Thanks, if you could.

We're looking to construct an 8.5m/sq extension to the side of an existing kitchen on to what is currently a concrete paved space of the garden, connecting the kitchen to the living room behind. The far right wall of this will connect to the neighbouring house's exterior wall.

We're just looking for shell/first fix and windows, including patio doors, two sun tunnels and a window where the existing exterior kitchen door currently is. Plumbing wise there'll just be one radiator on the far right wall.

We're keen on a flat roof but happy to take advice on this.

And a basic sketch of the extension. Top exterior wall is approx 2.2m, right interior/attached to neighbour's exterior wall is approx 4.0m.

3oA2eOq.png


We'll hopefully move in mid-Nov when we'll get people round to actually inspect and quote, just after ball parks at the moment for rough budgeting.
 
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