Project: Two storey/part single storey side and rear extensions

[kai]

I think its less about the paint on the hinge and more about the 2 missing screws....

It's just more general care and attention all round and gave these as examples. At the moment, we have so many snag's. This evening we come home tonight to find our floor thresholds 4 inches away from doors downstairs! (also the colour match appears is not great but that can be easily changed). Every single threshold is different. Different sides, under or like this one not even close!

 

[kai]

That one looks like the floorer had assumed door this side of the jams, so assume the door wasn't fitted when the floors were laid?
Thats bad project management, or rather trades management.

Correct like 6 weeks apart plus because of poor project management. They are now on about putting frames inside of frames as a solution and dropping doors down (ordering new) from 34' inches doors to 30. Otherwise to correct the entire downstairs entry would need to come out (being a major job)

 

[kai]

Maybe but I think that picture is from bottom of the stairs so the room inside that door is the play room which is a narrow area (where the extension gap would allow movement) compared to the long length from up near the dining room to this point which doesn't seem likely to have an expansion joint.
If that makes sense.

This is correct. The main living area has no thresholds and is around 80SQM or so; its just the play room and snug that have the thresholds. The playroom could have been avoided but yet again it was a breakdown in communcation and different trades doing 1st and 2nd fix etc with zero project management by the developer.

Would you accept Kai's floor?

I would absolutely not accept it, I can't believe someone thought that was OK. That's not even a snagging issue. Seriously, what the ****?

I am not; the actual gap is 4.5 inches away from the door. The developer is on his way up but from what i can gather from the trades here today, he sees no issue and there is nothing that can be done. I'll await with baited breath. Either way, i have the the wording what a threshold should be "Door thresholds are located at the bottom of a doorway and are the transition space between one door and another." NOT a hop skip and jump away.

Stay tuned!!!

 

[kai]

Are you not concerned with the bit of the stairs just stuck out into the floor next to the door.

Also doorway means the whole door jamb area so technically it is okay but i agree it looks terrible and should be sorted.

No, it actually looks alright, to be fair. Plus, we are going to have a carpenter install some type of rounded bullnose in the not-so-distant future, as we are planning to cap the stairs with oak.

Indeed, all the talk of smaller doors etc. I would just move the jam out and the door to follow.
Would be a restricted opening that way however. (Its going to be limited to 90 degrees)

He presented us with two options:

1. Stripping the floor right back.
2. Moving the door forward, reducing its size from 33' to 30', with the strip positioned under the door and not visible when closed.

We chose option 2 because we want this project to conclude and the developer out of our lives.

 

[kai]

The meeting today unfolded very differently from my expectations; firstly, he apologized for the poor workmanship to date and admitted he was to blame for many of the issues. This marks the first time he has ever admitted fault, and said he has left one guy go.

He began by stating, "This is not the standard of my work," and mentioned that he spent yesterday reconciling, revealing that we are currently around £2,800 over budget. HOWEVER, we are still awaiting the arrival of the front doors, which is the major obstacle preventing us from moving in. They were supposed to arrive yesterday, but nothing has come yet. He apologized for the delay and claimed to have ordered PVC (although we doubt the truth of this claim). He expressed willingness to complete the project, waive all apparent over-budget costs, and arrange for new composite doors along with a new timeframe. Plus getting the bathroom complete and juilet balcony in by end of play next week. (Again we are optimistic)

The meeting went well, he is doing the bathroom as we speak and doing snagging etc. We left the meeting on fairly resonable good terms compared to the huge shouting matches of late.

30 minutes later, i get a phone call can a couple come round to look at the house as a reference

 

[kai]

I hope you point them in the direction of this thread!

To a certain extent i told them just be careful. Young couple, super excited to start the project (My wife and I was exactly like them back in April 23).

Door thresholds would not bother me so much, but that sticky out bit of wood is going to get stubbed toes galore over the years. Also don't settle for wobbly tower rads, those things can weigh a ton when filled, and if you have kids, you don't want them coming down if they decide to hang off them.

Door thresholds are being fixed, and the "sticky wood out bit" will be used as i am going have the step made into a bull-nose and rounded with oak caps (when this guy has gone).

 

[kai]

It's not finished yet, but we are starting to bring in stuff for the kitchen area. Apart from the door threshold work, everything is complete apart from the snagging. Play room, downstairs toilet and snug are also 99% complete; including office knock-through.

 

[kai]

What the actual ****.

You have given him a reference after what you have been through? Seriously? Look back at the content of your posts - have some decency and tell them the truth.

You owe the builder nothing, certainly not a reference to an unexpecting couple. Absolute hippocrite.

Firstly i should have given more context. I have to be careful what i say as there stuff going on legally. I did NOT give a reference; i refused. I said we can discuss at the end when i have all my outstanding materials and signed off. I still need to walk the line as there are still big ticket items left.


I told the developer this and he assured me they just wanted to see a roof lantern and the glass for the bedroom. The couple showed up actually unexpected as i had just told the developer within minutes of that conversation they were at the door.

I said i would not discuss our journey or provide any type of postive feedback and said you can make of that what you wish, just “be careful” with your decision. I showed some photos and outlined my timeline.

I said “enough” and provided what i felt would be red flags, what they decide with that information is on them.

 

[kai]

You have allowed his potential new client into your home to look around - this would give the impression that you endorse the builder.

Probably similarly to the property that you viewed prior to taking on the builder.

Stockholm syndrome much?

Very, very different conversation and tone. As I have said above, it might have been no less than 5 minutes before putting the phone down and someone at the door.

I was not going to turn them away. I told them factual information. They can do what they want but i personally would have not made the same decision again if i had had that intro.

 

[kai]

Kitchen looks great.

Where's the sofa from?

Was one side of the bi-folds existing? The handles (and hinges) are different styles, colours and heights?

The sofa is from DFS. It's the Nuela range.

Nuela Leather Left Hand Facing Arm Open End Corner Sofa | DFS

The effortlessly cool Nuela adds a touch of luxury to any room, with its stylish slim feet, sleek lines and leather upholstery.

www.dfs.co.uk

It's been wrapped up and stored so it needs the leather heated and stretching. Super comfy and it's pretty big, something like 10ft x 7ft.

Yes they are existing doors we utilized. The handle will be changed to a larger white and should be pretty difficult to easily detect. There is also a slight height difference.

They are PVC whereas the new are aluminium. Just seemed a waste of money to replace these are they are only a couple of years old.

 

[kai]

Kitchen looks good. Im surprised there's only one set of sockets though. Do you not plug much in?

I thought kitchen island would have some of those.

Me too. It could be that they've just got a lot better and more discrete than when i had one installed around 12 years ago, but that worktop looks solid all round.

There are lots of sockets hidden that you are unable to see (i.e. larder) as we wanted a really minimalist work suface look (no clutter) ; we also have sockets built into cupboards, larders etc. The island also has 4 sockets locked under and around with USB C / USB and Cat5e there if needed.

 

[kai]

We are very close to completing the journey home now. Most of the weekend was spent moving everything back into the house and arranging the new furniture. However, we can't officially move in yet without the front doors, as our insurance is would be void. Everything is still on the developers insurance

At the moment, everything feels a bit tarnished, and we're unable to fully enjoy this process. But as many have said, with time, all the problems we've faced will soon be forgotten. I'm also happy to see how closely my designs have matched the end product, especially considering I created them over a year ago. We have a few rooms left to be completed, artwork and the wife to go crazy with throws and cushions but we are within touching distance on the internal changes. Outside there is still a lot left to happen. This week's plan is the new master bathroom to tiled floor to ceiling and fitted.

Render:

Finished:

Dinning Render:

Finished:

Kitchen/TV Render

Nearly Finished

Utility Render:

Finished (Nearly):

M.Bedroom:

 

[kai]

How are things progressing in the home stretch @kai

Slow; still very little progress. It's like one step forward - two back.

Have you got a front door yet? Hows the snagging going? Need more pics of the epic back garden and view.

Of course, it's the same old excuses. We're now being told from the 4th of March onwards for the doors. We're really running out of time here. Over the weekend, we had friends over as a mini house warming, and for the first time, we actually spent time in the house other than doing DIY as a family. However, it was so cold, even with the heating on, as we have a draft blowing in from the OSB door.

I will do some pictures now as they are currently tiling a bathroom.

 

[kai]

@Mr.Stu

This was the orginal entrance back in 2014 to today.

This weekend, I also worked on installing wall panels for my office. Interestingly, the door into my office wasn't part of the original architecture plan, but it was mentioned in this thread before work began by @dlockers (thank you). We discussed the idea of having a door made into the office without the need for going outside, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions we made, ultimately changing the plan for the better.

 

[kai]

We did not implement an internal door to our garage conversion office. The garage is semi-internal (hangs off the side of the main house). Main benefit being ability to completely sound isolate the office. My wife and kids can be inside having a party and I can still be on important calls etc. Also quite like the work/life separation, shut the door, and done for the night. Never find myself tempted to browse work stuff past 5pm. Swings and roundabouts I suppose, when it rains I get wet going to "work"

I added the acoustic panels to improve sound quality (that was my excuse ), but truthfully, I really appreciate not having to go outside anymre. So far, it's been quiet, especially since it's connected to the utility room. It's also more convenient during the evenings, considering i don't have the best work-life balance due to role . Now, popping in quickly to do emails late at night is a lot more feasible and convenient.

 

[kai]

[

... you have a terrace/balcony outside your bedroom full length doors .. or it's locked for now.
]

Glass balcony to go in (another high ticket item) we are holding out for. It's around £1,200, we looked before making a decision to end contract and finish ourselves as they are 3M sliders. Another reason we are hesitant not to move in especially with a 2 year old.

 

[kai]

We've reached a breaking point where we simply can't endure any more delays. Each day, we find ourselves chasing after our front doors, with only around 10 days left before we need to officially move out and effectively become homeless.

Today's excuse was that he wasn't feeling well and was lying down, so he couldn't follow up on our doors. We're extremely hesitant to move in without the doors, as our insurance would be void. We're considering giving an ultimatum tomorrow: if the doors aren't here by Friday, we'll source them from a different supplier and withhold that amount from the payment if he is not happy we are going end the contract and cut ties. These are doors that were supposedly ordered before December.

This week, they've been working on our young daughter's bathroom. From a distance, it looks good. However, our priority right now is getting those doors installed.

Can’t say I’m happy with the finishes. Is this normal? To have a toilet so far away from the wall they are using copper pipe

The boxing in also leaves a lot to be desired of lack of.

 

[kai]

Dam! neighbours have just knocked the door to say they have spotted rat's around the property. It's a small private street so we are all pretty close and friendly with everyone but it was really awkward. I said i will contact the developer this morning as he keeps promising to clear the rubbish but every day has an excuse. It's been like this since after January.

This is not the first time we have had this issue; we have had a complaint as it's been a lot worse but' our focus has been getting him to complete. I think paying a removal company myself would cost a lot of money as it's a double drive full with rubbish, stacked high with items such as old bathrooms etc.

 

[kai]

Is the soil stack coming out the wall or the floor in the bathroom? If it is the wall I can't understand why the toilet is forward from the wall? I am guessing the sink waste goes into a boss on the toilet pan connector?

I'm guessing the black pipe is the drain for the sink unit, but since the toilet is a solid pan, they have had to move it forward to run a straight pipe out the side of the sink unit and hence the toilet is moved forward to allow the pipe to travel to the waste pipes in the corner...

Shocking finishing and smacks of poor planning whoever was fitting it.

Should have the waste pipe under the floor into the corner waste then the toilet could go back against the wall. Just very poor planning all round from the fitter.

Even the radiator valve sticking out, rather than 90 degrees against the wall is poor. That's just waiting for someone to smash their shin off it when in/around the toilet.

There was a leak in the toilet so they have changed the pan fitting; this new flexi opposed to old solid soil pipe has allowed them to get it closer to the toilet not perfect but closer and they have built like a mini shelf so you can;t see when the toilet is fitted. After this it turns out the toilet is leaking and has a crack so it now needs to be replaced :x

 

[kai]

You live on a woodland - you'll get rats

Yes, but not actively encouraging them by dumping rubbish and food outside across the drive. All good for a few weeks but its been like this since Christmas. We are talking above window height of endless, bags and bags of rubbish