Extension plans (one day a build thread!) - thoughts

[paulrockliffe]

This a bit left-field, but have you considered getting your neighbour fully on board and knocking both your houses down and building both from scratch?

You would need some sort of legal guarantee to make sure you're not each left with problems if the other has unforseen money or other circumstances, but when you factor in not having to do all the steel work and the economy of scale from building two rather than one, it might end up being a better option.

[Muncher]

Legend83 said:

Question - should one go with the architect's recommended structural engineer to a) not ruffle architect feathers; and b) ensure familiarity and continuity between specialist trades?

Or should I get other quotes?

I have always gone with people recommended by my architect, they tend to use the same people for a reason, because they're good/cheap and they can get on well together.

[Legend83]

AC43 said:

Edited by AC43 on Saturday 18th October 10:33

Edited by AC43 on Saturday 18th October 10:33

Edited by AC43 on Saturday 18th October 10:34

Thanks for the comments.

I tend to agree with the bathroom, particularly given we will have our own en-suite - it seems a bit unfair to impose our aesthetic wishes on the children in what will effectively be their bathroom!

Re the loft, that is the long term plan but unfortunately funds do not permit at present. We will be boarding it out and doing some preparatory work up front.

[Legend83]

Muncher said:

I have always gone with people recommended by my architect, they tend to use the same people for a reason, because they're good/cheap and they can get on well together.

Then I will do this.

[Legend83]

Just to move this on a bit I now have planning permission and building plans drawn up and have the build out to tender. Final plan below (except I want to move the door to bedroom 3 to the top of the stairs as it wastes room space being in the middle):



We are resigned to the fact that this is likely to be a £150k+ job but it would likely cost at least twice the price to move in the area we live. We love the house and want to stay so are willing to go through the pain of effectively rebuilding the damn thing!

Thoughts?

[Legend83]

So bit of a reality check as our first quote came in on Saturday morning...(caveats - he prices to worst-case / top-spec scenario so there is room for savings; Harpenden-premium presumably applied)...

£160k exc VAT (not including kitchen and fitting of, furnishings, cost of moving out etc..)

Stroke-inducing.

[barryrs]

Ouch; especially as i have just built a 2 bed house from scratch for £85k inc fees.

[Legend83]

barryrs said:

Ouch; especially as i have just built a 2 bed house from scratch for £85k inc fees.

Oh god, don't rub it in!

[Muncher]

Legend83 said:

Oh god, don't rub it in!

£130k inc VAT for my build, which was a virtually entirely new 5 bed, 3 bathroom place, but then there was a lot of unpaid graft in that!

[hornetrider]

Legend83 said:

£160k exc VAT (not including kitchen and fitting of, furnishings, cost of moving out etc..)

My 4 bed detached with double garage build cost on the insurance is about that!

[TA14]

Is that about £2,500/m2? (£200K inc vat for 80m2?) That is a lot.

[Too Late]

Muncher said:

Legend83 said:

Oh god, don't rub it in!

£130k inc VAT for my build, which was a virtually entirely new 5 bed, 3 bathroom place, but then there was a lot of unpaid graft in that!

About the same for me

[Legend83]

TA14 said:

Is that about £2,500/m2? (£200K inc vat for 80m2?) That is a lot.

It's worse than that! We are adding just over 60m2!

I am getting 3-4 more quotes in so hopefully sense will prevail...

My wife on Saturday afternoon - "It's times like this I wish you had a skill".

Thanks dear!

[Legend83]

Perhaps it just sucks to live in the Home Counties but I assume people are thinking this is a bit over-board?

[hornetrider]

You could fly a team in from Poland, rent them a house for the duration, and still end up at half that quote

[barryrs]

Legend83 said:

It's worse than that! We are adding just over 60m2!

I am getting 3-4 more quotes in so hopefully sense will prevail...

My wife on Saturday afternoon - "It's times like this I wish you had a skill".

Thanks dear!

Perhaps you should consider self management?

It will take you longer but if you break down the contract into manageable chunks such as groundworks, superstructure, roof and internals you may be able to save a fair bit.

Any builder looking at this will be allowing for a substantial contingency and you dont get that back if its not spent.

If thats too daunting then it would be worth sitting down with best contractor to see how they would recommend saving you money over the current design. Such as the rear valley; is it really necessary and could you you span the whole rear with some cheap trusses on a shallow pitch. Theirs a fair few grand in that detail alone.

[TA14]

Legend83 said:

TA14 said:

Is that about £2,500/m2? (£200K inc vat for 80m2?) That is a lot.

It's worse than that! We are adding just over 60m2!

I am getting 3-4 more quotes in so hopefully sense will prevail...

My wife on Saturday afternoon - "It's times like this I wish you had a skill".

Thanks dear!

Oh dear. What's the tender document like? Is it a few pages or 50 odd pages?

Good luck with the other quotes and lack of moral support at home

[Legend83]

Update - I was wrong, it is more like 90m2 but that still works out at over £2k per m2 added.

Had another 4 quotes now all in the same ballpark so unfortunately we are considering going back to the drawing board and seeing what alternatives we have as it is just not economic to pay that much.

So some help from the PH DIY team required!

Depending on how much money this would save my thoughts are:

- lose the hallway and keep the ground floor as it is and bolt the 2 storey side onto the existing gable wall.

- potentially then we could knock through the lounge to create a bigger living space (theoretically we could retain the hall if we wanted...)

- build kitchen / diner on the back as planned (this requires some small demolition but is mostly adding) and cut through doorway into new utility room / WC behind the current dining room.

- upstairs back bedrooms can still be added on top of the new kitchen.

- cut through master bedroom as planned to dressing room, then cut doorway into space above newly formed utility room to create en-suite now wrapped around existing bathroom.

Thoughts?

Would it potentially save money?

[TA14]

Legend83 said:

Update - I was wrong, it is more like 90m2 but that still works out at over £2k per m2 added.

Had another 4 quotes now all in the same ballpark so unfortunately we are considering going back to the drawing board and seeing what alternatives we have as it is just not economic to pay that much.

...

Thoughts?

Whatever you do it will cost a lot of money so bearing in mind:

Legend83 said:

We are resigned to the fact that this is likely to be a £150k+ job but it would likely cost at least twice the price to move in the area we live. We love the house and want to stay so are willing to go through the pain of effectively rebuilding the damn thing!

I'd think very carefully about what you would like and price it for building the ground floor only.
Also bear this in mind:

BoRED S2upid said:

Can't believe your removing the gable wall and extending rather than a normal side 2 story extension or a wrap around extension the cost will be dramatically more expensive.

If you flip the ground floor design over left to right so that the entrance hall and stairs are on the outside of the current gable it would save a lot of hassle and supporting beams. You only need a doorway into your walk in bedroom.

[Legend83]

Before I send a snotty email to my architect and regret it, do you think I have grounds to be a bit annoyed with him that he led us to believe we could do this build on our original budget of £120k? Given the average quote has come in at £170k?

Is it not the job of an architect to take your ideas and your budget and try and marry the two? And if not possible, to then inform you?

Yours, currently pissed off.

L83