Another planning/build thread

[chrisga]

Have been lurking here for a while but not posted too much, just sponging info/ideas.

After what seems an age we will be completing on our new house on 31st July (have already exchanged). We have been cracking on and had plans drawn up for a few alterations which are currently with the planning dept of our local council. We are hoping they will be signed off before we move in so we can hit the floor running.

While this is just a bog standard 3 bed semi and nowhere near the scale/budget of some of the other fantastic builds on this forum it's our first attempt at anything like this so hoping it all goes smoothly.

Untitled by Chrisga, on Flickr

We will be aiming to knock down the existing single storey lean to and build the rear extension first, with garage and porch following as and when we have the funds available. Itching to get started but also pretty daunted.

[chrisga]

So a potential change in circumstances mean we are not planning to do the extension just yet but having taken over the keys at the beginning of the month we have started a thorough renovation project on what is a pretty bog standard three bed ex council semi. Worthwhile doing a thread or not really?
Would it interest anyone or bore the pants off everyone who has much bigger/posher projects?

[dav123a]

Go for it , the amount of money spent isn't related to how interested I am in these threads.

[roofer]

Big and Posh are boring (Griff excepted as he grafted on it)

It's all about the details. Crack on.

[Griff Boy]

roofer said:

Big and Posh are boring (Griff excepted as he grafted on it)

It's all about the details. Crack on.

Lol, cheers mate!

[chrisga]

Ok here goes then. Planning has been approved but as I mentioned earlier a change in circumstances has meant we are doing things differently to how we envisaged when we made the sealed bid on this house second week in January!

As my wife and I still have full time jobs we have enlisted the help of a family friend and my father in law. None of us are professional builders but the family friend is a handy carpenter. Which helps.Only been going a few weeks and we've already learnt a lot! Budget tight but we want to do it right.

So the outside of the house when we viewed in April:

2015-04-07 09.24.29 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

2015-04-07 09.24.58 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

2015-04-07 09.55.59 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

2015-04-07 09.56.06 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

Since we have taken possession at the beginning of August we have:

fixed the front fence (two new panels, three salvaged and all new posts concreted in):

2015-08-16 19.31.29 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

erected a feather edge fence between next door as there was only a chain link fence and our dogs are the canine equivalent of Houdini:

2015-08-10 15.09.13 by Chris Ga, on Flickr
2015-08-09 09.36.20 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

Built some gates to close off the access to the rear until the garage extension is built (proper gates were too much of an extravagance as when if and when we do the garage these will be removed anyway. They were made from two 6x4 fence panels with added internal bracing and feather edge on the outside with two monster gate posts concreted in:

2015-08-09 09.36.30 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

2015-08-09 09.36.31 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

2015-08-10 15.09.20 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

2015-08-16 19.30.54 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

And the finished gates (vehicle centre, personnel to the left next to the house)

2015-08-16 19.32.55 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

We have also shifted about 4 tonnes of concrete out of the garden:

2015-08-09 14.14.21 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

2015-08-10 16.35.50 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

which ended up in here:

2015-08-22 14.20.23 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

2015-08-22 15.24.06 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

We started making a new lid for the wood store:

2015-08-16 19.30.36 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

Jobs left to do outside are, remove hedges and some plants in the garden, hire a big rotavator thingy to level the rear garden and then turf the whole lot. There is an old asbestos shed we need to dispose of and will prob erect a new wooden one to cover the concrete slab. Need to paint the new front fence. We would like to remove the gates and open the front up for parking by taking up the grass and making into hard standing.

Edited by chrisga on Friday 9th October 07:54

[chrisga]

Inside the house was clean(ish) but everything is really dated:

Lounge as when we got the keys:

2015-08-01 13.27.50 by Chris Ga, on Flickr
2015-08-01 13.26.48 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

lounge with wall paper stripped:

2015-08-09 09.35.20 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

2015-08-09 09.35.30 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

We subsequently found the old serving hatch between kitchen and lounge when most of the plaster fell off the wall:

2015-08-22 13.03.03 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

We also have opened up the fireplace back to its original size and the hideous surround has gone in the skip:

2015-08-22 13.03.00 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

The wiring has been bodged over the years, yes that is a power cable coming down the wall at an angle above the wood burner. A lot of the wiring has been added over the years by sticking plastic conduit to the walls, so this has all now been chased in to the depth of the brickwork:

2015-08-22 13.03.14 by Chris Ga, on Flickr

Serving hatch wall will be covered by plasterboard this week and we are hoping to have the lounge skimmed this weekend. We are removing the single light in the ceiling and will put two up instead. Fireplace will be finished off but yet to decide how we want it.

Edited by chrisga on Friday 9th October 07:54

[Hard-Drive]

This looks great! Things seem to be happening fast...I assume the windows were done before you bought it?

I know the extension isn't part of phase 1, however when you do it, that's one bloody huge master bedroom/dresser/ensuite you have there!

Bookmarked!

[chrisga]

Yes, the windows were done before we moved. They are about the best bits left!

Major work has also started on the kitchen.

As viewed:

2015-04-07 09.57.55 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

with most of the hideous tiles and grease scraped off the walls:

2015-08-09 09.37.10 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

We found the electrics. Not many of the wires did what the fuse box said, so we have pretty much started again. An electrician has been brought in to help connect and sign everything off but we are running the wires ourselves:

2015-08-09 09.37.20 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

We are moving the cooker to the end wall so chased out for electric hood:

2015-08-18 17.35.07 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

new units roughly in position:

2015-08-19 17.45.01 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

wiring started:

2015-08-24 18.03.24 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr
2015-08-26 06.48.32 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

new units to cover electrical boxes showing door type we have gone for:

2015-08-22 13.04.08 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

started to cover over cables now in the walls:

2015-08-26 06.48.20 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

[chrisga]

Upstairs things are moving a bit slower:

Bedroom 1 as viewed (though you can't see hideous green wall paint from my shockingly bad photo):

2015-04-07 09.55.51 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

We have stripped all the wall paper off the walls and removed the carpet in this photograph. Walls have been filled where we took off a big bit of wood over the window holding the curtain rail which left big holes:

2015-08-09 09.34.40 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

Since this photo has been taken we have chased out walls for extra sockets (each room only had one in apart from this bedroom):

2015-08-09 09.34.30 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

This room will be having the ceiling skimmed as well since its pretty rough at the moment.

[chrisga]

Bedroom 3 has pretty much had the same treatment though there was no paper to strip (thank god).

As viewed:

2015-08-01 13.27.49 (2) by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

As it looks now:

2015-08-09 09.34.20 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

Bedroom 2 hasn't really been touched yet as its being used as a store room.

The bathroom will be the last big job to tackle. It is currently set up with disabled access in mind and we will be putting a standard bath with a shower in for the time being as should we do the extension this will all be coming out again. Will put pics up when we get on to those rooms.

All in all its been a busy three weeks!

[Hard-Drive]

chrisga said:

wiring started:

2015-08-24 18.03.24 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

Hmmm, obviously stressful work if you've started smoking. As you know, I don't smoke myself, however I'm fairly sure better quality cigarettes tend to be filled with tobacco and have a gauze filter thing, yours seem to be filled with lead and have a rubber filter, which probably aren't ideal for the novice.

Also, your copper crack pipe looks a bit short, I think you risk burning the end of your nose.

Anyway, good luck with the project!

[chrisga]

lol, they aren't mine, but part of the deal with our friend who is helping out is to keep him stocked up with cigarettes and strongbow!

[Neil - YVM]

Bit late now, but it's best to do all the dirty stuff, chasing, plastering, etc. even 1st few coats of paint, before any units go in the kitchen. Saves them getting covered in muck / damaged.

[chrisga]

Thanks Neil, realise that now! We ended up chasing out for more sockets than we'd originally planned as we "were doing it anyway" hence the two extra above the narrow unit. The units will need a thorough clean but so far we've managed not to damage them.

[chrisga]

More progress over the weekend.
Kitchen had chased wires covered:

2015-08-26 06.48.12 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

2015-08-26 06.48.20 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

2015-08-27 18.26.12 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

2015-08-27 18.26.20 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

Kitchen walls were then mostly plastered:

2015-09-01 18.55.56 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

2015-09-01 18.56.04 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

[chrisga]

In the living room, the fireplace was worked on:

2015-08-26 06.49.22 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

2015-08-27 18.49.21 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

Cables were straightened up from their wonky original install:

2015-08-26 06.49.31 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

2015-08-27 18.49.35 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

Where the plaster fell off the wall covering the serving hatch/original kitchen door we plasterboarded over:

2015-08-27 18.49.15 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

Then the lounge walls were skimmed:

2015-09-01 18.56.25 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

2015-09-01 18.56.33 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

Edited by chrisga on Wednesday 2nd September 08:42

[chrisga]

This build is brought to you courtesy of pepsi, strongbow and richmond sovereign blues.......

2015-08-28 10.46.18 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

[chrisga]

For anyone still interested we have had a few issues over the last couple of days. The first being that the skim on the ceilings hadn't keyed to what was left on the ceiling properly and came down when we touched it. SO the plasterer came back to strip it all off and make good. Looks ok the second time round. Should dry ok.

Small hole quickly became a large one:

2015-09-07 18.07.16 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

2015-09-07 18.15.32 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

2015-09-07 18.06.48 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

New plaster looks like its stuck:

2015-09-08 18.25.08 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

2015-09-08 18.25.21 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

Meanwhile, a different plasterer has been doing other bits and pieces:

Dining room which had lumpy walls:

2015-09-08 18.24.25 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

2015-09-08 18.24.36 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

Today we are having the log burner and flue re-installed by someone who knows what they are doing and will hopefully then be in a position to get the floor down in the lounge tonight. Also need to put first coat of paint on kitchen walls. Could be a long night.

[chrisga]

Oh and the lounge has had first coat of paint on (looks better than in phone pics - honest):

2015-09-06 20.16.02 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr

2015-09-06 20.15.54 by Chris Gandy, on Flickr