Planning a home extension, where to start?
Discussion
I'm looking for advice on best practices when it comes to planning an extension to my house.
I don't really no where to start, I would welcome the thoughts of other who have been through this process.
I'm looking to knock down an old conservatory which is attached to my kitchen, and replace this with either a single or double storey extension.
Size, at a guess around 4m X 4m.
With velux windows, patio doors, kitchen island, family lounge area, log burner etc.
If I add a second story, this would be to increase the size of the family bathroom above, the bathroom wouldn't necessarily need to come out quite as far maybe 2m x 4m.
The larger bathroom isn't a must, it will depend on how cost effective it is.
I'm also looking at replacing a spiral staircase with a modern traditional staircase, this leads to an old loft extension, which isn't currently used as a bedroom, this room has an ensuite already but I'd like to remove that and make the room bigger, this I hope would also allow for the new staircase.
I'm also looking at changing the house from its current 5 bedroom to a 4 bedroom by turning, the smallest bedroom into my ensuite shower room for my bedroom on the first floor.
If the budget stretches far enough, I want to knock down my current double garage and build a new one in a different location, either a timber framed garage, ideally with an upstairs room, doesn't have to be a habitable room for living, more a large storage area so the main areas of the garage can be used to park a car, motor bike and tinker doing man stuff.
Or a single story double garage made of timber or brick.
I have ideas but not a clue where I should start or how I should pay for this.
Should you instruct an architect, how much should you be expected to pay for this service?
What's the best way to fund such a project, pay outright, remortgage, half and half or something I haven't thought of, sell a kidney or two!
How much do you think such a project would cost?
Any information, the PH experts can send my way will be greatly appreciated.
I don't really no where to start, I would welcome the thoughts of other who have been through this process.
I'm looking to knock down an old conservatory which is attached to my kitchen, and replace this with either a single or double storey extension.
Size, at a guess around 4m X 4m.
With velux windows, patio doors, kitchen island, family lounge area, log burner etc.
If I add a second story, this would be to increase the size of the family bathroom above, the bathroom wouldn't necessarily need to come out quite as far maybe 2m x 4m.
The larger bathroom isn't a must, it will depend on how cost effective it is.
I'm also looking at replacing a spiral staircase with a modern traditional staircase, this leads to an old loft extension, which isn't currently used as a bedroom, this room has an ensuite already but I'd like to remove that and make the room bigger, this I hope would also allow for the new staircase.
I'm also looking at changing the house from its current 5 bedroom to a 4 bedroom by turning, the smallest bedroom into my ensuite shower room for my bedroom on the first floor.
If the budget stretches far enough, I want to knock down my current double garage and build a new one in a different location, either a timber framed garage, ideally with an upstairs room, doesn't have to be a habitable room for living, more a large storage area so the main areas of the garage can be used to park a car, motor bike and tinker doing man stuff.
Or a single story double garage made of timber or brick.
I have ideas but not a clue where I should start or how I should pay for this.
Should you instruct an architect, how much should you be expected to pay for this service?
What's the best way to fund such a project, pay outright, remortgage, half and half or something I haven't thought of, sell a kidney or two!
How much do you think such a project would cost?
Any information, the PH experts can send my way will be greatly appreciated.
Edited by Milner993 on Saturday 13th January 18:43
Start with an architect, ok perfect!
As for budget, I don't really know, as always the cheaper the better but I don't want to compromise on quality, I know that cheap and quality never go hand in hand so there will need to plenty of compromises along the way.
If got cash of around £130k and probably another £200k + in equity in my home, however I don't want to blow all my saving and would love to keep my total cost under £80k excluding the garage, I know this will cost at least 30k or more by itself.
As for budget, I don't really know, as always the cheaper the better but I don't want to compromise on quality, I know that cheap and quality never go hand in hand so there will need to plenty of compromises along the way.
If got cash of around £130k and probably another £200k + in equity in my home, however I don't want to blow all my saving and would love to keep my total cost under £80k excluding the garage, I know this will cost at least 30k or more by itself.
Mr Pointy said:
Where in the country are you?
It wouldn't be difficult to blow £150-200k on all that work to the house, excluding the garage, your house value could fall due to the loss of a bedroom & you might have Building Control issues getting the loft work regularised. What is your budget?
I'm east Anglia.It wouldn't be difficult to blow £150-200k on all that work to the house, excluding the garage, your house value could fall due to the loss of a bedroom & you might have Building Control issues getting the loft work regularised. What is your budget?
I had considered the loss in bedroom may mean loss in value, I've been battling with a better functioning 4 bed family home over a 5 bed house that doesn't flow quite right on the first floor.
Cliov6dan said:
I’m a building contractor in east Anglia and I’d imagine 2k a m2 would cover a basic build for a finished shell. May be tight due to the small size. Then if you add on anything ‘fancy’ bifolds etc. the log burner could add on considerably if you opted for a traditional masonry built chimney could add in the region of 10k by the times it’s done. Making a second floor small wouldnt necessarily make the build much cheaper may even cost more. By the time you’ve installed a beam of some type to carry the upstairs wall you’d still have the same amount of roof covering to do. You mentioned Velux windows but they may be a little tight to one end if you added a second floor. Also worth mentioning if it’s 4x4 the minimum a cavity wall could now be is 300mm so you’d be loosing 600mm on width.
Modern staircases can cost from £800 to £20000 upwards without making any structural alterations that would probably be needed.
A basic garage with attic trusses could cost in the region of £35k but again service lengths insulation boarding out etc could keeping adding on.
Don’t forget to design fees building control etc can soon add up to thousands.
Lastly on top of that you can add on 20% as builders tend to quote figures without vat
Thank you for your reply, have you any idea on how much I should be paying for an architect?Modern staircases can cost from £800 to £20000 upwards without making any structural alterations that would probably be needed.
A basic garage with attic trusses could cost in the region of £35k but again service lengths insulation boarding out etc could keeping adding on.
Don’t forget to design fees building control etc can soon add up to thousands.
Lastly on top of that you can add on 20% as builders tend to quote figures without vat
Lots of big numbers and percentages floating about, frightening some of them!
I've got an architect coming over at the weekend to discuss ideas and costs, so hopefully il have a better idea of where I stand.
My wife mentioned looking at an orangery extension and keeping the extension to a single story, do you need internal doors from the main house to the orangery like you do with a conservatory?
I'm hoping the Architect will have a rough idea on costs for all options, I don't want to end up in a situation where I've spent a small fortune having plans drawn up only to find that the costs to have said plans built are beyond my budget.
I've got an architect coming over at the weekend to discuss ideas and costs, so hopefully il have a better idea of where I stand.
My wife mentioned looking at an orangery extension and keeping the extension to a single story, do you need internal doors from the main house to the orangery like you do with a conservatory?
I'm hoping the Architect will have a rough idea on costs for all options, I don't want to end up in a situation where I've spent a small fortune having plans drawn up only to find that the costs to have said plans built are beyond my budget.
So I've had the Architects visit now, fees are as follows, stage 1 & 2 preparation and briefing & concept design £1500 stage 3 spatial coordination £1500 so £3000 total.
Having the architect over had the desired outcome, he came up with an idea that my wife and hadn't even considered.
We're now looking at having a new two storey extension with a new master bedroom built above a new open plan kitchen and family room with a re configuration of the first floor internal layout.
This would now allow me to keep my house as a five bedroom property but I would now have five double bedrooms two with ensuites and one good size family bathroom.
The kitchen would be open plan with large bifold doors and an island to keep the wife happy.
Where I wanted to keep the budget to about £60/£70k this has increased to £85/£100k.
With the improvements discussed this home will likely become our forever home, unless we come in to some substantial money.
Now looking towards the next stages, once I've signed a contract I'm looking at 8 to 10 weeks at the planning stages, which should be long enough to sort out a building contractor.
Having the architect over had the desired outcome, he came up with an idea that my wife and hadn't even considered.
We're now looking at having a new two storey extension with a new master bedroom built above a new open plan kitchen and family room with a re configuration of the first floor internal layout.
This would now allow me to keep my house as a five bedroom property but I would now have five double bedrooms two with ensuites and one good size family bathroom.
The kitchen would be open plan with large bifold doors and an island to keep the wife happy.
Where I wanted to keep the budget to about £60/£70k this has increased to £85/£100k.
With the improvements discussed this home will likely become our forever home, unless we come in to some substantial money.
Now looking towards the next stages, once I've signed a contract I'm looking at 8 to 10 weeks at the planning stages, which should be long enough to sort out a building contractor.
Audis5b9 said:
Milner993 said:
So I've had the Architects visit now, fees are as follows, stage 1 & 2 preparation and briefing & concept design £1500 stage 3 spatial coordination £1500 so £3000 total.
Having the architect over had the desired outcome, he came up with an idea that my wife and hadn't even considered.
We're now looking at having a new two storey extension with a new master bedroom built above a new open plan kitchen and family room with a re configuration of the first floor internal layout.
This would now allow me to keep my house as a five bedroom property but I would now have five double bedrooms two with ensuites and one good size family bathroom.
The kitchen would be open plan with large bifold doors and an island to keep the wife happy.
Where I wanted to keep the budget to about £60/£70k this has increased to £85/£100k.
With the improvements discussed this home will likely become our forever home, unless we come in to some substantial money.
Now looking towards the next stages, once I've signed a contract I'm looking at 8 to 10 weeks at the planning stages, which should be long enough to sort out a building contractor.
what size is the extension now going to be?Having the architect over had the desired outcome, he came up with an idea that my wife and hadn't even considered.
We're now looking at having a new two storey extension with a new master bedroom built above a new open plan kitchen and family room with a re configuration of the first floor internal layout.
This would now allow me to keep my house as a five bedroom property but I would now have five double bedrooms two with ensuites and one good size family bathroom.
The kitchen would be open plan with large bifold doors and an island to keep the wife happy.
Where I wanted to keep the budget to about £60/£70k this has increased to £85/£100k.
With the improvements discussed this home will likely become our forever home, unless we come in to some substantial money.
Now looking towards the next stages, once I've signed a contract I'm looking at 8 to 10 weeks at the planning stages, which should be long enough to sort out a building contractor.
my current master bedroom is about 20sqm so the new master will be equal to this + an ensuite which is currently our family bathroom.
The kitchen extension will I suspect be of equal size, so could be around 40sqm in total.
You think a two story extension is going to be around £200k, that seems very expensive.
Even if you worked on £4000 a SQM that's a £160k.
All price guides suggest between £1500 and £3000 a SQM, the second story should be around £1250 to £2500 a SQM, I guess it all comes down to finish at the end of the day
Only one source but you can find plenty more articles quoting similar numbers.
https://www.myjobquote.co.uk/costs/double-storey-e...
Even if you worked on £4000 a SQM that's a £160k.
All price guides suggest between £1500 and £3000 a SQM, the second story should be around £1250 to £2500 a SQM, I guess it all comes down to finish at the end of the day
Only one source but you can find plenty more articles quoting similar numbers.
https://www.myjobquote.co.uk/costs/double-storey-e...
Edited by Milner993 on Wednesday 24th January 21:22
Here are the three stages of planning by the Architect
S1. Preparation and Briefing (Project Brief)
This stage of the project would include: - • preparation of project brief including spatial requirements; • measured and photographic site survey; • drafting the existing plans and elevations;
S2. Concept Design (Architectural Concept and Planning Application)
This stage of the project would include: - • architectural concept design; • reviewing the concept design against the project brief; • client design reviews • preparation and submission of drawings for the planning application - OS Site Location Plan @ 1:1250 and Block Plan @ 1:500 Existing Ground Floor, First Floor and Roof Plan @ 1:100 Existing Front, Side and Rear Elevations @ 1:100 Proposed Ground Floor, First Floor and Roof Plan @ 1:100 Proposed Front, Side and Rear Elevations @ 1:100
S3. Spatial Coordination (Building Control Application)
Following a successful Planning Decision Notice, we would prepare an application for a ‘full-plans’ Building Regulation application. This stage of the project would include: • Spatially coordinating architectural and engineering drawings; • Preparation of the outline specification; • Preparation and submission of drawings to the local Building Control: Site Location Plan @ 1:1250 and Block Plan @ 1:500 Existing Ground, First Floor, Roof Plans and Elevations @ 1:100 Proposed Ground, First Floor, Roof Plans and Elevations @ 1:100 Proposed Ground, First Floor, Roof Plan @ 1:50 Proposed Section with explanatory notes @ 1:50 Monitoring of the application on your behalf; Liaison with any other consultants employed by you at this stage (e.g., structural engineers, energy assessors etc…).
Please note – Once we have completed stage 3 of the RIBA Plan of Work 2020 and receiving a successful building control approval our work will be complete and usually the builder/ main contractor will take on the role as Project manager to see the construction through to completion, if any further drawings are required after stage 3 then we can discuss these and provide a separate fee for you to consider or alternatively if you would prefer that I provided a Technical/working drawings package then I would be happy to provide another fee quotation to cover this. Our fees are inclusive of general disbursements such as internal printing costs but exclusive of local authority application fees such as planning and building regulations, OS Maps licences (used for site and location plans) which we will require to pay for before purchasing/submitting. Should there be any additional work to those listed, then we can discuss these and provide a separate fee for you to consider
S1. Preparation and Briefing (Project Brief)
This stage of the project would include: - • preparation of project brief including spatial requirements; • measured and photographic site survey; • drafting the existing plans and elevations;
S2. Concept Design (Architectural Concept and Planning Application)
This stage of the project would include: - • architectural concept design; • reviewing the concept design against the project brief; • client design reviews • preparation and submission of drawings for the planning application - OS Site Location Plan @ 1:1250 and Block Plan @ 1:500 Existing Ground Floor, First Floor and Roof Plan @ 1:100 Existing Front, Side and Rear Elevations @ 1:100 Proposed Ground Floor, First Floor and Roof Plan @ 1:100 Proposed Front, Side and Rear Elevations @ 1:100
S3. Spatial Coordination (Building Control Application)
Following a successful Planning Decision Notice, we would prepare an application for a ‘full-plans’ Building Regulation application. This stage of the project would include: • Spatially coordinating architectural and engineering drawings; • Preparation of the outline specification; • Preparation and submission of drawings to the local Building Control: Site Location Plan @ 1:1250 and Block Plan @ 1:500 Existing Ground, First Floor, Roof Plans and Elevations @ 1:100 Proposed Ground, First Floor, Roof Plans and Elevations @ 1:100 Proposed Ground, First Floor, Roof Plan @ 1:50 Proposed Section with explanatory notes @ 1:50 Monitoring of the application on your behalf; Liaison with any other consultants employed by you at this stage (e.g., structural engineers, energy assessors etc…).
Please note – Once we have completed stage 3 of the RIBA Plan of Work 2020 and receiving a successful building control approval our work will be complete and usually the builder/ main contractor will take on the role as Project manager to see the construction through to completion, if any further drawings are required after stage 3 then we can discuss these and provide a separate fee for you to consider or alternatively if you would prefer that I provided a Technical/working drawings package then I would be happy to provide another fee quotation to cover this. Our fees are inclusive of general disbursements such as internal printing costs but exclusive of local authority application fees such as planning and building regulations, OS Maps licences (used for site and location plans) which we will require to pay for before purchasing/submitting. Should there be any additional work to those listed, then we can discuss these and provide a separate fee for you to consider
Has everything been covered in the above though? Within stages 1 to 3.
If not what's missing?
From what I can see stage 4 has just been incorporated into stage 3
I have requested clarification from the architect.
If not what's missing?
From what I can see stage 4 has just been incorporated into stage 3
I have requested clarification from the architect.
Edited by Milner993 on Thursday 25th January 10:05
Edited by Milner993 on Thursday 25th January 10:14
I'm now at the stage of inviting builders over to quote for my extension, now I've had my drawings back!
I'm going to look at both vat registered builders and non vat registered builders.
Are there any realistic benefits to going with a non vat registered builders IE 20% saving in vat?
When I get the quotes from the non VAT registered builders, should there be any VAT displayed on the quotes for materials?
I'm aware they can't show VAT on their labour.
Regards,
I'm going to look at both vat registered builders and non vat registered builders.
Are there any realistic benefits to going with a non vat registered builders IE 20% saving in vat?
When I get the quotes from the non VAT registered builders, should there be any VAT displayed on the quotes for materials?
I'm aware they can't show VAT on their labour.
Regards,
Yes I'm aware of the threshold for VAT.
From what I've seen some small contractors all employ individual trades to carry out some of the projects, which reduces their vat exposure.
Just to be clear I haven't had anyone over or spoken to any builders yet, I'm purley going off what I've read online and asked the question on here, for some guidance!
From what I've seen some small contractors all employ individual trades to carry out some of the projects, which reduces their vat exposure.
Just to be clear I haven't had anyone over or spoken to any builders yet, I'm purley going off what I've read online and asked the question on here, for some guidance!
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