The 4 Month House Renovation
Discussion
Hello neighbour 
I'm close to the new Gordon Murray factory.
The skip came from reliableskip.com - not sure if that's one of the Collard brands. Really efficient and helpful service with phone calls each end to make sure we were ready for delivery/collection.
The builder and his team are doing a site briefing on Wednesday, in preparation for starting next Monday
I'm close to the new Gordon Murray factory.The skip came from reliableskip.com - not sure if that's one of the Collard brands. Really efficient and helpful service with phone calls each end to make sure we were ready for delivery/collection.
The builder and his team are doing a site briefing on Wednesday, in preparation for starting next Monday
Good to hear you are starting and living on site.
One thing we found during our renovation project was to be on hand to make decisions with the builder quickly and don’t faff around.
Also get the costs for any changes to the plan in writing at time of agreement to avoid getting an unexpected bill of ‘extras’ at the end.
You’ll have a lot of highs and lows, but will be worth it in the end!
One thing we found during our renovation project was to be on hand to make decisions with the builder quickly and don’t faff around.
Also get the costs for any changes to the plan in writing at time of agreement to avoid getting an unexpected bill of ‘extras’ at the end.
You’ll have a lot of highs and lows, but will be worth it in the end!
Great thread! We started off planning a refurb, but builder we really liked but couldn't afford had a big cancellation hit him, so agreed to take 10% off his price, but only if we would let him knock it down and rebuild it, and started in 5 weeks vs 6 months.
Our bungalow was in a worse condition then yours, timber framed, 3x extensions + disproportionately large conservatory, rubbish internal layout etc etc.
Watching with interest!!
Our bungalow was in a worse condition then yours, timber framed, 3x extensions + disproportionately large conservatory, rubbish internal layout etc etc.
Watching with interest!!
Thanks - we did this on our last house. We actually moved out and rented a bungalow for 6 months. That was necessary as the children were much younger and we were doing a loft conversion as well as lowering the ceilings upstairs. It was uninhabitable.
This time there's only the two of us (and the dog) so the caravan is much, much cheaper than renting and will still have value at the end of the process. I just hope that we're not having Christmas dinner in the awning!!
Cost wise, I think we're on top of it, but that's always a bad assumption to make - something will happen to up the expense.
The kitchen is coming from the PH preferred supplier - DIY Kitchens and the appliances are currently sitting in the garage. Much of the rest of the fittings including doors, wood burner, stairs re-furb kit etc. are also in storage ready to go.
This time there's only the two of us (and the dog) so the caravan is much, much cheaper than renting and will still have value at the end of the process. I just hope that we're not having Christmas dinner in the awning!!
Cost wise, I think we're on top of it, but that's always a bad assumption to make - something will happen to up the expense.
The kitchen is coming from the PH preferred supplier - DIY Kitchens and the appliances are currently sitting in the garage. Much of the rest of the fittings including doors, wood burner, stairs re-furb kit etc. are also in storage ready to go.
Ranger 6 said:
This time there's only the two of us (and the dog) so the caravan is much, much cheaper than renting and will still have value at the end of the process. I just hope that we're not having Christmas dinner in the awning!!
Good on you, but I wouldn't fancy spending very long in a caravan that small. Great thread though, and best of luck with the build. Builder was on site Friday afternoon with his site manager - they arrived at 8am this morning 
I've had a bit of a marker pen frenzy in the downstairs bedroom - the one that will become the study and snug. Ignore the need for the floor to come up to the level of the rest. This bit was the garage when first built.
They're starting with the study/snug/utility area
BTW: the carpet was grubby when we bought the place - didn't bother deep cleaning or replacing as we knew it would be coming up once the building started.
First of all here's a shot of the view towards the new hall - the spirit level is a rough guide of where the entrance to the snug / back of the study alcove will be. You can just see the marker on the wall above the radiator - that's the inside wall of the study.
A different angle showing the back of the study and the alcove
From outside showing roughly where the new front door position will be
I've had a bit of a marker pen frenzy in the downstairs bedroom - the one that will become the study and snug. Ignore the need for the floor to come up to the level of the rest. This bit was the garage when first built.
They're starting with the study/snug/utility area
BTW: the carpet was grubby when we bought the place - didn't bother deep cleaning or replacing as we knew it would be coming up once the building started.
First of all here's a shot of the view towards the new hall - the spirit level is a rough guide of where the entrance to the snug / back of the study alcove will be. You can just see the marker on the wall above the radiator - that's the inside wall of the study.
A different angle showing the back of the study and the alcove
From outside showing roughly where the new front door position will be
Thanks Harry - we've thought about it as we did that in the last place.
We've decided to leave it, as with the soaring costs since we started we simply don't have anything left - even with the cheapest 3 way for the bedrooms at £2.5k. Part of it is that the cost in the last one as the first unit died from lack of use and when the replaced it the only thing that was usable was the pipes from the outside unit to the inside one.
Anyway - progress today has been impressive for a first start.
The front door step was first:
Then the roof:
Ending up with a full skip and huge progress:
Most of the roof has gone;
All the slabs in the new utility room to prepare for the first building control visit;
As with all these things there was a couple of OMG moments - check out the massive lintel over the door.....
The bricks just fell out when the ceiling boards were taken down.
We've decided to leave it, as with the soaring costs since we started we simply don't have anything left - even with the cheapest 3 way for the bedrooms at £2.5k. Part of it is that the cost in the last one as the first unit died from lack of use and when the replaced it the only thing that was usable was the pipes from the outside unit to the inside one.
Anyway - progress today has been impressive for a first start.
The front door step was first:
Then the roof:
Ending up with a full skip and huge progress:
Most of the roof has gone;
All the slabs in the new utility room to prepare for the first building control visit;
As with all these things there was a couple of OMG moments - check out the massive lintel over the door.....
The bricks just fell out when the ceiling boards were taken down.
A few things to report on today:
Steve (site manager) is not happy as the skip was full yesterday and they couldn't send another until tomorrow. So most of the spoil and cr*p from today's work will need to be double handled.
Otherwise, another productive day with lots of loud demolition noises. The good thing is that the Building control fella has paid his first visit and all good with him. The footings they found are of good quality and in the right places.
Today's comedy moment was the Builder (company owner) sending my wife pictures of the brick to see which colour we wanted - a quick email back confirmed that we can't choose brick colours without seeing them on site and comparing the real things
The left hand door is going to become the new back door and the other one bricked up.
Foundations for the new wall by the front door
Foundations for the utility room wall
Steve (site manager) is not happy as the skip was full yesterday and they couldn't send another until tomorrow. So most of the spoil and cr*p from today's work will need to be double handled.
Otherwise, another productive day with lots of loud demolition noises. The good thing is that the Building control fella has paid his first visit and all good with him. The footings they found are of good quality and in the right places.
Today's comedy moment was the Builder (company owner) sending my wife pictures of the brick to see which colour we wanted - a quick email back confirmed that we can't choose brick colours without seeing them on site and comparing the real things
The left hand door is going to become the new back door and the other one bricked up.
Foundations for the new wall by the front door
Foundations for the utility room wall
i remember the days of the never ending skips! i think we maxxed out at 3 on the drive at the same time - amazing how much they can fit in there
Always good to see progress and you have the weather for it as well - guaranteed to rain though once the roofing parts start getting removed
Always good to see progress and you have the weather for it as well - guaranteed to rain though once the roofing parts start getting removed
Harry Flashman said:
Are you near Chertsey? If so, very close to where i grew up!
Yes - the other side of Chobham Common, near Valley End. We moved from Sunningdale as the house prices there were just beyond comprehension. e.g. a Victorian semi-detached, extended 4 bed with a tiny garden and very little parking has just sold for £1mI wouldn't say 'we're blessed' with what we've got and where it is (mainly because I intensely dislike the phrase) but the 9 months of sh*t and hard work to buy it was well worth it. We have a lovely plot with a decent garden and plenty of space for the dog and the 90.
This is the culmination of nearly 4 years in planning and preparation and saving. Costs have gone up nearly 25% since we started the quoting process, just before covid, and the 'wouldn't it be nice if' have taken us close to the end of our budget. The contingency is there but hard work with my wife, a spreadsheet and the builder means we have a really good sight of what each element will cost. The 'can you just' list has already started and we're only two days in!
So far I'm happy to promote all involved, but from experience I know how that can change, so I'll be holding back on the details until much later.
mattman said:
i remember the days of the never ending skips! i think we maxxed out at 3 on the drive at the same time - amazing how much they can fit in there
Always good to see progress and you have the weather for it as well - guaranteed to rain though once the roofing parts start getting removed
Definitely - they've already filled the skip that cam this morning Always good to see progress and you have the weather for it as well - guaranteed to rain though once the roofing parts start getting removed
I remember the rain principle - the last renovation we did included a loft conversion, which involved lowering the ceilings on the first floor. They were very happy to get all the slates off, but that was they before the worst floods for years in Chobham (2009 I think). My wife was in tears when we looked at the house - all the plastic sheeting had blown the edges and the rain had soaked in to the plaster all the way through the house - it was utter devastation.
We're not building a flat roof extension? The old garage is what they're working on now. Preparing to put the new roof on and turn it into a new bedroom.
The finished product will have a long dormer.
From the front, where the skip is in the other pictures.
From the rear, with the infill where the utility room will be.
The finished product will have a long dormer.
From the front, where the skip is in the other pictures.
From the rear, with the infill where the utility room will be.
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