Bungalow Renovation

[B'stard Child]

Petay said:

Looks much nicer to my eyes than the original drawings

Keep us updated on the progress it looks like a nice build thread to follow

[Petay]

B'stard Child said:

Petay said:

Looks much nicer to my eyes than the original drawings

Keep us updated on the progress it looks like a nice build thread to follow

Thank you. I agree, it’s much more pleasing to the eye (apart from I can’t get over the grinning face on the south elevation!). My only disappointment is planning not allowing the storage over the top of the garage, this would have been a big benefit with the reduced storage capability on a dormer bungalow.

Like I mentioned, I’ll just be happy to have something that will be a vast improvement on what is currently here.

I’ll keep you all posted as things get approved and work begins.

[Ranger 6]

Looks good - we're just finishing ours, similar to you we went for the main works done and carpets decorating to come.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Petay]

Ranger 6 said:

Looks good - we're just finishing ours, similar to you we went for the main works done and carpets decorating to come.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Just had a quick look through your thread, looks fantastic.

Did you get a contractor in to do the work or were you managing the project yourself?
It’s a huge difference and I love the porch area in particular.

[Ranger 6]

Thanks

Yes, we had a main contractor who did the core works and managed the subbies. I fly a desk so have no construction ability at all.

We lived on site so were very ‘hands on’ throughout, which caught a few things in good time and we were able to tweak all the way through.

We’re very pleased with the porch. It’s a real talking point and I watch the people walking past and pointing!

Good luck with yours - where in the country are you?

[Petay]

Ranger 6 said:

Thanks

Yes, we had a main contractor who did the core works and managed the subbies. I fly a desk so have no construction ability at all.

We lived on site so were very ‘hands on’ throughout, which caught a few things in good time and we were able to tweak all the way through.

We’re very pleased with the porch. It’s a real talking point and I watch the people walking past and pointing!

Good luck with yours - where in the country are you?

Fantastic, sounds like it was a fairly good experience for you. The results are brilliant.

Do you mind me asking how much it set you back? I’m in the process of researching material prices now, managing to save thousands with just shopping around but still eye watering!

We’re in Devon, what about you guys?

I’ll be managing the entire project and doing a huge amount myself with the exception of foundations, rewiring, plumbing and some help from my old chippy mates when it comes to the roof being rebuilt - it’s very daunting but I'm excited to get started hopefully later this year with the demolition side of things.

[Petay]

Hello All,
Happy new year!

Sorry for the radio silence, it’s been a busy time getting planning sorted and starting to plan the project, I also got carried away with a play area for the kids and a 5m x 3m ‘shed’ in the garden (that I decided to do a proper job of with foundations, block base with timber frame/flat roof).

Anyway, onto the big job: To date (started a week before Christmas, all this going on around the family and day job) I have completed the following with a total expenditure of a little over £5k (inc all removal of waste etc):
Planning approved (4th attempt and 13 months+).
Various surveys for small wildlife(planning enforced!).
All structural drawings, including drainage.
Building regs payment for the project.
Garage demolished.
Dining room (old extension) in the process of being demolished.

Next steps:
Foundations and drainage to be completed prior to end of February.
Commencing block work in March.

Here is the final design and some pictures of the mess so far:

[maccas99]

Looks like you’ve made a good start!

Keep is all updated on how things progress - I’ve got a loft conversion starting this summer so will be following with interest.

[Ranger 6]

It's a good start - back in to watch with interest

...and to answer your question that I'd missed earlier - we're in Surrey

[Petay]

Morning All,
So, where do I start… oh yes, British weather! February saw five times the average rainfall in Devon, which is when I started the foundations!
Needless to say it’s been challenging for a number of reasons, torrential rain coupled with our ‘hard ground’ being much deeper than anticipated (anywhere between 1.2m and 2.2m!!), meaning the cost of groundwork has almost doubled what I predicted. I’m not too concerned as I knew this was the most unpredictable part, I’m just still drying over my bank balance haha!
Here are some progress shots, we got all approx. 50m of footings dug out and poured (with BC sign off) in a total of 8 days. We did have to do this over two digs as after the first week, with trenches caving in and grab lorries taking more water away than soil (180 tonnes have been collected to clear the site), I’d had enough and had to return to the day job.
Regardless of all that, we (me, my uncle driving the digger and a mate helping on the concreting days) got it done. I’m now the proud owner of 44m^3 of gen 3 concrete footings.
Next step is to get blocks, stone, sand, cement and insulation ordered to start the new walls in a few weeks time (or whenever this rain moves on).
Thanks for reading and rest assured, I’ll be doing a full cost breakdown at the end of all this, maybe an interim one after steels are in.

[gangzoom]

Petay said:

Thanks for reading and rest assured, I’ll be doing a full cost breakdown at the end of all this, maybe an interim one after steels are in.

The rain has been relentless hasn't it!! We were lucky to get a break in the weather around NewYears allowed the roof to be competed.

Amazing effort doing the work your self, just remember to mention that every time you mention cost just to make us lazy office workers feel better .

Have fun, we have just ordered all the bathroom fittings this weekend, ground works and steels are things I'm glad we are done with on our build!

[Petay]

gangzoom said:

The rain has been relentless hasn't it!! We were lucky to get a break in the weather around NewYears allowed the roof to be competed.

Amazing effort doing the work your self, just remember to mention that every time you mention cost just to make us lazy office workers feel better .

Have fun, we have just ordered all the bathroom fittings this weekend, ground works and steels are things I'm glad we are done with on our build!

It really has, we were unlucky as the forecast changed the day the digger/dumper were arriving so I just had to crack on as best as possible.

Glad you managed to get your roof done, are you all dry now?

Haha, I’m an office worker by day too… this just takes up my weekends, evenings and holiday time for a while. But thanks, appreciate the encouragement mate.

Good luck with the fitting out at your place, must be great to see the light at the end of the tunnel.