Build thread - bungalow to house
Discussion
Inspired by @covmutley’s thread, I thought I should share our project as we get ready to start the build phase.
We moved into the house approx 18mths ago for its location and lovely plot in the area we wanted to be. The house was ok downstairs but a mess upstairs with lots of wasted space due to a poor conversion as can be seen in the photos below.
From the front - not too bad...
Inside was a different matter...
We started the planning phase just over a year ago. The original idea was to square off the back and add a couple of bedrooms where the landing currently is. We had 4 or 5 architects come round who basically said they would draw up our ideas and gave no design input - it wasn’t a good time.
Then we were recommended an architect from a friend, who basically told us our ideas were crap, that we had all the footprint we needed, we just couldn’t see it due to the poor upstairs layout.
The architect was not the cheapest, but has been brilliant throughout the design stage. We took the plans to our neighbours before they were submitted to give them a chance to air any concerns, but both were great and we achieved planning without an issue. The architect also produced a spec sheet so that the builders could quote against the same work, but even with that, we ended up with a £200k difference between top and bottom. We had to make a few adjustments to save some costs, but wanted to retain the original vision and are very happy with the final layouts.
We are ‘just’ ( there has been a lot of use of the word ‘just’ in this project) removing the existing roof, building up approx 1.2m and putting a new roof on. I have always loved symmetrical houses, so this has given us the ability to achieve that.
Our final plans are as per the photos below:
The proposed elevations
The revised ground floor
The revised upper floor
Bedroom 5 will be used as a dressing room to the master, but has a door added so that if we ever decide to move, it can easily be made into a room.
These plans also avoid expensive ground works and utilise the existing locations for drains etc. All useful as we are moving downstairs while the work is done.
The hideous downstairs loo has a shower in it, and whilst it’s horrible, it at least provides us showering facilities during the build.
Builder is due to start on 20th January and my wife has already started an instagram account to record our progress, if anyone is interested - the account is @renovationcation
We moved into the house approx 18mths ago for its location and lovely plot in the area we wanted to be. The house was ok downstairs but a mess upstairs with lots of wasted space due to a poor conversion as can be seen in the photos below.
From the front - not too bad...
Inside was a different matter...
We started the planning phase just over a year ago. The original idea was to square off the back and add a couple of bedrooms where the landing currently is. We had 4 or 5 architects come round who basically said they would draw up our ideas and gave no design input - it wasn’t a good time.
Then we were recommended an architect from a friend, who basically told us our ideas were crap, that we had all the footprint we needed, we just couldn’t see it due to the poor upstairs layout.
The architect was not the cheapest, but has been brilliant throughout the design stage. We took the plans to our neighbours before they were submitted to give them a chance to air any concerns, but both were great and we achieved planning without an issue. The architect also produced a spec sheet so that the builders could quote against the same work, but even with that, we ended up with a £200k difference between top and bottom. We had to make a few adjustments to save some costs, but wanted to retain the original vision and are very happy with the final layouts.
We are ‘just’ ( there has been a lot of use of the word ‘just’ in this project) removing the existing roof, building up approx 1.2m and putting a new roof on. I have always loved symmetrical houses, so this has given us the ability to achieve that.
Our final plans are as per the photos below:
The proposed elevations
The revised ground floor
The revised upper floor
Bedroom 5 will be used as a dressing room to the master, but has a door added so that if we ever decide to move, it can easily be made into a room.
These plans also avoid expensive ground works and utilise the existing locations for drains etc. All useful as we are moving downstairs while the work is done.
The hideous downstairs loo has a shower in it, and whilst it’s horrible, it at least provides us showering facilities during the build.
Builder is due to start on 20th January and my wife has already started an instagram account to record our progress, if anyone is interested - the account is @renovationcation
interstellar said:
Looks fantastic and will be a lovely home.
Will you use a dining room and carry food all the way from the kitchen? I know it’s just a name and maybe it’s going to be a playroom or something else but was surprised to see it.
Rare these days.
Just a name used for the planning application, it will be used as a games/cinema/play room (subject to approval from SWMBO)Will you use a dining room and carry food all the way from the kitchen? I know it’s just a name and maybe it’s going to be a playroom or something else but was surprised to see it.
Rare these days.
The ‘other’ room will be a pantry, and unfortunately we can’t flip the stairs due to head height. Won’t be much of an issue.
My wife is making the most of the January sales to grab some bargains in preparation for the end of the build.
So far we’ve secured a brand new cloakroom suite from Bathstore that was ex-display for £10, another ex-display toilet for £5 and 2 freestanding baths for free.
Homebase has come up trumps with the majority of tiles, discounted pricing and an extra 20% off meant we got over £500 of tiles for £114.
Facebook marketplace has turned up a few bargains as well, just need to keep hunting.
My wife is making the most of the January sales to grab some bargains in preparation for the end of the build.
So far we’ve secured a brand new cloakroom suite from Bathstore that was ex-display for £10, another ex-display toilet for £5 and 2 freestanding baths for free.
Homebase has come up trumps with the majority of tiles, discounted pricing and an extra 20% off meant we got over £500 of tiles for £114.
Facebook marketplace has turned up a few bargains as well, just need to keep hunting.
Major project milestone for our 1st renovation project - Builders started this week!
Front driveway has been turned into a branch of Jewsons already, with skips, materials and other bits all arriving within the first couple of days. Port-a-loo turned up today, so that adds a classy touch I think.
burning through coffee and milk like there is no tomorrow, but progress is swift ( to me anyway)
today saw the front edge of the roof removed and block work has started going up to build up each of the gables. First obstacle found and overcome, they found wooden beams over the 2 downstairs windows, so these have been romped and the correct lintels installed.
The builders are very tidy though, every night they clear up before going which is helpful as we are still living in the house.
Too dark to get progress photos today, but this was yesterday - bloody dog manages to get in every photo
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/TRxlBFGF.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/TRxlBFGF" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/TRxlBFGF.jpg)
Front driveway has been turned into a branch of Jewsons already, with skips, materials and other bits all arriving within the first couple of days. Port-a-loo turned up today, so that adds a classy touch I think.
burning through coffee and milk like there is no tomorrow, but progress is swift ( to me anyway)
today saw the front edge of the roof removed and block work has started going up to build up each of the gables. First obstacle found and overcome, they found wooden beams over the 2 downstairs windows, so these have been romped and the correct lintels installed.
The builders are very tidy though, every night they clear up before going which is helpful as we are still living in the house.
Too dark to get progress photos today, but this was yesterday - bloody dog manages to get in every photo
covmutley said:
Good luck Mattman! It looks great.
I also wondered about the study off the laundry, but actually I think making it a bit more disconnected from general family rooms makes sense- a real quiet space.
On bedroom 5, you could get them to allow for the door frame when building the stud wall but just plasterboard over it. Saves putting the door in, but would make the job very easy if you or any new buyer wanted a change.
Yes, thats the plan to add another doorway to bed 5, make it easier in the long run - although hopefully won't be moving for a while!I also wondered about the study off the laundry, but actually I think making it a bit more disconnected from general family rooms makes sense- a real quiet space.
On bedroom 5, you could get them to allow for the door frame when building the stud wall but just plasterboard over it. Saves putting the door in, but would make the job very easy if you or any new buyer wanted a change.
Edited by covmutley on Thursday 23 January 00:17
Door to the study has been debated many times, the space under the stairs is going to be a storage cupboard (there isn't much storage on the downstairs), but should have a better view once we get into the room and start knocking it to pieces. Sure there will be a few "tweaks" to the plans as we progress.
solo2 said:
Followed on Insta but will check back on here too. I love threads like this and one day would love to build my own home but finding suitable land in Surrey is almost impossible.
Love the bargains you got, all helps keep costs down
My wife is the queen bargain hunter - the build budget will only get us to plaster, so the finishing will all be down to us. But its amazing what you can find out there with some significant discountsLove the bargains you got, all helps keep costs down
End of week 1 and i'm quite impressed. Much more visible progress than i was expecting.
More scaffolding arrived, ready for the new, higher roof
And the tarps are covering the new gable walls, so already we can see the space we will be gaining from the original roof line
The driveway now looks like a branch of Jewsons, we've worn the kettle out making Tea and Coffee for the builders and figured out that chocolate digestives are the favourite biscuit!
More scaffolding arrived, ready for the new, higher roof
And the tarps are covering the new gable walls, so already we can see the space we will be gaining from the original roof line
The driveway now looks like a branch of Jewsons, we've worn the kettle out making Tea and Coffee for the builders and figured out that chocolate digestives are the favourite biscuit!
Edited by mattman on Friday 24th January 15:58
[quote=mattman]End of week 1 and i'm quite impressed. Much more visible progress than i was expecting.
More scaffolding arrived, ready for the new, higher roof
And the tarps are covering the new gable walls, so already we can see the space we will be gaining from the original roof line
The driveway now looks like a branch of Jewsons, we've worn the kettle out making Tea and Coffee for the builders and figured out that chocolate digestives are the favourite biscuit!
The builders are still very tidy, washing down the drive before they went, sweeping up, etc. The block drive has been protected by boards as well.
More scaffolding arrived, ready for the new, higher roof
And the tarps are covering the new gable walls, so already we can see the space we will be gaining from the original roof line
The driveway now looks like a branch of Jewsons, we've worn the kettle out making Tea and Coffee for the builders and figured out that chocolate digestives are the favourite biscuit!
The builders are still very tidy, washing down the drive before they went, sweeping up, etc. The block drive has been protected by boards as well.
wibble cb said:
OP - For the love of God, please put everyone out of their misery on the below thread....
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Blimey, I’d forgotten about that! 😂https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
All fixed - light stayed on for about 20mins and then seemed to set itself - been working since
Hi Chris - the builder took care of the foundation checks prior to starting - came home one day to find holes dug. One side of the house is already a full 2 storey - we are pitching the roof over that part. The rest has had the roof converted in the past.
So not sure of the details, just got given the thumbs up
So not sure of the details, just got given the thumbs up
End of week 2 and the block work of the left hand gable is complete, the right hand side is half done.
Builders found no insulation behind the tiles on the dormer sides, and generally random bits all over the place
The roof is now covered to stop the rain as we are still living in it. next week they are due to build up the centre of the front, and remove the flat roof over the main bedroom, to get the blocks level, so we need to move downstairs this weekend.
Work has started inside as well, prepping for the steels that need to be installed before the roof goes on. That means a visit from the structural engineer to confirm fixing points (£800 we weren’t expecting).
The photo shows how the new gable wraps around the existing former. Ceiling height in this room is going to be around 2.5m which will be nice.
Also been very impressed with the brickie. As the house has had many alterations over the years, there were lots of different bricks to try and match for the new sides of the gable that won’t be rendered. I think they have chosen well and the final finish is excellent
Builders found no insulation behind the tiles on the dormer sides, and generally random bits all over the place
The roof is now covered to stop the rain as we are still living in it. next week they are due to build up the centre of the front, and remove the flat roof over the main bedroom, to get the blocks level, so we need to move downstairs this weekend.
Work has started inside as well, prepping for the steels that need to be installed before the roof goes on. That means a visit from the structural engineer to confirm fixing points (£800 we weren’t expecting).
The photo shows how the new gable wraps around the existing former. Ceiling height in this room is going to be around 2.5m which will be nice.
Also been very impressed with the brickie. As the house has had many alterations over the years, there were lots of different bricks to try and match for the new sides of the gable that won’t be rendered. I think they have chosen well and the final finish is excellent
End of week 3 and more progress - not quite as visible as the previous though.
Walls now built up to wall plate level and now tightly wrapped up to hopefully see off storm Ciara. The rear bedroom has had the strange flat roof removed and the blocks built back level ready for the vaulted ceiling. They have also knocked out the centre walls at the front and have built up ready for the new centralised double doors, blocking up the front door in the process. The trusses are meant to be turning up on site next week!
The builders also uncovered a little slice of history with a copy of the Sun from 1979
They have also started inside - actually quite scary what they uncovered in the ceiling of what was my daughters bedroom. Not great photos, but you can just about see that the roof joists weren't long enough to reach the walls. No worries, we'll just add another couple of random lengths of timber attached at various points so that eventually one reaches the wall!!
Oh, and when taking up some of the floor, they found that rather than replace the 4x2 joists with 8x2 when they did the loft conversion, they simply nailed and screwed another bit of 4x2 onto the original!
Walls now built up to wall plate level and now tightly wrapped up to hopefully see off storm Ciara. The rear bedroom has had the strange flat roof removed and the blocks built back level ready for the vaulted ceiling. They have also knocked out the centre walls at the front and have built up ready for the new centralised double doors, blocking up the front door in the process. The trusses are meant to be turning up on site next week!
The builders also uncovered a little slice of history with a copy of the Sun from 1979
They have also started inside - actually quite scary what they uncovered in the ceiling of what was my daughters bedroom. Not great photos, but you can just about see that the roof joists weren't long enough to reach the walls. No worries, we'll just add another couple of random lengths of timber attached at various points so that eventually one reaches the wall!!
Oh, and when taking up some of the floor, they found that rather than replace the 4x2 joists with 8x2 when they did the loft conversion, they simply nailed and screwed another bit of 4x2 onto the original!
A lot of noise going on today as storm ciara smacks into the house, tarpaulin’s are just about holding up, few leaks here and there but mostly watertight.
Few bowls strategically placed around the house, been up on the scaffolding but it too blooming windy for me.
Power got knocked out to the whole town this morning, but luckily back within 30mins
Anyone else enjoying renovating in a storm? 😂
Few bowls strategically placed around the house, been up on the scaffolding but it too blooming windy for me.
Power got knocked out to the whole town this morning, but luckily back within 30mins
Anyone else enjoying renovating in a storm? 😂
at the moment, the temps aren't too bad, even with holes in the house. We still have a gas fire in the lounge if we need to boost it.
We are all living downstairs now as the builders rip apart the roof - and find all the bodges from the previous extensions. Today they found that the dormers had just been nailed to the existing roof joists, the roof joists not strengthened or upgraded.
Skips getting full of timber - i should really make a pile of it to use in the log burner at a later date
Roof trusses arrive today! another step forward
We are all living downstairs now as the builders rip apart the roof - and find all the bodges from the previous extensions. Today they found that the dormers had just been nailed to the existing roof joists, the roof joists not strengthened or upgraded.
Skips getting full of timber - i should really make a pile of it to use in the log burner at a later date
Roof trusses arrive today! another step forward
Another milestone reached today - new roof timbers are going up.
Survived the storm, so today the remains of the front of the existing roof and dormer came off
Then a lorry turned up and unloaded half a forest of timber onto the drive
and now, from my temporary office, i can see new roof timbers going up
Survived the storm, so today the remains of the front of the existing roof and dormer came off
Then a lorry turned up and unloaded half a forest of timber onto the drive
and now, from my temporary office, i can see new roof timbers going up
End of week 4 - we have part of the new roof on - and now battened down in preparation for storm Dennis.
Some really good progress (in my eyes) and the rooms are looking quite large!
Nice little detail that the architect insisted on, slight kick out at the bottom of the roof to increase the overhang and create deeper shadows, you just about make it out in this pic
The rear bedroom will have a vaulted ceiling, so its going to be quite large! The old ceiling is still in place at the moment as they are using that to walk on
We also have half of Jewson's on the front drive and now have a rubbish chute as they prepare to gut the interior of the existing roof
And then to add to the fun, we've had the water company in to try and fix the sewer pipe that keeps blocking up. Turns out that its still the original asbestos pitch pipes installed in the 1950's. The pipe is getting squeezed, causing a blockage. The pipe is over 2m down, and of course they couldn't get the Kubota down the side because of the scaffolding, so they had to try and go through the back. Of course, its never that easy - the only gap in the conifers big enough to get the digger in, had a concrete fence post in the middle, so they had to dig in from beyond our boundary.
The cause of the squeeze is one of the big conifers - so i have the job of cutting one of them down, before they return and replace the damaged pipe
Some really good progress (in my eyes) and the rooms are looking quite large!
Nice little detail that the architect insisted on, slight kick out at the bottom of the roof to increase the overhang and create deeper shadows, you just about make it out in this pic
The rear bedroom will have a vaulted ceiling, so its going to be quite large! The old ceiling is still in place at the moment as they are using that to walk on
We also have half of Jewson's on the front drive and now have a rubbish chute as they prepare to gut the interior of the existing roof
And then to add to the fun, we've had the water company in to try and fix the sewer pipe that keeps blocking up. Turns out that its still the original asbestos pitch pipes installed in the 1950's. The pipe is getting squeezed, causing a blockage. The pipe is over 2m down, and of course they couldn't get the Kubota down the side because of the scaffolding, so they had to try and go through the back. Of course, its never that easy - the only gap in the conifers big enough to get the digger in, had a concrete fence post in the middle, so they had to dig in from beyond our boundary.
The cause of the squeeze is one of the big conifers - so i have the job of cutting one of them down, before they return and replace the damaged pipe
End of week 6
Not too much has been happening externally over the last couple of weeks because of the constant rain.
The steels in the vaulted ceiling of the main bedroom have been installed, which has meant that the rear gable wall has been finished.
This has meant that they have started installing the insulation inside as well - the original flat roof has been kept for as long as possible to help with the build
The inside of the upstairs has been ripped out. Uncovering a few horrors that were hidden behind the plaster board. The dormers in particular were bad. Why use one timber when you can use up all your offcuts?
There are lots of butt joints, timbers doubled up rather than properly strengthened and even some marine ply used to secure the ridge beam
The chimney has also come down. We’re keeping the fireplace and installing a log burner but will replace the large brick chimney with a smaller insulated flue.
Downstairs, we’ve removed the utility room wall (that we put up shortly after moving in) so that the new central heating system could be installed. The new stairs will come up through the original airing cupboard and water tanks, so all that has been replaced with a new Worcester Bosch and Megaflow.
Next week the rest of the roof comes off to avoid dropping too far behind schedule. We’ve survived 3 storms now, with a few buckets to catch some drips, we are still living here, but have had enough rain.
It’s still better than a lot of people that are seen on the news that are suffering from floods
Not too much has been happening externally over the last couple of weeks because of the constant rain.
The steels in the vaulted ceiling of the main bedroom have been installed, which has meant that the rear gable wall has been finished.
This has meant that they have started installing the insulation inside as well - the original flat roof has been kept for as long as possible to help with the build
The inside of the upstairs has been ripped out. Uncovering a few horrors that were hidden behind the plaster board. The dormers in particular were bad. Why use one timber when you can use up all your offcuts?
There are lots of butt joints, timbers doubled up rather than properly strengthened and even some marine ply used to secure the ridge beam
The chimney has also come down. We’re keeping the fireplace and installing a log burner but will replace the large brick chimney with a smaller insulated flue.
Downstairs, we’ve removed the utility room wall (that we put up shortly after moving in) so that the new central heating system could be installed. The new stairs will come up through the original airing cupboard and water tanks, so all that has been replaced with a new Worcester Bosch and Megaflow.
Next week the rest of the roof comes off to avoid dropping too far behind schedule. We’ve survived 3 storms now, with a few buckets to catch some drips, we are still living here, but have had enough rain.
It’s still better than a lot of people that are seen on the news that are suffering from floods
End of week 8 and we are now waterproof.
After surviving the storms for the last 3 weeks with tarps and strategically placed buckets, they have made the most of the dry weather this week and got the new roof on.
Still need to build the front dormer, but very happy with progress
it also gave us a really good example of the old roof line vs new
as well as lots of timbers and trusses going in, one of the big steels went in this week that supports the rear wall and the bi-folds underneath. It’s also good to see that we will have a loft in the new house - more room to store crap!
and the scary doll keeps appearing in random places - mainly to scare the cr*p out of one of the builders 😂
After surviving the storms for the last 3 weeks with tarps and strategically placed buckets, they have made the most of the dry weather this week and got the new roof on.
Still need to build the front dormer, but very happy with progress
it also gave us a really good example of the old roof line vs new
as well as lots of timbers and trusses going in, one of the big steels went in this week that supports the rear wall and the bi-folds underneath. It’s also good to see that we will have a loft in the new house - more room to store crap!
and the scary doll keeps appearing in random places - mainly to scare the cr*p out of one of the builders 😂
dhutch said:
Did it hold up the plasterboard well enough for the last x decades? Happy days then, save the trees!
That is a hell of a hot cylinder? Is it going to have solar input up something, or just mammoth size?
No solar, builder decided to put the biggest in he could find - we’re not complaining!That is a hell of a hot cylinder? Is it going to have solar input up something, or just mammoth size?
The new roof timbers really are a work of art, we ended up with a mix of trusses and hand cut by our builder and he’s done an excellent job.
It will be a shame that all this will get covered up now, it really is such an improvement over the original roof we found hidden behind the plasterboard
It will be a shame that all this will get covered up now, it really is such an improvement over the original roof we found hidden behind the plasterboard
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff