Extension & Renovation has started

[zokaluse]

Little update;
Had the plastering & decorating finished. Same guys are coming back Saturday to finish the dressing area & correct the 2 bathroom tiling errors. We also need someone to check our patio drainage & do a new soak away if not done properly as water is just sitting on top of the acco channel! Also the bathroom extractor is just sitting in the loft so red that vented to outside! Then I’ll be getting the cleaners in for the post build clean as apart from the cooker extractor & the electrician finishing our lights we can’t afford the rest until Feb/March.
Left to do then is pulls on the pocket doors, turn lock on bathroom door, the tiled areas that the other guy didn’t grout grouted, porch tiled, the bricks with holes from old equipment replacing, slipped roof tile corrected, silicone around doors & windows, outbuilding ceiling holes filled (one electrician did downlight holes the other did more as he used different sizes so ceiling needs decorating again once they’re filled, the outbuilding & side party wall needs a few more coats of paint, guttering in single storey extension changed to bigger, carpets, curtains & furniture...plus a few other things I’m sure I’ve forgot! ETA the handrails & balustrades then too at the biggest cost as walnut & glass so we’ll be having a quiete Christmas & new year this year to save as much as we can to get everything finished by spring.
Oh one of the bedroom windows wasn’t to building standards & it needs to be changed to the same type as other front bedroom to allow an escape route but the window company guy had a family death in Kenya so is only just back & I'm due an update this week on when he’s changing it (on his cost or the PM’s as I had nothing to do with the order) plus the porch external door won’t lock it just gets stuck so he has to sort that too.

New sofa comes next week but going in main lounge (is for family tv room really) on the old underlay so I can make 1 room semi decent for Christmas, the dining room & kitchen are pretty much finished bar the under appliance & cabinet grouting, silicone around the doors & windows, new dining room cabinet & chairs (got my new table already but using the old chairs til we’ve saved again). Also getting a specialist in to clean the tiles properly as the tiler didn’t clean them properly & there’s epoxy grout haze & clumps of the glitter grout all over the tiled areas!
Hopefully my next update in spring will include photos of the finished house - fingers crossed for us please!

[3disneykids]

The end is in sight... Sadly I think there are more bad experiences than good with tradesmen nowadays.

Hoping you get it all finished soon and looking forward to your end result xx

[parisdisneyfan]

Going to get a cuppa and sit down and read this through as looks similar to what we want to do, thank you!

[zokaluse]

Well thanks to Covid we’re still not finished!

The window that didn’t meet BR was replaced, the tiling errors are corrected & the porch tiled, new stairs are in, & another decorator been in & redone everywhere to tidy up the mess the other one made.

Carpets were due in November (the messy inside work was all finished in October) but thanks to Covid I haven’t even got a new date.

Carpenters who did new stairs are coming back to do porch coat, shoe & seating furniture, study desk & drawers, some bespoke sized shelving for the family room & ripping out the awful dressing area to fit a different design & actually wooden wardrobes, drawers etc. Supposed to be very soon ..chasing him Tuesday for a date.

Trying to find someone to dig up our soakaway in the back garden to find out why it’s failing as the cctv test showed no blockage. Also do a new soakaway in the front for the porch guttering to drain to.

Also need the back of the house guttering changed as it’s too small.

The outbuilding needs the ceiling tidying up (the holes from the changed lights) & decorating in & out & it’s rubber flooring fitted.

When those above are all done we will be getting front & back garden paths dug up & new landscaped gardens with paths in new positions, new walls & fences on boundary & new front, side & back gates.

It will then be finished - hoping by the end of this year but realistically think it’s going to be next spring due to Covid & finding people.

I’ll post photos again once the inside is fully finished. I’ll then post garden photos & update it as areas are done.

Longest renovation I’ve ever heard of ..we were unlucky with first builders then struggled to find replacement people then Covid hit! 😫

[parisdisneyfan]

Oh gosh, so sorry to hear all your problems

It seems we have been really lucky as hit on a great builder and team and although CoVid stretched out the work, still think we will have it all done by our 2nd anniversary of being here! We didn't need any planning permission for what we wanted to do and the BR have been quite straightforward. We *think* we are on the homestretch but with this house who knows

I hope you get all the issues sorted and you must have the patience of a saint, I've had enough now and although we have been here 18 months, it's not even a year since the messy stuff started.

Good luck and will look forward to seeing it all finished xx

[zokaluse]

I’ll have to look at your thread for any updates. Glad it’s progressing for you 😀

Yes it’s been quite stressful & we just can’t wait for it to be finished & signed off by building control!
We can then start to save for our new furniture. We must get the house & gardens done first, we can live with the few new bits we bought & the bedrooms we use are all good, so just downstairs & spare/craft room furniture once the carpets are in & the outside is paid for. Xx