[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by gangzoom

My parents were made redundant 3 times in the 2000s, had to take up work in Sheffield, Cambridge before finally taking early/forced retirement in London. My previous mentor told me before he retired, 'Just don't do anything that lands you in front of the coroner, you will be set for life'.

My parents tried to stop me applying to medical school because they didn't think I would get the grades, but I didn't want to spend my entire working life been worried about losing my job, some how managed to get the grades needed which I think surprised everyone.

I fully appreciate the amazing situation I have now found my self in, I cannot believe I get paid to do what I do, let alone paid enough to do this build project which I could only dream about when I was at Uni. That's why I have no interest in trying to second guess our builder or architect etc, I know my skill set in life, and its 100% not building .

Ironically though because I have followed everything my mentors taught me at work, I have found my self in a very senior leadership role within the local organisation. So I now have the pleasure of seeing the local coroner on a regular basis, we are almost on first name basis.......I say almost, but the reality is she still makes me sweat like a pig on the stand .









....and I'm not a member of any union, however I fully respect, and committed to supporting the rights of colleagues to take part in industrial action, whilst mindful that the safety of patients in our organisation should be every employee's top priority.

Agreed on all fronts, following your dreams and achieving them is the best feeling in the world (I'm told )

And as the son of a an NUM rep (miner) I'm all for union rights and their ability to protect their members, I just think some lose sight of reality, but that's a different story altogether.

I think once it is watertight, the next stage will happen very quickly as long as you arent waiting for things like staircases and kitchens... Good luck with it!

[Pond]

One piece of advice I would give is make sure whoever is managing the project keeps a close eye on the trades. Tradesmen generally (not all) will cut corners if they can, especially plumbers. I have seen no end of beautifully finished developments ruined by water leaks because a plumber was too keen to get to the pub rather than tighten a joint somewhere. Ask you plumbers to pressure test EVERYTHING (not just the heating) after first fix. It can save a lot of aggro later. Also make sure they pressure test any new drainage (underground not wastes).

[gangzoom]

Originally Posted by Bryans69

Must say I'm quite enjoying the updates, although still struggling to see what you are actually getting.

The roof lanterns are in, and I couldn't help having a late lunch at the house today on the way back from work today, the first meal there. The spaces are now really taking shape, and feels simply amazing, the architect fees were/are worth every single penny!! We are really going to have to think about what you want to see when you look up as you wonder into the house, looking directly up isn't something I'm use to when going into any building, let alone my own home .

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

Its great you can do it....

A couple of really busy days at work, family have gone to the in-laws already, I really didn't want to leave the site, it was the prefect retreat away from the madness of real world. I have to really pinch my self we are lucky enough to live on such a nice plot. All of a sudden going to work tomorrow feels OK .

[Watsey]

Originally Posted by Pond

One piece of advice I would give is make sure whoever is managing the project keeps a close eye on the trades. Tradesmen generally (not all) will cut corners if they can, especially plumbers. I have seen no end of beautifully finished developments ruined by water leaks because a plumber was too keen to get to the pub rather than tighten a joint somewhere. Ask you plumbers to pressure test EVERYTHING (not just the heating) after first fix. It can save a lot of aggro later. Also make sure they pressure test any new drainage (underground not wastes).

100%, and in my experience it’s all trades (perhaps with the exception of electricians).

I’ve realised, so many times over the 12 years since our ‘big’ project (the house was taken back to a bare brick shell, and extended/re-built from there), that a LOT or corners were cut. Some minor annoyances, some much more significant.

A water stain on one of my daughters’ bedroom ceiling led to me having to deconstruct the en-suite shower, going ‘down the rabbit hole’ all the way to the joists of the loft conversion which had just started turning spongy on the top few millimetres.

The plywood which formed the shower enclosure wasn’t WBP (and was rotting) and hadn’t been primed for tiling, the shower tiles had been applied using dot-n-dab rather than full bed adhesive, the shower tray hadn’t been sealed to the plywood, the shower tray was supported in the centre by a stack of plasterboard offcuts and cardboard (!!!) rather than a cross of timber, and they’d cut slits through the porcelain tiles with an angle grinder rather than using a diamond tile coring bit + water supply.

It took me weeks to rebuild it, having to carefully remove the adhesive from the tiles so I could re-use them (I only broke one and knew that I had some spares), and I incorporated a waterproofing enclosure (thick polythene) in the build as an additional protective layer.

This is why I do as much of my own work as possible these days. It takes me a while to research and learn new things, but I know that I’ll do each job properly.

[EvilDrPorkChop]

Originally Posted by Pond

One piece of advice I would give is make sure whoever is managing the project keeps a close eye on the trades. Tradesmen generally (not all) will cut corners if they can, especially plumbers. I have seen no end of beautifully finished developments ruined by water leaks because a plumber was too keen to get to the pub rather than tighten a joint somewhere. Ask you plumbers to pressure test EVERYTHING (not just the heating) after first fix. It can save a lot of aggro later. Also make sure they pressure test any new drainage (underground not wastes).

Bit of a generalisation to make. Don't know of any plumbers personally that would rather get the the pub than tighten a joint up.

As with anything, you get what you pay for. And most of the time the customer either is wanting to make cuts, or wants a top job for nothing. Thus ends up employing poorly trained or slap dash tradesmen.

It's funny, people are happy to spend lots of money on nice things such as flashy kitchens or fancy furniture but will happily try and save a few quid on the basics of a the house such as plumbing and electrics.

[Watsey]

Originally Posted by EvilDrPorkChop

Bit of a generalisation to make. Don't know of any plumbers personally that would rather get the the pub than tighten a joint up.

As with anything, you get what you pay for. And most of the time the customer either is wanting to make cuts, or wants a top job for nothing. Thus ends up employing poorly trained or slap dash tradesmen.

It's funny, people are happy to spend lots of money on nice things such as flashy kitchens or fancy furniture but will happily try and save a few quid on the basics of a the house such as plumbing and electrics.

I think part of the problem lies with the 'builder' (i.e. the person/company at the top of the trades food chain) wanting to make a few extra ££ at the customer's expense.

Most people don't have the knowledge / experience / time to project manage the project themselves, and employing the architect as a PM often costs an extra 10% or more (which can be significant).

I have a construction industry background and went to the project every day to inspect the works (and luckily found something major before it became a problem) but once something is hidden from view it's often invisible forever (or until it becomes a problem).

[gangzoom]

Trying to visualise what some of the space will look like to help decided false walls for media units, and general decoration. Going to get the builder to put in a false wall in the reception to help accommodate TV, and future projector screen, but a brick wall means the central speaker will be off centre - shouldn’t look too bad though. Lighting for the main atriums will need real care to line up with kitchen island. Going to install a media wall in the main living room to make the TV more desecrate as the focus of the room is the windows/tall glazing into the garden.


View1:Living room:

View2:Reception room:

1st floor mezzanine link corridor:

[Ennoch]

Originally Posted by EvilDrPorkChop

Bit of a generalisation to make. Don't know of any plumbers personally that would rather get the the pub than tighten a joint up.

As with anything, you get what you pay for. And most of the time the customer either is wanting to make cuts, or wants a top job for nothing. Thus ends up employing poorly trained or slap dash tradesmen.

It's funny, people are happy to spend lots of money on nice things such as flashy kitchens or fancy furniture but will happily try and save a few quid on the basics of a the house such as plumbing and electrics.

I get both sides. Nothing worse than being lumped into the same category as those who don't care when you're one who definitely does, and nothing worse than having a tradesman who just doesn't care.

Personally I've been using the current house as a practice for the next place. That doesn't mean I'm doing a bad job, just taking a lot longer and perhaps doing something twice when I've worked out that the way I'd originally planned just wouldn't work. In the central belt you can reasonably easily get tradesmen but not that many have the attention to detail that I would expect, while up north where I'm looking at you just can't get them full stop. I've also seen how electricians wire stuff up 'to code' and realised that I'd rather it was much neater and properly laid out, so when it comes to the new place I'll just do the wiring myself and then get it certified by a friend/acquaintance to meet the regs. I've heard way too many horror stories from friends who have bought places with rewiring certificates and invoices only to discover that there was plenty that hadn't been touched beneath the surface. Some of us just don't trust people to do the job properly and don't have the time to sift through all the bad just to get a good one, and also have the desire to learn and be self sufficient rather than reliant on others. If you're reliant on others you're liable to be let down.

As to the project gangzoom it's great to see it still coming along and taking shape so it's easier to visualise what it's going to look like inside. It's not how I would necessarily lay all of it out, but that's the beauty of it as it only needs to suit you. I've never really understood the attitude of renovating somewhere but doing it to suit other people rather than yourself. It's a bit like spec'ing the best leather in your car and then covering it in seat covers to protect it for the next owner!

[gangzoom]

Whilst the builders get back up to speed post holidays I’ve discovered the ‘line’ drawing tool on the iPad .

Making some decisions on radiator placement, balustrade material/placement, lighting etc. Will 100% need to think of a some art/decorations for the higher wall spaces, but that will come later, some flooring, fully tiled roof, and 1st first fix electrics/plumbing done first would be good.

I better stock up on glass cleaner, going to need a lot of it ongoing .

[KRS_SN]

Can't help but think Your build to houses = model x to cars. Uniquely suited to your needs and gives you happiness. Good luck and hoping to see the completion soon.

[Techno 9000]

Originally Posted by gangzoom

I better stock up on glass cleaner, going to need a lot of it ongoing .

Surely you've specified self cleaning glass ?! It is a godsend for windows at height.

[gangzoom]

Holidays, wind, rain, all have delayed things more than expected. I'll post more pictures tomorrow, but this van was parked up the driveway today

[gangzoom]

Finally properly water/wind tight, all the glazing in, and we have keys



However still missing, heating, water, electrics, plastering, but biggest ‘risk’ element to the build is now done. Every time I go back to the site now I miss the garden more and more, cannot wait to be back in. The way the works have progressed since Xmas means there might be chance of that by Easter .

[gangzoom]

Originally Posted by KRS_SN

Can't help but think Your build to houses = model x to cars. Uniquely suited to your needs and gives you happiness. Good luck and hoping to see the completion soon.

Well the house now 100% beats the X for frontal glazing . I don’t know what kind of coating the glazing has but it pretty effective at reflecting outside light, still must remember when we move back in and the lights are on not to walk around in my pants .





All the expensive/complex steel, demolition was really to just enable this.......Its pretty unbelievable the actual foot print of the house is now SMALLER than when we first started, but the interior space feels out of this world compared to what was there before. All credit to the architect, it takes some kind of vision to come up with this kind of space from what was there before...

[KRS_SN]

Originally Posted by gangzoom

Well the house now 100% beats the X for frontal glazing . I don’t know what kind of coating the glazing has but it pretty effective at reflecting outside light, still must remember when we move back in and the lights are on not to walk around in my pants .





All the expensive/complex steel, demolition was really to just enable this.......Its pretty unbelievable the actual foot print of the house is now SMALLER than when we first started, but the interior space feels out of this world compared to what was there before. All credit to the architect, it takes some kind of vision to come up with this kind of space from what was there before...

It's looking open and airy already. I'd walk around in my pants if I had that house to let that airines in! Good to hear the update.

[gangzoom]

Was out at the site with gaffer today. Noticed the flowers are starting to appear again, which must mean it’s coming up to 12 months since the build started.



Still loads of work to do, but I couldn’t help knock up a mock up of what things should look like once the render and cladding goes on in the next few weeks. The overall floor plan might not have increased downstairs, but its going to be feel like a very different home to live in compared to before.

UFH apparently will be started by the end of the week, and than levelling of the existing old flooring to make it all level, I actually now have hope we’ll be in by Easter .

[gangzoom]

Scaffolding down at the front and floors starting to appear, different but also familiar compared to how it all started.

[JD6]

The back of the house looks a great deal better. Do you have an idea of the cost difference between the work you will have done to complete the project, and what it would have cost to have knocked the house down and started from scratch?

[gangzoom]

^Good question, the final bill will be around £450k, that includes a decent finish/kitchen, aluminium windows, aircon, CCTV, totally new roof, 80% new walls, ethernet in every room, new floors, UFH etc etc.

We never thought about demolition because:

1: Orignal plan was just add proper dormer bedroom+link corridor
2: We are on the edge of a conservation area, we had local planners come onsite to go through the design, so a totally new design/building would have needed more planning prep to get through the planning process.

As to cost of a totally new build, clear depends on design, but it all guesstimate suggest £1500-3000 per square meter for a new build pending spec. The old floor area of the house is around 250sq meters accriding to the EPC certificate. The new upstairs space probably adds another 50 meters depends on how you plan with the space.

So working on 300sq meters, the cost would come in at £450-900k pending spec, so not really a massive saving and potentially a much biggest cost. If we can move in without breaching the current budget cap I would be very happy, given the 'design' bits of the house.

Depending how the rest for the project goes (hopefully riskiest bits all done), I wouldn't say NO to doing the same thing again at a sea side/more remote location if the opportunity came. Not sure if we would demolish or rebuild, will depend on the existing plot, but I would like a centerliver or roof top terrace next time, and probably spend a bit longer with architect phase .

[JD6]

£450k doesn’t sound bad to me for a project of that scale. The end result should be very special.

I’ve always lived in old houses, the current one being really old, but a new build of some kind is growing on us. We’re probably a few years away from moving, but looking at houses on the market locally, virtually nothing appeals. I suppose developers don’t like to use expensive/bespoke glazing, and that really can make a house.

Perhaps we’re going to have to build one…

[gangzoom]

I actually quite like new builds, we visited some friends in Manchester this weekend, some of the newbuilds by smaller developers do have some design 'flare' however the issues is plot size.

I can understand if you are building a city center you can get away with having no plot, but when in the suburbs, its just a case of profiteering for developers. I fully understand though, why take a risk of trying to sell one house for £1.5million with a decent garden/plot, when you can sell three for £1million and pocket a shed load of profit.



You can have all the glazing in world, but if your view is this, it kinda of make paying all that £££££ for a newbuild premium seem pointless. There are actually quite alot of bungalow plots around in nice areas, with decent surroundings. The plot/location is most important bit not the actual house, we got really lucky with our house, totally by accident versus planning.

The building process (touch wood) really hasn't been anywhere as dramatic as you see on TV. Bare-in-mind we're both working busy full time jobs + school runs to do. The cost isn't cheap, but compared to a newbuild I would say pretty good 'value' given the build spec we are going for is much more substantial than anything a sensible developer would do, and our builder is hardly going skint.....His off on his 4th longhaul holiday in 12 months, so clearly doing pretty well for himself!!!

[JD6]

Totally agree that plot is very important. That Bramhall new build is certainly built with more style and more interesting glazing than ones around here - the more upmarket ones here just seem to be scaled up versions of small houses with lots of rooms and small windows.

We’re looking to downsize a bit. Something like 250 sq metres would be ideal, but not chopped up into a 5/6 bedroom home with 3 receptions as most developers would. We’d rather have 3/4 bedrooms and a generous open plan downstairs. I’d also like parking for perhaps 6 cars and half an acre to an acre of garden ideally.

I guess this means we’ll have to build new, significantly alter something, or compromise…