The House Projects Thread

[Swervin_Mervin]

Still waiting on builders quotes for the ground floor renovation

However, after waiting for 4mo (and probably closer to 9 since we started the process) our new windows have arrived for the front of the house. Upper bay is now in. Tomorrow should see the rest done.

The only pisser is the spare room and study room both currently have 60mm frames in and the new ones are 70mm. This means cutting back the boarding and cills inside by 10mm. In rooms that have been decorated in the last 5 years. FFS. Ironically in our bedroom, where we were set to redecorate anyway, no such damage necessary.

I just hope they can do a neat job - but can't imagine plaster is easy to cut even remotely neatly.

I’d imagine it’ll be a combination of grinders and oscillating multi tools, whatever they use expect it to be a dusty job so cover anything that you don’t want lathered, plaster dust is incredibly fine and goes everywhere

Yeah - been there and done that already with the bathroom renovations! This has raised the question of what we'll do on the rear windows though which will be done with the ground floor renovation. One of the rear rooms is a bathroom with a tiled cill and tiled partway up the reveal. I don't fancy having to have that cut!

I'll post pics once done but we've gone with Origin alu windows in Silk Grey - bucking the trend for darker frames (which I'm sure they'll put in the adjoining semi which is currently being gutted). It looks good so far though.

[Swervin_Mervin]

I've been pondering building a nice office/sun room/shed in the garden but not doing much more that pondering TBH.

Then someone sent me to the diysheds.co.uk and now I've designed what I want and am getting quotes for materials. Might just be taking a week off work in the spring to build something that I've never done before.

What could go wrong??

Also forgot to add house based stuff. Just about to book plumbers to fit new Veismann combi boiler and rip out old microbore pipework and upgrade to 15mm which means floors up. Also fit cast iron rads and a couple of new towel warmers. Then joiner coming to fit engineered wood floors, architrave and skirting boards. Then built in wardrobe doors and fit out the understairs area.

Then we can get a decorator in.

Oh, and got some people coming to quote for replacing the 6m x 3m conservatory with something a little more substantial that isn't like a bloody icebox for half the year. That should keep us going for a little while

Changing the M140i for a hybrid later this year and something tells me that my substantial Bik savings will get gobbled up

It's scary how quick the costs rack up. I nearly had heart failure the other night when we totted our scheme up. We're not even extending!

[jamcg]

Still waiting on builders quotes for the ground floor renovation

However, after waiting for 4mo (and probably closer to 9 since we started the process) our new windows have arrived for the front of the house. Upper bay is now in. Tomorrow should see the rest done.

The only pisser is the spare room and study room both currently have 60mm frames in and the new ones are 70mm. This means cutting back the boarding and cills inside by 10mm. In rooms that have been decorated in the last 5 years. FFS. Ironically in our bedroom, where we were set to redecorate anyway, no such damage necessary.

I just hope they can do a neat job - but can't imagine plaster is easy to cut even remotely neatly.

I’d imagine it’ll be a combination of grinders and oscillating multi tools, whatever they use expect it to be a dusty job so cover anything that you don’t want lathered, plaster dust is incredibly fine and goes everywhere

Yeah - been there and done that already with the bathroom renovations! This has raised the question of what we'll do on the rear windows though which will be done with the ground floor renovation. One of the rear rooms is a bathroom with a tiled hill and tiled partway up the reveal. I don't fancy having to have that cut!

I'll post pics once done but we've gone with Origin alu windows in Silk Grey - bucking the trend for darker frames (which I'm sure they'll put in the adjoining semi which is currently being gutted). It looks good so far though.

Tiles should cut fine with an appropriate grinding disk, but make sure you’ve got spare tiles just incase

[McSwede]

I've been pondering building a nice office/sun room/shed in the garden but not doing much more that pondering TBH.

Then someone sent me to the diysheds.co.uk and now I've designed what I want and am getting quotes for materials. Might just be taking a week off work in the spring to build something that I've never done before.

What could go wrong??

Also forgot to add house based stuff. Just about to book plumbers to fit new Veismann combi boiler and rip out old microbore pipework and upgrade to 15mm which means floors up. Also fit cast iron rads and a couple of new towel warmers. Then joiner coming to fit engineered wood floors, architrave and skirting boards. Then built in wardrobe doors and fit out the understairs area.

Then we can get a decorator in.

Oh, and got some people coming to quote for replacing the 6m x 3m conservatory with something a little more substantial that isn't like a bloody icebox for half the year. That should keep us going for a little while

Changing the M140i for a hybrid later this year and something tells me that my substantial Bik savings will get gobbled up

It's scary how quick the costs rack up. I nearly had heart failure the other night when we totted our scheme up. We're not even extending!

Too right. After we've done all that we'll be taking the back wall out and inserting a steel beam to open up a nice living space and adding a new kitchen, flooring, etc....

[Swervin_Mervin]

So they've actually done an incredibly neat job. Managed to scuff the paint on the cill but that's no issue really.

The downstairs bay seems to have given them some real grief though. I suspect the original wasn't square with a larger side pane on one side tham the other. The new ones are square...

But today's biggest headache by far is the email telling us that the kitchen we'd been told was arriving 2nd week of April is now arriving 2nd week of March FFS. We're still waiting on builders to quote

[McSwede]

So they've actually done an incredibly neat job. Managed to scuff the paint on the full but that's no issue really.

The downstairs bay seems to have given them some real grief though. I suspect the original wasn't square with a larger side pane on one side tham the other. The new ones are square...

But today's biggest headache by far is the email telling us that the kitchen we'd been told was arriving 2nd week of April is now arriving 2nd week of March FFS. We're still waiting on builders to quote

A nice discount to take it early. Otherwise they can trott on? Do you have storage space?

[Swervin_Mervin]

I think they can store it a couple of weeks, but then it'll have to go in the garage. It wouldn't be a problem tbh if builders moved a bit bloody quicker.

[Simon]

Well, new windows, back door and back garage window and door ordered. I'm still waiting for the new conservatory flooring to arrive.

Currently the conservatory is still the original (from 1990) single glazing and polycarbonate roof. As expected it gets scorchio in there in the summer and freezing in the winter. I can have the windows and doors changed, but who has experience of changing the roof? If I stick some regular solar control glass in the top I still risk it being a bit too hot/cold at times of the year. Anyone have experience of the other conservatory roof options like supalite?

[McSwede]

Well, new windows, back door and back garage window and door ordered. I'm still waiting for the new conservatory flooring to arrive.

Currently the conservatory is still the original (from 1990) single glazing and polycarbonate roof. As expected it gets scorchio in there in the summer and freezing in the winter. I can have the windows and doors changed, but who has experience of changing the roof? If I stick some regular solar control glass in the top I still risk it being a bit too hot/cold at times of the year. Anyone have experience of the other conservatory roof options like supalite?

Our conservatory I similarly roofed. It's bloody awful. We've just had someone round from Solar Frame today to quote for ripping it down and putting something much more permanent in its place.

Ours is 6.25m X 3.5m and will potentially have one 3.5m side as brick, the other floor to ceiling glass and the 6.25m length will be sliders. Proper double insulated pitched roof.

Pre-haggle price was £24800. I really rather liked what they were proposing. I'll post images when they email everything to us.

[Rich B]

I can't stand conservatories - such a weird idea. They're always too hot or too cold, they look crap, they're often stuck in the back of the living room - so you're blocking the view of the garden from the room you spend the most time in, they usually have the double back doors to them so don't feel like part of the house, They're usually too small to actually use as a proper room (particularly with room for the doors to open), so just become a dumping ground. I saw them as a huge negative when house buying, even well made ones just don't get used unless they have a specific function.

I always think it's worth asking, (Before spending loads fixing the crap design) what are you actually going to use the space for?

[McSwede]

I can't stand conservatories - such a weird idea. They're always too hot or too cold, they look crap, they're often stuck in the back of the living room - so you're blocking the view of the garden from the room you spend the most time in, they usually have the double back doors to them so don't feel like part of the house, They're usually too small to actually use as a proper room (particularly with room for the doors to open), so just become a dumping ground. I saw them as a huge negative when house buying, even well made ones just don't get used unless they have a specific function.

I always think it's worth asking, (Before spending loads fixing the crap design) what are you actually going to use the space for?

On ours (see image below), it's on the rear of the house and is raised above ground level (as the house is) on proper footings. It also has double internal door leading to it at the moment. These would just be removed when it's done. We want a proper usable living space, which at the moment it isn't. It's on the back of the kitchen so we will (when funds allow) insert a steel beam and take the back wall out opening it up into a larger kitchen /living space with views over and access to the garden.

It'll be a proper family/entertaining space where we'll spend more of our time that the current living room.

As it's North facing it currently does not get too hot in the summer as the house shields it from direct sun for early morning and late evening. Doing it the way we are planning will make it much warmer for year round use. This option gives a permanent structure that's well insulated but also has plenty of glass and a 3m+ opening to the outside space. It seemed like a very good solution to me.

Interest to hear opinions from you lot though as this is the first time I've done this.

[Rich B]

Yeah, removing the doors/wall and using it to enlarge the existing rooms sounds like a good idea. Remember to check building regs about what you need to upgrade to allow you to remove the doors, or you could end up with issues down the line.

The number of conservatories you see set up like "another completely separate living room" (usually with less comfortable wicker furniture) right next to the main living room is bizarre to me.

[McSwede]

Yeah, removing the doors/wall and using it to enlarge the existing rooms sounds like a good idea. Remember to check building regs about what you need to upgrade to allow you to remove the doors, or you could end up with issues down the line.

The number of conservatories you see set up like "another completely separate living room" (usually with less comfortable wicker furniture) right next to the main living room is bizarre to me.

Will do. Thanks.

And yes. Some conservatories are just odd.

[DeskJockey]

Friends of ours have theirs like you want it, as an extension off the dining room that acts as a garden facing living room (other living rooms are at the front of the house).

When we've visited it is clear how well it works. Removing the doors made a big difference

[Swervin_Mervin]

I can't stand conservatories - such a weird idea. They're always too hot or too cold, they look crap, they're often stuck in the back of the living room - so you're blocking the view of the garden from the room you spend the most time in, they usually have the double back doors to them so don't feel like part of the house, They're usually too small to actually use as a proper room (particularly with room for the doors to open), so just become a dumping ground. I saw them as a huge negative when house buying, even well made ones just don't get used unless they have a specific function.

I always think it's worth asking, (Before spending loads fixing the crap design) what are you actually going to use the space for?

I'm exactly the same about conservatories. There are only 2 things I'd do with one - knock it down or build a proper extension in its place.

[Delphi]

I can't stand conservatories - such a weird idea. They're always too hot or too cold, they look crap, they're often stuck in the back of the living room - so you're blocking the view of the garden from the room you spend the most time in, they usually have the double back doors to them so don't feel like part of the house, They're usually too small to actually use as a proper room (particularly with room for the doors to open), so just become a dumping ground. I saw them as a huge negative when house buying, even well made ones just don't get used unless they have a specific function.

I always think it's worth asking, (Before spending loads fixing the crap design) what are you actually going to use the space for?

The previous owners had one that they had cladded and converted into an "extension". It adjoins the living room and we use it as Max's play room. There's a radiator in there so it doesn't get cold in the winter and it allows us to keep the living room as an adult room without the usual pile of toys behind the sofa or stuck at one end of the room. It's a very useful space for us.

[Swervin_Mervin]

Fvck me bifolds are pricey aren't they?

[McSwede]

Fvck me bifolds are pricey aren't they?

Yup. (As I discovered just the other day)

[MikeHunt]

Another benefit of lockdown (not many) is that Tui gave me back enough cash to sort out my garden. It involved 60 railway sleepers, 30 tons of soil, 80 sq m of slabs and 100 sq m of turf.

[Carlos]

Fvck me bifolds are pricey aren't they?

Yup. (As I discovered just the other day)

They seem to be a pig to fit as well. I know a couple of people recently who had water leaks that have been a pain to resolve.