Advice needed on coping with building work

Emmamr

Hi there

Apologies if this is in the wrong place, feel free to move it if it is. Basically, we are getting a 2 storey extension built and the building work is due to start in early March and I was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to cope/survive on a building site? Or any hints/tips on keeping the place relatively clean and tidy throughout the build?.

The work is scheduled to take between 12-14 weeks. We have a daughter who will be two by then and she can probably cope without naps okay but apart from her classes and playgroup we will be in most of each day when the work is going on. I don't drive and so just getting away from it all for a few hours each day is going to be impossible. DH works 9-5 but I work evenings and weekends on a varied rota and so we couldn't go and stay with relatives for a bit either.

Sorry for sounding so wimpy and daft but I am getting majorly stressed out at the thought of all of the mess and noise that I am starting to lose sight of the bigger picture. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Emmax

Fire_Fox

I would plan to get out of it for an hour on a daily basis. I know you don't drive but you might decide to get a bike with a child seat, or just go to the park with your little girl and a football or the kids area in the local library etc. etc. You can go off somewhere straight after picking your little girl up from nursery (or after dropping her off) to limit travelling.

It will be most dirty if you let the builders tramp through the house. The area they are working in should be sealed off with plastic sheeting and kept sealed. If you take the builders tea, take it outside and back onto the 'building site'.

Also try not to use the rooms adjacent to the work. You don't say if this is going to affect your access to essential areas such as kitchen or bathroom? You should try to get your head around the idea that a bit of dust doesn't husrt anyone, it's just your kitchen and bathroom you need to keep clean for hygeine reasons.

Spicey

Building work= dust, mess and inconvenience.
Nothing you can do about that. Just keep picturing how wonderful it will be at the end. Have you any friends you can go round for coffee for an hour or so a day.
I am also having building work done in March.

Emmamr

Thanks for the replies. I know I am overreacting a bit and neep to keep it all in perspective really.

Our kitchen will be affected but the bathroom won't so that's something. And I suppose it's a good excuse to not cook for a change!

You're both right, I'll just have to put up with the mess and mayhem and enjoy the end results. And get out as often as possible.

Emma

Alexei

Good luck with the extension Emmamr. We've had a smallish single-storey built over the last three months (was supposed to be finished after two!). The fact that the work can overrun significantly is important to remember, it's pretty galling to get excited about (a) getting rid of the builders and mess, and (b) being able to use the new space, only to find that it all takes a lot longer to be finished!

I agree with Fire Fox about trying to completely isolate the builders from the rest of the house as much as possible. Are you having a portaloo outside? We had one, because if we hadn't, we would have had mud and dirt trampled through the house every single day, which would have been a nightmare!

The disruption was minimal until the builders broke through to the existing house - as this was via the kitchen, cooking became difficult to say the least. Even things in cupboards were covered in a layer of dust every day, meaning we had to rinse everything, and clean the cooker and worktops before each use. We were careful to keep all the internal doors closed, but somehow the dust still worked its way throughout the ground floor.

Don't be afraid of it, just keep thinking about how great it will be to have the extra space once it's completed.

lilac_lady

Could you not go and stay with relatives during the day? It would get you out of a very stressful situation. Good luck with the builders!

baldelectrician

remember to run your builders name into google.

There are several sites dedicated to revewing companies.

try his own name and post code and company name.

also check with companies house if he is listed as trading. I was watching channel 5 earlier in the week and this guy had opened and closed 5 companies in a few years

frogglet

We had a two storey extension built and everything was fine until they knocked through, then the mess became unbelievable. the extension roof wasn't completely finished so it was absolutely freezing as it was April., we had no kitchen and everything was covered in cement dust. The two kids slept in our bed for three weeks as it was so cold in the rest of the house.
We had made the mistake of organising a three week holiday to coincide with the knocking through,thinking we would come back to the messy bit done , unfortunately our builders saw it as a time to go away and take on other work .
At least you are there to keep a grip on what happens. Don't give an inch , just remember that the builders don't have to live in what they leave behind each day.

3under3

We're in a similar boat and have 3 preschool children and works on a large extension starting in a few weeks. I'm hoping it will be ok until the knock through then I'll lose the kitchen for a week or two so will have to make some nitfy meals in the microwave I reckon! Our builders are bring a portaloo so they won't have to trapse through the place. I'm so excited though and cannot wait for the extra space!!

Marg

Remember ~ It is possible to come out at the other end of this type of building experience ~ loads of people do!

Could you 'move' your kitchen to another room when necessary? We managed with a microwave & a single electric ring for months & months when we had greedy rogue builders do alterations for us. (It's a long story & we had problems like froglet too).

So with hindsight my advice would be:-
1) Make sure you have a written contract with completion dates and penalty clauses if you can manage it ~ sadly we didn't
2) Don't get too friendly with the builders ~ we thought ours was a friend:eek:
3) Pack up all but minimum essential stuff from any room (especially kitchen) likely to be affected, you wont be spared any work but you wont be looking at your possessions covered in dust.
4) Move kitchen as above if you can & be prepared to wash up in the bathroom ~ a bizarre experience.
5) Think of it as an experiment in minimalist living & enjoy the break from housework ~ no one will expect you to have a dust free house for the duration.
6) Make time for some treats, meals out, takeaways to cheer yourselves up!
7) If your daughter needs her naps ask the builders for a quiet 'hour' if they prove to be noisy

It will get better and be worthwhile then ENJOY your new space!

Fire_Fox

You can manage fine without a kitchen with a bit of planning. Create a temporary kitchen with a large worksurface - such as a dining table - that is kept clear for chopping and serving. Then add a slow cooker, electric griddle and microwave and a well stocked fridge-freezer. Wash up in the bath cos it's much larger than the bathroom sink: use disposable plates/ cutlery for a few days if the dust is getting too much!