Extension Advice

jozvaldo

Advice needed please:-

I have a house that has a 20 foot single story extension that was built circa 1974 (we think) - it has a flat roof which has been surceptable to leaks. Various roofers have told me that they cant pitch the roof as the extension is too big! As we also need additional room upstairs we have considered extending on top of the kitchen - my first concern is are there going to be any foundations - can I check this without having to dig? I always thought that foundations werent required until quite recently?

Secondly can anybody recommend any architects that do not charge to pay a visit and offer me some advice (is there such a thing??)

Think thats it for now?
Thanks

Ian_W

There will almost certainly be foundations, question is whether they're strong enough to carry the load of a second storey plus a pitched roof. Only way I've ever heard of to find out is to dig a hole to see how substantial they are. Again, I'm not expert but I think a structural engineer might be more appropriate than an architect.
Why not contact a local builder, pref one you know has done extensions locally, I'm sure they'll come out and give you an estimate for the preliminary work for free and discuss what and how is the best way to progress things.

silvercar

of course they can pitch the roof. You may end up with a flat bit in the middle, but they can certainly start again with a pitched roof. We've just had it done, two hip ridges (?) and a small flat bit in the middle.

ab7167

I would agree with Ian, you need a structural engineer, not an architect. The IStructE website has https://www.findanengineer.com that should give you a list of suitably qualified engineers in your area.
You will not be able to determine what the foundations are without digging, you may get an indication if you can find any existing drawings, but in my experience these are not usually avaialble for domestic properties. In any event, what is on the drawings does not always match what is in the ground :-)
Do you know what kind of soil you have in the area? If it is in Oxfordshire, I may be able to help more if you PM me with details. Not promising anything, I am a structural engineer, but this is not my speciality.
As for the cost, I don't think you will find anyone willing to come and give you advice for free. I wouldn't... sorry....
How big is this extension that they can't pitch the roof? May be that you can't do it with a traditional truss, but there are plenty of other options available for pitched roofs.
Another point is that if you want to put a second storey on, you will almost certainly need planning permission. For this, an architect may be useful.

Ali

marybishop

You could contact the RICS and go to the Find a Surveyor section (you need a Chartered Building Surveyor). Then contact a few of them in your area and ask if they will come out to have a look and give advice as to what can/cannot be done. We do this all the time when people are looking to extend/alter their property. Once we have discussed their requirements we then give them a fee proposal for undertaking the work i.e. drawings, planning permission, etc. We use a structural engineer to calculate loadings for steels, etc as part of the process who charges a separate fee and this is conveyed to the client so they know what sort of money they are looking at paying.

HTH

jozvaldo

Thanks for the helpful feedback as always.

My current extension is approximately 20ft x 20ft (we are located in bedfordshire) and I have basically been told that because of the length of the extension the pitch would have to come up higher than the existing bedroom window????

I guess my main concern is that I dont want to start shelling out money for something that may never materialise - which is why I am after 'an inspection visit' initially.

In the meantime I have made contact via the RICS website as advised - but in the interim any further advice would be gratefully received....

Thanks again