Best and cheapest way to get an extension built??

Moose_2

Hi,
Help and suggestions please.

We (my Husband and I) are planning to have an extension bulit above our garage and a sun lounge to the back of our house but have been shocked by the quotes we've recieved with regards to buliding work, plumbing etc...

Hubby isn't useless, he is very handy and can do some of the work himself but he works long hours and never finishes anything he starts! We need to get this done soon and quickly and as cheap as possible without compromising on quality.

So I was wondering if anyone out there has had building work done and where the cheapest suppliers of bricks, cement, windows etc...are??

Thanks in advance for any help I might receive.

H

Rex_Mundi

Be careful with doing this yourselves. There is more to it than doing the building work. Building regs change all the time, and your extension would have to comply with these.

You are going to need planning permission for this. Very likely once you have this, the first thing the building inspector is going to ask, is for a test hole next to your garage footings. He will want to make sure the footings are good enough to take a second floor.

Speak to your local planning department, they should be able to give you a few pointers in the right direction as to how to proceed. It is not impossible to do this work yourselves, but make sure you do it in the correct manner. You will need some professionals to do some work for you. Certificates are invloved with certain things.

Good luck. Be aware though that if the work is not done properly and to spec, they can order you to dismantle it.

Moose_2

Hi,
Thanks for the info. We have been granted planning permission for the building work, (another bedroom and en-suite) but nowt was mentioned regarding digging to see if the garage can take a second floor, will be looking into this.

H

George_Bray

Moose wrote:

Hi,
Help and suggestions please. We (my Husband and I) are planning to have an extension bulit above our garage and a sun lounge to the back of our house but have been shocked by the quotes we've recieved with regards to buliding work, plumbing etc...

Would you be able to say roughly how much you've been quoted, please? It might help give some idea as to how attractive DIY is, as an option.

I would definitely look at doing something like this myself. Step 1: identify all the regulations. Step 2: carry out the work yourself in full compliance with the regulations. Get the Council inspector to help you, to tell you what's needed, in return for their fee! I find it hard to believe that registered traders are demanded/mandatory for any of the work. If so, what, exactly? e.g. do the electrical work yourself and then get it checked/approved by the Council in return for the new stealth tax charge on electrical work.

Regards
George.

Moose_2

Hi George,
So far we have been quoted (average) £26,000
Things like digging the out earth to lay foundations (3m x 3m) for the sun lounge and building a dwarf wall have been quoted at £1600,

It doesn't seem to me that the building of an extension should cost that much, I suppose most of the cost is labour! Thanks for the advice on electrical work.

H

theGrinch

as a rule of thumb you should pay £1000 per square metre and thats London prices. of course non standard things can bump price up.

George_Bray

Moose wrote:

Hi George,
So far we have been quoted (average) £26,000
Things like digging the out earth to lay foundations (3m x 3m) for the sun lounge and building a dwarf wall have been quoted at £1600

I would (a) calculate the approximate cost of the materials at the lowest cost to you. Then assess (b) how many man hours labour is reasonable for competent workers to complete the job. Next decide (c) how much it's reasonable to pay per hour for a building labourer and any required project management.

If (b) x (c) come out well below what you've been quoted, then they're taking you for a ride. Ask them whether the difference is because they're inefficient (they take too many hours) or whether their labour rate is massively uncompetitive. Or both. Work from first principles.

Also consider whether you and any friends/family can contribute the same or greater labour hours (b) and have the requisite skills in order to save the cost of (b) x (c) plus any mark-up they add to materials (a).

Regards
George

JimArnold

Yes you can save a lot
I employed a bricklayer and mate and did the rest myself - but I had the time reckon I saved £15k I built three rooms over a double garage
but if you can find a good bricklayer, plasterer and roofer you can site manage it and still save quite a bit. Don't do it if you haven't got contacts

hints
1) talk to you local Building Control Officer (at the local council) mine have always been very helpful
2) if you draw your own plans (I did) try and get a local qualified strucutral engineer to look over them BCO may recomend one Without a doubt it was the best £50 I have EVER spent. As soon the BCO saw the structural engineers scribbles on the plans he didn't query anything
3) get a rough idea of what you need and then go around your local builders merchants - most will give you a trade discount - one did it without opening an account just gave me a trade discount card - well I did spend £10k with them. We might be talking 40% discount on some items and at least 15% on everything
4) make friends with your local merchant the medium sized local firms are usually better mine had 6 branches eg I need one of those metal thingys that go on the corner of a roof - Oh you mean a hip iron sir - one of these. But don't abuse it when they are busy or about to go home
5) a few things are worth buying from specialists - roof trusses, Windows, electrical (https://www.TLCdirect.co.uk) get everything else from BM
6) I bought a cheap cement mixer (£150) but it meant that I could do a bit at a time Intended to sell it on but still have it until I finish my Patio etc
7) find your local hire shops - note the plural
8) shop around for scaffolding I had quotes from £400 to £900 guess which one I went with

Moose_2

Thanks all for the advice, it's been very useful.
:0)

Baz_Bee_2

Moose wrote:

Hi,
Thanks for the info. We have been granted planning permission for the building work, (another bedroom and en-suite) but nowt was mentioned regarding digging to see if the garage can take a second floor, will be looking into this.

H

That is because Building Regualtion approval is nothing to do with planning. You will need to apply for this separately. This will involve submitting drawings showing the plans, sections and details of the proposed works so that the Building Inspector will be able to determine whether you are complying with the Building Regs. These plans will need to be significantly more detailed than those that you can get away with for planning purposes. Most people will get the Building Control drawings done and use these to submit for planning as well.

Additionally, you also need to be aware of the Party Wall Regulations 1996 and whether these will apply to any work you are proposing to do. THEY DO NOT only apply to work to any party wall, but also where you are excavating on or close enough to a boundray line to impact upon your neighbours property. These regs give your neighbour many rights and you are obliged, if the regs apply, to serve a notice upon your neighbour with details of the work between one and two months (depending upon the works) prior to commencemeing any work. You really do need to check these Regs carefully before commencing any works.

Also, since January any electrical works involving new circuits, etc needs to be undertaken by a certified sparks, or if you do it yourself it must be inspected and certified by the local authority Building Inspector. This will be at additional cost (£200 has been suggested in the press?) to what you pay to obtain your Building Regs approval and the various inspections that the Building Inspector will undertake when you ionform him that various stages of the works have been completed.

cloud_dog

Had a single storey 3.1m by 6.5m extension built - cost £17k - South west region. Did have a dormer (think thats the right phrase - pointy roof) built over the one half (asthetically nice), and got the builder to recess the joist steels above the ceiling line - again so that the finish looked clean (no beams spoiling the celing line).

cloud_dog