New Kitchen, Bedroom and Living Room

chris1012

Good Morning All,

My wife and I have just moved into a new property which needs some work done.

We have some ideas of what we want to do with regards to few of the rooms such as extend and on-suite.

This would be our first real attempt at anything like this and were not sure which way to turn.

I think we would need some designers in to help with what we are and aren't able to achieve with or without planning permission.

What designers would you all recommend and who would you recommend doing the work?

We was thinking if we were to give out the 1 contract to a company who could do the construction and fitting, it would be better for our pockets but at the end of the day we are looking at quality first!

Any recommendations, suggestions and help would be really appreciated!

Thanks

jc808

doubt youd need planning

you may need building regulations.

before doing all this considering fixing any building problems (eg damp, damaged walls etc) and possibly upgrade your plumbing/gas and electrics at the same time if they need it

(reason being you dont want to newly plaster/ new kitchen etc and five years later rip it all to bits again)

whats your plumbing and electrics like at the moment? what kind of fuse board you got?

jc808

oh btw just reread your post

if youre going to extend you may well need planning

LEJC

having recently refurbished a whole house, what can tell you is that possibly by employing one company to oversee all your work,will probably be the most expensive option.

Our initial thoughts were to have one company do everything and we originally got quotes to this effect but when we looked at the work involved and the charges they wanted to make it became more cost effective for us to project manage the refurb ourselves and directly employ tradesmen to do the specific jobs.

Our budget for the total refurb was £40000 and we have all but completed the work on that budget....its taken a lot longer than we would have liked but if we had employed just one company the cost would probably have risen by another £20000.

Get some quotes from various tradesmen and an all in company and decide from there whether you are able to live with a more hands on but possibly cheaper approach or whether you need the work completed within a specific timescale but at potentislly a higher cost

chris1012

jc808 wrote: »

doubt youd need planning

you may need building regulations.

before doing all this considering fixing any building problems (eg damp, damaged walls etc) and possibly upgrade your plumbing/gas and electrics at the same time if they need it

(reason being you dont want to newly plaster/ new kitchen etc and five years later rip it all to bits again)

whats your plumbing and electrics like at the moment? what kind of fuse board you got?

Thank you for your response.

I think the house is in very good condition apart from the cellar where the house was built on an old water bed, so there is a water reservoir and pump. The reservoir has never been more than half full according to what we have been told.

Plumbing is very old and needs changing.
The boiler is still in the bathroom upstairs which needs changing and relocating.

Electrics - Some of the light switches need re-positioning and the fuse board is very old and im sure needs changing as well.

Apart from the above there is no structural issues that is apparent nor any damping issues.

chris1012

LEJC wrote: »

having recently refurbished a whole house, what can tell you is that possibly by employing one company to oversee all your work,will probably be the most expensive option.

Our initial thoughts were to have one company do everything and we originally got quotes to this effect but when we looked at the work involved and the charges they wanted to make it became more cost effective for us to project manage the refurb ourselves and directly employ tradesmen to do the specific jobs.

Our budget for the total refurb was £40000 and we have all but completed the work on that budget....its taken a lot longer than we would have liked but if we had employed just one company the cost would probably have risen by another £20000.

Get some quotes from various tradesmen and an all in company and decide from there whether you are able to live with a more hands on but possibly cheaper approach or whether you need the work completed within a specific timescale but at potentislly a higher cost

Do you mind if I ask what did you do to the house?

We are focussing on 2 bedrooms, bathroom and kitchen/dining for the restructuring and decorating.
We are also thinking of putting a small conservatory attached to the kitchen.

So not sure around costs but for just the restructuring and finishing, we have been told by one builder, for the above work, around £20k but that was a estimation based on a very brief conversation...

LEJC

A lot will really depend upon the condition of your electrics and your walls,as basically it can turn easily from a redecoration to a renovation based on the outcome of the electrics.

We started with a structurally solid house that had had no real work done on it since the late 60s but had the original 1920's windows and electrics....and economy heating which we removed and had gsh installed...electrics were £4000 plastering £2000 and windows and doors £6000...cenrtal heating £6000

Because a full rewire was needed then it really forced the issue of plastering so as such every wall and ceiling was also plastered...we had a downstairs bathroom which was removed and moved upstairs to the third small bedroom,and the old bathroom was renovated to create a utility and downstairs toilet.
We had a new kitchen and bathroom and also double glazing and new front and back doors....there was a conservatory and at the moment we have had that reroofed but not tackled the inside but hope to bring that in at around £500 or less with replastering and tiling the floor.
Our budget also included new internal doors and carpets as well a redecoration,although it did not stretch to that being done professionally...that has been many long weekends with a paintbrush

Our kitchen and utility room came in at around £9000,bathroom £4000...so your figures quoted at £20k dont appear to be that unrealistic....a lot will depend on what type of thing you are looking to do in the bedrooms...for us it was skimming the walls and ceilings and then 3 coats of paint and a carpet...but if you are looking at fitted wardrobes etc then you will need to adjust your budget....although the original post you made didnt specify the condition of your electrics or plumbing....which you have subsequently said may need looking at....if this is the case I would guess that your initial £20k will not stretch to bolier and electrics too and will probably have to be at the expense of the conservatory!!!!


Dont under estimate how much finishing you may have to do with regard to decorating or painting...its an area which I would have loved for someone else to do but as funds were running tight we just couldnt justify another £1500 for someone else to paint skirting boards and walls/doors etc so armed with around £500 of paint thats where we currently are with the redecoration

I would also suggest that you allow yourself a healthy contingency fund of maybe even upto £5000 before you start...there are always unforseen areas and it helps that you have a little in reserve rather than having to live with something half finished whilst you save some more money.
Its taken us 8 months so far but the end is now in sight and we hope to be finished by mid january