Kitchen remodelling using external store

Gemochka

Hi, I'm looking for some help on a quote, please. I'd be grateful for any feedback, I can deal with honest...

Work to be done (must be a fairly common thing with these terraced houses, built in about 1911):

Terrace house currently has external store room (probably used to be external toilet), accessed by external door.
Looking to knock through internally into external store and brick up external door and back door in kitchen (requires steel)
Add patio doors at end
Raise roof on external store and put sky light in
Remove window and replace with smaller window in kitchen, bricking up the difference (current window is too low to allow units to be put in all the way down the kitchen)
Create room within current kitchen to be converted into downstairs toilet (toilet will be installed separately)
Knock through from lounge into kitchen to create doorway or archway from lounge into kitchen (requires steel)
Lounge is currently a step higher than kitchen - this step will need to be extended slightly to allow for toilet pipe to pass underneath and reach external soil pipe
Lower internal ceiling of kitchen to allow for spot lights
Raise the chimney stack (currently has space for a range cooker with chimney stack still above it) - raise this to allow space for fitted ovens and fridge (requires steel, but not taking it all the way up to the ceiling as this would be a much bigger job).

Initially had a rough quote (not on paper) for all this and installing standard B&Q style kitchen at approx. £10k, which seemed low. Didn't proceed due to other reasons. Six months later returned to same builder with suggestion he just does building and we get kitchen put in separately. Quote is now £12k without kitchen or toilet purchase or installation.

Just wondering on views. I think the increase on quote despite it being less work has really thrown me, but I don't want to turn down a quote that might well be fair if the first one was low and perhaps not terribly well thought through.

I'd be grateful for any feedback on this. Feel like it's going round and round and I can't work out which way is up. Thank you for your help!

Furts

Get proper drawings done, check listed/conservation area/ planning. Get a Full Plans Buildings Regulations application, having engaged a structural engineer if necessary with steel calculations. Here ordinary lintels may suffice. The toilet drain under a floor board is worrying - be prepared for questions here. Get a detailed Specification and then approach builders. They will then know you are serious and not a time waster. Get quotes and compare them.


You will then know costs, your budget, the lead in time. and where you stand on buying items such as a kitchen. If all goes well you will be ready to start

Gemochka

We've been told that planning / buildings application is not needed as it's remodelling not an extension. Also told that structural engineer is not needed if we are just lifting and not removing the chimney breast. The toilet drain isn't under a floorboard, just creating enough space by entending the already existing step to allow the pipe access to an external wall. Are you saying I'm being told porkies? �� So hard to know whether higher quotes are a rip off or just more thorough, or lower quotes are better value or just people not doing a proper job!

Furts

You are doing structural work. You admit in your post to this - you refer to adding steels. You also are enlarging an opening, or forming an opening, to give patio doors. You are adding drainage and forming a new connection into your svp. Again you admit this.

All this means you should be seeking professional advice, so get an architectural person on board, talk about Regulations then see where you can get to.

To answer your question - yes you are definitely being told porkies, and I suspect whoever you have been talking to has not got a clue about doing work to a reasonable standard. In turn this is reflected by the crazy prices you have been indicated - the person does not want the work and is trying to avoid any involvement. Or they are trying to fleece you.

Doozergirl

This is exactly why you need to take on a professional or at least to speak to more than one person. As well as what Furts says, you are converting an outbuilding and putting on a new roof which also comes with obligations to meet building regs.

There's plenty there in your list that needs building regulations approval. This 'builder' is not suitable.

I don't think the quote is high at all though. There's a lot of fiddly stuff there and the outbuilding conversion will not be as straightforward as you think. It needs to meet regs and by the amount of knocking about you're planning, it may not stand, depending on its existing condition. Presumably you're expecting the roofs to tie in?

Furts

I am not saying the prices are high - far from it, but they are crazy. To quote £10000, then come back a little later and say £12000, but now exclude the kitchen and the toilet defies logic. It is akin to doubling the price. This suggests danger - do not proceed with this contractor.

Gemochka

Thank you both for your replies... sorry to be slow to respond. It's good to have honest independent views and I will certainly take your advice and have already got in touch with an architect who's been recommended and have a couple of structural engineers numbers through friends that I will also get in touch with.

Interestingly, I had someone round to measure and quote on the kitchen itself this morning (our second kitchen quote) and she raised an eyebrow at some of the building recommendations too. That's plenty of red flags for me, so we'll take a step back, get plans drawn up, save a bit more and do a proper job a bit further down the line.

Thank you again for your honest responses. I really appreciate it.