My architect doesn't seem to be providing much imagination or commentary - is this normal?

NatNat77

If it helps at all, just to give you an idea of costs (we're in the SE) as we are taking out the back of our house, the steels in this pic were £5k 6 weeks ago, and that was a cash price from someone I know, so they would have been £6k+ with the VAT. The SE costs were £1500, and the install which included a crane to lift them over the house, was another £1700. The big steel is 9m long and the two supporting steels are approx 3m.

I've just had a ball park price of £27.5k for tiling the roof, the new part (9 x 4m) will include a dormer and it also includes replacing the existing roof tiles with Spanish slate to match. I'm waiting on other quotes and that's without the trusses and the crane we will need. And don't get me started on the windows/doors! Priced are absolutely crazy at the moment on all the materials we need. You get a quote for something one week and it's gone up 10% the next.

We're creating a big open plan kitchen/living area downstairs and extending the two back bedrooms, and creating a loft room over the new part only, so a similar project to what you seem to be planning. 

We also had what I thought was quite a healthy budget, similar to yours, and I'm lucky that my husband is building most of it, and we will be staying here throughout, otherwise we could never have afforded to build to this scale with the current prices. But even so I'm worried the money will run out. We were hoping to get trades to do some of it as hubby is so busy with work so he's trying to do it at weekends, but we're finding that the trades can charge what they like and/or pick and choose work at the moment. Plus issues and delays getting materials. 

For example, we had ridiculous quotes for the groundworks, so hubby did it himself by hiring a micro digger and getting a couple of lads round over Easter weekend. That saved at least £7k because we had to go down 1.65m on the left hand side, and it took 5 grab loads to remove the huge pile of dirt in our drive!

Anyway enough rambling, but I'd be happy to answer any more questions you may have on current costs if it would help! 

Doozergirl

NatNat77 said:

If it helps at all, just to give you an idea of costs (we're in the SE) as we are taking out the back of our house, the steels in this pic were £5k 6 weeks ago, and that was a cash price from someone I know, so they would have been £6k+ with the VAT. The SE costs were £1500, and the install which included a crane to lift them over the house, was another £1700. The big steel is 9m long and the two supporting steels are approx 3m.

I've just had a ball park price of £27.5k for tiling the roof, the new part (9 x 4m) will include a dormer and it also includes replacing the existing roof tiles with Spanish slate to match. I'm waiting on other quotes and that's without the trusses and the crane we will need. And don't get me started on the windows/doors! Priced are absolutely crazy at the moment on all the materials we need. You get a quote for something one week and it's gone up 10% the next.

We're creating a big open plan kitchen/living area downstairs and extending the two back bedrooms, and creating a loft room over the new part only, so a similar project to what you seem to be planning. 

We also had what I thought was quite a healthy budget, similar to yours, and I'm lucky that my husband is building most of it, and we will be staying here throughout, otherwise we could never have afforded to build to this scale with the current prices. But even so I'm worried the money will run out. We were hoping to get trades to do some of it as hubby is so busy with work so he's trying to do it at weekends, but we're finding that the trades can charge what they like and/or pick and choose work at the moment. Plus issues and delays getting materials. 

For example, we had ridiculous quotes for the groundworks, so hubby did it himself by hiring a micro digger and getting a couple of lads round over Easter weekend. That saved at least £7k because we had to go down 1.65m on the left hand side, and it took 5 grab loads to remove the huge pile of dirt in our drive!

Anyway enough rambling, but I'd be happy to answer any more questions you may have on current costs if it would help! 

I run a building company and I'd appreciate the updates!! 😂😭

NatNat77

Happy to help! And I owe you one as well! 

I should add that my husband who has been a builder for 40 odd years, the steel man, the steel installers, the crane driver, the guys who have come round to look at the roof, literally everyone! has said the steels are over engineered, and much bigger than we need, but I did get a second opinion 🤷‍♂️ 

Section62

NatNat77 said:

I should add that my husband who has been a builder for 40 odd years, the steel man, the steel installers, the crane driver, the guys who have come round to look at the roof, literally everyone! has said the steels are over engineered, and much bigger than we need, but I did get a second opinion 🤷‍♂️ 

Better over than under.

With all the trees nearby I wouldn't have wanted to risk saving a small amount on the steel if it was a marginal call.

NatNat77

Section62 said:

NatNat77 said:

I should add that my husband who has been a builder for 40 odd years, the steel man, the steel installers, the crane driver, the guys who have come round to look at the roof, literally everyone! has said the steels are over engineered, and much bigger than we need, but I did get a second opinion 🤷‍♂️ 

Better over than under.

With all the trees nearby I wouldn't have wanted to risk saving a small amount on the steel if it was a marginal call.

Absolutely, (and well remembered!) but the cost wasn't the concern really, it was more the install. Hubby really didn't fancy doing it for steels that size! I'm glad we found someone who could do it without it costing the earth 😁

the_midnight_Wolfboy

Doozergirl

I think what they are drawing is hugely more than £160k.  There aren't all that many measurements on the drawings but looking at option 2 measurements, that's more than 10m x 8m x two = at least 160 square metres

Yes we gave them a budget of circa £150k in our initial conversation in Feb - I went back to them and suggested building around the current structure instead , to try and save demolition costs - but they said it would cause more trouble than it's worth - although based on feedback on here- unsure if that's actually true.

The need could be met on a more modest scale. 

I agree, I am thinking of proposing of dropping the snug zone, as it is a bit duplicative of the livingroom. Then hopefully make the two storey extension flush - or consider a smaller L shape extension.

Section 62

I'm quietly sobbing here.  The starting point in the architect's conversation should have been to find out your budget.

I really hope not literal - even we aren't there yet. We told them our budget from the beginning but they've sent PDF designs of ideas that are quite a bit more than what we asked e.g front extension.

There's no point designing something with a 'T' shaped steel over an 8m span if you don't know roughly how much of the budget that would swallow up.

I agree it's concerning in the online teams meeting when we ask her what the cost implication is and she tries to refer us to an engineer because she doesn't know - it's reassuring to know it's not just us going crazy.

If the back half(?) of the house is being demolished and rebuilt then you will be looking at close to complete roof renewal anyway.

Yes that's right - they have proposed demolishing the roof and building something like a two gable roof with a valley.

In terms of moving out our plan would be to move into my wifes parents house for a while, although with a toddler and new born - 9 months could be a lot - if it is that long!

This is a reason I wanted to build around the existing structure so that we could still live in the house for a while if possible.

NatNat77

If it helps at all, just to give you an idea of costs (we're in the SE) as we are taking out the back of our house, the steels in this pic were £5k 6 weeks ago, and that was a cash price from someone I know, so they would have been £6k+ with the VAT.

Thanks it really helps to get a real life comparative! The architect couldnt really give a figure but said it was in the 'thousands'

we had ridiculous quotes for the groundworks, so hubby did it himself by hiring a micro digger

Wow how much were the groundworks quotes? Driving a micro digger actually sounds fun , I'd be worried I would hit a pipe or cable though - how did he avoid them?

FreeBear

NatNat77 said:  I've just had a ball park price of £27.5k for tiling the roof, the new part (9 x 4m) will include a dormer and it also includes replacing the existing roof tiles with Spanish slate to match.

I have heard reports of some Spanish slate only lasting five years - You might want to do some more research before committing to using the stuff.

stuart45

There are a lot of quarries in Spain, and the quality varies a lot. I did a garage along the road from me with Spanish slate about 12 years ago and so far still looking good.
You need to be sure about which quarry they come from. Canadian slates are a good alternative.

TELLIT01

FreeBear said:

TELLIT01 said: Having been a keen viewer of 'Grand Designs' over the years I'm not surprised at the lack of detail, or likely cost, coming from the architect.  Many seem to operate in a parallel universe where cost and practicality don't come into the equation.  There was one instance a few years ago where the architect specified lime mortar throughout and lime cement floors, with no apparent thought either to the cost or the fact that it takes months to dry.

The one where yje floor slab was poured in the middle of a real cold winter, and they tried their best to protect it from freezing. What was going to be a polished limecrete floor ended up looking like a dog's dinner.

That's the one.  The female architect was so arrogant.  Basically saying the client didn't understand her 'vision'.  They didn't want a 'vision', they wanted a house build within their budget.

NatNat77

Thank you Freebear and Stuart45, I didn't know that and will do some research!