Lower floor by 15cm - how much £££

gemma.zhang

I feel even worse now. We have put a step for not much benefit 🙈🙈🙈…

how stupid and expensive mistake. 

gemma.zhang

ThisIsWeird said:

Hi Gemma.

Could you confirm, please; this view is in to your new extension, with the garden sliding doors at the far end? And the doorway in the foreground will be an 'opening' and not actually have a door when completed? So, you'll have one or two lovely steps between the two levels? Nice.

So it's essentially this view, but taken from further back inside the house?

The purpose of that higher floor level and step was presumably to get the house a bit closer to the raised garden level? If so, why would you want to increase that disparity now?

Anyhoo, given the situation is as above, then my thoughts would be:

1) You have a stunning extension, and I have serious extension envy.

2) You have a stunning, welcoming garden, and I have ditto.

3) Having had an extension built ourselves a few years back which is also blessed with a voo, I do recall 'fixating' a bit on what we'd actually be able to see out the bifolds, and standing on the newly laid concrete slab, raising myself on tiptoes to try and judge what I'd end up seeing once the lintels and doors were in place.

4) Now that it's built, I realise that was all bonkers. If I want to 'admire' the view, it is there; I can walk up to the bifolds and look - and see everything I want to see. And ditto if standing in the middle of the floor. For a wee glimpse of Appledore, well, I take two steps to the side and crane my neck.

The reality is - and will be for you, I am sure - the view is 'there', and it bathes the room. You are always aware of it, it is always present, regardless of what you are doing - standing, sitting, eating, reading, listening to music, or staring out the doors. When you sit down, the perspective changes, but you are still bathed. You can still see, are aware of, 90% of it, but the bits you can no longer see are irrelevant. No more Appledore for me if I sit down? Big deal - I know it's there. No more of the very tops of the end trees for you? Ditto - it really really won't matter. Once you live in that space, you don't stare at the garden view, but just let it flow over you - that welcoming blaze of greenery you know you can step out in to any time you want. 

Of course, you will also stare at it at times, possibly often - you'll take your hot cup of coffee and walk right up to the doors, and sigh with pleasure at your good fortune. Then you sit down, turn on Radio 4, and sigh again - the view has changed but is still the same.

You have a stunning new extension and a glorious garden that most folk will be very envious of. I firmly believe that lowering that floor will not give you what you think you want, and will therefore be a staggering waste of money. It'll also surely increase what you feel is your other issue - the height difference with the garden (in my belief, a non-issue). And it'll remove the interesting change in indoor levels - seriously, every house I've seen with one or two internal steps to differing floor levels have all been very appealing - it adds a type of cosiness, and certainly more interest.

In your case, the step has a real purpose that'll I think will feel 'right' - it is to get that room a bit more into the garden, and I think it will feel like that. As said by others, use that saved money to have the immediate outer area designed to be a highly desirable place to be in, with access to the main garden via steps as before; again, I think that is far more interesting than a flat garden. The patio area will be cosy and inviting, a real statement, and you'll likely spend more time out there as a result, more than if it were just part of a larger level garden. The potential is incredible.

I cannot see any benefits at all in reducing the floor level - only negatives, including an empty pocket.

missed the reply earlier.

Thanks so much for taking time to write this.

I think I am mistaken as well. And have been losing sleep over it. It’s been painful built (fell out with aggressive builders) and painful to realise we didn’t make the right call. Regret crazy amount of £ need to sort it out.

ThisIsWeird

gemma.zhang said:

I feel even worse now. We have put a step for not much benefit 🙈🙈🙈…
how stupid and expensive mistake. 

???

Surely, the raised floor makes it better, closer to the garden level, although slightly? And, the cost of the raised floor would only have been marginal over having the same internal level - so not expensive?

But, what would be expensive would be to now remove that level. And, imv, completely pointless.

The raised floor provides a slight improvement on your main issue - the higher garden. It also, imv, adds interest to the inside. I see no negatives to it.

Please - complete your lovely extension, but a lot of thought into the immediate outdoor area, and put your money into that - it'll be incredible.

I think, once it's all done, you will wonder what you were worrying about. :-)

gemma.zhang

ThisIsWeird said:

gemma.zhang said:

I feel even worse now. We have put a step for not much benefit 🙈🙈🙈…
how stupid and expensive mistake. 

???

Surely, the raised floor makes it better, closer to the garden level, although slightly? And, the cost of the raised floor would only have been marginal over having the same internal level - so not expensive?

But, what would be expensive would be to now remove that level. And, imv, completely pointless.

The raised floor provides a slight improvement on your main issue - the higher garden. It also, imv, adds interest to the inside. I see no negatives to it.

Please - complete your lovely extension, but a lot of thought into the immediate outdoor area, and put your money into that - it'll be incredible.

I think, once it's all done, you will wonder what you were worrying about. :-)

Thanks so much for your lovely words…

i wish I posted before making decision.🙈

live and learn. 

casper_gutman

You're already worried about the extension floor being too low compared to the garden outside, and now you want to lower it further? Stop worrying about it, and learn to love it as it is. It will never be worth spending tens of thousands to change such minor things!

MysteryMe

It will look fine once you have finished the step. Unless someone has severe mobility issues no one is going to be put off buying a property with different floor levels, they are quite common. 

gemma.zhang

Have asked builder to provide quotes: 
25k Labour & material to flatten the step, 5k to move the beam up by 15 cm. 

 
Then have to redo the tiling 5k + door 10k .

total give or take 50k 🙈🙈🙈

ThisIsWeird

Why, oh why?
Please - this is not going to be worth it.
Neither of these things will make a significant difference, almost certainly nothing you'll notice or be aware of on a daily basis.
Once you have moved in, and have a beautiful patio outside, and are enjoying your new extension, the slight change in floor level, or height of lintel, that you are proposing spending a nutty amount of money on, will not be noticeable.
You are talking about a few inches either way. Crazy.
But - your call.

gemma.zhang

Can have more head room and no steps….

will stay out for 5 years and decide.

just regret eats me alive..

Such an expensive oversight 🙈

ThisIsWeird

gemma.zhang said:

Can have more head room and no steps…
will stay out for 5 years and decide.
just regret eats me alive..
Such an expensive oversight 🙈

Pros: 

1) Increased headroom. (Do you NEED this? What is it currently?)

2) No step. Purely personal point. To me it wouldn't matter, especially as it serves a purpose - getting closer to garden level. It might even be a nice aesthetic feature.

Cons:

1) Surely it would reduce what you were trying to gain - sight-line out to the garden?

2) £25k

Regret is eating you alive? Well, since neither of the options provides the answer to your dilemma - each is a compromise - then you will almost certainly have some 'regret', regardless of your decision.

One cause of regret will be a lot more costly than the other.