£67,031.92 is a frightening number indeed....

vampirotoothus · 23 May 2018 at 1:41PM

Hi, long time lurker. Well done on your journey so far. Is the refund and Vans linked?

Treadingonplaymobil · 23 May 2018 at 2:35PM

Ah, so it turns out that the money in was DH's expenses - I had missed a couple of items so the numbers didn't add up (I had applied them to our family kitty), and the company processing them has changed. So it's about £40 that I didn't expect, which still isn't to be sniffed at!

Can't believe this weather, it just goes on and on being lovely! Apparently it's going to be rainy with intermittent thunder and lightening for the next four days though, which should feel reassuringly British.

enthusiasticsaver · 23 May 2018 at 5:09PM

Shame about the hold up with the architect but you can use this time to at least sound out some builders even if they will not give you definitive quotes. I guess you really need to know what the water board say about drains first though.

On the plus side it gives you longer to save and reduce debt so waiting may be frustrating but financially it makes sense. Presumably by then your youngest will be at school so your income may be higher too which will make raising the capital for the build easier.

Treadingonplaymobil · 24 May 2018 at 4:46AM

Week 67: Day 4

Morning! Last working day of the week for me, so inevitably trying to squeeze lots in. I feel like I have nothing to chat about this morning, so will just post my list and I'm sure I'll be back later with something simply fascinating to say.... (don't hold your breath).

To do yesterday
1. Check friend's life coaching email to put her goals in my calendar so I can support her.
2. Bake cakes for school cake sale - OMG I had a GF cake made with half ground almonds on the weekend, you were all so right about it making it edible! Was really good.
3. Social media post for work.
4. Blog post for my website.
5. Take some extra social media pics.
6. Make a paypal claim for a refund not received (from Vans, a proper big company! For a pair of DS's shoes returned).
7. Go for a walk.

To do today
1. Double check contract work for next week.
2. Finish contract work for the following week.
3. Post blog post and social media for my website.
4. Clear the ironing.
5. Tidy the sitting room.

Mini goals:
- £34.54/30 May rounding down pot.
- £2,453.75/£5,000 2018 debt repayment goal.
- £26.49 daily earning goal.

Treadingonplaymobil · 25 May 2018 at 5:18AM

Week 67: Day 5

Well clearly I had nothing exciting to come back and say yesterday!

A couple of bits of news this morning though. Firstly, we got given official permission to build over our sewer yesterday. This has been a significant concern, so we're really pleased to get it. And the best bit is that in my £5k extension savings pot goal (for the extension pre-build costs) I had budgeted as following:

1) £1,800 for remaining architect's fees
2) £1,000 for structural engineer.
3) £1,000 for quantity surveying/online estimating service.
4) £200 for planning permission.
5) £1,000 for South West Water

And we only spent £350 on South West Water, as there were absolutely no remedial works to do to the sewer. I'm not going to adjust my £5k budget pot, as I haven't saved anything for building regs application, which will be another few hundred pounds, so hopefully it will balance out. So the list now looks like:

1) £1,800 for remaining architect's fees
2) £1,000 for structural engineer.
3) £1,000 for quantity surveying/online estimating service.
4) £200 for planning permission.
5) £350 for South West Water
6) £650 for building regs application

Who wants to bet on how many other things I've missed off my 'pre-build costs' list?! I know there will be other things, but I'm hoping that this little list will get us most of the way there, before we start on the serious huge costs. I am determined, as I have been throughout, that everything pre-build will come from actual money we have saved, so we don't start drifting further into debt before the build even starts. I know that once we start spending it's going to be really hard to rein it in and be sensible, so the shorter the time frame when we are able to spend, the better, frankly.

What else exciting happened? Oh yes, I got the final sketch I needed from the architect, so DH and I have to spend every evening this long weekend doing the architect's drawing equivalent of a snagging check - going through and checking every last thing, every measurement, every little detail, to make sure that once the final drawings are issued we don't have to adjust things further, at least until we get to the construction drawings phase and find out that something we want isn't possible, or some other inevitable drama. Let's be honest, we all know the biggest drama is going to come when I hit the reality of the price of fixtures and fittings, versus my dreams of a high end finish. :rotfl:

Planning to take the children to Ikea tonight for dinner as a treat (never let it be said that I don't spoil them

) so DH and I can look more critically at kitchens there - I have heard a few people say that the internal fittings and cupboard units are really good quality, so even though I don't like their doors and worktops, it might still be cheapest/best quality for our budget to get carcasses from there and get doors and worktops made. Obviously in my head I'm getting a £30,000 bespoke kitchen, but once again reality may intervene.

Ooh, half term next week. I'm quite looking forward to it. We have the zoo membership that my mum bought the DCs for birthday presents, so can go to both local zoos/animal parks, and I think DC2's best friend's family has membership too, so we might try to arrange to go with them one of the days. Also planning a trip to a bathroom showroom (because I know how to show my children a good time). Actually I think they'll love playing in all the 'pretend' bathrooms. I am planning a slightly weird bath option, so I want to go and see it in a layout before committing. Maybe if they're really lucky I'll take them to a flooring shop too...

Properly limping to the end of the month now. Practically every budget pot is empty!

To do yesterday
1. Double check contract work for next week.
2. Finish contract work for the following week.
3. Post blog post and social media for my website.
4. Clear the ironing. I have done more each day, but the problem is that people continue to selfishly wear clothes, so it keeps refilling!
5. Tidy the sitting room. DH did this while we were on a play date that ran late.

To do today
1. Clear the ironing. Really do it this time! Down to one (packed full) basket now.
2. Make some biscuits for playdate. Might attempt the freezer biscuit thing again, since DH won't be here to cook them all while I'm not looking :rotfl: .
3. Menu plan - we have so much food in the cupboards, so should be more of a top up of fruit and veg and dairy this weekend.
4. Find a campsite for next weekend.
5. Check through contract work for the following week so I don't need to think about it over half term.

Mini goals:
- £35.70/30 May rounding down pot.
- £2,455.31/£5,000 2018 debt repayment goal.
- £26.61 daily earning goal.

[Deleted User] · 25 May 2018 at 6:54AM

Hi topm - I'm in the middle of a kitchen renovation and we have got our kitchen from ikea. We have bought the cheapest wooden doors they sell and have bought some gorgeous dark blue paint and ebayed some antique-y style brass handles. Ikea was all we could afford, and its a time consuming method but the one we have done so far (kitchen is currently an empty plastered room so we did one to cheer ourselves up haha) looks really good.

Verbatim · 25 May 2018 at 8:22AM

If you're planning granite or similar worktops I was given a tip that they're
available second hand on ebay or gumtree. The trick is to buy longer than you need and get them cut down. And to store them upright (in the garden is OK with stakes either side).

mfmaybe · 25 May 2018 at 9:11AM

We are in planning application stages of a self build. We are also planning an ikea kitchen. There are very few things I've seen in bespoke kitchens that aren't possible with ikea. We have found a company that do exact sized doors for ikea units and they aren't much more expensive than ikea's most expensive, as far as I can tell. In addition it means we can do a bit of tweaking, like I want my pantry door to be a continuation of a run of wall units so they can do that for me. I just don't see the point in spending so much money on the carcass. I'd rather spend my budget on the parquet floor we really want, for instance. Which you see every square inch of.

JoJoC · 25 May 2018 at 9:45AM

Fantastic news about the sewer costs coming under budget - building in a bit of contingency for other things already

You're not the only one limping to the end of the month - a five week month is a killer!

Suffolk_lass · 25 May 2018 at 1:04PM

Given what an idiot your architect has been, I really think you should involve your friend's husband the builder now. A good builder will tell you what structural strengthening is needed and the idea you need a quantity surveyor for an extension is frankly, taking the P. I really believe this architect is spending your hard-earned money very freely. Look back and you will see he has basically ignored your brief on several occasions. I think he is stringing you along for the money, I really do.

I have worked with several, on a number of house projects and you really are being taken for a ride TOPM

£67,031.92 is a frightening number indeed....

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