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M47
Posts: 52 Forumite
Hi everyone,
I am posting on behalf of a friend who needs to put up a double storey extension of around 125m2. they are on quite a tight budget of 40-60k.
now I've heard that it could be a good coin saver to pay workers on a daily or weekly rate. but i was hoping that you could give some advise on the best way for him to get this build done?
how could he find good reasonable workers? (he knows about checkatrade LOL)
Or do you know how he could find some good qualified companies to take on the whole job within his budget?
All constructive help is appreciated!
I am posting on behalf of a friend who needs to put up a double storey extension of around 125m2. they are on quite a tight budget of 40-60k.
now I've heard that it could be a good coin saver to pay workers on a daily or weekly rate. but i was hoping that you could give some advise on the best way for him to get this build done?
how could he find good reasonable workers? (he knows about checkatrade LOL)
Or do you know how he could find some good qualified companies to take on the whole job within his budget?
All constructive help is appreciated!
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Comments
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Is the 125m2 the foundation footprint or including upstairs too?
The usual price quoted is £1200-£1500 per m2 (tends to be higher in London / South East and lower in other parts of the UK).
So if it's really 125m2 (so an 11m x 11m extension) you're looking at £185k average just for single storey, plus extra for the additional storey and all fixtures / fittings / decorating). Well over a £50k budget!
Did your friend mean 125 square feet? That's around 11 m2 (so a nice 3m x 4m extension on a typical semi) which would probably fit into a £50k budget.0 -
now I've heard that it could be a good coin saver to pay workers on a daily or weekly rate
This is neither true, or untrue. It's all about risk. If a builder gives you a lump sum price for a project, they'll factor in risk. Unforeseen ground conditions, poor weather, cost of materials / price fluctuations etc. They'll take all that into account and add a risk factor into the price.
If you don't get a lump sum price and agree to reimburse costs and pay the workers on a day rate, you are taking that risk on yourself. So it's really down to the individual what route they want to take. I don't think there is a right or a wrong answer. By paying the workers a day rate, you could save money. It could also end up biting you in a back side.
The other thing I would say, is that if you pay a day rate, then there is no incentive for the builders to finish on time. If they're on a price then the more efficiently the job gets done because the sooner they're done, the more money they make. If their on a day rate and don't have another job to go to, they may (depending on the builder/individual) drag their heels.
One money saving option is to buy the materials yourself and supply them to the builder. Again, this carries it's own risk. If the materials aren't delivered on time, or something is missing / wrong with the delivery. You've still got to pay the workers for being there, but they're not making progress. If it's a lump sum price, this risk is taken by the builder. Personally, I also go down this route and take the risk on myself for smaller projects (say, a new kitchen, or bathroom) but not sure I would take this approach with a full on house extension.0 -
Is the 125m2 the foundation footprint or including upstairs too?
The usual price quoted is £1200-£1500 per m2 (tends to be higher in London / South East and lower in other parts of the UK).
So if it's really 125m2 (so an 11m x 11m extension) you're looking at £185k average just for single storey, plus extra for the additional storey and all fixtures / fittings / decorating). Well over a £50k budget!
Did your friend mean 125 square feet? That's around 11 m2 (so a nice 3m x 4m extension on a typical semi) which would probably fit into a £50k budget.
That is for the whole floorspace including the upstairs too. From what I understand its going to be a side and rear double storey extension coming out by 12 feet and going across by 24 feet on both sides. would this really cost this much?0 -
That is for the whole floorspace including the upstairs too. From what I understand its going to be a side and rear double storey extension coming out by 12 feet and going across by 24 feet on both sides. would this really cost this much?
Yes. Your friends are utterly delusional. It cannot be done unless your friends are going to roll up their sleeves and build it themselves.
Forget finding a good builder, they will not find any builder with that budget. It wouldn’t even cover the ground floor.Everything that is supposed to be in heaven is already here on earth.
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That is for the whole floorspace including the upstairs too. From what I understand its going to be a side and rear double storey extension coming out by 12 feet and going across by 24 feet on both sides. would this really cost this much?
I had assumed the 125m2 was a typo and it meant to say square foot. As Doozergirl said, it's completely unachievable for that budget.0 -
125 sq m is the size of a 4 bed house!
15 yrs ago I was getting quotations of £60K for a 50 sq m single storey "granny annex"If you are querying your Council Tax band would you please state whether you are in England, Scotland or Wales0 -
For comparison we have just completed a 3.6m x 11m single-story extension (plus some minor internal changes to walls in the garage and utility room) and all the quotes we had were £100k or more once VAT was taken into account.
We brought our budget down by working with a builder who didn't charge VAT (which took £20k off the price). But that meant we paid for all the supplies as we went along (bricks, concrete, steels etc) and we paid his crew in cash each week. Much higher overhead on our time but worth it for the savings.
We found our builder because he did next door's extension, and he's also worked for other people we know. Word of mouth is often the best way to go. Or take a walk around your area and see who's had similar work done recently and knock on the door - most people would be happy to pass on their builders' details, and will tell you if they are rubbish.0 -
Tell your friend to be careful with any builder who agrees to take it on for even close to the budget as they will most likely be looking to rip them off and disappear with there money.
No decent builder would even come to quote the job if you told them the size and budget for the project as it would not be possible.
125m2 is the size of a 4 bedroom house. How big is the house the extension is going on?0 -
Maybe it’s just a porch? That would explain why it needs a large, wraparound two-storey extension...paddycharlie wrote: »125m2 is the size of a 4 bedroom house. How big is the house the extension is going on?0
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