What's the worst that can happen with my overpriced building work?

[sarahew]

Hello fellow ED peoples.

Sorry that this thread isn't more exciting. It's just that we're about to sell our kidneys to fund a kitchen extension and I wondered what could possibly go wrong? Seriously, is a double oven just one oven too many? Have we totally underestimated the cost of absolutely everything? Are we more likely to get divorced than survive four months of building works? Is four months ever really four months? Is the building regs man going to do us for sharp corners on the work surfaces? Have i opened myself up for a stream of 'eff off with your dumb middle class problems' responses (don't bother, I'm perfectly good at dragging myself down without help).

Seriously, if you can share any insight and spare us costly mistakes I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks y'all.

[KidKruger]

Unless you've got a plan for every eventuality then every conceivable thing can go wrong and cost you immensely.

If build is about to start and you've not already done this thinking, the doors are already open for problems.

[steveo]

Tip: Don't sell all your kidneys

[red devil]

What KK said. No two projects are the same and anything could go wrong, therefore you should set aside a separate contingency of at least 20% of the quoted build costs to cover unforeseen works/events...

[sarahew]

Build not about to start. Designs about to be finalised, hence the thinking now.

Big thank you to the people who PM'd me. Very helpful. And yes, we think we might forego the wine cooler and keep a kidney between us.

[the-e-dealer]

Worst thing according to the 'reality' TV stuff seems to be builders bug&&&ing off before they finish with the money.

[KidKruger]

forget reality TV use commonsense, loads of suppliers, loads of dependencies, loads of lead-time waiting for bespoke items such as steels, windows and kitchen facilities, a portfolio of contractors with different skills all thrown together on a 12-20 week plan. there's no magic blender to throw it all in and end-up with a sweet mix. you have to manage it. if you don't manage it, the above and more will give you serious stress - forget the 20% contingency.

[Mick Mac]

This all sounds very familiar.

Is that you dear?

[red devil]

KidKruger Wrote:

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> forget the 20% contingency.

Why?..

[KidKruger]

RD - I don't mean the 20% is irrelevant, that'll go in no time, I'm saying the stress will darn near kill you if you're not prepared / badly planned !

[Salsaboy]

Plan for it taking twice as long and costing 50% more than the budget, although most of that will be the sugar for the builders tea.

[motorbird83]

It doesn't have to be that bad. We are near the end of a 6 month renovation that included a gut refurb, ground floor extension and loft conversion. Overall, we are only 4 weeks behind schedule and 4% over budget. However, we spent a lot on specialist surveys before we bought including having a structural engineer visit so we had a very good idea of what we were dealing with which meant the budget was realistic from the outset.

The two best things we did were agree a very detailed scope of works with our architect and builder. That way there was no doubt about what was and what wasn't included in the contract. We also have paid in arrears and our architect has valued all work done before we pay so we aren't ever in a position where we have paid for more work than has been done. Also, we have held back a 5% retention for 6 months to deal with any issues that arise. This assures they don't cut corners and are incentivised to stay on the job. You might be past the point of being able to do these things but if not, definitely do.

The only other thing that helped was picking everything we wanted (sinks, taps, kitchen etc) well in advance of things starting-- we made all those decisions while waiting for planning permission. Once the build has started, you'll be so busy the stress of doing it then will be awful. No matter what you do its very stressful and we didn't live in it as the work was too extensive. You have to be very organised-- that's the most important thing and stay on top of what's going on.

Last tip: make all of your decisions now-- last minute changes are expensive and lead to delays and frustrate your builder. Changing your mind is what derails a lot of projects and budgets.

Good luck!

[Robert Poste's Child]

People often say you should arrange up front to pay in instalments, with the final 20% due on completion. That way you can check in on costs as you go and there's an incentive for the builders to come back and finish the thing. If you feel confident you could offer to add a bonus of say 10% for completing on time and on budget maybe.

[montassa]

Hi motorbird83 - your logic sounds spot on.

i assume you went full services with the architect? did you go for one main contractor or various sub-contractors?

would be interested in your experiences..

did you also move out - as a total refurb sounds like hell... our plan is similar but i have budgeted in a 6 month rental to ease the disruption to missus and kids...

interested to know about your experiences with architects, builders etc.. also suppliers for kitchens, bathrooms etc.. PM me if easier than sharing publicly

appreciate it

[healey]

Stuff always happens. For our kitchen extension we found we had to move the main sewerage pipe, then the building firm went bust (due to problems with another project) so we had to pay the traders directly to finish the job. In the end we overran by 15% which considering the circumstances, was quite a result.

Expect the unexpected!

[motorbird83]

Hi Montassa:

We didn't go with full service architectural service as such. We worked with a local architect who was willing to work on an hourly rate. After that, we used her for the valuations of the builders work (on an hourly rate) but not full project management. However, project managing the build ourselves has been very time consuming. However, for us it was worth it as it saved us 8k to do it this way.

We have been renting as our house was totally gutted. There was no way we could have lived in it and it has made the entire process much less stressful and has allowed work to proceed more quickly.

One of things we did to minimise unexpected surprises before we bought the house/ started the work included doing the following survey: drainage survey, structural survey (including exposing the foundations for the engineer before he did the drawings for building control), we had the electrics tested and did a damp and timber survey. In total it probably cost us 1k but is the best money we spent. It meant that everything that was wrong with the house was included in the original contract. It also meant that the engineers drawings were very accurate and that no work had to be redone because a drain wasn't were the builder was expecting if you know what I mean.

We have had our kitchen custom made by a carpenter in Essex (so much cheaper than the big brands) and its fully bespoke and solid wood that has been hand painted in F&B paint. They do any style you want including quite modern kitchens and you can have them design every detail. They are called Handmade Kitchens and our kitchen only cost 7k with quite a lot of units / larders etc.

We are getting our worktops from Affordable Granite-- we used them for our flat before and they were great. Sometimes the customer service can be slow but the installation and after care was great and they are again cheaper than going through the high street retailers and offer granite and the major quartz brands.

For bathrooms, we used both Albion and Aston Matthews. While Albion's items are really beautiful, the customer service has been appalling. Aston Matthews on the other hand are the best company we've worked with. Before we placed our order they asked if we had architect plans and checked that everything we wanted could be installed without items interfering with each other. When we had to make a couple of changes later down the road, their service again was flawless and really went above and beyond. I really can't recommend them highly enough and the quality of their stock is really great.

The quality of our builders work has been great but I wouldn't recommend him as there have been some unnecessary delays that were totally due to him being disorganised and he's been very poor at communication.

We got bifold doors from Sunfold which so far have been great. One of the panes shattered unexpectedly and they dealt with it immediately and fairly. They also kept to their timetable for installation (with some nagging). However, its really important to be really clear with their sales people as there was some confusion with our order. All in all, glazing is supposed to be a nightmare part of the build but for us was relatively easy.

We replaced the 1950's casement windows the previous owner had installed with new double glazed timber sash windows from Sash Restoration. We had used them for some work on our flat before and they did a good job this time-- though we had to get them to pay for some remedial work following the installation. Still, given that their sash windows are 1.5k per new sash with hardwood frames fully painted including installation, they are a bargain compared to people like Bespoke on Lordship Lane who charge 2.5k per sash!

We sourced our wood flooring from Natural Wood Flooring Company in Wandsworth-- great customer service and really knowledgeable staff and interesting selection.

We used Casa on Bellenden Road for reclaimed radiators as well as new fireplaces and a wood burning stove.

Our lighting has been sourced from all over the place!

PM if you want more details.

Good luck!

montassa Wrote:

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> Hi motorbird83 - your logic sounds spot on.

>

> i assume you went full services with the

> architect? did you go for one main contractor or

> various sub-contractors?

> would be interested in your experiences..

>

> did you also move out - as a total refurb sounds

> like hell... our plan is similar but i have

> budgeted in a 6 month rental to ease the

> disruption to missus and kids...

>

> interested to know about your experiences with

> architects, builders etc.. also suppliers for

> kitchens, bathrooms etc.. PM me if easier than

> sharing publicly

>

> appreciate it