The Mummypenny extension part 4 – We are watertight:-)

So we have been powering on with the extension now for 5 weeks, since the 15th Oct. And a huge cheers goes out to the super speedy builders as the shell is complete, the roof is on and we are water (and snow!) tight. Saturday was a big day, the extension windows went in and the scaffolding came down.

Now to get to this stage after 5 weeks is apparently very quick. It has been amazing to come home every day and see a big change each day. Be it new windows, or a new door or brick walls getting higher by one metre. Our builders are doing a brilliant job, and touch wood (just had to run over to mirror to touch some wood) we’ve had no major hold-ups. Little things have happened like the storm day, and booked diggers not arriving on day 1 and brickies not arriving one day but these are small issues. The big ones expected, ie the nasty, jealous next door neighbours causing issues has not happened. Not a peep from them, they obviously know they are defeated and can’t fight us any more.

We do have a boiler issue though, which means we have no heating. The boiler flu is now on the inside of the extension and sealed in with the new windows so we can’t have it switched on due the poisonous gases that need to escape to the outside of the house. So the priority for next week it to get to a point where we can sort this out. Next week is knocking through week. We have started this, there is a doorway into the downstairs shower room and first fixing has been done. Next is knocking down the kitchen wall and the wall between existing dining and kitchen to make the new open plan dining room. We should then be able to sort out the utility room and then install the new boiler and get the heating going again. Hopefully before the snow arrives. For some reason our hot water also appears to not be working, despite being connected differently…

We also need to knock through upstairs, making current bedroom 3 bigger and adding a door into the new bathroom which is the side of the extension upstairs. Our current bathroom becomes the 4th bedroom. This is the very messy and dusty part I am told so it had better be over quickly:-) We may need to move out for a bit to cheap local hotel, as I’m not sure 3 boys plus us and a cold winter week makes for a great place to stay…

The budget is going well. To date I’ve not had to spend too much money yet. We’re paying for the building work in instalments as the work gets done. Again with the windows, we have had all the windows and doors in the house replaced, we are paying as and when they are fitted. We still have one more to fit in the new kitchen/diner.

A few big chunks have now been paid, fees for dropped curb, a painful £1000 to the council, £400 another painful payment to the council for building surveyor sign offs. The worst was £1200 to the party wall surveyors 2 of them, a completely unnecessary cost brought on us by the nasty neighbours who’s house is totally unaffected by this extension as its 8m away from our house. Plus there was architect fees that came to around £1200.

We do have some big chunks left to pay, the kitchen which is still not 100% sorted but hopefully will be tomorrow. The material costs are all sitting on my hubbys work account, so will need to be paid eventually. but I have got an interest free credit card especially for these costs. 2 years interest free loan thank you M&S credit card.

To the nearest thousand we have saved around £10k from our original extension budget. Savings gained by spending less than expected on materials for build, less on kitchen (although we are investing some of the saving into a granite worktop). We will also get more savings on the furniture as I’m trying to buy as much as possible on the interest free credit card or interest free credit and repay these purchases over a 24 months.

I’m fully in control of the budgets with this project and my husband is fully in control of what needs to be done when and what materials are needed to do that job. So its working well, fingers crossed for the next few weeks. I’ll post some picture in a week or of the inside shell before and after. Its very exciting. Apparently our builder takes great pride in the finish, which is of course what makes a house:-) Exciting times.