3Dwarves

Thank you saveasteading and Nickfromwales, your replies have been very helpful. Of course we want to find a builder we trust but we also want to find a good price, which makes us more extra anxious and cautios and it probably reads as distrustful and slightly paranoid. Just like the general rule that if an offer is too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true, common sense, right. It also comes from a lack of experience dealing with construction projects and teams, no offence. Thank you for sharing your views and experiences.

Hello, I wrote on this forum some years ago while we were looking to buy a house. Things didn't go as planned and eventually we decided against buying a fixer upper and just buy a house with less needed work. We've finally bought a house that only needs the garage to be converted into inhabitable space to make perfect use of the available space. The garage is part of the same post code and there is no way it will have a different number or anything after the upgrade, for example for VAT reasons. We've decided to go through a contractor as doing the work ourselves seemed near impossible. There are a few things that we can't really understand and would be grateful if anyone would be so kind to reply about. First of all, after some research we thought the budget to convert around 40 sq m of garage, including two steel lintels, would be around 60k but the quotes we have been receiving are almost double. Is this how much the costs currently are or are we extremely unlucky to find premium builders only for the job? (We're in the south east) The other big thing that is puzzling us is the VAT, so once there's the materials and then there's the labour. I understand in some cases they can be charged diferently - material always 20% vat but labour could vary from 0, 5 or 20%. What if the builder just adds 20% at the end? How do we know if some of the works qualified for lower VAT rate so we can contest the builder's estimate? Also, when we contract a local company to do the windows, their quote includes windows, installation and vat, + warranties and certificates. When we pass the window company's details to the builder we can see that they have added labour and VAT on the final bill for the window, which in my view the window company has already done and the building company is providing the labour as well. Is that incorrect or is it a practice. We only contacted the window company because when we were asking the builders for a quote, theirs was higher that what we could get through the local company. Finally, how do the building companies operate in the UK? Do companies have a way to set up a team through an existing network for example, after a project has been awarded, as they don't seem to have the teams hired as employees. Is this a practice or is it a scam? I see some problems with this aproach - if this is the case then the company can not guarantee who is working on the project - which of course is not unheard of in other areas of business, but how do we trust the company's reviews if various different teams have worked on different projects for this company? Thank you to whoever decides to give some advice and shares their experience. It will be much apreciated.

Hello, everyone, and thanks for your replies! ProDave, I couldn't find out what a developer box is, is it somethink like a prefab house that you build on the place of existing house? AccidentalSkydiver, I do agree, some of the new builds have their own problems - it's either the location - completely out of town or with poor transport links, or no amenities, GPs etc., or the spaces are weird and I've heard people complaining about not receiving what was promised, often plus mold, leaking or roof problems. I doubt we'll be able to self build completely, I think we'll have to work with a qualified company that manages the whole thing, or semi-self-build it, as none of us has experience in any kind of hands-on architecture/building. Can all types of land, sold without permission, get one? I've seen advertised, quite near to town, but it's not connected to water or electricity and how can I find out if it can get permission? markc That's how I see it, as a way to get the home you hope for the money that will buy an outdated property. We've just realised that most of the properties on offer are very poorly isolated, most of them with mold issues and (!) single glazed windows. But on the other hand, I wonder how the problem with trapping moisture and ending up with mouldy home is avoided in the insulated houses. I feel that I don't know enough about this particular issue and this makes me unconfindent in attempting to solve a problem like that on my own, no one would like to spend a fortune (money and time) and still end up with mould. Thank you , ToughButterCup, can I find anywhere how past planning applications have been handled and the result? I checked my local council (Surrey) but I couldn't find anything on their website about residential past applications and results. Would any body (land regiustry or so) hold this information, or do I have to ask specifically the local council to obtain it? Thanks!

Hello, As someone who had only rented so far, we are finally in a position to own our first home. However, we have concerns with the quality and insulation of the existing houses on the market (which are within our budget) and we've started thinking over the idea of a self build or a major renovation to meet the required standards for the impending future - the effects of climate change and rising energy costs. As we have kids, we have some other requirements around it - the most important being that it must be in an area close to schools (although we're don't depend on the strict catchment areas), which excludes rural areas for example. But this also limits the type of building that we can buy and to some extent, I suppose, the amount of work that we will be allowed to do on it. We are currently trying to evaluate all our requirements (of a well insulated and energy efficient and well space-distributed home) and figure out how to find the best way to implement it. I hope this forum will help us find answers to the questions we're currently having and give us even more ideas how to make our dream home a reality. I would apreciate any advice on how to start, how to find the plot or old house that we can use to build our home on. I am wondering how to find information on how much work is allowed and the costs of permits if the house is terraced, end of terrace or semi-detached? How many changes are viable for these types of houses? Thank you!