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I really appreciate all your feedback, thank you ! My concern remains that option 2 looks really nice as a render, but isn't achievable in reality as the bars will be so much thicker..

As you say, already committed. An interesting learning though. The steels were actually as per design from SE.. Something we want so we can open up the space seamlessly for hosting. Yes, hidden door behind joinery. Thanks for the feedback. Any suggestions for how we can soundproof/vibration proof the gym ? I'm hoping the floor to ceiling windows next to the staircase will bring in lots of light, as well as the crittall-style sliding doors to the dining room, which will bring in light from that side as well. We've also got a rooflight above the staircase (not shown on the floor plans), which should bring light in also. Agreed - thank you ! Agreed - we're making this change now Agree it's a compromise. Will look into this, thank you! Thank you for the really thoughtful feedback I think our steels was closer to £30k. Honestly though, this ship has sailed for us. Next time 😅 I'll solicit feedback earlier ! Attached is a render, hope this helps !

Hi all, I'm struggling to make decisions on our rear patio doors, options as follows: French doors (~1.2m wide per leaf), I'm concerned that when open these will take ~20% of the patio, and with 6 of these, will feel v cumbersome - render #1 in attached PDF French doors with sidelights (0.4m per sidelight, 0.8m per leaf), this is a compromise in that they will fold back and take less of the patio, but obviously opening no longer 100% - render #2 or #3 in attached PDF Sliding doors - 3x leafs of 0.8m, on 3 tracks. The compromise is more stylistic - in that our design is traditional - render #4 or #5 in attached PDF Bifold - I've broadly discounted this option due to thickness of the mullions Ceiling heights are 3m, see structural opening diagram below: Floor plan attached for context. I think steel is likely beyond our budget (needs to be thermally broken, building regs, etc), which takes us to aluminium. While the architect renders might look good, I'm concerned about finding the right aluminium product to actually make this work. A lot of the 'heritage style' aluminium products I've seen - just feel 'wrong' as the bars are too thick... Comments + suggestions very welcome! Many thanks in advance ground-floor.pdf 475910428_21-02-RearDoorOptions.pdf

Hi all, Open season ! Any comments, feedback, and suggests very much welcome and appreciated.. All I'd add is we are pretty much built out on the ground floor now (i.e. internal + exterior block walls are now above head height), but keen to learn any lessons nonetheless, and definitely keen to get any practical advice regarding 1st + 2nd floors. Many thanks all in advance ground-floor.pdf first-floor.pdf second-floor.pdf

Hi all, I'm currently looking at some sliding doors for these openings (i.e. instead of the 3 sets of french doors shown below). I.e. imagine x3 sliding panels at ~800mm each, for each of the 3 openings Question: Looking at the left-most of these sets, would it be possible to have it as a three-track pocket-system that slides into the wall cavity to its left ? How could this work with brick-ties and other building regs ? Thank you in advance

@SarahG - do you mind me asking - which french door product are you going with ? You mention that they are 4.448m wide - is that 2.224m per leaf/single door ? Or is it multiple sets of double doors ?

Hi all, Interesting one this... We separated stonework into an 'extra' line item that would be quoted and agreed post-project start Our design calls for stone coping (on roof of ground floor rear + side extension), sills and a portico, and we were looking to use natural stone matching across all 3 elements Our MC doesn't want to work with a supplier he doesn't know, and doesn't have a natural stone supplier Building will be 3 floors, lots of windows and need to use scaffold So - what's the best way to handle this one ? Option 1: Should we bring in our own contractor to supply + fit all stone elements ? Option 2: Should we supply the sills to our MC (who will fit them), and then we take care of the coping and portico ourselves later on ? Option 3: Something else ? Advice gratefully received !

Just to add to my earlier post, I'd also add a 10% contingency on top of the builders quotes when going out to bat with the insurer for a settlement. The worst they can do is push back - but I'd anchor the settlement figure as high as possible - and 10% contingency isn't unreasonable, especially right now given inflation...

I'd like to give some friendly advice: Negotiate for the largest cash settlement you can today. You've had 3 quotes for the work, and you think they are toppy. I would share the top 2 quotes with the insurer and use this as your basis to negotiate a settlement. You can then decide what you want to do with that cash. You could sell the property as-is and buy something else. You can invest the money in the property. You've got options. It sounds like your quotes were toppy, the good news is you don't need to accept them. Once you have a cash settlement you can bring in new builders to quote..

Try this link - "UW". They are currently taking on new customers for Energy. I managed to get them to install a 3-phase meter in around 2 weeks (from when I had my service live with them), which I thought was a decent result.

Hi team, Looking for some practical advice: We're early in our build MC has started quoted for some extras, and these quotes are coming in very high What are my options? E.g: Try and negotiate: I.e. challenge MC on his pricing. This feels high risk so early in the project, and could backfire if it damages the working relationship Advise MC that the costs are too high, but then what? Can I bring my own contractors on site at the same time as his team are on site - or is that a "no no" ? I haven't hired a QS/project manager to represent me - but I'm beginning to see why this role exists. I'm perfectly comfortable negotiating/sourcing quotes/etc (I do a lot of this in my 'white collar' day job), I'm just not sure the rules of the road when it comes to the client/MC relationship. Any advice gratefully received ! Many thanks in advance

Some thoughts having gone through similar thinking lately: - you will pay for it one way or another, it's not really possible to fix costs right now, so I wouldn't bother to try beyond a certain point (we've agreed to fix costs but I'm on the hook for any material increases over 5%) - the idea of cutting it in stages is something I looked at. It will add time delays inevitably, and it could leave you with some gaps in ownership/accountability (drains in the wrong place, etc etc) - I certainly felt our QS and Architect were out of touch, and let them go also Good luck !

If I don't want to get into the weeds on individual items, is there a sensible standard I can point to to ensure we get a decent level of insulation ?

Hi all, Our project is underway, we'll shortly be finishing foundations. My understanding is builder has selected block and beam for the oversite. I wanted to ask two questions: A) it is worth me suggesting concrete slab (does it perform better), and paying the difference? B) builder does not currently have any requirements around insulation other than achieving building control sign off. Should I be specifying some specific requirements in addition to this ? E.g. types of insulation, etc ? Many thanks in advance

I found Live Home 3D excellent for floor plans. Had all the key stuff to draw to scale, indicate location of furniture, doorways, etc... $30 for a license felt very fair to me.

Hi all, Just wanted to say hi. Quick intro: We bought a house that needed all the works (loft extension, rear extension, side extension, garage conversion), essentially the cheapest and least developed detached house on the street We applied for planning permission to extend, taking footprint from ~2200 sq ft + integrated garage up to ~4000 sq ft. Then we got some advice from architects + builders, and everyone guided us to demolish and start again, partly due to VAT savings (first big surprise/learning) So we then applied for planning permission to demolish and rebuild, which we achieved about 9 months after we originally completed on the house. At our architects guidance, we hired their recommended QS, and conducted a tender. Costs came back eye-watering... (second learning: pick who runs your tender carefully and be comfortable they will ensure you get value for money, trust your gut!) So we re-tendered ourselves, selected a main contractor (who is local, and came by recommendation), and his team started on the foundations 6 weeks ago We're hoping to be out of the ground in the next couple of weeks I just wanted to say hi, super excited by the project. And excited to learn from the group on here.

I have literally just been through this. London based property, very close to our two neighbours (1 meter on each side) Went out to tender, QS included demolition. 4 main contractors bid on the tender. Demolition price ~£35k. I then tendered the demolition myself as got impatient and wanted to get on with it (while I re-tendered our project without the QS), done for £16k direct to the demo company of my choice, they were excellent Notes: I organised the utilities (gas/elec/water) moves myself, but this was a good thing as it took some time (in particular electric) It also forced me to figure out the locations to move gas/elec supplies to Had to put the hoardings up (£1700), and our subsequent main contractor redid these, so burned that £1700 Also ended up investing some additional time on coordination, but it wasn't that much Demo guys didn't completely finish the demolition, they left a little of the foundations by the boundary wall (to avoid collapsing the next house.) Expecting £1k - £2k of extra demo charges from our main contractor in due course (to manually break up the concrete) Conclusion: Given the high cost + time saving for us, was a no-brainer, and no regrets Just keep in mind that anything the main contractor isn't happy with after the demo job, you have to take responsibility for