canalsiderenovation

I'm hoping we will get an exemption, fingers crossed....

Yeah I've said to leave the garage until the house PP is approved. There is already an existing garage there anyway, albeit ramshackle and needing demolish but I'd rather leave it for now. So annoying.

Plans resubmitted for our bungalow extension our architects just emailed and I'm just venting. Sixteen grand!!!! Response below from our architects... Despite our best efforts to reduce the habitable floorspace of the proposed extension to under 100m sq so as to avoid CIL payments, they have now included the garage space in their calculations as the rules have recently changed in October of this year. Based on their new calculations, your new proposal would potentially be liable for CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) at a cost of £16,075.28 that being 138.58m2 at a cost of £116m/sq metre. We have spent quite some time this afternoon trying to reconcile this for you and have the following plan: 1. Initially, we will apply for an exemption for you on the grounds that you are home owners and will continue to reside there. We will draw up the relevant forms for this and submit them tomorrow. 2. If this application for exemption is not accepted, we intend to withdraw the current application and resubmit the garage proposal at a later date under a separate application. This would incur a separate Planning fee but it would be another £250 rather than the exorbitant fee of £16 thousand pounds.

Thanks. We will have a builder and won't be diy'ing it but you raise a valid point and joins, junctions etc worry me especially as we will have three rooflights. It's also such a large area potentially 8*8m.

What is people's views on EPDM?

So as we await decisions on our revised plans I'm looking into flat roofs. There seems to be a few issues with the recent weather which has caused people with flat roofs some issues and it's worrying me. We currently have a small flat roof area which is felted. When we purchased the bungalow just over 18 months ago the surveyor said the felt was knackered and gave it 3 months before we would likely have issues. Luckily we moved in last summer when we had the red hot summer so slathered on that black sticky stuff as a preventive (I can't remember what it was called but I do know it took about 2 weeks to get it off my skin)! So even now the roof is still intact and no leaks despite it being the original 1970s roof.... Although this area will stay flat roof as it's all being extended along with the pitched roof too we are exploring alternatives as we will have a significantly larger area of flat roof (roughly 8m * 8m) and the existing flat roof will need replacing when we have the extension. My concerns are getting something that is warm, I'm always bloody cold (ok so we will have all new heating ashp, windows etc) but it needs to be a warm. We will also have at least 3 flat roof windows in the roof area. One for a bathroom and two along hallways. Despite reading lots about GRP, rubberised systems, etc what worries me is those that are leaking after a short space of time versus our knackered felt with is still leakproof and whilst knackered, thin and on its last legs it is doing it's job 40 odd years later (I say this with baited breath)! So, my question is in terms of longevity, maintenance (it's a bungalow so fairly easy to maintain, sweep leaves off etc) and with roof windows, which flat roof system would you consider. I know a bit about GRP but only in terms of boats as we are looking to buy a boat. Given what I've seen with windows fitted into GRP boats and the issues there this doesn't fill me with confidence!

We relocated the bed into the living room a week or so ago. When you step out of the living room into the kitchen or into the hall to go to the bathroom it's like stepping into a fridge! Did I mention we have no bath either as the drains are insufficient to let the water out. Oh and there is an inch gap around the bathroom window as when we opened the window in summer we went to shut it and the window frame basically fell out and it won't fit in straight now. I nearly had a breakdown when I went to the loo two nights ago and there was a slug on the bathroom wall ? I can just about cope with the spiders, woodlice and earwings.

After our major wobble we now have plans ready to resubmit scrapping our two storey plans and keeping our bungalow, but extended. Couple of little tweaks needed internally, random extra door in places need to be removed and ignore the different colour externally but we are finally happy with our layout even if it does mean a largely flat roof extension. Let's hope the council don't have any issues, our architects have expressed some concern over the increased footprint but we are hopeful as the majority of the footprint is where we have existing buildings (half derelict shed, garage). Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for a decision. In the meantime we are now living in one room with a wood burner with no other heating elsewhere. Hoping for a mild winter....

Same person who sent me the email above. Perhaps my initial email to them was a bit vague.

Just not a great start IMO. I never mentioned the size of the project, how many windows, doors etc. If they don't want the business, that's fine. Plenty more companies out there. I actually thought it was a joke response!

I had asked some general info from Ideal Combi on their Futura range (it was almost two weeks ago). This wasn't a specific quote just a general query. I've just had a strange email back which is most odd given I never asked for a quote or gave timescales. Thank you for your recent enquiry however unfortunately at this time we will not be providing a quote due to project suitability and high workloads at the moment. Apologies for any inconvenience caused and good luck with your project. Kind regards, Nick Brigham

Oops, can no one see a pdf drawing? Here it is. On the pdf I uploaded we got the master bedroom/dressing layout wrong. Ignore any measurements, these are very, very rough and I think the 8.5 is bigger....

You may recall our major wobble a few weeks ago. We had planning permission all sorted, plans drawn and about to be submitted to building control when we had second thoughts about our bungalow plans and extending up. We have now decided to extend and keep our bungalow a bungalow. It's been challenging as we are working with an odd layout. For info, here is our current bungalow existing plans and pic from above (albeit from the 70s but gives an indication of odd roof space). Excuse the naff drawing as this is the best I can do and hopefully we will be able to get in touch with our architects this week. Essentially, the main extension (shower room, utility, guest bedroom/ensuite, master ensuite and office/bedroom and half of the dining room (where we are proposing a flat roof light) is all flat roof extending on from the current flat roof. The other half of the dining room will continue with a pitched roof (extending into what is the vegetable patch on the photo). Whilst we aren't entirely keen on a flat roof we have an odd layout anyway and it seems the best way of doing things. The kitchen dining will have a slim profile sliding door and the OH wants a glass corner so coming this with a tall window rather than a sliding corner door (likely cheaper as suggested by Internorm when we visited the other week morale hen I was rolling my eyes at the OH picking ever expensive item). What do you think? Are we missing anything? New House Plans (1).pdf

Rethink definitely needed. This is our current floor plan (ignore the fact doors are missing on everything, we have been playing around with it and somehow managed to get rid of them!)

This is an old aerial picture of the bungalow, the issue is the weird configuration. The garages/shed can be demolished as there is space for a double garage at the end of the drive. The only proposed extension to the ground floor is where the veg plot is on the picture which would be a kitchen/diner. We could additionally extend where the garage/shed is and the other end of the house but it's such an odd shape (yes it was built like this)!

You have hit the nail on the head! We are both late 30's and since I left home I've always lived in bungalows and love them (aside from the fact they are always cold but decent heating will address this). My mum's going through so many knee issues at the moment, she's in her 60's and it got us both thinking. The argument re the balcony is one I've had with my OH since day 1, almost verbatim your point!

Well we had planned corrugated roof, 11 velux windows (for privacy no direct facing windows, balcony etc). All of this seems unnecessary if we can get what we want on a single storey. We have what seems like a hundred copies of floor plans and bits of paper everywhere, there's just something we are missing ?

We are about to pay building control but have put a stop on things. I confessed to my OH I was having a bit of a wobble with our plans (extension of ground floor of bungalow and second storey/upstairs). It's the upstairs I'm now questioning. OH confessed she was the same though she was always more keen on the second floor, balcony etc and perhaps budget wise a single storey is easier, things like we only wanted underfloor heating and no radiators. Although we did mention an upstairs to our architects we have always been open to a single storey and this was our brief initially. To give us the space we need I think it was easier to just put a second storey onto the bungalow although this then created more space than we actually need. Ironically although we got our plans passed the council did favour a single story extension initially as well. This does mean trying to go back to the drawing board and to try and work our new ideas, I mean we have the garden space to do it but we just don't know where to start as our bungalow is such a weird configuration anyway!

We have a house name and we really wanted a solid oak front door (initially thought about double doors) made and we liked the idea of the name being carved into the front door. That said we will have electric gates eventually so the house name will be on the gates/post

Is this any good https://www.nu-heat.co.uk/underfloor-heating/upstairs/

Try www.shuffs.co.uk I'm really impressed with the range of products generally (although they have a showroom near my parents).

I'd made enquiries with Sigma if there was a nearby showroom and whilst there isn't they did say that they distribute to a number of independent retailers under the brand Masterclass Kitchens. Whilst I suspect it would be much more expensive, it is useful if you want to go and view their products...

I'll check out Nolte. Thanks! Our builder will be fitting. From what I've read I don't believe Sigma have their own fitters and we would rather just use the joiner/builder on site. Actually no I used https://www.merchanthouseltd.co.uk/ It's a small company and at the time I paid over £500 less than anywhere else for my worktop and quartz fitting. That said I took an envelope of cash I'd been saving for and begged them to do it and I think they felt sorry for me in the end!

We want to find good quality kitchen cupboards and units. We will source worktop and appliances seperately as I've got some good contacts re granite and quartz worktops from when I had my previous house. Previously we had Wickes gloss which was fine but I found the cupboards (and pan draws especially) didn't particularly like the weight of the Le Creuset pans and generally the Blum hinges always needed tightening (think this was more to do with quality of the units as oppose to the units themselves). I've read favourable things about DIY Kitchens. I've stumbled across a company called https://www.sigma3.co.uk/our-showrooms which I think we're linked to County Kitchens. Has anyone heard of them? They have quite a few products we like the look of online.

@Bitpipe today we went to our local timber yard (actually we went looking at internal doors, but ended up on a right mission at umpteen places looking at doors, kitchens, bathrooms, skirting and a whole range of other stuff and have enough brochures to wallpaper the house now)! We ended up with about 10 different samples. We really like the profile you posted and seems to be the best budget option needing as least maintenance. It only came in 7ft lengths at our local timber yard but I'm sure it would come in longer lengths elsewhere. @Ferdinand @Barney12 @lizzie our little three foster kittens have gone now so I can't blame the dust on them anymore although the ecologist found signs of mice so perhaps it's them ? I think the fact we have our windows and doors open a lot (to air the house) and there is always agriculture activity in the fields nearby (maize, combine harvesters, hay etc) that this contributes as well.