Powerjen

Thank you @Ferdinand. I assume single storey would be easier all round (no pun intended) than mess with the existing roof. You know I foolishly thought that Architects did all this stuff, but I have probably watched too many house shows in my life where it all looks simple, quick and produce just what you dreamt about. But now I realise that unless you want to be spending 1000's on meeting your Architect to thrash things out and alot of time to do so, then it's mostly up to you. But you guys already know that! Is there a club to join?

Hi @Ferdinand, Edinburgh Zoo calling... Thank you for taking the time to reply and think about the design. We have finally got QS costs back now so we have a better idea of costs for each of the numbered items on the plan. It has made us rethink most of it! Your suggestion is a good one. We are thinking of not developing the old workshop marked as the Dining Room (5) and instead knocking down our old conservatory and build out to flatten the side elevation off a 'our end'. This could be a good sized space we could all share (when we are all behaving) and should make the most of the side and back aspect as we are not overlooked at the side. As the workshop cost was 21k I think we would rather spend that money on a space will we always use as opposed to spending money on an area we may well rent out once no longer needed by my parents... everything is now once again going round in my head and it is really good to get opinions from people without a vested interest!! Thanks

Thanks Russell, we are constrained by time and money and have found the council somewhat unhelpful so just looking at options and wondered if anyone had done similar here.

Thanks, Peter. I know that PD info says that a roof alterations are permitted to accommodate and extension, but can't find any specific info. It would be better to do a gable aesthetically, though we are thinking about a wrap around extension on the side and back at that end so not sure how a gable would work. Unless we just did a single storey roof on the wrap around extension and didn't touch the existing HIP...

Yes, you are absolutely right, sorry. Here is a photo which might help. I am not great at explaining things so hopefully this makes more sense!

Thank you for the tag @Ferdinand, that is a really helpful list of things to consider many I'd have never considered or would have taken me ages to research. Thank you @ragg987

Anyone any ideas? Thank you!

I am in Scotland and am looking at turning the old attached garage into a room, currently it has a tin roof with a slight slope and the main house on that end has a HIP roof. I know that PD guidelines say that alterations to a roof are allowed (the garage could be converted under PD, hopefully), but as it on the side of the house, fronting the road, does anyone know if it would be ok to extend the existing HIP under PD so that it essentially starts from the same place on the main roof, but just extends down further at a shallower slope to incorporate the garage too? Thank you

Thanks PeterW. I have created an account and just waiting to hear back if they can do each numbered item on the plan separately so we can see what we can and can't afford to do.

@PeterW and @Bitpipe can I ask who you used as your online QS please? Looks like I might need them. Thanks.

Can I ask who you used @LA3222? After chasing the QS this week I still haven't received the rest of the costings and they haven't even been bothered to reply to say when they WILL get me the figures. Not happy. Thanks in advance.

I might not pay it if this carries on.

I completely agree, I know things won't be how we would want them if it was just us here so we are trying to do some future proofing at the same time to cover most eventualities. It's not easy though, as you know!

Thanks @joe90 I feel a steep learning curve coming on and already feel like I am turning into The Devil by having to be heavy handed with the QS to try get some results and we've not even starting doing anything really yet. I guess my reasons for having to renovate/extend are different from most other people and maybe the professionals don't grasp that. - though it's all I seem to say at the moment. Sorry to hear about your burn out, I bet it was all worth it in the end. We do have a small kubota and a couple of fields you could play in if you ever were up this way ? ?

You don't fancy coming to 'holiday' in Scotland for a month or two this summer do you...! ?

Hi @Ferdinand I really do appreciate your help. The costings there include glazing for the new 'dining room' (really a bedroom) but doesn't include cost of windows in any other rooms, QS has costed £800 a window and I know I can get them (not the same spec as I don't want wood sliding sash) for £400 and the company is happy to make them for us as and when we can afford them. Same goes for the heating, quote includes just a towel rail in bathroom and radiator in dining room. They have quoted 14k to install a new system in the rest of the house. annoyingly though I have been chasing the QS for 3 weeks now and only have a third of the figures. I feel we have wasted all of May just trying to get figures from them, so I have started to work things out myself - like the windows and looking for builders who can give rough quotes on basic things like creating a doorway through brick and stone to compare costs between them and a QS. Getting tradesman here is hard as we are very rural. The other option is for me to get hands on and do as much as I can and get specialist trades in as and when I can... I agree that we should be looking at doing the fabric of the building etc first though it almost feels as though these things like the roof will have to wait and we should just get on with the internal stuff for my parents and worry about the other stuff at a later date. It isn't how you should do it and it was the original plan to do it by the book but my heart tells me money spent on updating a roof which is mainly ok could be spent on a bathroom and kitchen for my parents... ugh

@PeterW I agree which is why I joined this fab group for advice. I am finding it all dreadfully depressing at the moment to be honest. I am sure that I can cut costs massively on fixtures and fittings but it isn't helpful if it's not giving me an indication as to what we can afford to do without alot of additional detective work on my part. I just need to move my old folks in and care for them Thanks again for your input.

@PeterW, forgot to say that's less VAT too.

Hi Peter thank you for your comment. 1 shower room ensuite 7,473 2 new kitchen 14,467 (though that does include 8k for units!) 3 new bathroom off kitchen 4,104 4 conversion of existing attached garage to dining room/guest room 20,654 Sub Total - 46,698 There is additional work that needs doing like replacing lath and plaster and adding more electrical sockets etc in rooms that are not mentioned hence the rounded up figure. The figures were what sparked my first post on here querying as to how realistic QS figures are! Thanks again.

Wow @the_r_sole thank you for taking the time to put all that down. I absolutely agree with you about making one really area for my parents - well everyone really, as they will have free reign of the house when they want to but also have their own private space too. I would like the master bedroom on the plan to be our side of the house and the dining room be their second bedroom. Their end of the house is the oldest bit so all the internal walls are big thick stone rubble ones. Just doing their side of the house as the plan is coming in as 50k and that's just the internal work (via the QS). They have to have two bedrooms so they're not having to share when things get terminal for either one of them and that is probably compromising things design wise. Originally we had wanted to knock through the master bedroom into the kitchen on our end to make a lovely big open plan eating/cooking/sitting area and incorporate an updated conservatory but that plan was all WAY over budget. Current architect is just trying to do as much as we can on budget but I am still thinking the conservatory needs knocking down and extending into a nice sun room area where we can also have a bootroom/laundry area but not be a corridor in from the outside for mucky people and dogs. Turning the garage into a two room area is 34k and it just seems to be swallowing our money just doing the basics. From a purely selfish point of view for the future I would begrudge making a beautiful space in the holiday rental for guests when it should be us benefitting from it hence why I am still fixated on the conservatory/kitchen area because I think that is where a lovely area can be created. Walls are mainly brick at that end of the house (except the far end wall of the garage which is 2ft stone) too so I assume it's quicker and cheaper to knock them about than old rubble walls? Again I really do appreciate your help

Cor @Ferdinand you are putting me through my paces (in a good way which I thank you for!). 1. 3/4 of floors are suspended. Living room and back kitchen are concrete. 2. Doors vary between 190cm and 2m. Was hoping to keep them, they're nice old panelled ones of varying widths. 3. Haven't got as far as u values etc but have some understanding of it. We do want to replace all the windows and replace the conservatory if we can. I have the Building Construction Handbook here. We have done a renovation before and did a lot of extra insulation and put in a special electric boiler (never again) . It was a more modern house though. I am trying not to just look at maximising space for our budget but remember the energy efficiency in it all too. The architect knows we won't to do as much as we can to cut running costs. Thanks for all your help.

@Russell griffiths thank you for the info. The cold roof system seems to be what is currently there. As we are not planning on doing anything to the area which has no membrane I wondered if it would be fine to just replace slates as needed as @Cpd said he had done until we could afford to redo it all properly at a later date. Thanks for the help @Cpd ?

@Ferdinand OK, thanks for clarifying. The front elevation roof is Welsh slate but hasn't got membrane under it. I have posted in the roof section here asking if it actually needs reslating with membrane even if it just seems like some slates need replacing. Seems excessive if sarking etc seems OK, but of course, am no expert! Other than that, nothing serious that I know of.

We have an old cottage in Scotland which has Welsh slate and sarking boards but no membrane under the tiles. A few of the slates are tired and failing. Despite all the woodwork seeming sound underneath we have always assumed we need to reslate with membrane under. As funds are tight I am questioning if it actually needs doing and instead just tidy the slates and replace individual tiles as needed? Thanks.

@PeterW that would be brilliant thank you. I am rubbish with spreadsheets so the calculations you mention would be a huge help ?