NickK

Hi, We are hoping to purchase in need of renovation and would like to sort out bathroom first. It is solid concrete floor so I wonder how easy is it to install low profile shower tray considering current drain pipes is running little above the floor and comes above dpm on the outside. Is it as simple as break up the concrete and connect to drain outside below the dpm? thanks

Hi, We have offered on a bungalow near us. From pictures, you can see it is a project but I believe we can turn it into something special for us. Lots of bungalow on the street have gone up in the loft (lots of space with about 2.8m from floorboard to the ridge beam). Question is simple, if you had around £120k, what do you think could be achieved? We are considering: 1) Taking the cloakroom road to open up the hallway and make space for a staircase. 2) Bring the front the flush with outside and install small sidelight. 3) Square of the bathroom downstairs and turn into shower room. 4) Retain all 3 bedroom at the front. 5) Extend 3m out but retain wall in between living room and kitchen. 6) 1 window and French doors on the back. 7) Ideally hip roof onto hip-to-gable roof conversion upstairs. 8 - Use space in the kitchen to create a utility room next to a bathroom. 9 - Upstairs flat roof dormer on one side above the bathroom to allow for upstairs bathroom with a bath, headroom for staircase and extra room in the front room that would retain hip roof at the front 10 - Hip to gable at the back. 11 - 2 velux in both rooms. Garden is south facing therefore want to go easy on glazing. House supposedly rewired about 28 years ago (should I still budget for rewire?) All would need complete replastering. Floor is solid concrete. Naturally, turn-key would be great if we can afford it but happy to do bits and bobs (removing old plaster, plaster boarding, decorating, flooring, tiling, general labouring). I know it is like 'how long is a piece of string' question but keen to hear your opinions regardless. If I live in cuckou land or have alternative suggestions, let me know. Thanks, Nick

Hi. Perfect thanks

Good morning, Currently this is where a down pipe from conservator goes. Luckily no issue with raising damp as the drive is on small decline and therefore drains off. Question, if I replace conservatory with proper extension, can I just dig down and connect to the drain in picture or do I have to dig up garden for soak away. Thanks

Move into a study for few days and see if what they say it’s true. I’m not sure it is.

Not that far yet. Just curious, if I go ahead and build a small extension myself, I’d want have some confidence in what I’m doing rather than bodge it. Thank you

Hi, Probably silly question but if I want attach a joist hanger onto an existing wall to build extension, how to fix joist hanger so they secure and can hold the weight joists and overall roof build up? Simple straight on to the brick? If so what fixings? Attach long timber on the brick wall and then hang of that? Again what would be best fixing for the timber plate to the wall? I can only see timber to masonry hangers that you’d slot onto a brick from the top when building up but that is not an option for extension. Or is it? Thanks for advice

Hi. @Jenki I realise that some costs will be fixed whenever it is a shed or a mansion. £30k just seems too much to justify when I’d need to do quite a bit myself anyway. I guess the main point is that this is not a forever home (I hope) and whatever we’d spend, it would be nice for it reflect on resale value. After speaking to estate agents, it would certainly improve saleability but only about £10k extra in value. Good shout about planning portal. Thank you

@MikeGrahamT21 thank you. I’ve had a quick look. Would this be enough for BC sign offs. I noticed that foundations are just written. Is that enough. If so, happy days. Did you get SE specify depth of foundations, joist size etc?

Hi, After having a handful of local companies come to price up our very small 4.5m x 2.3m extension, quotes are simply coming up too much around £30k and that would be doing demolition of our conservatory (not just dwarf wall but 2 x 2m high ones as well), installing soakaway and associated pipes, internal decoration and flooring. Not sure if they are just not interested and pricing themselves out on purpose. Ultimately, we cannot justify so much on such a small alteration. Therefore, I am thinking to tackle it myself during 2023 (still need to convince my wife 🙂 ). Anyway, I need to get simply drawings done up and possibly SE just to make sure I do have a roof crushing down on me later. Any recommendations in Bournemouth/Dorset area you know of to save me getting in in google search. No real experience just a competent DIYer so do shout if you think this is a bad idea. I made some sheds, installed stud walls before, installed side door to the garage but nothing from the bottom up. Well, when we were kids we helped Dad build large non-domestic extension to the barn and that is still standing there today some 30 years later despite not having any real bulding regs to hand and building with clay blocks (very common in the Czech Republic back then). Thanks

We did consider this option but being semi detached we want to get all rain water going to towards the garage and down the drain.

Hi. Highest point would be on the back of the house (see pic). Garage is ours yes. Not using the whole footprint if just for simplicity and therefore cost reasons. There is less than meter between conservatory and garage which I want to keep for access to the garden. Idea is to have a smile single glazed door and then largish window that would double us as bench seat for dining table.

Hi, Although self-build will always be a dream, we need to make the current place work for us as much as possible and spend as little as possible :-). Plan is to get rid of old leaky conservatory and put up rectangular 4.5 x 2.3 extension in its place. Huge supporting column between conservatory and kitchen will need to stay to make it affordable. With that in mind, what roof type and window would be best solution to bring in as much light as possible. The garden is west facing so my gut tells me pent roof with velux style windows so we can control solar gain in summer with either internal or external blinds. Floor plan and picture from when we moved in hopefully attached. Thanks

Not sure about costs. Just inspiration for possible layouts.

What about https://www.caberhouse.com/house-types/ ? Possibly suitable layouts?