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Hi Many thanks for accepting me into your wise comunity!! I fear I am going to be picking your brains for advice as I have (to me) a difficult challenge plus I have never had to oversee any building work ever! SHORT VERSION: So, where do I start, the original plan was to do a single storey 5m by 4m rear extension (kitchen/diner/lounge bog standard) and a small 3m by 1.5m front extension (extra wc/wet room) to dad's 1963 semi detached 3 bed bunglow (90 feet by 40 feet plot) in a small cul de sac in Stratford upon Avon. Great location, quiet & close to town so extension seems good investment plus quality of life improvement etc etc. However the property is now being monitored for subsidence (studs with inspection pits to follow) due to diagonal cracks, bathroom tiles beng pushed off walls, walls moving off damp course where adjoins property next door (which was piled in 1990 and has moved at least further one inch since!!!) Interestingly, Dad's then Insurance said there was no subsidence on the bungalow in 1989 - instead citing lack of sufficient reinforcement in the lounge floor, which desoite not being an insured peril they paid to be corrected!! I should add that the original buildig work was of a very poor standard - the back corner (lounge) appears to have at least one brick course more than rest of bungalow - I suspect that the1989 insurer focussed on this & fobbed off my trusting Dad with a new lounge floor, anyways......................... So, whilst we await the current Insurance verdict, I am planning the extension and rework of existing kitchen/hall/only bathroom/current lounge/diner) as I hope to be able to combine this with the expected building repairs following subsidence repairs. I have shared this with Dad's current insurers who have indicated this would be possible (caveat of claim progression etc etc) Adjacent & Opposite identical properties secured planning permission for very similar rear & front extensions so I am not envisaging any issues. (never say never) So I have engaged an architect (foll numerous quotes & recommendations) to: Im not planning on a "Grand Designs" statement merely to make the existing property more useable for Dad (88 years). We are fortunate that we can decamp to my house whilst work is carried out. I would be grateful for any suggestions re: "Must Read" guides or books on how to approach a building project - my partner is a project manager (although in automotive) Managing Insurance Claim & additional building projects If you're still with me, Thanks, Michele

Hi everyone, So here is my brief introduction... We have recently moved into our new house and are about start planning a rear extension. We could not find a suitably proportioned property within our budget so after some investigation felt that this was the best (or only) way to achieve what we are after. It is currently a 3 bed mid terrace and, all going to plan, we will be adding a new kitchen and a multipurpose (guest room, home office etc) room downstairs and a fourth bedroom located centrally upstairs. The existing small kitchen and small dining room will most likely become a large dining room open to the new kitchen. Attached is a rough external view from the rear. The plan is that I will do the majority of the architectural work with the support of various resources, including you guys. We will employ the services of a structural engineer and use a good builder who can advise us too. I am a design and project engineer of electro-mechanical products for various industries, hence I have a solid engineering approach but don't have much experience in the specifics of the architectural application. So I'm more self design than self build - I hope that is ok on this forum? Do let me know if not! I am very grateful for the responses I have had so far to my first post re possibly sharing a party wall with our neighbours. I'd love to build it myself but its just not practical for us. 1pm is here so I must get back to the day job. Thanks!