Kara Christine Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Hello all you experts, After over 2 years of battling planning permission, we've finally got the OK on Friday to start on April 13th. Am I mad to consider starting at what will straddle the peak of the proposed infection rates. Its a 12-15 week build with a fair bit of internal changes. I honestly am awake at night worrying about everything. The only upside is that we are both very practical and could do a lot of cover in the absence of labourers or joiners (not plumbers or electricians though) if they needed to self isolate. Im just assuming that supply is going to be affected. Thoughts please lovely people. Kara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedreamer Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 54 minutes ago, Kara Christine said: Hello all you experts, After over 2 years of battling planning permission, we've finally got the OK on Friday to start on April 13th. Am I mad to consider starting at what will straddle the peak of the proposed infection rates. Its a 12-15 week build with a fair bit of internal changes. I honestly am awake at night worrying about everything. The only upside is that we are both very practical and could do a lot of cover in the absence of labourers or joiners (not plumbers or electricians though) if they needed to self isolate. Im just assuming that supply is going to be affected. Thoughts please lovely people. Kara Prehaps some trades will be less inclined to work in older people homes for risk of infection. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonshine Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Tbh, there is so many unknowns I think it would be best to take stock a delay until things settle down a bit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted March 16, 2020 Share Posted March 16, 2020 Perhaps the key question is whether your build progressing more slowly than planned, or even stopping for a period, would be a problem for you. For example, if your works mean that you both your kitchen and living room might stand open, exposed to the elements for an extended period, then that might be a problem if you were still living there. In my case, with a new build, slowness will be fairly un-problematic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell griffiths Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Have you already booked in the guys to dig the footings, lay the concrete or build the walls. If not then I think you won’t find anybody to do this for weeks anyway, virus or not, most trades I know are booked for months in advance. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishjohn Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 (edited) I agree with @Russell griffiths when this is over I think you will find lots of trades needing work for cash quickly to recoup their losses Edited March 17, 2020 by scottishjohn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 My concern would be finance. If you have the money to pay for it then great, but personally I would be very concerned at taking on debt right now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeGrahamT21 Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 10 hours ago, Kara Christine said: Hello all you experts, After over 2 years of battling planning permission, we've finally got the OK on Friday to start on April 13th. Am I mad to consider starting at what will straddle the peak of the proposed infection rates. Its a 12-15 week build with a fair bit of internal changes. I honestly am awake at night worrying about everything. The only upside is that we are both very practical and could do a lot of cover in the absence of labourers or joiners (not plumbers or electricians though) if they needed to self isolate. Im just assuming that supply is going to be affected. Thoughts please lovely people. Kara If you are waking up in the middle of the night worrying about it, I think your answer is right there! Hold on to your money for now, and crack on with it as soon as this dulls down. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 I'm in the same position. I'm thinking about what I can do myself to keep the building and my finances protected. Don't take on debt if your income might be affected, and hopefully you have 3 years, Be mindful the old saying 'If in doubt, do nowt', til the situation becomes clearer. Up until now, I had been working on the assumption that many trades and labourers will mostly be in the low risk category for the illness itself, and for much of the time, they don't work in close proximity to each other and so are likely to want to carry on working. Most people will need significant training in how to stop the spread of germs of any kind. I've even been thinking if it might be come fashionable to install a small hand washing sink at the entrance of properties in the future... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeGrahamT21 Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 With regards to keeping planning permission live, you can literally just dig a hole, as long as it will form part of your foundations, and thats enough to say you've started 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrerahill Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 (edited) 12 hours ago, Kara Christine said: Hello all you experts, After over 2 years of battling planning permission, we've finally got the OK on Friday to start on April 13th. Am I mad to consider starting at what will straddle the peak of the proposed infection rates. Its a 12-15 week build with a fair bit of internal changes. I honestly am awake at night worrying about everything. The only upside is that we are both very practical and could do a lot of cover in the absence of labourers or joiners (not plumbers or electricians though) if they needed to self isolate. Im just assuming that supply is going to be affected. Thoughts please lovely people. Kara It depends, I think I would have gone for it if it was me starting now, but my thinking would have been if I was starting now, it would have been some holes in the ground, some concrete, maybe a bit of drainage, some block and a load of timber delivered and just cracking on. Our original house is still secured with the original doors and windows have been bricked up so if anything a little more secure, I will not break through until all the dusty works are over and this also means we don't need to heat it until we more or less start using the space. It depends on your personal situation, finances, where do you live, if you are middle of a town or city in time of social unrest then a potentially weakened point of entry might not be so good - but if you can do plenty of it before you need to weaken your security then less of a worry. Maybe your in the sticks in which case it removes quite a few issues in my eyes. Be prepared for delays, and perhaps material supply issues, we are heading into better weather so at least the site won't be hammered too much by weather. Will you have a lot of free time potentially, or can you work from home etc meaning you will still be occupied 9-5 and can you afford to buy the materials and potentially live off savings if you don't earn, maybe this isn't an issue due to reserves or income throughout the crisis. Edited March 17, 2020 by Carrerahill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epsilonGreedy Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Finding available and competent trades is the greatest problem facing a self builder. Economic turmoil will tip the situation in your favour so if you have the cash on hand, go for it. It would be advisable to plan for sensible pause points though this must be more of a problem for an extension then a new build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BotusBuild Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 1 hour ago, epsilonGreedy said: Economic turmoil will tip the situation in your favour This has been my thinking over the last few days. I have no need to take on debt to start our build, and I can foresee a situation that, unfortunately for them, work will start to dry up for the competent trades that I might require, and they are therefore more amenable to doing some work on single build plots 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kara Christine Posted April 14, 2020 Author Share Posted April 14, 2020 Thanks to everyone for your considerate replies, it's meant a lot to have this feedback. In the end things were taken out of my hands as construction was ceased, so waiting on seeing when that lifts, and if building supply chains are affected. I guess the awful thing is that prices will rocket accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gc100 Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 (edited) The main issue is building supplies at the moment for me. It’s going to really drag things out for the next 12 months or so I would think. Also the prices are going up due to supply chain issues. Also critical trades (like windows) are all shut down. Personally unless you like having a half completed extension in your garden for a long time, I’d just wait until things settle myself. Edited April 15, 2020 by gc100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 1 hour ago, gc100 said: The main issue is building supplies at the moment for me. It’s going to really drag things out for the next 12 months or so I would think. Also the prices are going up due to supply chain issues. Also critical trades (like windows) are all shut down. Personally unless you like having a half completed extension in your garden for a long time, I’d just wait until things settle myself. Just got a call from my local builders merchants and they have opened back up and my outstanding delivery will be with me Monday (Cumbria area) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeGrahamT21 Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 I'm expecting a delivery of insulation today at some point, hoping it turns up, insulation is in seriously short supply though, as the manufacturers have stopped production and all stocks are getting bought up 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrerahill Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 32 minutes ago, Pete said: Just got a call from my local builders merchants and they have opened back up and my outstanding delivery will be with me Monday (Cumbria area) This gives me hope. All I need is a builders bag of all in one! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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