MarkyP Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 Hello all, I've posted a few times here but thought I would introduce myself. I live in east Kent near the coast and am 2 years into the extension, loft conversion and major renovation of a large bungalow. I've been a DIY'er for many a year but took it too another level when we found a dream project (rather rundown and barely habitable) home in a large plot which was too much to pass up. After a few years spent securing planning consent, we eventually started work in 2016. The house was in two sections - an almost derelict timber framed bungalow (which was barely habitable) and a more recent (but still pretty grotty and very badly insulated) long, barn-like extension which was built by the previous owners as a granny annex. The advice we were given was universally knock the whole lot down and start again but we costed that up and reckoned we could do the job for half the amount by keeping the long annex as a basis for the house, demolishing the timber framed buildings and extending back onto the freed up footprint. It also meant we could live in the project and do it in stages. I had some eye-watering main contractor quotes and quickly realised that the only way forward was to manage the work myself using sub-contractors and doing lots DIY. We started in April 2016 and spent two weekends with a reciprocating saw cutting down the old timber framed building. I then had sub-contractors each for ground works for the extension, block work, 1st fix joinery for the new intermediate floor and roof timbers for both extension and loft conversion. And finally roofers for both slate and zinc cladding to new dormers. I also did EWI to the existing building DIY fitting the insulation and then had a local renderer finish. I also DIY fitted 20+ windows and doors. There were lots of tricky issues and decisions along the way, some intensely stressful periods, and It's already taken way longer than planned, but remains largely on budget. Most of the major works are done but I have an empty boarded-off stair well with a ladder to the entire upper floor at bare timber/1st fix stage to tackle and finish over the months ahead. I've also got a single storey kitchen to externally clad with more insulation and timber, heaps of landscaping to do, also MVHR to fit and commission, two bathrooms to install, plus a load of decorating, snagging and odds and sods to take care of. I expect it will take another couple of years before it's really at a point where we can call it done. I'll post a few pictures here at some point to give a flavour of what we've been up to. I've been following discussions here with interest and finally go around to signing up recently. I'm looking forward to joining in with the discussion. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 Hi and welcome. That sounds all very interesting, we like pictures, look forward to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 Welcome to BuildHub. An ex Kent person here, although I'm from West Kent rather than East. I guess you'll be relatively near the coast then? Look forward to seeing some photos of what you've done. Sounds like quite a project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 Why didn't you join earlier? Maybe Buildhub might have been able to alleviate some stress (or at least allow you to vent it). Anyway, sounds like you're well on your way. It must be rewarding to have done so much yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 Wrong side the Medway by the sounds of it but welcome anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 28 minutes ago, Onoff said: Medway Mudway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyP Posted October 29, 2018 Author Share Posted October 29, 2018 42 minutes ago, Onoff said: Wrong side the Medway by the sounds of it but welcome anyway! Kentish Man by birth but afraid now well into Man of Kent Territory! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyP Posted October 29, 2018 Author Share Posted October 29, 2018 1 hour ago, jack said: Why didn't you join earlier? Maybe Buildhub might have been able to alleviate some stress (or at least allow you to vent it). Anyway, sounds like you're well on your way. It must be rewarding to have done so much yourself. don't know why I didn't sign up sooner. I have been following the forum for the duration of my project, I kept meaning to sign up but never quite got around to it until now. I've still got loads to do, so plenty of mistakes to come which I'll happily share with the forum ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 20 minutes ago, MarkyP said: Kentish Man by birth but afraid now well into Man of Kent Territory! There's a couple on here gone to the Dark Side! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 14 minutes ago, Onoff said: There's a couple on here gone to the Dark Side! What side have I gone to then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 Just read about the DIY EWI element...I will be asking questions! Pics please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyP Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 well, this is what we started with. The long section with the steep roof pitch was built approx 1999 as an attached annexe, this would become the basis for our project. The stone clad bit was built in the 1920s and was a pretty typical timber framed building of the era. And to the rear, behind the long section, are two further timber frame sections, one built god knows when (it was very DIY looking), another built in the 80s. And, if you are eagle eyed, you might just see a crappy conservatory round the back as well. The older timber sections were all rotten, freezing cold, and lacking any insulation. The people we bought it from had been there 30 years and were older and rather stoical, they said how warm the place was and how it didn't need too much work! Basically they spent I estimate about £3000 per year running an old paraffin fired aga 24 x7 which is probably the only reason the timber sections hadn't rotted to powder. During the demolition I uncovered military markings on the roof timbers, I found out the building was used along with others nearby during the war though for what I'm not sure. Prior to that it was a farm. Anyway, we loved the plot but were less in love with the building that came with it. In fact my wife didn't even go inside when we viewed it as she loved the plot and didnt want to be put off! We were lucky, it fell through twice previous to us finding it due to the "computer says no" effect of the lightweight timber frame sections on main stream lenders. The sellers dropped the price massively and were considering going to auction but I somehow managed to find a lender who would mortgage it despite fairly grim comments about the building in the valuer's report. We lived in rather miserable conditions for a couple of years while we figured out what to do with it. There was a toilet which was walled with badly cast concrete, another DIY effort by someone to infill and create a room in a little gap between the buildings. In the winter the walls were so cold and damp that a large colony of slugs would somehow get in and graze on the mould. One of the timber section smelt awful, I realised that the floorboards had been creosoted so we basically shut that bit of and didn't use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyP Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 22 hours ago, Onoff said: Just read about the DIY EWI element...I will be asking questions! Pics please! I'll dig out some pics of the EWI. It was quite a bit of work but actually has come out really well, very pleased I did it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyP Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 (edited) this is the stone clad bit on day 1 of the demolition. I did the demolition myself with a reciprocating saw and a crow bar and some help from friends. This was hard work - the building had been cement rendered over the timber. Had to whack it with a sledge hammer and use a crow bar to get it off. Then started cutting it up with the saw once we'd go the windows out. Edited October 30, 2018 by MarkyP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyP Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 more demolition, this was someone's DIY effort from the 80s being stripped Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyP Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 (edited) after a week of demolition I got the digger in, the ground worker did the last of the demolition, knocking down a few brick walls and digging out the old over site. Edited October 30, 2018 by MarkyP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyP Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 (edited) oh, one more of the demolition in progress. this is the rear of the building. Lovely place, wasn't it? doing the demolition by hand saved us around £9k (based on best quote). it was hard work and time consuming but with help from friends and family, it wasn't too arduous. We salvaged enough stuff (thousands of concrete roof tiles, lead, copper) to sell and cover the cost of numerous skips we filled. So other than ours and friends time, the demolition cost nothing. Sadly, with the exception of a couple of nice beams, the timber was no good for anyone, having been creosoted. During the work, in a void in a timber wall, we found a timber off cut signed in pencil by the local joiner who built the place, his name, village, and date (1925). Edited October 31, 2018 by MarkyP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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