Tomorrow is day one of the build but we’ve actually done a fair amount of planning and prep to this point. Two of the main jobs have been deciding which architect to use and choosing a builder.
To architect or not to architect?
The very first step in sorting out our extension was to work out whether forking out for an architect was worth it. There’s nothing fancy about what we want to do so agreeing the plans with the builder was an option which would have saved us a few hundred quid. However, after several days of fannying around, we agreed that using an architect would mean we’d have A) a really well thought out design and B) a proper set of plans for builders to quote & build to. Too early to say whether it was worth it but it’s certainly given us peace of mind so far.
Alrighty, so once we’d decided to go down the architect route, we got a couple round for quotes. One of them we found online and came with good reviews, whilst the other was recommended by a colleague. We really should have got 3 quotes at least but the second chap who came round came across very well and from our research we found it was unlikely that we’d pay less. So that was it, architect chosen at a cost of £750.
We’re well chuffed we went for that bloke as he was really patient with us and drew up multiple versions of the plans. If you need an architect are near the York area let me know and I’ll pass on his details.
Choosing a builder
Once the plans were finalised we started contacting builders. Searching online is a tad overwhelming as there’s so much choice so we got in touch with a couple that we found through Google and 3 more that friends/fam/colleagues recommended. Five may seem a little OTT but the quotes varied by £17K so it was well worth it!
For each builder, we sent them the plans so they could have a look before they came round for a natter. You wouldn’t believe how different each of the builders were. A couple were very professional, another two were pleasant but didn’t come across well, whereas the last one cancelled twice and when he did finally come was really rude and actually a bit aggressive! So we went with the last bloke. Lol na we didn’t, he got a no straight away but that didn’t stop him pursuing us…
Anyway, we narrowed it down to 3. They each sent over a quote including a summary of all the work required. There was some back and forth to make sure that everything was included in each quote. The final quotes varied between £34K and £51K, bloody ridiculous. Although a colleague if mine recently had quotes for some building work that varied by £49K so what’s £17K between pals?
We based the final decision of who to use on the price, how we got along with them and the reviews/recommendations they came with. Initially we were focusing on how long until they could start but then realised that was daft – a long wait is probably a good sign. The frontrunner wasn’t the cheapest but we really wanted to use him so got in touch and proposed a slightly lower price. After a couple of days’ thought he came back saying that was fine and just like that, we had a builder.
We also had to find a structural engineer to calculate the steel required stop the house falling over. Not very exciting so in summary:
- got a couple of quotes online and one from an engineer the builder recommended
- quotes were pretty much all the same £700-£800
- went with the bloke our builder recommended cos that was easy
Lockdown delayed things a little so it wasn’t until June that we were able to sign contracts with the builder and agree the payment schedule. But now it’s all in writing and tomorrow morning there’ll be a group of blokes (or perhaps ladies #2020) tearing up our garden. No idea what next week’s post will look like – perhaps a few photos of concrete-filled hols and a pie chart summarising our builders’ favourite biscuits, who knows.
project-number-nine.com 
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