Overview
We were lucky enough when we bought the house that my Dad has good knowledge of how we could change the structure etc. to get the most out of the space we had. Straight away, once we had our offer accepted, we started drawing layouts. We knew that the work we wanted to do was going to cost a lot of money, so when we got the keys in December 2017, we decided to rent the house out for 18 months to be able to save for our renovation. During this time, we were able to apply for planning permission of a first storey extension on the back of the property and a second storey extension on the side. Our first planning got rejected so we had to make some small amendments which meant the second storey extension roof had to be altered. We were hoping to have an en-suite on the main bedroom we were building, although we were not able to do this, we still love the size of this room!
Timescale
We started our renovation in July 2019. The day that we got the keys back from our tenants, my Dad and Dan had already started knocking walls down and ripping flooring and ceiling apart. At least 90% of our project was completed by my Dad and Dan. My Dad gave up his retired life for a year and almost had many break downs structuring our new roof in minus degree weather in December! Dan spent any spare hour he had at the house to help my Dad. Lockdown part one massively helped with the project as this meant Dan was furloughed and was able to help my Dad everyday. The project in all took 1 year - a great achievement considering we didn’t have a large team! Whilst the renovation was taking place, we were lucky enough to be able to stay at my parents.
Budget
At first, we had a figure set at around £35k. We knew that every project always goes over budget but we were not expecting to nearly double that!! Looking back now, it was worth every penny!
The extension itself was the most expensive part as there are so many hidden costs for materials that all add up! We definitely had some good deals along the way, with people we know helping us out with materials etc. which we are forever grateful for.
Challenges and Obstacles
Planning permission was an obstacle as we had to change our original plans, this was ok as we could change this early on and we were still renting the property out at the time. When the first lockdown happened in March we were slightly worried about how this might effect us getting hold of materials, overall it didn’t set us back too much! Our main obstacle was the weather - when it was time to build the extension and structure and tile the roof, it was in the middle of winter and probably the worst winter we’ve had in a long time! I didn’t envy my Dad and Dan for spending hours freezing - although I did provide hot tea.
Looking back, is there anything you would change and do you have any tips for someone looking to do something similar?
Looking back, there is nothing I would change about the house. We love it even more now that we had to be extremely patient to move in. From receiving the keys in December 2017 to actually moving in in July 2020, the wait was most definitely worthy it.
My top tip to anyone who is renovating is to be patient! We know the feeling when you can’t see the end, but trust me - it’s definitely worth it in the end and everything will fall into place! Also - over budget... you will always spend more than you originally think.
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