Thread: A point in the right direction

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are looking at getting an extension to our existing home as we have another child due next month. I have some questions for people who have gone through all the steps to extending their home, some do's and don't to a point I guess.

I'm tossing up between enclosing in my patio to save money but I'm a bit skeptic as I have a Friend who did the same and gets leaks in really stormy weather. I do like the cheapness of it and how it has really given him some extra room for his family.

Untimely I'd love a proper extension with a gable roof blending into our existing roof but know they are expensive. I have an Idea that if I paid each tradesman separately and went for the best price on each maybe I could save quite a bit of money but seeing I'm inexperienced with this type of thing I'm only guessing.

Is there a good looking cheaper alternative to the enclosed patio - or the expensive gable add on extension? I have seen some extensions that look like a proper extension but have a sort of kit looking home kind of look about them. I don't know too much about those kind of add ons but I have seen them with a gable metal clorbond roof blended into the existing roof, I wonder if they are strong and sound and less expensive.

I'd really love some feed back from people who have an answer - or have found a solution to the same problem.

Thanks
Geoff

what's your budget? Start there and work back.

If $30,000-$40,000 you can get a good sized room added to your home with some pretty decent add-ons like a small bathroom if you're really clever with your money and are willing to do a fair amount of work yourself.

If under $10,000 box in the veranda but work out what your mate did wrong and don't do that - fall of the roofing material is key, but not the only factor in avoiding leaks.

Originally Posted by seriph1

what's your budget? Start there and work back.

If $30,000-$40,000 you can get a good sized room added to your home with some pretty decent add-ons like a small bathroom if you're really clever with your money and are willing to do a fair amount of work yourself.

Thanks Steve. I'd love to get out of it for around $30-40,000, is that an extension with a gable roof and brick for that sort of money? I'm very prepared to do a lot of work myself. I figured I can do the plastering and the skirting boards, architrave etc. I could more than likely install some windows myself and get my brother-in law to do the electrical.

How would you go about getting a good size extension for that sort of money?

Hi again - Labour costs are the major cost of a build project unless you are doing something like a very elaborate kitchen - so doing as much as you can really makes a difference .... planning is key, as is lavish communication with authorities and draftspeople/tradespeople. I know it sounds like such a small amount of money, but from what you've indicated, it seems you want a large room or maybe two smaller ones. The components consist of foundations, sub floor, floor, walls, roof structure and cladding - on top of that you obviously need wiring and any plumbing as well as internal wall+floor coverings and paint etc.

This doesn't mean the job is simple.... I simply think that for a competent handyman who is willing to undertake a super steep learning-curve, the project management of their own home improvements can do so by breaking each task down into its component parts and asking a LOT of questions then listening to the advice given.....going all-out on research and bargain hunting helps a lot too.

this is by no means, for everyone - but I have a principle I try to live by - "If hands made it once, mine can make it again...and if I can't make it after trying, at least I know more than when I started"

The first thing I made was a small bookcase. I wanted to add a drawer and a slide out 'board' to rest an antique book on to display it. So, armed with only the desire, I went to a nearby antique store and looked carefully over their pieces. Once I had a basic idea how things were made, I went home and made an OK first attempt at a bookcase. The key ingredients were: Desire for a nice bookcase; nothing like enough money; some woodworking tools; and I guess a willingness to bugger a few processes up but have a go anyway.

Again (and apologies for the sermon) building an extension is more complex, but I am assuming you're keen to learn the valuable and VERY transferable skills required to complete your project. It may even pay you to get some short term work as a labourer or even do some labouring for free for someone you know who has skills you lack - it helped me a huge amount to have a next door neighbour who was a master pattern maker - with a fully equipped workshop!

Anyway enough waffling - there has never been more information available for people to learn how to do stuff - I say go for it, with the obvious caveat that it can certainly be a very stressful process....but the result should be most worthwhile.

Here are a few of the things i have made .... some are good and some not so

The car started life as a 74 911 - Gramophone was a bit of fun - That is the bookcase I was referring to

First kitchen dresser - a Grandfather clock case for my brother - DVD storage - Both sides of a redundant doorway, converted into a DVD cabinet - my latest kitchen design/build


.....If I can do it, anyone can!

Originally Posted by seriph1

Here are a few of the things i have made .... some are good and some not so

The car started life as a 74 911 - Gramophone was a bit of fun - That is the bookcase I was referring to

First kitchen dresser - a Grandfather clock case for my brother - DVD storage - Both sides of a redundant doorway, converted into a DVD cabinet - my latest kitchen design/build


.....If I can do it, anyone can!

Nice work there seriph! Can you make me a Porsche?

I'm lucky in that I have a friend who builds house trusses for a living and a friend from cricket is a house builder who now works behind a desk as an estimator so I have people who can help with those things I guess. How much legally am I aloud to do myself? If I could save heaps of money I'd do the whole lot myself but I don't think I'm legally aloud.

I feel I could do the Gyp-rock, plastering, Cornice, Electrical (with help from my brother in law), Buy and install some second hand aluminium windows, Buy and install a sliding entry door, do the skirting and architraves, painting and hang any interior doors. I'd really love to do more if I could legally.

So is the first thing I'd need to do is get a plan/blue print drawn up by a draftsman? I've heard that the drawings aren't cheap.

Drawings may be a couple of grand, but I doubt it - again, get clear about precisely you want and write a detailed brief.

there are a few things you are not allowed to do, but everything else you can, it just has to meet or surpass code requirements. Can't help you with what those requirements are .... that's for the pro's ... but your mates will be able to give you a very good idea.

Excuse my stupidity, but for me to actually get quotes on what the trusses and frame, bricks etc will cost me I'll need an actual draft of the building I want won't I?

Of course - but first you need to get clear about what style and size of extension you want.

it goes like this

1. RESEARCH - search online, look at books, buy magazines and look through them, gathering ideas and information about the style of things you want in your project

2. WISHLIST - detail those things that you MUST have to make your project the way you want

3. SKETCH - Do a range of sketches, no matter how 'clunky' of the things you feel will make your project a great reflection of your desired outcome

4. BRIEF - write a brief containing all the above elements

5. DRAWINGS & SPECIFICATIONS - get a building company, architect or draftsperson to render your ideas onto screen/paper

6. REFINE - get the details of the design refined to the point where you're happy and feel confident about what's required

7. ESTIMATE - get quotes, or get the job Quantity Surveyed

8. SCHEDULE - work out when, how and what to do the work

9. PURCHASE - get what's needed, or organise to get it all

9. MANAGE - organise trades, ensuring all materials required are on-site

At the end of the day, the two most important aspects of this are: Clarity.... yours, and; communication with all other parties. If you are unclear about the precise result you are working to achieve, it's impossible for others to guarantee a result when they don't know what you want, or can't explain it in a way that is crystal clear to others.

Obviously all of this is only my opinion, but having built/managed/designed/buggered up/completed hundreds of projects, I feel strongly that these are key elements to successful projects.

one more thing - to get a basic idea of costs, all you need do is

1. decide on the area of your project for example 15 metres by 13 metres
2. Decide on the ceiling height for example: 2.7 metres
3. Decide on the cladding type (in your case brick) weatherboard style and composition, brick type/style/brand, stone etc.
4. Decide on roofing material, roof pitch and style
5. work out how many windows and doors you'll need and their style/composition
6. Decide the level of extras you want for example the flooring materials, curtains, light fittings
7. Decide on the additional appointments in the project for example bathroom, kitchen, en-suite, home theatre, etc. and then research the products you intend to put in them

I'd really love to get a really close approx quote on what the whole job will cost without a draft of it as I need to know roughly what it will cost and whether or not the bank will give us the money to get it done.

call any extension builder - they will give you a quote

Yeah I did that last year and was Quoted around $50,000 without even a drawing. That's why I thought maybe I could save money by getting in different tradesmen to do the different things that need to be done and save by getting the cheapest one for each job and then do as you said, and try and do as much as I can myself.