| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Nick |
Building costs.I've got a small lean to on one corner of the house and we want it knocked down and rebuilt. It's currently single thickness brick, and the job entails demolishing, removing the waste, and replacing in a larger form, with double thickness cavity walls, and a sloped, tiled roof. The final floor space will be around 15.6m2, from an existing 5.27m2. A stud wall will divide the space.Work will include demolishing, erecting, finishing with render outside, plaster inside, but not electrics, nor internal wood work. Footings will be around 1m deep. Anyone care to suggest a timescale and/or price for the labour for this job for a professional, full time builder? I've got two quotes, and the materials are similar enough, but the actual time/labour is *hugely* variable. I'd appreciate any thoughts, please. Obviously, any questions, fire away! |
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| Chez |
Is this any help?
http://www.whatprice.co.uk/building/price.html |
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| Gervase |
As a rough and ready estimate, a grand a square metre and six to eight weeks. | ||||
| RichardW |
As gervase has said build & extensions are about £1k per m2 but as you have a sizeable amount of clearance (dig out old foundations?) as well you prob need to add a bit for that. | ||||
| Nick |
No, no foundations. It's stupid that we have to put new ones in, but there you go. | ||||
| dpack |
as above but time could be 4 weeks 6 is better | ||||
| Nick |
I've got 5 weeks for 2 blokes, and 15 days for one bloke as two differing suggestions from local builders. | ||||
| dpack |
5 for 2 sounds about right | ||||
| Nick |
5 for two, plus one part time (plasterer, I assume), £6500.
That's a shade over £100 a day, I guess. Sound close to reasonable? 15 days for one man is just too optimistic, isn't it? |
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| dpack |
yep | ||||
| dpack |
written contract is good 
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| digit |
Have you had a break down on the price for the demolition and excavating of foundations? | ||||
| Chez |
Yes, I reckon so, from various things we've had done. It's what Pookie's brother charges. |
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| stumbling goat |
£12 to 15k.
8 - 10 weeks as we are going into winter. ish. sg |
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| Nick |
Not price, but timescale, yes. And I have the power/permission to source my own materials if I wish. He'll get better prices automatically, but I have time to devote to sourcing and travelling to collect, which could help. |
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| cuff |
i have just finished a single storey extention aprox 3x4.5 in stone, weather pointed full opening inside and plasterered out in less than 3 week | ||||
| Nick |
How deep were the footings? What kind of roof? | ||||
| cuff |
footings were.750. lean to roof marley tile 1 window 1 door | ||||
| digit |
The reason i ask,its ground works i do, and working it out you a looking at a days work in demolishing and excavating the footings and removing materials from site.Down my way the cost for that would be about £300 |
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| Nick |
I think it works out at £100 a day labour, per bloke. Demolition and removal and digging out footings and floor level is flagged as two jobs. The rest of that week is filled with pouring concrete and laying blocks to floor level (iirc, no paperwork in front of me). There's also waterproofing and sealing the existing structure, so, for a £1,000 week, it doesn't sound too far away from your suggestion. | ||||
| Treacodactyl |
Are you talking time 'on the job' or time elapsed from start date to end? I understood you wait a week or so for the cement in foundations to go off before laying blocks for example. It shouldn't affect the cost but if you're planning to have it completed by a certain date it could. |
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| beean |
Am pretty rubbish with these things, but are you working off quotes (what they will charge you) or estimates (what they might charge you). You may find the over-optimisitc case is giving you an estimate, which would be harder to hold them to. | ||||
| Nick |
This is the case. The lower one is an estimate, the higher one a quote. Both are people known to me, and before I commit to anything, that's a discussion I'm planning on having. | ||||
| dpack |
quote and contract
agreed extras is extra fair to both parties the digging might be best done with a mini360 digger ,pouring concrete and block laying is mostly material costs the dpm and dpc and sealing to the existing building require good spec and execution have you talked with the local building control peeps ? |
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| Nick |
I have free access to a mini digger, so that's going to be a way forward in cost savings.
The DPC/DPM are almost a waste of time; it's butting up to a wood framed lath and plaster house sat on mud since 1680. Still, rules is rules. |
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| dpack |
the old part and the new part need to work with each other and meet building regs but a 1680 style add on will need daft papers 
can gervase help with how to attach a set in concrete extension to a set on mud old building i recon lead flashings have enough give to allow for drought and rain the haporth of tar principal before one lays the keel etc it can get a bit bit damp down your way ,but a dry timee can happen and the two may float in different ways ,the join is important |
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| digit |
Having free access to a mini digger is great,as long as you've got someone who is experienced at operating one or you could have a days work turn into three days at your cost. | ||||
| Gervase |
True, the join is critical, as are the way the footings are excavated.
Much depends on what your place is built on - if it's subsoil rather than rock, don't dig straight down - make sure that any excavation adjoining an existing wall has a 45 degree batter to avoid undermining the compacted soil on which the building sits. The existing building has had 300 years to settle and work out its loading on the subsoil, whereas the new build will settle slightly over time if the subsoil beneath has not been loaded before, so you'll need to to ensure that there is some sort of slip joint between old and new to allow for movement. This can be done with two layers of vertical DPM with flexible stainless ties every other course if using blockwork. I'd also use a 1:3 hydraulic lime: coarse sand mortar (absolutely no cement) for the join. No problem with doing the rest of the extension with ordinary compo, but you need the flexibility of a lime mortar to managed the bridge. You'll have to accept that, for a couple of years at least, the bridging joint will be sacrificial. Once the extension has bedded you can repoint down the join with a new lime mix and that should last you out. Your builder may prefer to use a standard brickies' expansion mastic; it's OK, but if you get movement in the first year or so it's a swine to take out and replace. |
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| Nick |
Comes with driver. 
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| dpack |
thanks gervase ,more technical than my languge
good re mini digger
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