on the roadside and manually carried to the site
during the build until work on the main
driveway was completed.
The level of this drive – to the front of the
house – had to be raised and levelled to
compensate for the high water table and allow
for external pipes for ground source heating,
which cost £10,000 and was organised with help
from Go Eco Renewables.
Although the cost had been allowed for in
the initial estimates, there were many other
costs which sent the overall budget spiralling
out of control.
“We realised, too late, that a series of
incremental smaller costs soon started to
escalate into one big cost which we had neither
planned nor budgeted for,” admits Tom. “If we
had to offer advice to anyone doing something
similar, it would be to work out an overall
budget from the outset and get a full
breakdown of the costs in writing. I would resist
the temptation to agree to additions that the
builder suggests, given the relative small cost.
We got taken up in the spirit of ‘while the
builders are here and it’s a good price for this
addition, let’s just get them to do it’ without
thinking how we were actually going to pay
back the additional debt this got us into.”
In the end they sold two investment rental
properties to pay off their bank loans.
“There has to be a bit of flexibility, but we
took a lot of risks, paying for rent and mortgage
at the same time without thinking about how we
would pay off these extra costs. We probably
wouldn’t have done it if we had worked it outproperly beforehand.”
That said, they are both delighted with
the results.
Cost issues aside, they finally moved in May
2018 once the £5,000 kitchen from Howdens
was installed, bathroom fittings were in and
floors coverings laid.
“We had a few problems to begin with,
including a significant leak through the ceiling
when we switched on the water,” says Carly.
“Something hadn’t been capped properly and
water came pouring into the extension.”
The couple also came up with some ingenious
ideas to prevent other problems in the future –
like photographing everything throughout the
project.
“We even took drone pictures of the trenches
for the ground source energy pipes being laid
so that we knew where they were if we ever
needed to access them,” says Tom. “It was a
very steep learning curve and we have learned a
huge amount along the way, but there is very
little we would change. The extension has
totally transformed the way we live and we love
the direct link to the outdoors.”
Carly and Tom still have a lot to do –
especially in the garden – but now they are
finally in and enjoying the benefits of the
house they have no regrets about taking on
the renovation.
“Had we known then what we know now, we
would probably not be living here,” says Carly.
“But it was definitely the right thing to do in the
end. Thanks to Tim and his vision, it has lived
up to all our expectations.” CONTACTS/
SUPPLIERS
ARCHITECT
Tim Hatton at Carve
Architecture
http://www.carvearchitecture.co.ukSTRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Darren Hubbard at
Hubbard Associates
http://www.hubbardassociates.co.ukGROUND SOURCE
HEATING
Go Eco Renewables
http://www.goecorenewables.co.ukWINDOWS
Eurocell
http://www.eurocell.co.ukROOF WINDOWS
Roof-maker
http://www.roof-maker.co.ukVINYL FLOORING
Spectra
http://www.buyspectra.comKITCHEN
Howdens
http://www.howdens.comseptember/october 2019 http://www.sbhonline.co.uk 53