Renovation Nightmares ..... Anyone else have one they would like to share?

[hargrlynet]

Thought I would would start this thread, 'cause we are having a few atm

[boris1gary]

---

@i-need-a-martini wrote:

I did specifically say: if you are not doing any of the work yourself and need to pay someone

Also Lurkers work was not just a bathroom but also an extension, so yes, it will need all that work because it needs to go through council approvals and certifications.

---

we did the back half of our house, totally knocked down and rebuilt. Just a builder and his 2 labourers and a sparky. i say we, of course i didn't do anything at all. Kitchen, Bathroom, toilet, laundry and verandah. Plus a Draughtsman. 

[lurker172602]

So, before this goes off like a frog in a sock, where do we start?
Firstly we need to know how much it might cost and is it therefor feasible. Who is most able to tell us that?

[lurker172602]

Sorry hargylnet, I seem to have hijacked you thread 😞

[boris1gary]

But saying all that if we were to do anything again and were cashed up i would happily go the more expensive route, i didn't enjoy looking at tiles, baths etc for very long, i found it tedious.

[i-need-a-martini]

To get it costed accurately, you need to get plans drawn up. Otherwise you can only go by building industry estimates.

When you say small extension then I assume you are talking about another living space at the end of the house? Say that room is 5m x 10m with new roof extension, new slab/floors, a window and some external doors. At a rate of $1,500m2, then that extension will cost minimum $75,000 at current building rates. That is construction only and doesn't include anything that is going into the space like a kitchen. 

You mention an ensuite? I'll assume that it is part of your existing house and that plumbing is on same wall. And that your son will do the plumbing for free. In that case, you can expect that cost to be around $10,000 - $15,000

We just did our bathroom downstairs and the cost was roughly $8,000. But that was with all my trade discounts and also we did some of the work - demo, waterproofing, painting.

Are you in Sydney Lurker?

[lurker172602]

No, it is increasing a current bedroom by about 2x4m and adding a small ensuite to that. The main bathroom will share a common wall with the ensuite and there is ample space underneath for plumbing connections. The roofline would not change, but simply extend out.

No, regional, coastal NSW

[i-need-a-martini]

Actually our bathroom was more I noted above. Costs do add up even when you are project managing it yourself:

Plumber $1500

Electrician $1000

Tiler $3000

Carpenter $900

_

Toilet $800

Vanity (from ikea) $500

Glass shower screen $550

Taps, shower head etc $600

Tiles $1800 (we didn't skimp on these)

New windows $300 (ebay purchase)

Lights, switches and fan $650

Mirror $150

Shelf, towel rails, coat hooks $150

New door plus handle $120

Bucket of waterproofing $100 (we did this ourselves)

Paint for ceiling, doors and windows $80 ( we did it ourselves)

Bathroom sixe was 3 x 1.7m

[i-need-a-martini]

If you can extend the roof and they don't have to touch much of the existing roof then normally you could knock a few hundred dollars off per m2. But if the work is so minimmal then the builders will up their price for a small job so you could be paying premium.

Say it all ends up 12m2 with bedroom extension and small bathroom (1.5 x 2.5). So roughly $20,000 plus the price of the bathroom fit out.

Plus the cost of getting plans drawn, putting a DA through and getting it certified.

All up might be about $36,000.

[lurker172602]

Phew! Thanks, I was getting very worried.

So, the question still remains. Where/who do we go to first?

[hargrlynet]

  Sorry hargylnet, I seem to have hijacked you thread 

Your "hijacks" are very welcome lurker 🙂  Once our kitchen  is finished, re modeling the bathroom is our next major project, so I am watching this discussion with interest.  Everyone has their own way of renovating, personally, I would never employ someone to choose my kitchen/bathroom items as I want my taste not theirs but  that's me. 

I think I have mentioned before that our house is over 100 yrs old and that in itself presents problems that often don't occur in the more modern houses. I have seen where people buy a cottage like mine and then proceed to "modenise" the whole house, makes me wonder why they bought the house in the first place?

[hargrlynet]

Your "hijacks" are very welcome lurker 🙂  Once our kitchen  is finished, re modeling the bathroom is our next major project, so I am watching this discussion with interest.  Everyone has their own way of renovating, personally, I would never employ someone to choose my kitchen/bathroom items as I want my taste not theirs but  that's me.