Does one no approve, Ady? The render ha since been whitewashed so part of it ties into the rest of the house(bungalow), if we had gone two storys up with the render instead of the cedar cladding it would have been too much.
I love it as the house is like a tardis now with 4 split levels.
Cheers
Dave

Thanks sparky, it was a heck of a load of fun
Sorry to npinks for hijacking the thread! MY10 TDV6 SE (debadged ), Santorini Black, Flappy paddles, Privacy Glass, 20" Stormers, Mudflaps!

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No problems, glads its been colour coded to match though

npinks wrote:

No problems, glads its been colour coded to match though

I had to cover the brickwork with something,and I didn't fancy doing a "wet cast"



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Gone: a comprehensive list of imprezas and a Merc ML AMG

codfather wrote:

Don't try and cheapen the build going to a technician , they won't have the vision to give you something spectacular , and tend to not maximise space!

This might be of some use Nick. http://www.ratedpeople.com/?gclid=CJrgrsjn-7QCFQzKtAodkSwAmQ Then again it might be a bit of a ball ache.

my worry is the newer of the two extensions (classed as a hallway extension on the plans), I think this was done as single storey, just to match the other older one in size, just so the old owners could put up their conservatory

If i want to build above this, there is not really any supporting wall due to the two large openings in the two exterior walls, one been the french door to the conservatory, one been the front door with same sized window, I assume these just have a lintel above them to hold a few course of brick to the current roof height

I can see me in my nightmares having to knock my conservatory down and rebuild this section to take the weight for above

You need to do some proper investigation work. It involves doing some digging (to see what foundations were provided) and perhaps removing some plaster to see what lintel you have over the french door. Even if the lintel isn't up to the job of carrying another storey, it's not exactly major surgery to change it for one that will work when the extension is being built up.

Once you have exposed these things, it would be useful to ask a structural engineer to visit and give advice. Sure, you pay for that advice but at least you know where you are. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
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at least they might be able to be swapped from what you say ....hopefully

Might as well get worrying about this then, instead of before it happen

Not much vision is required for a garden room, an architect is overkill in my opinion as a decent builder should have a portfolio of previous jobs. Also, a lot of builders offer the full package from plans to sign off.

Nik.
[/quote]
In my experience, most domestic extensions are drawn up by someone who is neither an architect nor an architectural technician. And most people don't want spectacular - they want "most for least". And "architectural vision" is definitely an added cost. If you know what you want then all you're paying a plan drawer for is the up-to-date information relating to Building Regulation requirements e.g. thermal insulation specification etc.. If the design needs steelwork or a fancy roof, get a structural engineer to design those elements - don't let the builder "use the same one as last time coz it'll be alright mate"

Get at least 3 builders to quote. Get rid of any that are obviously cheaper than the rest (they'll just add "extras" as the job proceeds).

Use any drawings and calculations as contract documents - gives you legal clout if the builder does his own thing. Amazing the number of people that don't have a written contract with their builder![/quote] 2015 Golf R DSG
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