Replacing Conservatory with Single Storey Extension Quotes

[J4MES99]

Hello, I would appreciate some advice please.

Around 4 years ago I moved into a house with an old 3.9m x 3.6m conservatory on the back, it leaked and was cold in the winter / boiling in the summer. I paid around £4,000 to have a whole new thicker polycarbonate roof fitted, £1,000 for reflective film to stop it overheating and £1,100 for blackout roller blinds. Basically it made no significant difference to the room temperature and now the panes are slipping on the roof and it's leaking again, lessons learnt and money wasted.

I've been saving for the past 2+ years to get it replaced with a single storey extension of the same size 3.9Mx3.6M. I've had plans drawn up and submitted/approved by the local council.

To summarise it's coming off the back wall of the house so will have 3 walls, end wall with one UPVC sliding patio door 2.4M wide. The roof is to be a flat GRP roof with one flat glass rooflight 2.4M x 1.2M. The opening into the new room from the back of the house is to be made bigger with a new RSJ to support.

I discussed with the architect the most cost effective way of building the room and I tried to keep it simple (no fancy bi-folds, flat roof, no extra windows etc). The walls have to be face brickwork to match the house and the rooflight isn't the cheapest so they are the two extravagances I guess. All quotes have been for a plastered shell with screeded concrete floor (no finishes apart from sockets/spotlights/rad). Architect said I should be getting quotes in the region of £1500sq mtr for a basic finish.

Quotes have come in at £35,000 inc VAT and £26,500 inc VAT so around £2,500sq mtr and £1,900sq mtr. I only got two quotes as being self employed myself and spending lots of time quoting I didn't want to waste peoples time, however, the two quotes above are over my budget and i'm wondering if anyone on here can tell me if i'm being unrealistic, my budget was £20,000 and I could stretch to £22,000/£23,000 MAX.

Would it be possible to manage individual trades myself for the groundworks, electrics, roof etc or is this a recipe for disaster? Or is it worth me getting one or two more builders quotes? If i'm way out on my figures or being unrealistic I may just need to wait another year to save the cash and get it done properly, any knowledge or advice would be appreciated.

Thank you In advance.

 

[russellsmiler]

Hi James
Your quotes do seem on the high side, but we are presently in boom time in construction (theres a lot of work going on) and so I feel prices for small domestic jobs are rising.
However couple of things that may be "upping" the cost that are not clear.
1. is the builder required to remove the existing conservatory and in paticular the slab and foundations to to this old conservatory.
2. usually conservatories end up at the back of properties, therefore how accessible is the work.
3. The breaking through and RSJs, there will be the need for structural calcs for this (can add a grand in some cases)
4. also not sure where your home is, regions vary.
5. Regarding, managing the the works yourself, and breaking it down in to individual bits, in some cases this is a recipie for disaster, I would be happy to help you all along the way if you want to get information to me (plans etc) I will do an estimate myself, and if your willing maybe we can hatch a decent plan of approach.
By the way I work as a construction manager and have about 35 years of experience.

 

[J4MES99]

Hi Russell,

Thank you very much for your reply.

I have been told the same thing regarding the building boom currently, it's been hard to actually get the quotes, I've had to chase a few times.

1) Yes, the quotes included removing the conservatory, dwarf walls and foundations currently in place.
2) Very accessible site as even though it's a terrace house the fence panel at the end of the garden (20ft away) can be removed with access directly onto the pavement/road behind.
3) The calculations for the RSJ are being done by the surveyor/architect who drew up the plans (apparently doesn't need large steel but I have no idea what that means in terms of actual size!)
4) I'm in Kent, very close to Dartford.

Yes that would be very helpful, plans are in paper form so I will need to get them scanned etc but would definitely appreciate the help. Thank you.

I'm not someone who tries to haggle/get discounts as I understand people have to make a living but the £35,000 quote seemed very expensive, I guess if he is winning work at that level then he will charge that amount, I just can't afford to pay it.

 

[russellsmiler]

Hi James
Scan and post your drawings here, and also if you want some contact info and i will draw up a shedule and cost for self managing, along with what i think may be the best way forward.

 

[garyo]

1) Yes, the quotes included removing the conservatory, dwarf walls and foundations currently in place.

I'm not sure what your appetite is for some DIY but why don't you deal with at least this part yourself - you can put the conservatory on ebay (buyer collects) and then that'll put some cash in your pocket. Then get a skip and break the dwarf walls up. Buy a £200 electric breaker and clear the slab away.

 

[^woody^]

The problem with getting individual trades in, and it can be a big problem, is that they will all want their specific rates and this can be more than if they were doing the same job sub-contracting to a builder. So you think you are getting a good deal with individual trades, but you need to be very careful that you don't end up paying more than you would for a builder doing the whole lot.

It can be useful if you are doing some of the work yourself though.

But if there is no supervision fo the work, there can be problems when the trades overlap - eg if the foundations are not level, who pays fot the bricklayer's extra time in soring it out. That kind of thing.

Don't think that you can rely on building control to check the work quality, as they don't do that.

Get quotes. And keep getting them until a pattern forms and you get an idea of the market rates, or until you get one you like.

For the steel beam, many councils now accept certain beams without needing calculations. See if your council does. Also, if a standard lintel is used, you dont need calculations anyway. So there are potential savings. Your designer should know this, but obviously, some just want your money.