Expanding kitchen

[dynamicdebz 10]

I have a porch toilet, coal shed & pantry that I want knocking out to extend the kitchen. I then want new kitchen, French doors, tiling & new flooring doing, so I'm trying to get an idea of costs & hoping there is one company/person who can do the lot.

There are a few issues though that I am unsure of...

The gas & electric meters are on walls that want knocking down?

The boiler is above the toilet but on an outside wall

The pantry is in the room so the door would also need bricking up

The electric meter is in the pantry

Is all this possible & what sort of costs are involved?

Thanks!

[joiner andy 10]

Call for a quote

[NANNY 10]

I have a porch toilet, coal shed & pantry that I want knocking out to extend the kitchen. I then want new kitchen, French doors, tiling & new flooring doing, so I'm trying to get an idea of costs & hoping there is one company/person who can do the lot.

There are a few issues though that I am unsure of...

The gas & electric meters are on walls that want knocking down?

The boiler is above the toilet but on an outside wall

The pantry is in the room so the door would also need bricking up

The electric meter is in the pantry

Is all this possible & what sort of costs are involved?

Thanks!

 

You wont get anyone better than Andrew Hall

[geared 319]

Gas and electric meters can only be moved by the gas/electric company - I looked into it and there were a few horror stories involving lots of money to have them moved.

[Bluemouse 10]

It's difficult to give good advice without seeing the property or some pictures but you'll need to think about at least the following:

 

Insulation - if you are bringing previously porch and shed type spaces into your house, you'll need to upgrade the external walls. Both for damp ingress and thermal performance. It's worth considering insulating the floor, depending on what's there at the moment.

 

Structural work - Make sure any walls getting knocked down are being adequately supported.

 

Gas meter - you can't build over any pipes leading to this and it sounds as if it needs moving. They're not meant to be inside houses now. Last time I looked into this for a client, National Grid covered the Sheffield area. Look at link below for a quote and getting the process started.

 

http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/Gas/Connections/GasServices/MoveMeter/domesticsingle

 

I think EDF are responsible for moving electric meters in this area. Both gas and electric meters can cost several hundred pounds upwards to move and it takes several weeks to get it done so worth starting that process as soon as possible. I find it really frustrating - often holds up jobs on site.

 

There are lots of things to consider really - you may need planning approval if you live in a conservation area or other area where your permitted development rights have been removed. A quick email to the planning department should establish that.

 

Also remember building control - you can ring/email them to check what you need approval for but any structural wall knock-throughs will need it. Plus if you're bringing non-habitable space (e.g. coal shed) into the house you'll need to comply with the regs.

 

No-one will be able to give you an accurate quote without some more information. However you end up doing it, it's going to be a significant investment but I'm sure it'll be lovely.

[jsmith2009 10]

hi i be happy to quote ta jeff

[dynamicdebz 10]

Are you able to give a proforma invoice should the quote be acceptable?

[dongle 10]

Are you able to give a proforma invoice should the quote be acceptable?

 

why would you want to pay pro forma?

[Acdbelectric 10]

If you require electrical services I would be happy to help

[ollieshouse 10]

Hi Debz

 

The gas & electric meters and the pipework/sub-main leading up to them are owned by your shipper, (Npower or Eon etc) you can arrange for your shipper to move them which is expensive or you can notify them and arrange for them both to be moved by local companies, the electric meter can be within 1.5m of the main fuse, the Gas Safe engineer must have the ‘MET1’ qualification on their GasSafe Card to move meters, (not many engineers have this qualification) likewise the Electrician will need to be qualified and have permission for ‘Live Work.’ Expect to pay around £300 for both to be moved.

 

Converting a space which is currently a porch/toilet/coal shed into a ‘Habitable Space’ and the structural works involved in cutting walls for French doors will mean that you will need building Regulations, are the walls/roof/floor insulated or a double skin of Block/Brickwork?

 

Building regulations submission, £180, Building inspector visits £336, Construction drawings, probably around the £500 mark for this. My advice with the drawings is get them done by your builder but make sure this is outside of the main building contract, so you own them and can get quotes for the work from at least 3 builders once you are happy with the design.

 

It might be worth considering demolishing these outhouses, if ‘Permitted Development’ doesn’t apply (extensions without planning permission) get planning permission (£172) and build a kitchen extension, these can be built from £7,000 dependant on size and material costs.

 

I would recommend that you do employ a single company to manage the entire project. Make sure you speak to friends and neighbours for recommendations, check references, go and see examples of their work, (ongoing work and completed projects, and get prices from at least 3 local specialists.

Edited September 20, 2013 by ollieshouse
typo

[Krush 10]

We did most of this ourselves, we had the electric and gas moved onto the external wall by the gas and electricity supplier and the demolition we dis ourselves. We had the pantry door studded and the rear walls re-plastered, we had electrics moved by a qualified electrician with testing certs etc, the only issue we came across was the kitchen floor was timber joist and boards and the porch, pantry and toilet were poured concrete.

 

A decent general builder would be able to do most of the work, the biggest cost will be the gas and electric moves.

[dynamicdebz 10]

It seems like I would be spending thousands before any work is even done yet I see this type of work being done all the time.

Some people have said need all sorts doing 1st as in the previous post, others have said apart from having the meters moved it is pretty straight forward.

I am confused....

 

Debby