It all started with a simple conservatory! “£10K thats all it will cost”
The thought process was no more complicated then creating a little more light and floor space for the kitchen without the expense and planning issues.
So, we just ‘plonk’ on a glass box to the end of our kitchen, simple…… well, we might as well loose the french doors leading into the conservatory?
Equally it was pointless leaving the bit of wall each side of the doors, so now we have opened it up into our home how are we going to heat it?
Underfloor heating? No, doesn’t heat the room enough and too expensive. The only other feasible concept was to consider an air-conditioning unit that not only cools but maintains an ambient temperature.
Sorted…
So now we have all this space, we can move the kitchen table into the conservatory area which frees up and would offer a more sociable kitchen area. I know, lets put an island there with a granite top…… Fab idea, how about that big American style fridge that dispenses ice on tap? another Fab idea, how about replacing some of these tired looking appliances? another Fab idea.
“There is no way we are going to match this flooring” tiles would look nice all the way through and whilst we are discussing image, we could do with the walls decorating’.
Sorted…
Now for the outside, having covered a third of the existing patio area with the proposed
glass box, we seriously need to look at a patio design to work in harmony with our new
development. Whilst we are doing this, we might as well relocate the hot tub? and so on, and so on……
So just to recap, services required & costs:
Builder £5,000
Conservatory company £10,000
Roofer £1,000
Heating engineer £800
Electrician £500
Plumber £200
Patio layer £5,000
Builders merchant £1,500
Kitchen company £6,000
Appliance centre £2,000
Decorator £700
Floor layer £1,200
Total £34,000
And that is not including any additions for incidentals or a 10% allowance for contingency ( which always manages to get spent! ) So for the best part of £40K we have our glass box, See, I told you it would cost no more than £40K!
Whats the answer? It could well be ‘do nothing’, it may even be ‘carry on regardless’, or it could be ‘lets take advantage of the current lax planning guidelines’ and add on a solid construction that will add positive value for the same money!
Either way, there is a moral to this article and that is to carry out a realistic cost exercise initially. The idea that the work can be carried out for £5 and a button is ludicrous, also try not to let your ideas run away with you.
