"Kitchen Extension" posted by Jo & Dave Williams
Jo and Dave’s family felt separated because of the layout of their house. Jo often had to shout to her children from the kitchen when they were doing their homework in the dining room. By extending the kitchen and squaring off the back of the house, they would be able to fit in a large table where the children could work while Jo was cooking. Other work included building a conservatory and patio and creating a downstairs shower roomView job posting
Choosing a builder:
We were put off by some of the locally recommended builders. One gave us a quote that was more than we were prepared to pay. When we wrote back to thank them for their quote he dropped his prices on the condition that we paid cash. That’s when we turned to MyBuilder.
Having previously spoken to an architect and a few builders, we felt quite knowledgeable by the time we posted our job. We received a good response and found the site very easy to use. Several people gave us a ballpark figure before they came to visit, which helped us create a shortlist. The builders who came to discuss the job were thus able to provide us with a much more accurate quote.
Before we started:
We signed a contract and Barrie told us that he would cover any additional costs if he discovered anything that he hadn’t accounted for. We knew we had a budget to stick to and so Barrie gave us peace of mind.
During the project:
We kept a diary, taking pictures each day. Looking back, we were surprised at just how much Barrie managed to achieve in such a short space of time.
I imagined that we would be living out of cardboard boxes – but I didn’t actually feel too disrupted because of the way Barrie managed each phase of the build.
Barrie worked long days and weekends because he wanted to finish it in the time that he originally promised us. It did take him a week or two longer than originally he’d hoped but we didn’t mind because we knew he was working so hard.
The finished job:
We were very pleased with the quality and everybody who has been around since has commented on just how good it is. Barrie has high standards. He would be cross with himself if something didn’t turn out how he wanted it to even though it looked absolutely fine to us.
We would definitely use MyBuilder again and have since recommended it to friends.
- Jo's tips:
- lFinding the right builder is a big part in the process
- lPrepare yourself and think about exactly what the project will involve before you start