# How long to finish extension



## gabbo (2 Nov 2010)

Hello,

Builder has walls up, roof on, floor in. Windows arriving this week. Now to break out from existing kitchen, floor, insulate, tile, elec, plumb, sort out drainage, clean outside, render, plaster, etc. 

So far it has taken 5 weeks - how much longer do you reckon is a resonable amount of time to complete.


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## Whiskey (2 Nov 2010)

Nobody knows how big you extention is, or how many people you are employing to complete the remaining tasks, or if they are available to do the work, or how many days a week they can work, or if the trades will be working in parallel ?

It's impossible for anyone to give an answer to your question, it could be a week or month, or 6 months, depending on a lot of factors which we don't know about


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## gabbo (2 Nov 2010)

Whiskey said:


> Nobody knows how big you extention is, or how many people you are employing to complete the remaining tasks, or if they are available to do the work, or how many days a week they can work, or if the trades will be working in parallel ?
> 
> It's impossible for anyone to give an answer to your question, it could be a week or month, or 6 months, depending on a lot of factors which we don't know about


 
If it took 5 weeks to get to this stage, what % of work is complete normally? The size, number of workers, etc. is immaterial. 

What is the usual ratio of getting a job to roof level as described, versus completing - assuming all other factors remain consistent.


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## Marietta (2 Nov 2010)

gabbo said:


> Now to break out from existing kitchen,.


 

Be sure to have plenty of old sheets, it brings back awful mememories when we did ours, the dust was everywhere


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## mf1 (2 Nov 2010)

"The size, number of workers, etc. is immaterial. "

Oh, yes it is. 

Why don't you check the terms of the contract you signed with your builder? or ask your builder now what the time frame is? Or ask your architect who is supervising the works? 

No-one on here can tell you how long the piece of string is. 

mf


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## gabbo (2 Nov 2010)

Marietta said:


> Be sure to have plenty of old sheets, it brings back awful mememories when we did ours, the dust was everywhere


 

I know, the real messy time starts now..


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## onq (2 Nov 2010)

gabbo said:


> Hello,
> 
> Builder has walls up, roof on, floor in. Windows arriving this week. Now to break out from existing kitchen, floor, insulate, tile, elec, plumb, sort out drainage, clean outside, render, plaster, etc.
> 
> So far it has taken 5 weeks - how much longer do you reckon is a resonable amount of time to complete.



Gabbo,

The time required to complete a project depends on the following matters in approximate decreasing order of relevance.


the size of the project in square metres
the height of the project - number of floors and apex
the degree of complexity of the project
the degree of planning and co-ordination
the governance, including professional attendances and input
the quality of preparedness for each task including health and safety review.
the number of operatives - required / available /possible to fit - on site
the number of specialist trades or suppliers
the delivery distance and timing of specialist items
You have offered very little or none of this information.

Your question cannot be answered at all, never mind answered accurately.

More to the point, in my opinion this is not the purpose of this forum on www.askaboutmoney.com

ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon                                   as a defence or support - in and of     itself  -         should       legal        action    be      taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in                                   Real Life with rights to inspect and    issue         reports    on     the         matters    at      hand.


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## Complainer (2 Nov 2010)

mf1 said:


> Why don't you check the terms of the contract you signed with your builder? or ask your builder now what the time frame is? Or ask your architect who is supervising the works?


Indeed, and multiply the answers they give you by two.


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## Towger (2 Nov 2010)

At least in this day and age the chances to the builder losing interest and starting another job before finishing yours are lower.


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## gabbo (3 Nov 2010)

onq said:


> More to the point, in my opinion this is not the purpose of this forum on www.askaboutmoney.com


 
Ok.


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## RIAD_BSC (9 Nov 2010)

Why savage the OP? S/he may have been a little light on detail, but the tone of a couple of the replies is unnecessarily rude and condescending, IMHO....

Mathematically, the OP is also correct - if s/he has given a time frame (5 weeks) for the construction of the walls etc, it should be perfectly possible for a professional with experience of these matters to roughly (roughly!) calculate a basic range for completion, all else being equal. Even without knowing details of the project.

All you need to know is roughly the average percentage of a job time that it takes to get the walls and roof up (I don't know this average, but surely some of the esteemed posters on AAM could have a bash).

After that, it's a very simple maths equation...............


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## onq (11 Nov 2010)

RIAS BSC,

If I was being off-handed I would have merely referred OP to the Building Programme provided by his builder.

Your comment on "averages" suggests you didn't read my post centring on things the builder controls.

For example, I didn't even mention the effect of bad weather - like today, rain and high winds.

So even if full information is supplied, the effects of the environment can scupper you.

That's why estimates of time for winter work need a crystal ball, not a calculator.



ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon                                            as a defence or support - in    and    of        itself  -         should       legal        action       be           taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in                                            Real Life with rights to   inspect     and       issue         reports    on     the           matters    at           hand.


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## RIAD_BSC (11 Nov 2010)

I see your point - and I also hadn't fingered you as the main "savager"  It's just that I think all the OP was looking for was a reasonable indication - some sort of a basic idea.

For building professionals, the question must seem a silly one. There are, of course, so many variables that it is impossible to give an accurate indication without knowing the facts.

For a rank amateur, though, some sort of a basic indication, even an innaccurate one, still has merit. Perhaps OP's builder is beginning to get a bit flaky and the OP just wants to have a broad idea about how much longer it should reasonably take, taking 5 weeks to get to this point as a yardstick. So when the liar builder says "Ah no, love. Sure this job will take me at least another 6 months", because he's taken on another job and wants to split his time, the amateur doesn't have to just suck it up because they are totally clueless.

Amateurs (like me) usually don't appreciate the complexities of queries like this when we go looking for timescales. But professionals sometimes don't appreciate that when amateurs come on to AAM asking these sort of questions, it is just a very big ballpark law-of-averages answer they are seeking.


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## onq (14 Nov 2010)

I would accept that, in principle, but the ball park response is that the OP is asking the wrong people.

The only person who can answer with any degree of accuracy is the builder himself.

ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon                                             as a defence or support - in     and    of        itself  -         should       legal        action        be           taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in                                             Real Life with rights to    inspect     and       issue         reports    on     the            matters    at           hand.


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## gabbo (17 Nov 2010)

onq said:


> The only person who can answer with any degree of accuracy is the builder himself.


 
You've already said that.

When the build is finished I'll post back information in what I believe to be in the spirit of this askaboutmoney endeavour (and indeed the Internet in general), so that the next novice user gets some sort of indication rather than varying expressions of condescension from people who seem to make a *career* out of hatching on these forums, with the aim of "savaging" rather than helping.


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## GL01 (17 Nov 2010)

To be fair Gabbo the reason people won't answer you is because there simply would be no point, any answer based on only the info you have given is not worth anything to you! 
Why don't you discuss it with your builder, using some of ONQs headings to prompt him, and if you don't trust the honesty of his timeframe you could come back on here with more detailed information and get a second opinion.


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## onq (19 Nov 2010)

gabbo said:


> You've already said that.
> 
> When the build is finished I'll post back information in what I believe to be in the spirit of this askaboutmoney endeavour (and indeed the Internet in general), so that the next novice user gets some sort of indication rather than varying expressions of condescension from people who seem to make a *career* out of hatching on these forums, with the aim of "savaging" rather than helping.



Okay Gabbo.

Total ball park is another 7 weeks depending on the standard you want and assuming no delays - could be as little as five.
However, my experience of subbies is that work inside can be delayed as they work around each other.
They can disappear off to another job if everything isn't perfect for them when they arrive.
You could be three days or a week waiting for them to come back.
That is why I raised the governance question.

The above is may be a totally unreliable estimate and not something I would normally post on a public board.

ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon                                              as a defence or support -  in     and    of        itself  -         should       legal         action        be           taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in                                              Real Life with rights to     inspect     and       issue         reports    on     the             matters    at           hand.


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## dereko1969 (19 Nov 2010)

I think the OP has just disproved the theory that there's no such thing as a stupid question!


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## onq (22 Nov 2010)

Well, to be fair derek, the OP asked a question, and while it didn't have much chance of getting a competent, accurate answer I made an attempt, for form's sake.
Asked over a coffee with a friend who might also be a layperson it would have been quite a reasonable question and no competence or special skill would be expected from the respondent.
Asked on AAM, with our floating population of professionals, it didn't give enough information to allow us provide our usual level of competent response and I pointed this out to the OP.

As professionals, we have to exercise skill and care when dealing with members of the public and the initial response wasn't just a message to the OP it was a comment intended for all readers of AAM.
We have a wonderful, free resource provided by the Site Owner Brendan Burgess, moderated by unpaid competent people and populated by skilled and professional persons of all kinds.
Its a place to come to get competent answers based on and within the limits of the information given - up to a point.

My disclaimer below identifies that point as far as I am concerned and many seem to agree with it.

The OP's question was so vague as to preclude any level of competence in the response and although I have since made an attempt to answer it, its still not a question you can really answer here.
As a comparison, it would be like someone in the law forum asking whether he'd win the case he's involved in - its impossible to answer things like that and possibly dangerous to try.

Put it another way, its like asking Michael Schumacher to take you down to the shops to do your shopping.
He'd probably oblige, and in this weather the person getting the lift might be grateful, but there are other things I'd ask Michael Schumacher for if he was willing to give me a lift somewhere.
Like a trip round the Nurburgring as a passenger!

As the site owner has pointed out, this forum is not a chat room, it is a resource.
There are dedicated sub-boards on AAM for chatting and ranting, this is not one of them.
[I have to be reminded of that from time to time myself]

See all the relevant discussion this question has prompted?  

ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon                                               as a defence or support -   in     and    of        itself  -         should       legal          action        be           taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in                                               Real Life with rights to      inspect     and       issue         reports    on     the              matters    at           hand.


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## gabbo (29 Dec 2010)

gabbo said:


> Hello,
> 
> Builder has walls up, roof on, floor in. Windows arriving this week. Now to break out from existing kitchen, floor, insulate, tile, elec, plumb, sort out drainage, clean outside, render, plaster, etc.
> 
> So far it has taken 5 weeks - how much longer do you reckon is a resonable amount of time to complete.




Builder completed all works (incl. tiling floor, splashback, all painting, skirting, etc.) by 15th December. So, in my experience, a 1:2.5 ratio from having the structure in place to completing the interior.


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## onq (31 Dec 2010)

gabbo said:


> Builder completed all works (incl. tiling floor, splashback, all painting, skirting, etc.) by 15th December. So, in my experience, a 1:2.5 ratio from having the structure in place to completing the interior.



Whew! I'm glad to see my comments weren't totally out.
I thought you'd be regaling us with a tale if wunderkind builders finishing in record time.

I am slightly astonished that they completed for you before Christmas.
With family, former employer and social commitments it can be a very busy time for builders.

Also thanks for following up. AAM Readers will now be able to benefit from your post.

ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon                                    as a defence or support - in and of      itself  -         should       legal        action    be      taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in                                    Real Life with rights to inspect and     issue         reports    on     the         matters    at      hand. 		

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From Post #17 above.

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showpost.php?p=1106646&postcount=17

_"Total ball park is another 7 weeks depending on the standard you want and assuming no delays - could be as little as five.
However, my experience of subbies is that work inside can be delayed as they work around each other.
They can disappear off to another job if everything isn't perfect for them when they arrive.
You could be three days or a week waiting for them to come back.
That is why I raised the governance question.

The above is may be a totally unreliable estimate and not something I would normally post on a public board."_


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