Direct link - https://youtu.be/iafY-AMTqQU
We live in a Victorian terraced house in London and earlier this year me and Mrs 10 minutes decided we needed a new kitchen; a few months later we’re in the middle of the largest building project we’ve ever taken on, and in this video I explain what we’re doing and why, and how much of this might be coming to the channel over the course of the next few months.
No, I’m not turning into a house-bashing or DIY channel - I’m completely hands off on this project, other than supplying ideas and money, but I thought there may be some interesting videos to be made from a customers perspective and my initial ideas are:-
What do Architects do, and how to find one?
What to look for in a decent builder or building firm.
What do builders and architects look for in clients.
New kitchen - build or buy?
New floor - solid, engineered, or vinyl plank?
These are just initial thoughts; let me know in the comments if there’s anything else you’d like to have covered.
Full list of individual products used on this channel, browse my Amazon store at 10MinuteAmazon.com
Hi Peter, like you we have a London Victorian house. We are going to need a downstairs bathroom extension in the next 5 years so I am interested in your extension. The particular things I am interested in are how your extension is attached to the old parts at the walls, floors and roof/ceiling. If your house is anything like ours then cracks open and shut during the year as the weather changes. The new extension might not move in the same way so there maybe tension at the join points that needs anticipating. Long term maintenance is also of interest; I have seen houses where people have extended their kitchen to fill in the “L” and now can’t acces…
Number one reason to avoid the apartment/flat now is because of the absolute mess that leasehold has turned into. It's like the wild west with people being milked for tens and hundreds of thousands of pounds all over the place! Another legacy part of Britain that has been neglected and left as is becuase it will upset a certain class of society to get rid of.
We had a side extension built about 8 years ago, principally to increase the dining room and kitchen to usable sizes, but like you I found that it didn’t add a lot on to ‘do a bit more’ to also extend the first floor and the roof so the whole house is now 3m wider, and convert the loft space to legal livable accomodation.
It was “a journey”. The architectural technician we employed did a good job on the plans and building approvals, but when it came to quotes, he didn’t manage to communicate the designs properly to his father who was a builder and we ended up with two independents working together on our job. The actual build the…
Love the concept Peter!
My own experience some years ago was really hard to get the “right architect “ sold a gold medallion later sacked as s### then did job myself. Same with my mates pub purchase the designer architects were just out for money, specifying outrageous specs carpentry wise.
A friend of mine in London is an architect and he says “ I’ll recommend some one for a build I have in mind but won’t get involved” this guy won several awards inc TV appearance on best British designers last year.
Also I’m not going to denigrate machined hardwood floors but entering into older age do you really want to be refinishing the floors regularly when modern quality Lino…
Ever the optimist! Remember Cheops Law - "Nothing ever gets built on time or within budget".
That and "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity." Were the slogans I had on my office walls, when I was forced to work for a living in the construction industry …