London House Renovation Part 2
I gave us all false hope the last time I wrote a post about the renovation. Riding high on the possibility of getting council approval very soon, I mistakenly thought our house would be a full construction zone right now. But, it is not.
A few weeks ago, the council asked for MORE information about the windows we want to use, so we had to get info from the window manufacturer. And now it's been crickets for the last two weeks which means we have had to push back the landscaper three times now because he is waiting on the council's approval to cut down a tree that will be in the way of the extension.
We have, in faith of getting the council's approval, instructed a structural engineer. He was fairly speedy at getting us his drawings, but there were a couple of corrections due to a misunderstanding on our original architect's drawings so it took another 10 days to get the revised ones. We finally got those yesterday. Phew.
Now, we can pass those drawings onto the party wall surveyor which is the next bridge to cross before starting full construction works. (We share walls with neighbors on both sides so to protect ourselves during construction, we get a party wall agreements. Ie so our neighbors can't blame us for any damage to their homes that wasn't caused by the construction process.
The structural engineer now also passes his drawings onto a different architect to do the building control drawings and mechanical/electrical plans.
To be honest, this whole process has been too much at times. I've spent years now regulating my nervous system and find ways to deal with stress, but it seems that any new adventure really tests those skills. Throw in an international move followed by buying a house to renovate and you have a lot of gray hair and need for rest days.
That being said, we are trying to decide if it would be worth the extra money to hire a project coordinator and contract manager. Someone to handle the ins and outs of the build, communicate with all the professionals involved, and have our back with negotiating fair prices. Now that I am typing that out, why the heck would I not want to do that.
Keep you all posted on the very slow burn of this renovation. Maybe we'll live there by next year?
