When you think you are almost there, think again! I feel like we’ve just hit a brick wall…
After getting to the point where we are literally weeks away from starting work, with all plans finalised, building control signed off and full tender specs completed, we have been hit with a total building works quote that is +50% greater than our actual budget. How on earth has this happened…!?
We are meeting with our buildertomorrow night to run through the the indiviual costs, one by one, but it looks like it is the insulation works that are eating up our budget (six figures worth of budget).
As designed, we are installing a ground source heat pump and in doing so are replacing the existing ground baring slab to allow for insulation and underfloor heating. We are also dry-lining the existing walls and increasing the insulation in the loft. All of this is really stacking up the costs.
Questions currently swirling around in my head are: do we rethink the whole thing and not carry on with the project (yes, slightly drastic but I have thought this!), do we consider an alternative heating system and which refurbishment works, if any, can be cut out.
I know one of the biggest costs at the moment is replacing the existing ground baring slab. After speaking with our architect this morning, she has suggested it may be worth removing the screed only and installing LoPro10, or a similar system, over 25mm of PIR board to at least provide some insulation.
To make more sense of all of of this and to find a solution to our problem, I am now in communication with a company to help us to re look at the insulation methods and our heating options.
Watch this space…
