Home extension pre-start checks

Before your start or formally engage your home extension builder, you would be well advised to stand back and take stock for a moment and reflect upon the bigger picture. Ask yourself 'have you completed or obtained all the necessary documentation or approvals'?

A lot of the ancillary stuff that could present you with a technical or paperwork problem during the build or later on after completion could be fairly extensive, create delays or incur extra costs.

Here is our own pre-start check list that you may want to use as a template:-  

• Have you received Planning approval or a Certificate of Lawful development and your Building Regulations approval for the home extension scheme in writing from the Council and is within your safe keeping.  
• Are the approvals current and within date. 
• Have you checked your house deeds for any covenants that seeks external approvals in writing from interested parties before you can start on site. 
• Have you obtained the party wall agreements if required. 
• Have you informed the neighbours of the start date as a matter of courtesy. 
• Have you complied or discharged any pre-start planning or building regulations conditions on the approvals. 
• Have you informed your home insurers of the works or obtained extra cover if required. 
• Have you checked your builders references an insurance. 
• Have you arranged funding with easy access when required for regular payments to the builder. 
• Have you started to select items covered by the PC sums within the specification (kitchens, bathroom suites etc). ready for your builder to purchase when they ask. 
• Have you prepared your dwelling and surrounding gardens for the upheaval and mess of the works. Have you cleared away a defined building materials storage area for your builders use during the works. 
• Have you prepared copy sets of all the drawings and specifications to give to your builder. 
• Have you prepared an area on the site for the chemical builders toilet. 
• Have you an area facing the front road ready for the builders and home extension designers sign board. 
• Have you an alterative area to park your car to avoid nails in the tyres. 
• Have you agreed boundary locations with the neighbours should any of your building works be close to the boundary or have fencing or hedgerows removed to be later reinstalled. 

This list may not be fully concise but it should be a good start to get you into the mind set you should now be adopting.