How do I bathroom / kitchen / extension? etc.

Worth noting you do use very cost effective builders, I wouldn't consider your costs average but on the cheaper end of the scale.

AGL Lofts are a great example. 40k is very optimistic price wise, and you'll be making massive fittings, finish and service sacrifices to achieve that price. Using a proper company run by adults ours came in at a shade under 70K I think with nothing special fitting or finish wise (hell, I'm having to paint it all).

Friends just had a small extension and loft done and it only just came in at 150K and tbh they used pretty cheap people (and the finish in most places is suitably bad).

Materials have actually fallen slightly recently, labour is definitely the issue. The cost of living is obviously the main driver but there are still people taking the piss. The architects we're using find contractors quote more for the same job if it's a bigger house in a nicer area.

I'm sure you can do what you're saying you can for those figures but most people in London will have to hunt around to get those prices and I think you'd be talking very basic.

The architects we're using find contractors quote more for the same job if it's a bigger house in a nicer area.

I wouldn't be surprised. Those kind of clients will likely expect a higher level of finish, can be more demanding and also more willing to get contractual.

The recession is biting and people do not have the money now, so it’s gonna get like squeaky bum time for a lot of these guys where going in with big fuck off prices and folk were paying them.

Check the appointment document you signed with the Architect and use the schedule of services to compare what has been delivered and what hasn't - it should make it pretty clear. Also note there should be something about dispute resolution.

As for construction costs - the whole point of employing an Architect for stage 4 is to design to a level of detail that is adequate for a building regs check and obtain comparative tenders (3 minimum) Typically this could be:
Stage 4A
Developed design drawings, integrated with Structural and Services design (provided by others) - submitted to building regs for a plan check.
Stage 4B
More drawings and schedules of finishes and joinery etc.
Schedule of works (many many page line by line list of all the work items, the more detailed the better)
A materials and workmanship specification (usually NBS) cross ref' to the drawing and SOW. Setting out what-of and how it's to be built.
Then...
Send to 3 contractors, 1 month for pricing - then choose the cheapest - on the basis that all of them come recommended and are reputable in the first place.

It's a serious chunk of work

I agree. I had a quote of 250k plus vat to do the work to my house by the most popular building company in Wanstead. They are everywhere even now doing work.

The elephant in the room being it’s going to take an age to see a return on the huge investment now everything building related costs the earth, fine if you have bottomless pockets and/or plan to stay put for a fair while but the days of a quick flip are long gone.

Not a bad thing imo.

That’s coming from the person that got a fancy extension before prices went mad! 😉

Ha, yeah we couldn’t afford it now but I just meant from a buying and flipping perspective!

Anyone got a ceiling light pinboard or set of links they can share?

Schedule of works (many many page line by line list of all the work items, the more detailed the better)

@Sparky this. The schedule of works (plans translated into a big spreadsheet of work items and parts) is what the contractor quotes against, and what is referenced in your contract with them. Any item the architect forgets will occur extra costs. You shouldn’t have to self-assemble the quote from emails and material lists.

This also makes quoting a big job, and risky in times of rapidly changing prices. Many good contractors don’t need to / want to quote anymore. Others add big margins to cover the risk, and their time quoting.

One way forward could be to find a contractor you can trust and have a good conversation with them based on a detailed schedule of works. Rather than them guaranteeing a price and breaking it down to every item, you could allocate your budget to parts of the schedule, address the biggest expenses, have enough contingency (20%) and closely monitor/anticipate as you go along. It can be hard to predict knock on effects of time (money) spent waiting for some material to arrive or trade to finish their part before another thing can happen.

I just meant from a buying and flipping perspective!

Yep - hopefully we'll see fewer developer flipped properties with exposed brick, too much grey, far too many ceiling spots, 'statement' cisterns and Shittall™* windows.

*Nothing against period appropriate Crittall or Crittall-style windows in an appropriate setting, but not in a Victorian terrace instead of sliding/bi-fold and absolutely not between the stairs and the living room in said terrace.

Oh god. So much this. Although I have seen Victorian sun room style extensions with similar glass that have worked.

between the stairs and the living room in said terrace.

Do you have a pic?

I'm struggling to visualize this - does it mean removing the hall wall and putting in glass doors?

Sparky charging me £500 to replace our ancient fuse box with an 8-12 way consumer unit. Wants extra £100 for install certificate. Is that about right?

Seems good value. Check-a-trade says ~£750:
https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/cost-replacing-fuse-box-consumer-unit/

It's a long time, but went we let our place out that was the rough price of getting one.

That said it would have been a standalone bit of work rather than while I'm here work.

Thanks both. I was doubting myself there - we're not renting out so don't need a certificate, so my instinct is to leave it - the guy has good reviews so I'm not worried about the work itself.

Also as you've just moved in I assume you're not selling anytime soon. In which case having it might not be valid or relevant when you come to sell.

Like this, perhaps?

Christ! Some individual items that are nice but somebody has no idea how things go together.
We plan to get an interior glazed Crittall-like door and side panel between lounge and entrance hallway but it’s a 60’s flat with large Crittall windows.

Sooo.... when I was joking about carpet coming back, I didn't think folk would be putting it in the ceiling.

It is a bit of a dogs dinner - the intricate-coving-to-crittall-style-window is a bit of a stylistic handbrake turn

It's not what I'd go for but there's often an issue with that middle room being pretty dark and I think that looks way better (and is much more practical) than the open plan staircase that a lot go for.