Research shows just one in 20 extension projects in Manchester run to schedule.
The typical home extension project in Manchester overruns by an average of 2.4months, according to new research.
The city in the UK with the longest average delays is Southampton, at 3.6 months, while shortest delays are in Edinburgh, at one month.
Of the people in Manchester who’ve had an extension in the last five years,a third said the delays ended up costing them more than they’d budgeted for, almost one in five said their house wasn’t ready for a significant event–such as Christmas, big birthdays or bringing home a new baby–while more than a quarter had to suddenly find temporary accommodation until the work was completed.
More than a third of homeowners said the delays left them feeling stressed, 17%lost sleep, and 18% were less productive at work. Other knock-on effects include how well homeowners were able to socialise(13%) and children being unable to do their homework (18%).
Delays also led to conflicts, with almost one in ten saying it caused arguments in their household, and 10% saying they fell out with their neighbours. Many have been involved with disagreements with those undertaking the work, with 15% saying they fell out with their builders and tradespeople throughout the delays.
The research also found that two fifths of homeowners having an extension built faced additional complications, including having to accommodate unforseen challenges such as extra groundwork (41%),their home being exposed while work was carried out (38%), mess elsewhere in their property (29%),having to use multiple different trade teams(28%), and complications with their design (18%).
Alex Hewitt, marketing director for new building system hup!, which undertook the research, said: “A home extension project can often be a major undertaking, and potential delays are one of the main worries people have before building work begins.
“While our findings show there are reasons to be concerned about traditional methods of building, hup! has been designed as a new and transformative option to eradicate those fears. For example, hup! is five times faster to build, meaning what would usually take weeks or months will take days or weeks. This is because it’s delivered as a kit of parts which are connected together rapidly on site, and it can be built in any conditions meaning it isn’t subject to lengthy weather delays.“
There are additional benefits to hup!, too. For example, for those wanting to transform an old conservatory, it can be built onto an existing base which saves a homeowner more time, money and hassle, and it is installed by a single team who manage the project from end to end, meaning there aren’t four or five different trades on site at any one time.
