The typical home extension project in London overruns by an average of 3.1 months, according to new research.
According to the findings, just one in ten extension projects in the city runs to schedule.
Residents facing the longest average delays are in Southampton at 3.6 months, while Edinburgh has the shortest, at one month.
Of the people in London who’ve had an extension in the last five years, more than one in five said the delays ended up costing them more than they’d budgeted for, a fifth said their house wasn’t ready for a significant event – such as Christmas, big birthdays or bringing home a new baby – while 13% had to suddenly find temporary accommodation until the work was completed.
A third of homeowners said the delays left them feeling stressed, 15% lost sleep, and almost one in five were less productive at work. Other knock-on effects include how well homeowners were able to socialise (23%) and children being unable to do their homework (12%).
Delays also led to conflicts, with one in three saying it caused arguments in their household, and 14% saying they fell out with their neighbours. Many have been involved with disagreements with those undertaking the work, with 18% saying they fell out with their builders and tradespeople throughout the delays.
The research also found that a third of homeowners having an extension built faced additional complications, including having to accommodate unforseen challenges such as extra groundwork (32%), having to use multiple different trade teams (32%), mess elsewhere in their property (28%), their home being exposed while work was carried out (25%), and complications with their design (22%).
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.
“The hup! system is already having a big impact across the UK for homeowners looking for a faster, easier and more sustainable way to build. By using hup!, homeowners in London can worry less about the stress of potential delays and disruption, and instead focus on a brand new space which will change their lives.”
