Moving Home Would not Have Been Ideal.
Having looked at the possibility of moving home, Kim and Ben soon realised that this would not be an ideal solution. Apart from having to leave the home and area that they were very happy in, it would have also meant a substantial financial outlay also. It was not only the cost of the move which, once legal fees were added would have been in the region of £20,000. There was of course the cost of purchasing a property with the additional floor space that they desired. To obtain the extra space they needed it was calculated that they would have to spend around £150,000, plus the stamp duty, which of course applies to the entire cost of the purchase! All of this combined with the difficulty and time consuming effort in trying to find a property that they loved, and that would then need an additional amount of cash spent on it, to “put their stamp on it” to create a family home, made them stop and think.
They Found the Solution - Retro Basements
They had been reading and hearing about several home owners in London who were converting their basements, which looked really interesting, but they had no basement to convert! After some more research, they discovered the term “Retro Basement”. This means creating a basement space beneath a property, to create a habitable living space below the existing ground floor, without the need for any existing basement or cellar!
They Found Us - Basement Masters
After searching for construction companies that offer a full retrospective basement conversion service, they found us!
As we offer a clear and helpful service, which is very comprehensive and covers costs from beginning to end, even pointing out what could be termed as unforeseen costs, this reassured our clients, who felt that their home was in safe hands.
When we take on a basement conversion project, we begin by taking care of the full planning application. Then building regulations, engineering design and full guidance on Party Wall (although this is taken care of by qualified PW’s themselves, we liaise with the clients and keep them informed at all times). All costs are accounted for and possible unforeseen costs are highlighted to help clients to budget. As well as this a draft programme is produced, which covers the expected time line from the very start of the project, right through to completion.
Basement News Horror Story Meant Confronting Their Fears
Just prior to us commencing work actual work on this project, a huge national news story broke in the press and on line, about a house that had completely collapsed due to a basement conversion being carried out very poorly. This happened less than five miles from where our couple lived. Three homes where lost and a lot of lives completely shattered.
Remaining Positive
Our couple remained very positive through this breaking news story, as they felt strongly that they could trust us with their home.
With this event on our minds, this project could have been seen as being quite stressful, however this was not the case, as our clients had every confidence in us. With over 20 years of experience in basement conversion work, we remained 100% confident in our abilities to complete this project. We understand the fears that many of our clients have when undertaken this work; our level of workmanship, experience and professionalism is what has given us the reputation that we are now known for.
This is What Kim and Ben Have to say About the Work and Their Beautiful Basement Conversion;
“We lived in the house throughout the installation of the basement. Any disruption was so minor, barely worth a mention, even our neighbours where commenting on just how good this company was.
Not only are we over the moon with the basement and the workmanship but there was clearly a cost saving - had we gone down our original move route.
And a lot more stress I would guess also!”