Second fix refers to all the items you will generally be responsible for buying, supplying and specifying to the builder in a timely manner to ensure you are not the bottleneck to the extension timeline. Second Fix broadly refers to all the items required after plastering of the house, so for e.g. all the electrical fixtures which need connecting to the cables; taps, sinks, baths that need to connect to the plumbing pipes, etc. Your builder may offer to procure them for you but what they buy will largely be based on what your choice is.
Second Fix items you will be buying
This is the phase where you will have to frequently visit shops or spend time on online stores. The Second fix items you will typically have to buy are:
Internal Doors, Architraves, Frames, Handles, Hinges
Toilets
Tiles - Porcelain and Ceramic, Adhesives
Bi-folding Door and Windows
Roof Lantern
Electric sockets
Front Porch Door and locks
Kitchen Sink and Tap
Bathroom suite – Bath tub, Taps, Bath Shower, Bath Cabinet, Toilets, Towel Rail
Flooring – Wood or Laminate
Underlay boards
Skirting boards
Kitchen units and worktop
Kitchen appliances – Hob, Oven, Microwave, Extractor, Dishwasher, Washing Machine, Fridge Freezer
Lighting equipment – Fixtures, Bulbs, Dimmers
Water Softener
Smart control devices – Video Bell, Thermostats
Radiators, Valves and TRVs
Patio Tiles
Paint – Wall and Wood
Smoke alarms
and other small items. I mean you get the point, its not a trivial activity to select, buy and get it delivered by the time your builder needs it and ensuring there is space in the house to store it till builder fixes it.
Most often if you do not have the item that will be the one show stopper item your builder will claim caused the delay and if you have the item then most likely it will only be used after a few weeks.
You may be able to reuse some existing items for e.g. your kitchen appliances if they still have life in them and fit your new kitchen décor and layout.
Over the next few blogs we will go over the details on what to look for when buying some of the big ticket items.
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