Hi, I care for my disabled daughter and we have been granted a DFG planning etc all gone through to build a wet room and move a staircase, all hunky dorey, the problem is the 11 square metres which we are paying for ourselves as they say it isn’t needed or included in the DFG. That’s fine I respect that and wouldn’t expect the council to pay for this as it’s extra space we would like. So all planning etc gone through gone out to tender and between two tenders there is £2500 as the more expensive tender is the contractor we would like to use he has brought the price down to match the less price! Okay I hope your following because now the tricky bit comes in!!! Okay so the architect who works for the council has divided up the 11 square metres into a percentage of the Whole build and wants us to pay £18,000+ And VAT for an area the builder has told us would be about £8.000 to build in normal life. I challenged the council last year and eventually the architect told us we would just pay for our 11square metres. Now he has changed it back into a percentage and won’t budge! This DFG has been going on nearly 2 years due to the architect taking forever over everything!!
So my question is to those who have had DFG’s with an extra private element how has it been worked out regards how much you would or did pay? Two quotes from the one builder? Two builder one for the DFG one builder for the private work or a percentage of the whole build?
Please can anyone help I’m really upset about this and struggling to sleep worrying about finding so much more extra money and trying to look after my children and our youngest needs open heart surgery this is really pushing me to my limits.
Many thanks 
You need to find out what has been written about this by the council. Make a “Subject Access Request” and ask for it to be processed as quickly as possible because of your daughter’s forthcoming surgery.
Hi Claire
Just wanted to say ‘Hello and Welcome’, because I don’t think I am not going to be of any help to you. No experience.
From what I understand from your post, you have applied, and been accepted, for a grant to alter your home to accommodate your daughter’s needs in respect of a wet room and moved staircase. In addition you would like an extension to give your family more room, which you are happy to pay for yourself.
What I don’t understand is how the 2 projects are connected.
Assuming that you own the house,why can’t you have the work done under the grant and then after it is complete and signed off, employ the same builder to do your extension privately?
Does one project interfere with the other, in the way of access for example?
I assume the architect is lumping the work together and has ‘rules’ to comply with. Red tape and ‘job’s worth’.
Can’t you just say OK do the work for the wet room etc and then do your own thing afterwards?
I understand that it would be much more convenient to have it all done at once but hey ten thousand pounds extra is a lot of cash to pay for convenience if you could have the extension done afterwards,
Sorry if I have misunderstood.
Only people I can think of to help might be CAB. (Citizen’s advice), but hopefully other members will be along soon with better advice.
Hope you work it out. Don’t make yourself ill fretting.
KR
Thanks for your replies!
Yes we own our own home! So it’s going in the back garden a strip across the back so a wide long length the wet room at the far side away from the kitchen, stair case coming out into the middle of the wide long room! So the area we are to pay for is from the kitchen doorway to the staircase entrance so not a big space at all but it’s all in the build! They talked last summer when the architect drew the plans of having 2 builders to do the work putting up temporary walls etc whilst the other builder did there bit!!! Eventually the architect agreed that would be a nightmare so one builder 2 quotes for the work ours and the DFG! Great that seemed fair as the DFG is a huge area and work plumbing etc compared to ours! Now he’s saying it has to be a percentage of the whole build plus VAT which is a joke cause on the wet room there isn’t vat anyway so we’re paying vat on something that’s vat free! Why is it having a child with additional needs, such a fight for everything from education health to housing!! Makes me so cross!!
Thanks Bowlingbun, just wondering what would I gain from the subject to information? Or what should I be asking for? Thanks
Claire
You may find it useful to read through the Ombudsmens findings on DfGs. Cases go to the Ombudsmen after complaints to the local council have failed. I find previous cases give a good insight of how system is supposed to work
https://www.lgo.org.uk/decisions/adult-care-services/disabled-facilities-grants
Thanks Mrs Average, I’ve just sat and looked through them and can’t find any situations similar to ours!
I’m just wondering if anyone has had a DFG and paid for a extra bit themselves and how it was worked out!!
Thanks for your help!!
You have been given really contradictory information. I suspect (and I have never ending experience of my LA doing similar things) that there is something going on in the background that you haven’t been told about.
Once you know what has been said, the who what why where and when, I reckons you will be able to go back to the council, Chief Exec if necessary, and ask what the hell is going on!
First though, you need the evidence. Once you make a formal complaint some may go “missing”! So make the SAR first.
FOLLOW THE MONEY
Wish me luck I’ve a meeting with the council on Monday, had legal advice and spoken to other councils who all say two quotes one DFG one private!, Also spoken to a sub council within our county council who would do two quotes too! Also their policy says two quotes! I feel I have a fight on my hands, it’s so hard not to get emotional in these situations isn’t it!!!