We have just finished a renovation project. We signed a contract with the builder and overall, the work was completed to a reasonable standard and is more or less finished. Some plumbing and decorating unfinished but the builder is refusing to complete them until we pay some extra charges - his final bill was £6,000 higher than expected.
He wants another £4,000 for plumbing but this is the first we've heard. Nothing was mentioned when they were doing the work. We've gone back and forth and talked face to face but he is adamant he did the work and we have to pay.
To give an example, the original quote for plumbing was around £18,000. It lists every single tap and drain and that was the quote we accepted and attached to the contract. The builder is now claiming extra costs for things like, running pipes from the radiator to the new tank, and connecting the (existing) boiler. We expected all the plumbing costs were included in the quote and our argument is all the extras he's now claiming for were always part of the project - we haven't made any changes. So why would he quote and not allow for jobs he would have known he had to do, like reconnecting the boiler?
Similar situation for the other £2,000 that he wants for fitting the kitchen. We think the cabinets were listed under a certain part of the quote and he's saying they were actually included in another part of the quote (for work we removed). It's a bit complicated but essentially we think he is trying it on. It's tricky to make a call on who has interpreted the quote incorrectly, but without giving more detail we think it's clear from the quote.
We offered to pay 50% of these extra charges a few weeks ago, because we haven't been able to agree and can't see how else to resolve it fairly. The builder refused that and is now threatening to take us to court.
In my response I want to point to the terms of our contract (any additional costs have to be agreed before the work is carried out) and to suggest professional mediation. What would you do in this situation?