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AIBU?

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Original poster

To go absolutely fucking spare with the builder

33 replies

Gobbolinothewitchscat · 09/10/2015 21:54

I have a 1 and a 2 year old and am currently 35 weeks pregnant

We are having a lot of building work done which was due to be completed at the end of next week but obviously won't be.

One of the things that we are having done is having our bathrooms refitted. Our main family bathroom is nearly finished so I thought I would treat myself to a bath tonight for the first time. Just cleaned the brand new bath out to find that it has two deep gouges in it. Presumably caused by twats storing tools etc in it even though I have specifically asked people not to.

The shower controls already need replaced as they have been scratched and the bath tap was scratched after a fucking idiot turned the bath upside down with the tap attached to plasterboard the ceiling.

The joiner has spent the last day and a half carefully boxing everything in and building a cupboard at the end of the bath and it has all been sealed by the plumber. All of this will need to be ripped out.

The bath panel that we want to return will probably not be returnable as it appears to have been damaged. I assume by the builder as we've not touched it

I'm fucking fuming. I'm really very cross. This work was meant to be completed in good time - even with contingency built in - so that we could get everything decorated and carpeted in good time before the baby came. I'm going nuts trying to keep the 1 and 2 year old safe in the house and am desperate to get the builders out and my house back.

OP posts:
IguanaTail · 09/10/2015 21:57

Sounds rage-inducing!! Deep breaths....

Original poster
Gobbolinothewitchscat · 09/10/2015 22:03

I'm actually wondering about telling them to piss off and getting someone else into finish off

the plumber's merchants we bought all the stuff from have a fitting service so I could use them to finish this off and do the other bathroom.

DH is urging calm as there is still other stuff that needs finished off and the rest of the work has been very good - it's just these fucking bathrooms.

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NumbBlaseCold · 09/10/2015 22:20

Make them make good on it.

Don't pay them until they do and subtract for damages.

Have you informed them about these issues?

Make sure that document everything in writing too like email.

katemiddletonsothermum · 09/10/2015 22:26

Oh dear god. You don't have the crap plumbers that I did do you? Apparently it was perfectly acceptable for them to leave my loo in this state for 6 weeks as they were "waiting for parts." It took 3 attempts at fixing the push button and it still remaining halfway down the bloody cistern before I hit the roof and they walked off the job. My new plumber fixed it in 20 minutes. "What did you do?" I asked. "Simple. I took it apart and put it back together properly."

Read up on the Goods and Services Act 1982 and check the small print in any contract. They have a duty of care to make sure your bathroom is good, but if you don't trust them then it might be better for you to find another trustworthy plumber.

Good luck. I feel your pain. Flowers

To go absolutely fucking spare with the builder
PrincessTooty · 09/10/2015 22:33

A 1 year old and a 2 year old and you are 35 weeks pregnant Shock Shock. Its not possible for you to be unreasonable about anything. Grin

How do you get on with the builders? Are they nice but incompetent rather than just incompetent? Take photos of everything.

Good luck.

wasonthelist · 09/10/2015 22:35

Our midwife said that if she was going to see an expectant mother she'd not been to before, she looked for the skip outside :) Sorry to hear about this stuff op yanbu.

Original poster
Gobbolinothewitchscat · 09/10/2015 22:39

I'm not paying another penny.

I've texted the builder tonight as soon as I saw the bath. The shower control has already been reordered (on builder's account)

I have asked the builder to come round first thing tomorrow to discuss and I'll show him the bath panel then as only just noticed it.

I am so cross. I suspect it was the tiler's gear that scratched it. It was all lobbed in the bath as there was no room in the skip - despite me asking 5 times a day for about a week for a new skip to be delivered.

I'm so angry as people keep turning up for a few hours and doing a bit of work and then having to leave to go onto other jobs. The plumber fucked off on Thursday as the builder's idiot brother had gone through a gas pipe on another job.

It's taken ages to get the joiner here and he's been here for a day and a half carefully boxing in and now all of that will need to be ripped out to replace the bath. Plus there is the lead time in ordering a bath too

We have 3 habitable rooms and the decorator is about to walk off the job as he cant get in anywhere to decorate.

OP posts:
katemiddletonsothermum · 09/10/2015 22:43

You tell 'em, girl!!

HaydeeofMonteCristo · 09/10/2015 22:49

A 1 year old and a 2 year old and you are 35 weeks pregnant Shock Shock

^^
Sorry I'm with this person. Can't get past that bit of the post!

Apologies for being unhelpful, but I take my hat off to you.

Original poster
Gobbolinothewitchscat · 09/10/2015 22:54

Builders are very nice and the rest of the work has been good and quick.

However, I suspect they have too much work on. So they prioritise large jobs which worked in our favour when we were doing the loft extension but not so good for the bathrooms.

I'm so cross I can't sleep but I think it's better to be cross as the alternative is to start wailing

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mathanxiety · 09/10/2015 23:10

Could it be re-enameled? This would be less work, far less ripping up, and possibly good results (depends on who you get to do it of course). Might be a lot cheaper too.

How big is the gouge?

What kind of a moron wouldn't put a big tarp into the bath, folded over ten times, to prevent it being damaged by tools or whatever else got chucked in...

DadDude · 09/10/2015 23:14

Wow, this is a mirror of many of my building work experiences... bath scratches, RSJ's slipping, tiles cracking, drains blocking (the worst thing), smashed tiles on roof - water leaking through to newly plasted ceiling, builders sulking and slowing down.

I should think most baths get sent back to be honest. Builders think that tools are meant to be kept in baths!

This does sound bad, but just imagine coming home to a find huge cracks in your wall after an RSJ fitting had nearly led to the whole of the back of the house collapsing.... no lie.

Advice:

  1. Obtain large white board.
  2. Write out clearly all snags with numbers.
  3. Document snags and hand copy to builder.
  4. Hand copy to husband.
  5. Check in to a family room at local travelodge, but tell husband to tell builder that the children are at your mums and you have been admitted to hospital with stress related high blood pressure caused by building work.
  6. Advise husband to meet with builder even day and go through progress on all snags. Have husband use emotional blackmail, constantly referring to your blood pressure and worry, and act agitated etc.
  7. Have husband add new snags to list on daily basis.
  8. Have builder completely clear at least 2 rooms for decorator. Assume decorator is using builder as excuse to prioritise other client that has come up at same time as he should be doing yours.
  9. Get decorator in.
  10. Have husband have daily progress meeting with decorator.
  11. Have builder and husband clean house.
  12. Move back in.
  13. Have baby.

We moved out with 2 year old when wife was 3 months from giving birth. 5 weeks of building work completed (2nd project, not the dodgy RSJ one) whilst we were happily in the Travelodge (they aren't all bad), they even let use their washing machine and did room service for us. Living in one room is actually easier than a house, as the kids think its an adventure and you don't have to make the beds.

Original poster
Gobbolinothewitchscat · 09/10/2015 23:28

Thank you for the advice - I do appreciate it but I do not want to move into a travel lodge on my own with the DC.

Plus - DH can't commit to meeting the builder every day. He leaves home at 6:30 and doesn't get back til 6 and works 6 days a week. I need to be here so I can phone the builder as soon as I see issues arising and/or people leaving to go onto other jobs.

The decorator is excellent but naturally getting fucked off with having the dates he can come in being pushed back and back.

I'm not sure if the bath can be repaired. I've got to be careful not to cut off my nose to spite my face but a large part of me thinks why should we have a bath (that we've spent a lot of money on) that's less than perfect due to basic lack of respect and care by the builders.

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 09/10/2015 23:34

A good re-enameler will do a great job. I moved into a house that had its original 1930s bath that had been destroyed by decades of harsh scouring, so badly that there was a big patch of rust near the drain and many horrible stains that couldn't be shifted because the surface was like sandpaper and seemed to just absorb everything. I got it re-enameled and I couldn't believe the results. It looked brand new.

If your gouge can be re-enameled then I would opt for that.

katemiddletonsothermum · 09/10/2015 23:41

Oooh, hijacking this thread. mathanxiety - where do you find a re-enamer? I've got a Belfast sink that needs re-enamalling. What is his/her professional title for me to google? Thanks.

Nohopeformethen · 09/10/2015 23:58

I have that bath Sad With us it wasn't scouring, it is years of bath toys!

mathanxiety · 10/10/2015 00:03

Twas in the US Blush but a cousin of mine in Rugby used this company and liked the results very much.

You could try googling 'enamel resurfacing' or 'enamel specialist'. That got me what I ended up with in the US -- a solid, functional coating that looked very good and withstood many years of children's baths and showers. It was going strong when I moved.

If you are willing to have your sink taken out and worked on, including firing in a blast furnace, try 'vitreous enamel specialist'.

katemiddletonsothermum · 10/10/2015 00:17

Thank you¬! Am off ot bed. it is far tooo late

Kaekae · 10/10/2015 00:39

I feel for you. I have renovated two houses and I have faced almost all of what you have described and more! More recently I had a shower installed and we noticed a massive dent in the shower surround. The plumber claimed he didn't do it?! But it was in perfect condition when I checked it before installation. I have also had carpet fitters hit a nail in a pipe, two days later I have a massive leak which damaged all the newly painted downstairs celling. I've also had chips on newly fitted baths due to dropped tiles. I didn't get mine resurfaced I just got some filler from a plumbing specialist. It is so disheartening when you've spent all that money. In my experience the more agro you give builders the likelihood they won't come back and then it is really difficult to get another tradesman to finish the job as they don't like to complete other peoples work!

Moopsboopsmum · 10/10/2015 01:31

Mmm think you might be being a bit U. Living in a house when major work is being done is very tough on tradesmen. Of course they have to store stuff in the bath because they couldn't leave stuff out where the kids might hurt themselves. You need to move out for a while to let them finish and let the decorator do a good job. Paint fumes, small ones and pregnancy? I don't think that is a good combination.

Original poster
Gobbolinothewitchscat · 10/10/2015 02:33

No - they don't have to store builders rubble in a bath. They should put it in a skip. That is totally ridiculous. That is analogous to saying that I should let them dump builders rubble in my car Confused. Plus, the bathrooms are up the stairs which is protected by a baby gate. I'm going nuts trying to keep the DC out of the way because they keep leaving the front door open.

We've already moved out for 6 weeks to allow them to do the loft extension etc and the decorator to decorate all of the bedrooms. You should not need to move out to allow a bathroom to be refitted.

Paint fumes? Presumable you decorated a nursery on spec before you became pregnant to ensure that you avoided any Confused.

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Original poster
Gobbolinothewitchscat · 10/10/2015 02:38

True kaekae about them not coming back. DH is worried about that

The last bathroom is a standalone piece of work so I'm wondering about getting someone else into do it. I think the plumber's merchant would probably finish off the other bathroom too. I would need to ask though.

We still have a lot of finishing off of little bits and pieces though in the house so I need that done.

Hmm....I can't sleep as i'm so upset about it. On the other hand, I don't see why we should accept damage though.

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KoalaDownUnder · 10/10/2015 02:45

YANBU! At all.

They sound like unprofessional cocks. I would lose it with them as well!

Get out your contract and have a good look at it. There must be a point at which you can start withholding payments. That's the only thing that will make them sharpen up.

And breathe! Flowers

greenhill · 10/10/2015 08:53

I have nothing to add, but Flowers for what is obviously a frustrating and difficult time.

Hope it gets sorted soon.

Original poster
Gobbolinothewitchscat · 10/10/2015 09:05

Spoken to builder - a re-enameller is coming and apparently he can fix everything. I bloody hope so!

The builder is coming to look at the bath panel on Monday but any quibbles and I will take off the final bill.

To be fair, he is very reasonable at fixing things but it drives me nuts that it happens in the first place

OP posts: