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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

My builder just took my fireplace

342 replies

Designjunkie · 27/02/2021 09:09

I am currently having some building work done and a fireplace in the bedroom had to be removed. It is a very pretty tiled Victorian one. I had intended to sell it but with lockdown and not having any place to store it I told my builder to get rid of it. At 07:30 this Saturday morning my husband answers the door to one of the builders saying he needs to take some stuff from our site. He doesn’t say what he is taking. We weren’t expecting them today although they usually work on most Saturdays so we weren’t surprised to see one of them. It’s only when my husband sees a van from a fireplace specialist outside that he clicks that the builders have sold our fireplace. By then it is too late to go and stop them as they leave before my husband can go talk to them. AIBU to be annoyed my builder didn’t tell me what he was up to or am I being ungrateful as I told him to get rid of it ? I feel it was a bit underhand as it just happened without my knowledge. Should I say anything to my builder or let it go ?

OP posts:
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6
SchrodingersImmigrant · 28/02/2021 17:56

@Bebethany

My guess is that there was more speed and less haste on your behalf, don’t feel to bad... just learn by it and think carefully before you speak.
Kind of like some should think before they wrote?🙈

Jk lighthearted

Iwantcollarbones · 28/02/2021 17:56

Dh is a builder. You told yours to get rid of it. He did. You can’t be sore because he decided to sell it. Maybe a little bit pissed because he disturbed you on a Sunday but not because he chose to sell it on when you couldn’t be arsed.

Grrrrdarling · 28/02/2021 17:57

While I don’t think you are being unreasonable to be miffed that the builder has sold it & not mentioned that he has but you did say for him to get rid of it for you & he has done that.
Personally if a customer asked me to get rid of something for them & it was worth money I would advise them of this then out of courtesy I would give them some of the money but then that is the person I am & I would have done the leg work they couldn’t be bothered to do so I would keep a percentage.

If you had e-mailed a pic of the fireplace to a few reclamation yards yourself you could have sold it too but you didn’t want to so you missed out on that opportunity.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 28/02/2021 17:58

@JesusInTheCabbageVan agreed.

I must ask 😂 Was it tasty? Bit cruel. Have you alologosed for it yet to-> @JesusAteMyHamster

foodiefil · 28/02/2021 17:59

You should be annoyed with yourself because you've been a bloody idiot!
Twice.
The first time for telling your builder to "get rid of it" the second time for starting this thread.

I'm annoyed at you for you.

Imapotato · 28/02/2021 17:59

You told them to get rid of it and that’s what they did. You can’t really be miffed about it 🤷‍♀️

Mumof32017 · 28/02/2021 18:02

Sorry but you really don’t have a leg to stand on with this. You said “get rid of it”, did you specify that he couldn’t sell it?

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 28/02/2021 18:06

@SchrodingersImmigrant apolosised? Not at all. @JesusAteMyHamster asked me to get rid of the hamster and that's what I did. She can't really be miffed about it .

Ddot · 28/02/2021 18:08

So would you feel better if it had gone to landfill. Good for him. You should have said if you can sell that, I split it with you. You snooze you loose

Sk8ermum3000 · 28/02/2021 18:08

If your builder took it to a rubbish dump - someone would have picked it up and sold it. Someone, somewhere will profit- if you can’t/don’t/won’t someone will!! He was never going to remove stuff for free with no value? If you asked anyone to take waste away, they would charge you for it AND then sell what they can.....

Alonelonelyloner · 28/02/2021 18:13

I actually feel quite sad for you OP, it's madness to pull out a beautiful original feature like a Victorian fireplace and THEN to tell a builder to get rid of it. I would be kicking myself for years onwards. I recently bought a house, and part of the reason I fell in love with it was the original Victorian fireplaces.

Clusterfckintolerant · 28/02/2021 18:14

..."just took my fireplace..."
No, he didn't just take your fireplace. You asked him to remove it and he agreed to perform this service. The only dishonest thing about any of this is you expecting to control your property once you had given it away.

Sorry, but seriously?

Diva66 · 28/02/2021 18:16

YABU, he’s did what you asked.

Cosmos123 · 28/02/2021 18:17

You need a reality check.
You told him to take the damn thing.

For God sake if u didnt want him to DONT TELL HIM TO.

SoupDragon · 28/02/2021 18:19

You need a reality check.

If only the OP hadn't already agreed at 9:24am yesterday...

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 28/02/2021 18:19

How's that David Attenborough apron coming along, OP? If you punch holes in the face, you can turn it into an attractive matching hat.

Passenger42 · 28/02/2021 18:20

You were too lazy to advertise it for sale on Facebook marketplace / eBay or to contact the person the builder got in touch with. You said get rid of it and then your moaning as the builder has made a few quid out of it. He must come across mugs like you every week, it was his to do what he wanted with it as he took it away for you.

avamiah · 28/02/2021 18:23

You told him to take it, get rid of it so he did .
Once he took it, it isn’t your concern or property anymore .
He did what you said and took it.
That is the situation.

Usernamerequired · 28/02/2021 18:23

“Get rid of it” he did. Gut punch seeing it being taken away by a fireplace company who are obviously selling it on and have given builder money. You could have easily seen him trying to sell it on Gumtree and been as annoyed. Tough lesson to learn but i can understand the annoyance

Gazelda · 28/02/2021 18:25

But you told him to get rid of it.

😂😂😂

Loving this thread

  • full of people who haven't read the whole thing and are merrily commenting on the first post. It's moved on.
  • Jesus and Schrodinger's private convo
  • The morticians rug

And so much more.

Thanks OP.

LesLavandes · 28/02/2021 18:26

😂😂😂

Stratfordplace · 28/02/2021 18:28

You shouldn’t have opened the door at 7.30 am on a Saturday morning and let the builder in to take it.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 28/02/2021 18:31

[quote JesusInTheCabbageVan]**@SchrodingersImmigrant* apolosised? Not at all. @JesusAteMyHamster* asked me to get rid of the hamster and that's what I did. She can't really be miffed about it .[/quote]
😂😂😂😂

2Rebecca · 28/02/2021 18:35

Why would you want a lovely fireplace scrapped rather than sold on? We have just had to clear my dad's house as he downsized recently. I was upset ant the decent stuff we couldn't even give away due to Covid restrictions. Someone using it and loving it is much better than putting t on landfill. He had contacts you didn't have. You could have tried Gumtree but chose not to.

caringcarer · 28/02/2021 18:53

He did what you asked him to do. I should be have thought you would have been pleased that your beautiful fireplace will now be used in another home and not skipped. Can't think why you did not want it in your own bedroom.