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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:
Thread gallery
6
Confusedandshaken · 27/02/2021 10:39

You are very unreasonable. If he was sneaky he would have removed it himself and then sold it on. He was completely open about how he followed your instructions.

I'm sure your builder will be removing a great deal of unwanted stuff from your home over the coming weeks. Will you expect him to check in with you on how he intends to dispose of every bag of rubble and broken sheet of plasterboard?

Okbussitout · 27/02/2021 10:40

Massively unreasonable. Builders have to pay to dispose of stuff so he's obviously going to try to sell it or give it away. But the priority would be to seel it as it takes time to post something on gumtree or where ever. It also takes time to arrange a sale with a specialist.
So we're you expecting him to dispose of it for free?

Also you told him to get rid of it!

minipie · 27/02/2021 10:40

Ha - you might get £1500 for a pretty carved marble one, in perfect nick. Otherwise no way.

PinkiOcelot · 27/02/2021 10:41

Sorry OP. This one is on you!

Would you have been happier if he had dumped it at the tip?!!

VinylDetective · 27/02/2021 10:43

You’re completely unreasonable to remove period features from a house. There’s a special corner of hell reserved for people like you.

PhilCornwall1 · 27/02/2021 10:43

Indeed perhaps when you get the bill from him there may be a credit for the fireplace and then I hope you update the thread and apologise.

Not a chance in hell of that happening!

MiddlesexGirl · 27/02/2021 10:44

The only unreasonable bit is the 7.30am wake up. He'd have been sent away if he came to my house at that hour!

Okbussitout · 27/02/2021 10:44

I've read your updates and you are coming across as quite entitled. Like he should be acting in a certain way in order to please you. Also my points about it actually being work to dispose of something seem lost on you.

Yeah be annoyed at yourself but it's not your builders fault.

HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee · 27/02/2021 10:44

He’s acted on your instruction and canny man got a period fireplace to sell on
You’re touchy because you’ve literally given away eg get rid a desirable item
That’s your stupidity. He simply acted as you requested and got in quick before you changed your mind

AnotherBoredOne · 27/02/2021 10:45

Duh

TimeTarroganStrife · 27/02/2021 10:46

I’d be annoyed with myself ,like you are if this happened to me.

The builders we had for our last renovation project , asked and advised us on what would be worth selling . We let them sell things themselves if we didn’t want the hassle, but they split it 50:50.

I think it would put me off using your builder again if I was you ,as it’d make me feel like he’d sadly taken me for a mug. Not his fault but still annoying .

Maves · 27/02/2021 10:46

You told him to get rid....BUT it looks like he's a bit underhand if I'm honest turning up on a sat (and 7.30 is a bit early!) and selling it was it the specific builder you told to get rid? As others have said you were stupid to get rid I'd love my original fireplaces.

TheVanguardSix · 27/02/2021 10:50

He did what you asked of him, got rid of it in a way that didn't occur to you beforehand. You snooze, you lose, OP. That's the way it goes.

Petitmum · 27/02/2021 10:51

YABU............the only person you should be annoyed with is yourself!!!!

You knew there was value in the fireplace but couldn't be bothered to sell it yourself and asked the builder to get rid of it..........which he did!!!

Would you have rather he had thrown it in a skip????

Itsokthanks · 27/02/2021 10:54

Are you being serious? What did you want him to do, just dump it. Why didn't you just put it in the garden if you have no where to store it and then sell it yourself.

Puzzledtenant · 27/02/2021 10:54

I don't even think he deserves ire for getting it done quick as if he's whisking it away from you before you can blink, if you were able to store it for ages you would have so if you want it gone he should deal with it asap, it's just a side benefit to him that he managed to sell it.

Tsubasa1 · 27/02/2021 10:54

op please reread your postGrin

Original poster
Designjunkie · 27/02/2021 10:55

Vettiyalruken - I agree, I hate removing original features too. It was removed because it is in a tiny room. By removing the chimney breast we can now fit in a wardrobe and other furniture. The rest of the house has the original fireplaces and features intact.

OP posts:
Original poster
Designjunkie · 27/02/2021 11:02

Like I said upthread, I realise now I was annoyed with myself, couldn’t see it at first but posting here provided clarity. That’s why I’m on mumsnetGrin. My builder did no wrong, I see that. We all have moments of madness. ☺️

OP posts:
StellaDendrite · 27/02/2021 11:04

Fair play for taking the comments on here so well. Think of it as Money well ‘spentk. Your builder will be happy with you and probably won’t rip you off.

C152 · 27/02/2021 11:05

YABU. You told the builder to get rid of it, so he did. It's up to him how he 'gets rid of it', within certain limitations like not just dumping it by the side of the road somewhere. Unfortuantely, it's just an expensive lesson learned - if you have the time, sell something like this yourself next time.

StellaDendrite · 27/02/2021 11:07

Also, I would be pissed off at someone coming at 7:30 in the morning, you are right to be pissed off about that.

Loopyloututu2 · 27/02/2021 11:11

You are annoyed because you thought he would just Chuck it out and he’s actually been canny enough to sell it and make a bit of £££.
Part of you now wishes you’d put the effort in to sell it.

I once gave a friend a bag of nice unwanted clothes, Boden etc and later found out she’d sold them on eBay. I felt annoyed for about a second and then just laughed and thought “don’t be silly - good on her!” And you should do the same.

Kintsuji · 27/02/2021 11:16

I'd be happy it was going to be reused not thrown away. You didn't want to do the work to sell it, you asked him to get rod of it and he has.

VanillaIce · 27/02/2021 11:20

You must have known he was going to sell it on. Didn’t you?

The 7:30am arrival on a weekend with no forewarning would have enraged me.

I can see why it sticks in your throat to see the profiting happening right under your nose. Builder should have been more subtle.

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