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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Workmen AIBU

39 replies

Starbeach · 15/03/2022 13:02

Originally posted in the chat accidentally!

I have a builder in at the moment who is taking forever to redo my bathroom it’s not huge but with electric prices as they are, AIBU to expect him to have his tools charged at his own expense in his house before he comes here. everyday, and we are on week 5 with no end in sight, hes charging the batteries for his tools hasn’t asked me and is treating this place like his own. Even putting all his dusty dirty stuff in our back bedroom without our knowledge until I stumbled across it on the weekend, it could have been our room he dumped it in if he had asked I would have told him to put it in the junk room.

I really want to ask him to leave but I can’t as I’m pregnant and workmen are hard to come by where I live 😭

OP posts:

girlmom21 · 15/03/2022 13:56

Have you asked him how much longer he's going to be?

Original poster

Starbeach · 15/03/2022 14:01

And no he’s not semi retired, doing a favour or going off to do other jobs Hes just soo slow he said on Friday that he would be finished by this Friday but he hasn’t installed the sink unit/sink, laid the floor, grouted, installed the shower, any of the taps, the bath, the cabinet, plastered the ceiling, the list goes on and seems as we are on Tuesday this ain’t going to miraculously get done by then

OP posts:

Seraphinesupport · 15/03/2022 14:01

1 guy did my mums bathroom from nothing and completed it in just over 2 weeks so yanbu

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 15/03/2022 14:02

he’s been here twice as long as expected

He has been with you for 5 times longer than everyone on here would expect based on their own bathroom refurbs and doesn't sound even nearly finished.

QforCucumber · 15/03/2022 14:07

What has he actually done in 25 days of working?

Original poster

Starbeach · 15/03/2022 14:12

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz true!

In 25 days he’s scraped the walls down to make them suitable for tiling on, some pipe work, fitted a new bath and tiled round the bath and half way up the other walls, chased 2 walls and… I don’t know what else tbh!!!

OP posts:

ChampagneLassie · 15/03/2022 14:14

God he sounds like a bit of a liability - is the work actually decent quality? A friend had a shoddy bathroom fitted and ended up paying someone else to re-do it. You're only 6 months pregnant - is it not worth trying to find someone else and sacking him off?

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 15/03/2022 14:20

Is he on Check A Trade?

Original poster

Starbeach · 15/03/2022 14:26

To be fair to him the work he’s doing is spot on.

I live in a very remote area so it’s bad enough to get a tradesman to give you a quote let alone do the work all of them are booked for months in advance and I’d be worried if they could fit me in quickly

OP posts:

bigbluebus · 15/03/2022 14:30

Does he actually know what he's doing? Where did you find him?

We had a joiner in to fit a kitchen worktop. It was an urgent job (tap had leaked into MDF worktop which had become spongy meaning tap was loose and was in danger of leaking all over the kitchen). It was also during lockdown and coming up to Christmas. We asked a builder we'd used if he could find anyone to do the job for us. He struggled but did get someone he had used for some jobs (but not one of his regulars). The guy came round, said he could do it in a day, no problem. It took him 3 days! 3 days where I had to isolate in my living room away from him. Kitchen windows wide open all day due to Covid work guidelines. I had the kettle and a tea tray in the living room and the milk outside the front door so I didn't need to go to the fridge. He did a good job but FGS it only took the guy who fitted the entire kitchen 16 years earlier 3 1/2 days to fit including the worktop and putting the cooker in place.

Useranon1 · 15/03/2022 14:31

TBF your update has a lot more work in that the one about walls, so not as bad as I thought. Still not 5 weeks worth though, maybe two max for someone working alone.

lawandgin · 15/03/2022 14:40

OP that sounds awful, so many red flags. You need to tackle him about why it's taking so long. It sounds like you could end up with trouble one way or the other, so I see no benefit in letting him carry on as is...

maddiemookins16mum · 15/03/2022 14:44

Our bathroom (which was avacado green) was totally gutted, retiled, new floor, new bath, toilet, painted, heated towel rail etc…..3 days, two blokes on two days, one bloke the last day. Oh and they fitted a new door free of charge.

DogInATent · 15/03/2022 15:15

With the drip-feed updates I'm beginning to wonder if you are being unreasonable. I'm half expecting us to be slowly told over another three updates that he's also built a single storey extension and re-glazed the conservatory.

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