I need to vent/want to cry - long

[vinegarpuss]

We have spent the past year living on a building site while majorly 'doing up' an old bungalow - a big project for anyone especially beginners like us. Saved up for years. Not just the time and money, really invested in a dream (sorry sappy) So on the last leg - things coming together, just to be decorated all set for Christmas - discovered the £££shower room upstairs fitted in April has been leaking and the floor underneath it/ceiling of hall is soaked. That builder will not even return the calls. Local plumber suggested a) resealing the shower then monitoring the wetness - can I live with the possibility that it would not be fixed properly - b) the hall ceiling will have to be taken down to investigate the leak and if it's serious the whole shower/tiles etc may all have to be lifted out and we just dont have the money left to re do it! I am so upset, can't vent too much to DH as he is already gutted enough.

Poor you. What a pain. TBH don't know which option I would go for. Guess it depends on extent of damage to ceiling already.

I would not give up on getting hold of the builder though. Don't cry, channel that anger to making him sort out his * up.

Oh no, you must be devastated :(

Is the builder a member of a trade association who you can contact? Do you have insurance?

We did speak to other builders and checked the references he gave us - just goes to show it really doesn't matter what you do. Our insurance cover is reduced to the minimum cover at the moment because it involved major renovations, we have to rely on our savings basically. But I will check that out further just in case. Thanks.

Sounds like you need legal advice - try Consumer Direct if that still exists or your local trading standards - you will need to make sure that you do the right things in the right order so that you have a claim against the original builder. I know that doesn't help immediately but you might have hope eventually of getting something back.

Is it worth checking your home insurance policy for legal cover -- I don't know if this is standard on all policies though?

Your buildings insurance should cover the repair and many also cover the cost of sourcing the leak too. Phone them today. Don't delay.

If your builder isn't returning calls then trading standards are worth a call.

With the help of your insurance this should be fixed before Xmas.

Also what the plumber is telling you isn't necessarily correct.

What sort of shower room do you have ?

If its a wet room then you cannot repair it from underneath. It needs to be done by taking tiling out because the membrane is damaged and leaking

If not and it's one of those low level walk in shower trays then you may find that it just needs to be sealed properly with mastic along the edges where it meets the tiles (low level trays are terrible for leaks because they should have a membrane sitting underneath it and half way up under the tiles to ensure it stays dry but most builders don't know they need these ).

Good luck phoning your insurers.
Hth

Fwiw. We moved recently and have one of those low level walk in shower trays in an ensuite. It leaked when we moved in(newly installed by vendor) but it was just that the mastic seal along the edge wasn't sufficient. Got the mastic out (well dh did) and now no more leaking.

Thank you all. I have calmed down. Called the insurance company, said to get a plumber out and let them know the outcome. It is a low level tray, we dont remember a membrane going in at all, this sounds daft but I hope it is the mastic and not the drain or pipes as these are all under tiles. A big section of the downstairs hall ceiling is wet (over 50% on the meter gadget thing). Don't know if these things dry out?

Good luck with getting it sorted. A similar thing happened to me after enlisting a plumber from the Yellow Pages (I know, I know you should go by recommendation but I was busy and no-one I asked knew of any) The whole shower unit was put in badly and the plumber kept returning every few weeks to 'fix' it then eventually went incommunicado.

I was advised to go to the Small Claims court but I just couldn't be bothered what with a full time demanding job and it had been stressful enough. £1400 to get the bathroom fitted and a further £600 to pay a plumber to fix the shower and plasterer to repair the damage. I have firmly put it down to experience.

Hope you get it resolved

The ceiling will dry out, but water stains can be difficult to cover, even with a stain block. If you go the insurance route the ceiling damage will be covered.

Even though it is a complete pita, just remember that everything can be fixed. It may take time and money, but it can be rectified, and probably quite easily.

Definitely start with the easy solution (mastic) and watch the ceiling for signs of it drying out. If it does dry out you may need to repaint a patch, or you may need to cut a piece out and have it replastered.

If fixing the mastic doesn't work, then you will have to go in under the floor.

We had a low-level shower put in a year ago, and I can't remember any flipping membrane either. No leaks yet, though...

Crossing fingers for mastic.

Ceiling should dry out fairly quickly with central heating on. How badly it will stain is very hard to tell. You will just have to wait and see.

Did you find out whether your ins co will pay to source the leak rather than just the repair?