Dispute with a builder regarding a cracking external wall

[anhembi]

Hello!
Please I would like some advice on how to proceed with a bad job done by a builder over the summer. Late August we contracted a builder landscaper to do our external garden front wall. After several delays and poor excuses he finished the wall we made the final payment and everybody was happy. Two months after we could see that the wall is cracking (no a simple crack!) it looks like somebody came and cut the wall in half (bricks are cut, the crack does not only follows the cement). We contacted the builder by email and he replied saying that he agreed the foundations are failing and he might need to rebuild the wall. That answer was in October and after a few calls he agreed to come a Friday two weeks ago. He never came. Now he is not replying emails or calls or texts.
It really annoys me this situation and I would like to find some legal advice, maybe something I can do to scare him and he comes and fixes the wall? Suit him I guess it will cost me more than the cost of the wall itself.
He was part of Which trade companies and now he is not there anymore! I guess somebody complained!

Please any experiences here that could help?
Thanks in advance!

You can try a stiff letter to him sounds to me the foundation either was not there or was very poor for that to happen.

Can you say how much the job cost you at all?.

Forget it. You'll either spend thousands chasing a fools errand or you'll get someone you already know is incapke back to bodge the job a second time round.

Sorry, but you've lost the money. Find a recommended groundwork EE and bricklayer (not online, find one eecvomended by a friend who actually knows something about the industry) and get the job done right.

I've been here myself and for the hassle you're going to go through, you're better off putting it down to experience and moving on.

What’s the likely cost of repair?

I would usually set a deadline and if necessary threaten small claims court and trading standards referral. You don’t need a solicitor to take someone to the small claims court.

Do you have legal expenses insurance on you’re home insurance? A legal helpline? Which membership I think has (or had) a legal helpline.

I'd bet a pound he's a Ltd company, hence limited liability. From what you've said already he's a cowboy. You can spend time and effort taking him to whatever court you want, but registering a new company takes minutes, and you'll be taking his old company to court, not him.

I really don't want to be a grinch here, if you can get him by the short and curlys go for it, but in my experience these things seldom work out.

Might be worth a trip to citizens advice though if you've got the time. I'm no expert in legal matters.

The problem is that jobbing builders don’t design or understand foundations. However, if he knew the foundations had failed or, most likely, there weren’t any, he should have told you. Then you could have made an informed decision about what to do. Putting in foundations is expensive and you cannot patch up a failing wall which is due to no foundations. The ground has moved and moved the wall with it. It might also be too thin.

You need it designed properly or it could fall over. There is no quick fix.

Its not rocket science building a foundation for a garden wall come to that its not that difficult doing a foundation for a house wall unless you have very wierd odd ground conditions. Wjhat has happened is he did a bodged job got his money and then scarperded.

Leaving you with the defect. If you can't get hold of him perhaps trading standards but I would not waste anymore money just get someone recommedned to do it!

Foundations for houses are subject to building regs. On clay soil it would be foolish to leave it to a builder. Ditto if they are near big trees! Many walls are not designed or built to last 5 minutes. A quick look at some modern housing estates tells you that. Most builders don’t know enough about foundations for walls and they certainly fob off clients.

Yes they are subject to the regs, but any builder worth his salt will have a very good idea of whats expected unless the soil conditions are very odd perhaps needs l piling or simlar, but here we have bodgit 'n scarper it seems:(