Did I get fleeced by my builder on bathroom remodel?

[Smallgoon]

Wanted your opinions on whether you believe I'm been done on my bathroom remodel. The work was essentially the old bathroom suite being ripped out and replaced with a walk-shower, counter top sink and repositioned toilet. I also had the room retiled, painted and had the same builder make me a vanity unit and a tall storage unit. My bathroom is fairly small, roughly 5smq floor space, and there were no structural changes needed.
The builder initially quoted £12k for which I told him my budget was in the £10k range and I didn't want to exceed this. He agreed to this and we agreed that I would take charge of sourcing materials but that he could purchase items such as grout/plywood etc since this was easy for him to get hold of. Mistake number one for me was that we never had a contract in place as such, and that I paid him weekly which I shouldn’t have done. I should have paid an amount upfront and then the rest on completion. Anyhoo, long story short, the bathroom ended up taking almost 4 weeks and it still remains incomplete (shaver socket missing, spot lights need replacing, no handles on storage unit etc). Initially, and for ease, I wanted to use the same builder (depending on progress) to also fit my kitchen, flooring and redecorating. I was happy to use the same builder until I noticed that he got somewhat comfortable and work had really slowed. Now given he was being paid weekly, which amounted to a day rate, obviously the longer he took the more I’d have to pay. I also grew concerned by the fact that I had gone over budget and when I started raising these concerns with him, telling him that I needed to reel the spending in, he’d almost become annoyed and make it sound as though I was being irrational and that I should up my budget because ‘you only get to do this once’. The issue was, there wasn’t a magic money tree that I could rely on if I went significantly over budget so I didn’t think I was being unreasonable. The next thing I knew, he’d moved onto other projects within the flat (such as decorating and pulling the kitchen apart) even though the bathroom was incomplete. When I’d try to sit down with him (realising I didn’t want to make the same mistake as before, and this time set a fixed price that we stayed within rather than this turning into a day rate) he seemed reluctant to have this conversation. Every time I asked him to give me a quote for the remaining works, he’d tell me he would, and then never would. Things started to sour when I told him that we MUST agree a fixed amount, and that I would pay him 25% in advance and the rest would follow upon completion. The whole mood changed, he seemed to really take this to heart and felt attacked, telling me that it felt as though I didn’t ‘trust’ him. The final straw for me came when I arrived to my flat, and found that one of the windows had been damaged. He told me that whilst trying to close it, it had gotten jammed and he then insisted that I should look into getting this fixed because my windows were clearly ‘flimsy’. On the same day, upon discussing carpet options for my bedroom (a space which covers 12sqm) he suggested a carpet costing almost £700, knowing full well I was keeping a tighter handle on budget. He also knew that I’d spent £1300 on engineered flooring for a space measuring 30sqm - therefore why would I spend half that amount on carpet for a single room! I realised at this stage that I just couldn’t trust him to ‘stick to the brief’ and that I was better off finding somebody else to finish the rest of the flat. Obviously, he wasn’t happy with this and then suggested he take his belongings and leave. I told him that was fine but that he’d need to fix the window he’d broken and complete my bathroom in full (the vanity was still missing drawers!).
Unfortunately, the drawers he fitted, ironically, are flimsy, not sure if this was deliberate or not, but as mentioned, the bathroom is still not 100% complete. All in all, he was paid £7600 in labour fees (he had help from two others, they looked like apprentices) and then £2210 for materials/expenses. On top of this, I spent £2500 on items such as the shower, toilet, sink, towel rack, tiles, paint etc. So, all in all we’re looking at £12,219 for a bathroom that is still incomplete. He also didn’t provide any invoices, receipts etc, and is still demanding I pay him for painting my bedroom and ripping out the bathroom, which I find a bloody cheek given the bathroom is still incomplete. I should state that this is for a 1 bed flat in SE London. I know that builder costs in London are extortionate, just wanted an idea if people think what I paid was fairly standard or whether I’ve paid over the odds.

@TheHumansAreDefinitelyDead Yes, I had discussed it but thankfully didn't go through with it after the shambles that my bathroom reno had been.

And for what it's worth, £10k is not small change for me. I'm hearted to know that everyone is equally as outraged by what it has cost. The builder in question is claiming the £9810 paid to him was good value!

When I have been fleeced I tried to write it off as “learning money”

I have learned to not be too friendly with people who work in my house, but be quite businesslike. Not rude, ever, but very much about business and cost and not much chit chat, personal stories as some people will use a more personal relationship to guilt you into accepting them taking the piss.

It’s an attitude I had to learn. It works when you work with proper professionals though, to have a clear attitude: how much will it cost in total, I will need the estimate in writing. What would happen if it takes longer etc etc

Good luck with sorting it all

@TheHumansAreDefinitelyDead You are actually spot on here. I think it should work both ways and this trader in particular kept going on and on about how 'he brings out the best in people' and was essentially just a schmoozer. I'll definitely be more weary in future. I do find that people who just get their head down and work, don't blow their own trumpets/love themselves, usually have the most integrity. They let their work do the talking, rather than their big mouths I guess.

YOUR bathroom looks lovely but yes some of the finish is shoddy.
Far and away the best and only website I would ever use is the Which magazine one - Trusted Trader (not trust a trader). In my experience they can be more expensive but they are thoroughly checked by Which - all documentation, certificates, spot checks etc.
I sympathise with you. I think most of us have been there! In fact I was told last week of a couple i know being taken for a ride by their builder and he is a solicitor with full knowledge of the law and process of suing!
On a slightly different topic how easy was the flat buying process? Is it leasehold? You say it's a new build - was it one of the main housebuilders? (Sorry - off topic!)

Not the point but you had a perfectly nice bathroom before. Too late now but I would have lived with that for some time first which meant you would have had time to research a decent company. Maybe a lesson learned for next time.

@Neverending2020 Hey, feel free to message me on here with any questions you have re purchasing. Mine was a little difficult (and this was before the whole corona stuff kicked up) but mainly because the vendor lived abroad (n Singapore of all places) so the time difference was challenging, as was the fact that he'd only ever had tenants in the flat, and hadn't stepped foot inside it himself! This made it difficult as he really didn't have all the information required, or the paperwork etc. However, I did well to get it below asking price so I didn't kick up too much of a fuss. He was about to take the flat off the market because prices were dropping, and I swooped in with a lower offer which was accepted. I offered circa October 2019, and at that point, practically every property I was 'watching' was being lowered in price on sometimes a fortnightly basis.

@Lightsabre Hi. I think this is down to personal preference really, so it's not really a lesson learned on my part, as I would opt to have the work done after moving in if I could turn back time. For one, I didn't like the bathroom. And given the flat had only had tenants in for 12 years, it really showed. Secondly, some people have the luxury of actual space to be able to move in and then have the works carried out. I don't have that. It's a small 1 bed flat, and whilst the work was bathroom related, that doesn't mean it doesn't spill out into every other room. My bedroom and living were FULL of materials and whatever had been ripped out etc. Not to mention the amount of dust and dirt that reno work involves. It would have been a nightmare if I'd have moved in, brought all my possessions, and furniture etc. It was my decision to only move in when all major works were completed (bathroom, kitchen, flooring, painting) and then crack on with other smaller bits.

@Lightsabre *wouldn't opt to have it done after moving in