Cowboy builder aand advice needed..

[littlejo67]

Hi,
Would really appreciate some advice.
I have just had a patio laid and the work is terrible. Slabs not been stuck down with adhesive and loads loose and falling away. Render falling off retaining walls. Patio not straight as both levels different angles.
So he is offering to patch up the holes and make good. Some grout is 2cms thick and other bits a few mls. He has put in drains all wrong.

Blaming me for asking him not to use adhesive, total lie. Also that the slabs were cheap, when I got them from the place he asked. There are so many issues and he always says it's not his fault it's because....etc.

States he won't have an independent assessor to look at his work as they will be biased against him.

I want to take him to the small claims court but he says that my claim would be thrown out as by law he has to fix it.

I have tried to find info online but cant find any. I don't want someone who is a proven liar and really bad at the job to re do it badly.
I paid 10,000 and other quotes to fix come in at 8,500.
Would really appreciate some guidance from anyone in the know.
I took out a loan for this and now have no money to fix unless he pays me back. Which he won't do as he wants to fix. So disappointed ☹️

I think it is common practice to allow a builder an opportunity to respond to a list of complaints to and fix them. BUT (and I speak from similar experience) if you get an independent builder or two on board and get an independent opinion, you may be able to claim that a) the initial work was so below par that it is obvious that the builder is out of his depth and b) even if allowed to attempt a fix , an independent person may be able to certify that the work is not up to standard and as a result compensation is due. It is a painful experience but ultimately a crap job is exactly that and compensation must be paid. I think there is a trade body you may be able to get an independent view from. In my case, we commissioned an orangery and spent £15k upfront ... as a result we had a small walled swimming pool for 19 months but eventually won. It's a long slog but you must stay strong. As for your builder, tell him you are suing him regardless and don't back down or be bullied by his claims. Take lots of photos and these, along with expert opinion, will mean that his argument about allowing him to fix it will fail. The opportunity to fix is mean to be for a few snags, not a total lack of competence. Good luck.

I believe if you say you have lost confidence in the workman, that is acceptable as a reason not to continue with him

It may be worth checking if your home insurance covers you for legal advice OP.

Hi - few thoughts on your patio. Are the tiles porcelains (suited to exterior use)? What kind of material are these slabs exactly?
From what you describe about some areas thick others thin....it sounds like he has used the ‘dot and dab’ as opposed to a full screed/bedding method. To be clear, ‘dot and dab’ is a bodge job! Essentially the layer dumps a blob of mortar into each corner of the tile and then uses the spirit level to ‘even out’ an local undulations. It is rubbish because by it’s very nature, the slabs are not fully stuck down and water can migrate underneath - especially outside.

The slabs ought to have been fully bedded onto a proprietary wet bed recommended by the manufacturer or slab supplier. This involves the builder spending more time upfront levelling out the whole site and preparing his screed mixes. It requires fast, skilled working to do it well - I’m sorry to say it sounds like your man just wasn’t up to the job!
With the natural expansion and contraction that occurs outdoors, I’m not surprised that your slabs have debonded with dot and dab.

This is what I’d do. Pull up a slab and turn it over - I bet you the method will be dot and dab. Then ring the slab supplier and ask them how the slabs ought to have been laid. Take the photo evidence plus the supplier advice and kick off a small claims process to reclaim the entire sum from him. Get a new supplier to re-do the job and check the laying method yourself first. The retaining wall sounds worrying too!!! Sorry, I’ve been through this as a self builder.