landscaper took axe to my patio - destroyed out of spite

[destroyedgarden]

Yesterday my landscaper asked me for more money because he had mis measured the amount of porcelain tiles needed to complete my patio. we had a written contract which did not specify any measurements which was in breach his terms and conditions . I refused to pay the extra £1700 he wanted for the 12m2 he had mis-nmeasured on a 50 m2 patio, and I also refused to pay the outstanding 30% of the bill - which is in his contract he terms a “satisfaction payment” (£3,000) until the work was completed.

I had made staged payments - he has 70% already

In response he took an axe to half of my patio completely destroying it and leaving me with the waste to clear up. .I had called the police as he threatened to burn my house down, he did this in front of four police officers who did not intervene saying that it was a civil matter. He has now sent me an invoice for the outstanding payment . Obviously I'm not going to pay him and will be taking it to small claims I have contacted trading standards who are investigating but the police I've said this wasn't a crime it was simply an incident and they were just there too keep the peace . Has anyone been in a similar situation is there anything I can do will stop I imagine that taking him to small claims will be fruitless as he doesn't appear to have any assets it is a sole trader and not a limited company . I have already named and shamed him on Facebook, what else can I do?

I'd like to hear his side of the story, and you definitely should not have posted this on Facebook.

DH and I have had a building business for almost 40 years.
Something doesn't ring true- when quoting for a patio, the actual area and ground conditions are vital. We would always say something like " to supply and lay x square m of (type of flags/tiles) on surface (whatever preparation is needed for the type) dependent on ground conditions. There would be a disclaimer that any extra flags/tiles and preparation for them would be charged extra at X£ per metre.

Are you sure that the amount you were quoted for hadn't suddenly increased when you said something like "while you are here can you just....."?
It's no good expecting a builder to be a mind reader or to understand exactly what you mean when you wave your hand about vaguely in the direction of where you want the patio to be.

Always, always, get exactly what you want precisely written down and quoted for, and, most importantly don't deviate from the plan and expect the builder to stick to the original quote.

All that being said, there is no excuse for threats of violence or smashing up property.

Definitely something not right. I think you knew he had miscalculated and hoped he wouldn’t find out. You owe him his money too so feel free to take it to a small claims court but I’d also expect him to take you for the rest of his money. If he built the patio and you haven’t paid then I don’t blame him quite Frankly.

"Miscalculating" can also be a way to get someone to agree to a job by making the price seem lower. Not impressive at all to get the sums wrong by almost two grand.

How did you find this tradesman was he recommended or did he just knock on the door.

* Speak to the police again and say that you want him charged with criminal damage. If no luck lobby your MP for support.*

^This

Thank you all for your advice, I will pursue criminal damage with the police and my MP