Plasterer Flooded the Dining Room :What would you do?

[CollegeDoctor86]

So just trying to gauge what other people would do.
So just at the start of some renovations to a beautiful 140 year old Victorian home and our plasterers are causing us issues.

So we looked round for quotes as you should do and had 5 in total.
The brief : skim 5 bedrooms, 1 dining room, 2 hallways and 1 landing - walls and ceilings. Also to make good around the new sockets.
We were quoted £10,000, £7500, £6000, £4200, £4400 by 5 different builders/ plasterers. We think the guy who quote £10,000 didn't want the job.

Anyway we initially chose the gent who quoted £4200., found him on check a trade 100+ reviews etc , however we had to wait 4 weeks. 3 weeks into waiting, we got a personal recommendation on Instagram ( i know ). For a young guy very enthusiastic just starting out but coming highly recommended. Anyway we changed tact and went with him and he started a week earlier.

1st issue, 2 days in he tells us, he is sorry he misquoted and doesn't think the material will do the whole house and he will do his best but thinks the cost will actually be £5500.

So we - annoyed as you can imagine decide that we either part ways and give him what we think we owe and want to pay for what he has already done and then find another plasterer or we continue and pay the extra. Any way we continue.

Now today while sitting in our lounge we hear what we can only describe as a waterfall, we rush into the dining room and water is pouring through the ceiling ( through cracks i might add, so hopefully not bringing the ceiling down by building up behind it)

It turns out one of his mates who has been ''labouring'' while they plaster had left the hose filling up a water butt on the 2nd floor. Causing it to overflow and pour into the floor and ceiling and room below.
We were LIVID!!!

With 4 days left of the work, we are deciding how to play this
? money off ? sack him ? Get him to sort it
His plastering is good we will give him that, from what we can see any way.

He has apologised , however do we push this further ? What would you do ?

Does he have insurance?

You claim.for any damage on his insurance. Mistakes happen but need to be put right.

i asked him if he had insurance he said yes.... I have not seen any proof though, so i can ask for this. If that's the route we will take.

@CollegeDoctor86

i asked him if he had insurance he said yes.... I have not seen any proof though, so i can ask for this. If that's the route we will take.

I'd be suspicious that he hasn't provided insurance details, it should have been the first thing he did after apologising.

I'm also confused about why you wouldn't take this route. He's caused expensive damage to your property, why wouldn't you pursue him for the cost of this?

Omg…I had a plasterer out today, this is stuff of nightmares given how long you have to wait currently.
He should be insured? Did you check that? Charge him for the damage. Then say if he wants to make a go of his business reputation he has to put it right big time…get the labourer off your job and tell him never to use him again. The put it right means getting an assessment for damage, drying out, dehumidifiers and then finding a builder to replace ceilings etc and then replastering.
He is a complete twat. But it is better to get him to fix it, than try to chase him for costs, and then still have to find workmen to fix the issues and finish the original job.
It is likely the ceiling needs to be removed to ensure it is dried out, and potentially days with dehumidifier
If he refuses, ask for insurance details, talk to your insurers urgently and ask them to come out and do an assessment. Tell him you will pursue him through small claims for inconvenience and costs.

You don’t pay until the issue is resolved. Try to work with him, it sounds like a genuine mistake. Presumably you are happy with his work and he has the skills to do some of the repairs needed, insurance should cover the rest.

Our living room was flooded by a leak in the plumbing in our new ensuite. The builder paid for a decorator to come and redecorate our (previously newly decorated) living room.

If he is insured, then he will have to claim on his insurance. If he lied to you about insurance, you will need to take him to small claims court if he does not offer to pay and actually pay you now. Tell him you need this resolved quickly, it cannot be allowed to drag on for months because he lacks funds.

You get him to rectify the damage. He should have insurance, if not he's out of pocket himself.

As an aside, I don't know where you are in the country (I'm up north), but the lower quotes you received are very cheap unless the rooms are tiny. That's a lot of plastering! Also, 4 weeks is not a long time to wait for a decent tradesman for a job of that size at the moment.

If he doesn't have insurance, he will probably suggest you claim on yours - don't. Why should you take the financial rap for his carelessness? it will cost you in higher premiums for years to come.

He has been unprofessional so far - not honouring the original quote, getting a (unqualified?) mate to do work in your home, and possibly not having insurance when he said he had. If the latter is true, that would be the end of the road for me.