AIBU for expecting higher standards from our builder?

[Renopain]

Hi all,

Name change for this one to avoid outing myself! We are having major renovation / refurb of our house- bought around 5 months ago, during which time we’ve been waiting for our builder to become free. We decided that we wanted one company to manage the work for us, rather than dealing with the stress of getting separate tradesmen in- so we went out for quotes, and selected a local builder with lots of great reviews (including on local Facebook groups etc, not just checkatrade). He wasn’t the cheapest option, and part of the reason we chose him was to ensure higher quality.

In general, the quality of the work seems good and the work is progressing only slightly over the agreed timeline (although we had a horrible mix up where he had told us we only needed to move out for 3 weeks, and then when we raised the topic before moving back, he said we needed to be out for the entire duration!).

However, there are a few things we’re really concerned about and just want to check that we’re not being unreasonable to expect better…. Hoping you wise Mumsnetters can help!

Issue 1) Uneven laminate flooring downstairs
They installed the flooring last week and it definitely isn’t even over the threshold between our kitchen and hallway (confirmed with a spirit level). There was no discussion about this, and now we’re worried the flooring will eventually crack. The weird thing is that they did screed part of the floor before laying it- so it’s like they missed bits out? Are we being reasonable to expect they should screed the entire floor to ensure there are no dips?

Issue 2) Herringbone tiles not matching perfectly in the corners of the bathroom wall- hoping I’ll be able to attach a photo here. We agreed to pay extra for herringbone, so I was obviously dismayed by the fact that it’s not wrapping round the corner properly. My concern is that now all the tiles have been used up with this substandard job- will they be able to redo it properly without damaging the tiles or should we push for a discount instead?

Issue 3) Pipes not chased into walls- need to be boxed in instead. We had verbally discussed not wanting any boxing at the start of the project and this was agreed with no mention of extra cost. Then, after the new radiators and boiler were installed, we arrived home (as we can’t yet live there!) to see pipes sticking out of the walls, running vertically from ceiling to floor. Our builder has said this is because we have a concrete floor / lintel over the window (although they could chase into over another wall as it’s in a corner) and that it will cost extra to chase into the wall. However, surely this was something that should have been discussed earlier as this issue should have been obvious to him early on. Should we push back on the extra cost &/or potentially ask them to fit a ‘top feeding’ vertical radiator for free?

We’re still mid-project, so want to make sure we only ask for things that are reasonable and keep the relationship mainly positive! Any advice gratefully received

YANBU, but I think it’s extremely difficult to find builders who are ‘up to scratch’ and I can only assume this is because, in the main, people accept shoddy work.

A few years ago now for us but most of this sounds par for the course, in my experience, and we considered our builder to be decent!

For flooring our builder and foreman were both very particular about needing the measurements of what we were laying at the point they were laying screed. Felt like overkill at the time but as you’ve discovered, this was so they could ensure it was level. Had you chosen your flooring before the build started? Did your builder ask for these details?

They’re unlikely to be able to remove the tiles without damaging them but you should have ordered 10% over. Could these overages cover what’s needed to make good? Would one more box of tiles possibly suffice?

It’s a bit cheeky to not have boxed the pipes in - I’d push back on this. As they’re still on site I’d push for the finish you want, I.e. chased in pipes, rather than compromising.

Given the mid/communication over how long you’d need to move out for it would seem that your builder, like ours, wasn’t the best at stakeholder management. This would appear to be a common occurrence, not helped by building work already being stressful etc.