Are we dealing with cowboy builders?

[Diysnotmything]

I am a very anxious person and having work done sends me in a tailspin so would love some objective opinions.

We are having our bathroom redone. Bought from reputable localshop and using their recommended installer who gave a comprehensive quote to handle the whole project.

We stupidly assumed they then get different people in to get the work done (electrician, plumber, tiler..)

We questioned it straightaway when the main guy started doing the electrics himself and were told it was just minor works and electrician would test at the end and issue certificate "if we wish" and at an extra cost. Red flag number 1.

Then we saw they used expanding foam to fill in the gaps where cables had been chased into the wall. From what we read it is kind of fine but not really best practice, so we asked for foam to be removed and bonding plaster used instead. They agreed.

Now this morning they haven't turned up, said they are on a call out job, not sure how long it would take but would let me know. Surely this could only be due to a previous job gone wrong?

I'm so anxious I am ready to call the whole thing off. What do you think?

The +s are that they were recommended by the shop, have been in business 15 years under the same name (if they were so bad they would have to change name or I'd be able to find negative reviews?), and they have taken no payment upfront.

Any thoughts?

Do bear in mind that if you pick their work apart every day they’ll view you as a nightmare customer rather than the other way around!

Glad they turned up! Remember they do this work every week. It’s normal and boring to them. It’s just stressful to us and will be over in two weeks

You pay professionals to do a job specifically because you do not know how and are not qualified to do it yourself.

Do not micromanage them because you googled something or you'll end up 'demanding' wrong things and regretting it.

Imagine how stupid someone would sound telling a brain surgeon they googled what type of scalpel they should use and are thus doing it wrong because google said something else was better. Its kind of the same thing.

Imagine going into hospital for scheduled routine surgery and it gets pushed back because an emergency came in and he was on call. Would you say 'oh no I have a cowboy surgeon' and slag him off? sounds really silly doesn't it.

When you put it like that @housethatbuiltme Thanks, that made me laugh!

I'm feeling a lot more chilled now and definitely conscious of not being one of these customers they would eyeroll about!

DH is really set on expanding foam around electrical cables being wrong and they said they would remove it but it's all been plastered over now. They said "yes we removed it, we took pictures before plastering" so he thought that was fine. But now they have left (without showing pics), you can clearly see through the openings that the foam is still there but now buried under the plaster.

This isn't a hill I would die on, but again I don't know anything and DH thinks it is a fire risk.

Any advice? Maybe @Lennonjingles your DH knows?

I don't see the issue really. They used this foam stuff, you said no put the other things, and they obliged.

My plumber offered to fit a new light fitting above the shower, and they did the tiling. It was all fine. We didn't need the light but he changed the light on the one we already had.

They did also let me know that certain days they would either not be in or be late/leave early. Being busy isn't an indication that they're cowboys or their work is shoddy. Quite the opposite.

Thank you! They didn't in the end oblige as it was plastered over today and we can still see the foam through the gaps.

Not sure of it was just a communication issue but it's not filling DH with confidence for everything else.

i do see the point about them being busy being a good thing though!

That foam exists because it’s a normal product for this very use. Why is it more of a fire risk than say wood frames inside walls, candles, curtains and every piece of wood furniture in your house?

DH says it traps heat so shouldn't be used around electric cables and can react with cables and damage them over time 💁No idea if true.

If you have any issues make sure you tell them to rectify it while they're still on site because once the final payment hits their account they'll probably not be very communicative. That's the case with all trades though sometimes.

Try not to worry as you need to let them finish the job before catastrophising things.

Wishing you the best and hoping it will all turn out fine. X

I wonder if the word foam has worried your dp. The foam they are using is more a quick setting plastic than a foam you might get in insulation etc

it is sold for the purpose they are using so try not to worry