My F**king Builder.

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

He took all his tools last week, after receiving an agreed additional payment (from the final that we owe him) To clear the loft for the final lot of plastering he said. To be able to gain perspective he said. (he did not do this last time he plastered and there is only remedial plastering to do now up there, the rest is on the stairs, hallway etc). He talked to us about this and that, all nice.

After about 30 mins, I became a bit suspicious, again that he might have done a runner as he took everything apart from a yellow bucket. He took is ladder, why would you do this if you were plastering at height? Anyway, I am naturally suspicious. It is part of my job, it is part of my make-up. DH was a bit worried too, but we put it down to being nervous about this job. And I reminded myself of his reassuring conversation about him completing and DH and I agreed we were being unecessarily suspicious.

He was not coming in monday he said, bank holiday, out with the kids, he said.

This morning, he did not show. Did not answer his mobile. DH and I have been panicking. Eventually at 11am he phones.

And he said:

His younger brother has been rushed to hospital, is critical, collapsed lung (he only has one apparantly) and next 48 hours are critical. it had only just happened. He would try to get his plasterer mate to help him out.

Now. I am very cynical. DH said, initially, he appeared genuine. But DH is a very forgiving person and sees the best in everyone. I don't. DH started to doubt whether this was the truth or a blag. But, we are very nervous about whether this is true or not.

I actually want it to be true, so he that it means he has not done a runner with most of our money and left us in a hellhole. Does not make me a nice person I feel But then I also think he is very elaborate with his stories, has been so far and this smacks of some bullshit.

Either way, this week is dead for any work. and I am getting closer to my due date. And now, calm, chilled relaxed DH is starting to pull his hair out.

Sorry. Half of you probably won't even know what on earth I am banging on about but I needed to vent as I am so annoyed and upset and stressed and fed up it is unreal. I have no space. I am not sleeping as I am sharing with a toddler who talks in her sleep and a DH who is smoking too much and therefore snoring.

I am also sat here thinking, perhaps he is a fantasist. Perhaps he did in fact just oversleep this morning and felt daft and made some elaborate story rather than saying he overslept. You know a more elaborate version of 'the dog ate my homework'. He did this when he had a 'hosp appt' - I have either got a cyst or cancer, they don't know what yet. And, at the weekend, a carpenter tried to take a job from him and he smacked him one. That kind of thing.

Here is hoping.

I didn't mean our builder got nothing until the job was complete - we had a schedule of payments which we followed to the letter.
I'm just quoting what he told us about up-front payments for materials. Amittedly,he was operating as himself and son in law, and we paid any outside tradesmen who came in.

Reckon he had a hangover. It was a Bank Holiday after all.

Thedailystale not contacted them yet. DH wants to give 48 hours from this morning, because he is too bloody nice. But once I am allowed, I will contact anyone who will listen .

oogs that is similar to us. We paid about that for first installment, the another a few weeks later, then another two weeks later, but less of a retainer to be paid on receipt of building control certificate. Which is now even bloody less!

jeanjeanie we do not have a contract of that nature, not by a long shot . Ours is vague and simple. God we are so never doing it this way again.

Eeek! pavlov I'd bollock the architect for that one - at least so he doesn't make the same mistake another time. We're still going over DP's contract (nowt on tv!) and we're just talking about how fair/reasonable it is for both sides...yet strict!

Sorry ourlady I wasn't getting at you just that recently there has been an awful lot of threads commenting that you shouldn't pay anything up front. Mustn't get on my high horse I get quite upset by threads like this - I really feel for pavlov and I know it adds to the bad press builders get.

Next time jeanjeanie we are getting your dp in, ok?

I also intend on bollocking the architect for giving us a recommendation of someone who has been so spectacularly awful so far, certainly in terms of reliability.

He started this bloody work on 1 June 2009.

Mates rates for you m'dear

Can he plaster? DH makes a mean bacon butty, that'll make it worth the travelling

So lets talk electrics for a second. On account of me not being entirely sure they are safe. If I cannot get hold of builder tomorrow to get the electrician back around - if I get another one in to fix the problem, can I charge him for this if he does show back up?

Ahhh, the one job he loathes! He can - but personally I'd get a pro in

Oh gawd, I could just go a bacon butty

This whole 'him suing me for the additional sum' if I go elsewhere for the work. Does this apply to the electrics on account of health and safety?

MMMmmm, thing is - it's that contract of yours...or lack of. I'd have a word with the architect chap first and see....but personally I'd just say sod it and get a spark round...worry about the financial aspect later. DP agrees that if they're dangerous then the contract would probably be negated anyway. Have you already paid him for all the electric work?

Please make sure a spark is 'Part P registered' - otherwise you won't get one of these new fancy certificates. It doesn't make them a better electrician but it does mean you get the bit of paper stating the work is OK.

You would think would you not, that the builder would be pleased to have clients like us. We make them endless cups of tea. We don't mind them making tea if we are not here, as long as they clean their hoof marks (or attempt to) from the floor). DH has made them bacon/sausage butties without fail every single friday at 10am. Even on the day he had a job interview at midday. When we had lots of hot weather (for that brief period) we took them a cool box up each day with ice, bottles of water and bottles of coke as it was sweltering up there.

Clearly, we will not be doing that again

The electrician he was using was, as far as we were aware part p certified. He appeared to know what he was doing, he tested our entire electrics to make sure they all were properly working/were up to date/whatever. He changed our box thingy so it was part p suitable, changed our bathroom light as it was not safe (we now have an enclosed one). he talked about part p, and he talked about everything he was doing being done to part p level to be signed off by building control.

right i am off to bed now. not that i will sleep. more just lie there stressing/hatching my potential plans for revenge in my storeroom of a bedroom!

Thanks for letting me rant, offering support, as always you have all been great. When this is all sorted, there will be a new me, a non-moany, happy me and I will thank you all by opening the virtual bar with free virtual drinks for all

OMG I am so fed up for you If I was in your shoes I would camp outside his house in the morning & see where he goes - I would want to see if he is on another job. Take your camera! Good luck hun, I wish it was all over for you x

Has he shown up this morning?

He is not here. But I have spoken to him.

I called him at 8am prompt and left a message, and also sent a text saying call us asap to 1)tell us what his plan of action is to get this place sorted this week if he can't do it or when he will be turning up and b) to get the electrician here TODAY to make our electrics safe.

I was not rude. I was...firm. .

He called back within 30 mins. I very nicely asked him how his brother was, and to give him credit he sounded very upset ( ) and at least his story was consistent with what he told DH.

He said he would not be able to get in until monday. He said he would call the electrician, who was 'still on holiday' but would get something sorted today. I asked him if he could not get someone in to do some work this week, a plasterer, one of his son's or something, to get the fire doors in, do the filling of holes. He did not say anything, I then said will think about it and I will call him again to find out. I then said, just make sure we get the electrician in today and we will talk again. He said he would and promised to be in monday .

God knows what to think. At least he is in contact. Its a start. At least he is not ignoring me completey.

DH reckons he might be on holiday and just did not want to tell us he had a holiday booked after the cock-ups that have delayed everything. Would explain why his son's are not here doing stuff.

Re: fire doors. presumably he has ordered them? Ask him where and you will chase this up.

I suspect he has not ordered the fire doors. Given he past chaoticness and the fact that he has not got us to pic the door handles, even though I have asked a few times to do this.

I will ask him though.

Right I am off to work, then lunch with a friend, the taking flexi this afternoon to get my hair cut and coloured, really need a de-stress and this is a fab way to do it - couple of hours of being pampered .

I can't believe this is still dragging on and its got even worse. I really hope that he sorts this all out for you and the job gets done. I'm sorry I don't have any more advice.

How's this for a theory?

He had other work booked in ages ago, which would explain him needing to take his tools. Keeping in mind that the the floor issue made everything go off schedule, he was probably planning to be done last week, or at least at a stage where a week wouldn't make a difference as he would be wrapping things up in your loft.

Of course he wouldn't want to tell you, but would make sense. He may also genuinely have a brother in hospital, but doesn't account for him not being in for a week.

I sort of got the idea he was really struggling, so the holiday scenario doesn't quite fit.