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Original poster

The builders are in.....share the ups and downs here.....

422 replies

nappyzonecantrunfortoffee · 13/11/2009 17:34

Been as though a few of us have the builders in i thought we could share our fun and try and get through the mire together (even though pavlos stories scared me half to shit).

SO were getting an extension built and they started Wednesday - they seem canny and we have a digger in our garden, guinea pigs at the back of the garedn i have to risk life and limb for to get too to feed and mud - loads of mud - my wellies are caked in the stuff from my guinea pig feeding missions!

Our foundations are all dug out now and most excitingly a mixy truck load of cement was barrowed round the back in to them. Wheres everyone else at?

OP posts:
skinsl · 27/02/2010 00:15

Toots- what you getting done? Sorry if I missed that!
Cake - you sound quite calm for that major leak! And the RSJ nightmare
Dilemma- best advice is to NOT move in until it's all done! Just what taffetacat says!
Titchy, I do know a lovely builder, fitted our bathroom. Major project could be too big for him as he works on his own, otherwise we would have asked him to do our loft, but he is very honest and trustworthy, you could maybe use him for some smaller stuff?he lives in Surrey, near redhill I think.

Original poster
nappyzonecantrunfortoffee · 27/02/2010 10:03

Cake i am laughing at your calmness - i remember our first ceiling leak then after that leaks just become a theme but they look worse than they are and you get a nice new ceiling out of it so always look on the bright side lol!. We slept in today which never happens - its like a great weight has been lifted. It is stressfl at times but i think things were made alot easier because we had luck and a good builder on side. Our architect was a tit too and frustraitign when job held up waiting for rsj calcs. In both our bedroom we have a nib or pillar on the external wall side cake that holds up our rsj's. We call it a half squarch but we have made them both a colour block feature . This morning i have just had the most wonderful shower . It has been 14 weeks and 2 days for us start to finish then we have had horific weather and 2 weeks of for xmas - It has been worth it. At some point i will post finito pics.

Anyone lurking in the North East i can thoroughly recommend our builder but you will know his stories off my heart by the end

OP posts:
skinsl · 01/03/2010 13:50

well the beam needs moving, or the stairs need moving. Great.I don't want to tell DH, he is going to go crazy!!

Original poster
nappyzonecantrunfortoffee · 01/03/2010 13:57

Is this a problem because they didnt leave enough height? is it going to cost you to put right or them if its their fault? either way its a step back and obviously a pita or is it going to affect the whole dimensions of your new loft area? I sympathise. I always hated delivereing bad news to dh - it was never given to him first then he would get radged with me like it was my fault they knocked though a pipe pr something!!! hmmmmmmm. Deep breathes.

OP posts:
Toots · 01/03/2010 14:06

Skinsl that is awful. So sorry. What idiots! Are they loft conversion specialists? Can't believe they got this so wrong. I'm sure you shouldn't be liable for a penny but that makes it no easier to bear.
If they are a loft conversion company, could you possibly hint at the name. I think you're in south London, is that right? Sorry if it's a bit selfish, but wouldn't want this lot to be the people we have lined up to do our loft.

Toots · 01/03/2010 14:28

Cake, really hope you're wrong about brickies in your house in July. Probably pays not be hugely optimistic on timescales, though...

PavlovtheCat · 01/03/2010 14:35

hello you crazy ladies!!

I have had the first court hearing regarding my builder. We are getting an independent surveyor to do a joint report to look at a) quality of workmanship of work completed (Ha!) whether the work has conformed to drawings done by our structural engineer (ha! again) and what outstanding work there is to meet the requirements of the drawings (ha! for the third time!), he stupidly agreed, and he is going to very much regret it. The case is now ours. I have had one of my days in court. The next will hopefully be the last day in court. And he is going to regret ever setting eyes on us. Just as we regret it.

Hope none of you ever experience such an awful building project!

Original poster
nappyzonecantrunfortoffee · 01/03/2010 16:18

Hi Pav - good luck at kicking ass !

OP posts:
Starbear · 01/03/2010 16:54

Oh! Dam just saw your thread will have to start a new one. We are in the planning stage! 10 tips you would give someone starting out probably in Easter with DH's getting DIY things done first

cakeforbrains · 01/03/2010 20:08

Skinsl, that is terrible. How did DH take the news?

Pavlov, I was just wondering how you were getting on with the court case, I've been lurking on some of your other threads. I'm glad things are going well.

We moved out of the kitchen and dining room over the weekend, and the builders have started on the downstairs. I'm telling myself that it is just a few more weeks now.

PavlovtheCat · 01/03/2010 20:30

Well, yes, 'well' is a good enough word. Its all an exercise of principle. The costs are mounting (not too high, but enough seeing as I am maternity leave) and the reality is we will unlikely see a penny of it. But, nor will he work again when the papers print he has lost a court case.

We could have argued that we did not need an independent surveyor, that we have enough evidence already, but this surveyor, he will prove our case completely and both parties are bound by the outcome, so the builder cannot object to the findings, and the cost is at least split.

Original poster
nappyzonecantrunfortoffee · 01/03/2010 22:13

Cake when they are downstairs i did find it worst as it would encroach more on our dailiy existence wheras when upstairs i could pretend they were not there - they would appear while we were havig breakfast, lunch or tea and just keep trudging big white footprints through my front room to upstairs. I laid an old carpet down as a runner through my livig room in the end.

I need to ring ours tomorow as under the patio door he seems to have forgotten to cement or silicone it in - we have checked everywhere else and i suppose dh could do it but then he will no doubt forget!

OP posts:
skinsl · 02/03/2010 09:53

haven't told him yet. was out last night. builder just ran out yesterday, very sheepish and said they will decide what it best to do. no extra cost on our part, it is the stupidest mistake they have made.. well probably on a par with the chimney breast fiasco.

the head height is supposed to be 2 metres and this is 1.83, it's a bit of a stupid mistake to make
toots, they are specialists, and they have a good enough name, i did check them and their work out. they are a south london loft co. if you seen what i mean?! I will give you a whole list of things to look out for if you want.

Pavlov, how long has the court case takend to come through? What did they do?

starbear, what are you having done? Is your DH good with DIY?!

Toots · 02/03/2010 19:39

I get you Skinsl . No need for more hints.

Thank you.

dilemma456 · 02/03/2010 21:23

Message withdrawn

Original poster
nappyzonecantrunfortoffee · 02/03/2010 21:33

They have painted?? . I am so jealous if your gettign it painted for you! We have now gone through 6 of those massive trade tubs of white crown paint. Today i have done 2 more coats in the dining room and my arms are killing me. I am back at work tomorow and look like i have aged 20 years i have so much white in my hair!

OP posts:
skinsl · 02/03/2010 23:01

Dh is very angry, but has restrained himself to a couple of strongly worded text messages. He can't come to bed yet cos he is so worked up and he was up at 330 this morning so really needed an early night. They are coming tomorrow to move the beam and probably the wall and the nice storage cupboards the have built. They are playing it down massively. I just feel resigned to it. Is
ts pretty shit

dilemma456 · 03/03/2010 07:01

Message withdrawn

skinsl · 03/03/2010 12:39

well, the response DH got was " im sorry you're unhappy, I can't explain why. You just don't seem to be able to work happily with the guys"
WTF? They have put a beam in the wrong place!
So then I had a showdown with the builder, trying to get them to take some responsibility for the mistakes, and the response I got was " well it will still be done in 8 weeks"
Been crying ever since he left.

dilemma456 · 03/03/2010 12:59

Message withdrawn

skinsl · 03/03/2010 16:31

thanks dilemma. you made me laugh!!
not asking us to pay anything thanks god. feeling a bit better now. the argument with the builder was along the lines of, the buildings inspector is too fussy?!!!? i just give up
plasterer(nice) has been and said he will be here 8am to start the plastering.so they are confident the beam disaster will be fixed today. so not bad really.
nice result with the painting quote! and so good they found the wasps nest, that could have been a nightmare if they nested again!

Original poster
nappyzonecantrunfortoffee · 03/03/2010 17:32

skinsl all sounds crapola but at least they are putting it right and if it can be put right by end of the day at least you can move forward. Have you started planing nice things for the end product like interior decor and colours as that always manages to lift my mood when there is shit everywhere!

Wow about wasps nest - see if we got a call like this my dh would have wet himself with excitement and demand it be puti n our freezer as is first class fishing bait apparently hence if anyone has wasps by dh volunteers to rid it for them.

I have just sent dh out to pick up most of our kitchen from instore at b and q as apparently the 50% off ends Thursday so might get back to normal more sooner than i imagined. Flooring also comes Mon so dh going to be a busy boy!

OP posts:
PavlovtheCat · 03/03/2010 20:39

dilemma really, really you do NOT want to read them. Honestly, if you are in the middle of a project, or have had any issues not yet resolved, just act on them with courage knowing you are right, but probably not good to read my threads . If you insist on reading them. Look up 'my fucking builder' or 'my fucking ex-builder' and prepare to be horrified. There are also some other threads to do with it, but that will give you the general idea.

The current state of play is companies house have just notified me that he has applied for a strike-off, ie he wants to dissolve his business. I knew he would do this when he realised he would lose the court case (which should have been at the beginning) and means, if it happens, he is not liable to pay us anything as his assets (or, bank account with nothing in it) are frozen, it also means he cannot continue with his own claim against us, but he was never going to win that anyway. I am bloody furious. How dare he think he can get out of it that easily. Luckily, as an interested party involved in legal action, we can object to the dissolution, and hopefully it will be stopped. I also suspect he is still trading/selling stuff for profit which makes his request null and void.

Bastard. I am also considering reporting his actions to Insolvency Investigation Team, but DH is worried about repercussions.

PavlovtheCat · 03/03/2010 20:40

(I meant to say - i knew he was going to do this, and as such i have been spying on him at companies house, it only cost 50p or something, to be notified when anything is filed on his company)

PavlovtheCat · 03/03/2010 20:43

skinsl the builder decided to try it on and sue us for a figure he made up in his head, after we fired him for messing up our home. We counterclaimed, with a shit ton of evidence, he has stalled and now we are looking at another 2 months? Who knows, maybe more...we got the claim from him in October 2009.

OK, i will link for you, but only if you want to, and do realise this is the worst worst case scenario, and learn a valuable lesson - do not ignore your instincts, or beleive anything a builder says, especially if you have doubts.