Bathroom Renovation Concerns, Help Please!

[pw75]

Hi

I have recently employed a property development firm to completely renovate my bathroom. It is a very long story but I have summarised my growing concerns below:

• Initially they were fine until I signed up and paid 50% deposit.
• Since then they have been really poor with communication and very rarely reply back to my emails/texts and when they do it never actually answers all my queries.
• They kept stating an electrician would come out before works started for an assessment and he never turned up and they have never clarified why.
• Their supplier for the bathroom suite stated our choices were in budget then the quote can back 32% over budget.
• They have now this week started work and I am very concerned with their behaviour as I don't have any expertise to check their handy work at the moment but the mess and some damage they have left is concerning.
• We put our own carpet protection down and they stated they would be with us at 9 a.m. and turned up at 12 noon and just before turning up stated that they needed a large space for all their tools to be stored in the house, we only have a small terraced house so we accommodated where possible and they put carpet protection down in our spare bedroom.
• The next day they stated they would arrive between 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. and arrived 11:30 a.m. with no explanation.
• The 2nd day (yesterday) was the most concerning as they have caused some minor paint damage in our spare bedroom and our hallway/stairs/landing. They have taken over the whole spare bedroom without us giving them permission and not put carpet protection down in those new areas. They have dumped the tiles/grout/plaster/adhesive/whole bathroom suite in our house even though it is nowhere near ready for them to use/install yet. They have left mess everywhere and never cleaned up and some of the plaster bags were split and leaking on the floor (which was protected) but all you could smell in the air when I came home was plaster and they just left the bags leaking.
• They come late (so far never before 11:30 a.m.) and have never stayed beyond 4:30 p.m. yet.
• One of their labourers allegedly got a minor electric shock and they now want us to pay their electrician for an extended check which I completely understand but don't trust if their concerns are genuine.

They are checkatrade registered, Which registered, and trading standards registered and have very good reviews on those websites which is what we went on. However I have checked the terms and conditions for each of these sites regarding a whole multitude of areas they have not adhered to what they are supposed to regarding when they are attending, deposit being protected, treating us and our home with respect, cancellation notices, amending quotes, etc.

I am at the point now where I am seriously stressed and concerned and wondered if anyone could give any advice or share experiences to help us?

Thanks

 

[Riley]

Builders always say that plastic is the way forward thus proving that they are not plumbers. Once again it would appear that communication has been the stumbling block here . I always hate it when a customer feels they can't approach me and likewise I don't like it when a customer ignores my information requests as it can make the whole process a lot slower and cause a lot of unnecessary bad feeling. I always invite my customers to ask questions and raise any queries that they might have no matter how small. I basically don't want to leave myself open to anyone having fault or thinking that I haven't told them something

 

[pw75]

Yeah they have mentioned about what they are going to do to avoid any cracking tiles, not sure on the specifics but they have made it clear that something like that is going down.

The guy working on the pipes is a plumber by trade and does feel that the plastic is the way forward.

Hopefully getting this work done secures our pipes and keeps it all safe and the tiles will go down nice and safely too.

Thank you for all the comments.

 

[Riley]

To be fair plastic has its uses no plumber worth his salt would say it's preferential

 

[pw75]

They have shown me the piping and it all looks fine but again I'm no expert. My main concern is really just making sure the piping is secure and no leaks or weeps. I'll keep people updated, thank you again for all comments and help.

 

[Ms M]

Hi pw75

I am in the same boat as you having just had a new bathroom done and now they are doing the kitchen and living room.

They don't put much coverings down and the house is so dusty. It's been mainly left to me to cover things up. I have been worrying about a lot of the things that they have done. They have cracked on at such a pace that you feel as if some things aren't being done properly. However as we can't watch over them every minute we must try and trust them.

As the folks in the trade have said they don't always see things from the customer's viewpoint. I know I have been a nag at times but like you I have never taken on big projects like this and as it's so stressfull I need reassurance about what's happening. It's understandable though that the guys just want to get the job done as they have other customers waiting and may therefore not notice the details like us.

The fitters were right though that the bathroom will look good at the end, which it does! I hope you will be able to say the same soon.

 

[Riley]

Like the above. Please please please please don't look over their shoulder all day long. Nothing winds up contractors more and you will find things are rushed and corners cut in order to get out quick to stop you doing it. You must have some faith in them as you checked their reviews and accepted their quote so let them do their job. Not everyone works the same and as you keep saying you are not an expert have faith that they are. If you have concerns then make a snag list.

 

[pw75]

Hi Ms M

It's nice to hear someone else's experience's although obviously I don't wish you had to go through it.

Yeah we put our own covering down and at the time I thought it was overkill but now if I had to go back I would go even heavier on the carpet protection.

I am disappointed with all the marks as I do think I will be touching up paint work for a few hours. I am very tidy and conscientious so it is painful going through this!

I hope it does all work out ok as I need it to have been worth it!

 

[pw75]

Yeah I certainly have given them space and been as unobtrusive as possible so I'm happy or happier at least to trust them.

Hopefully all will work out well.

 

[Riley]

I hope you will be happy

 

[jonnyswamp]

Hope it all turns out great for you and it's what you expect
As for the copper versus plastic debate, if the plumber is altering the layout of the bathroom and has to alter pipe runs under the floor, he may not want to notch joists and prefer to drill through them. As copper can't be threaded easily without adding loads of joints, this may be the better option

 

[PlumbBobBob]

you could mention the paint marks to the boss, he may get them repaired as a gesture of goodwill. I know I would.

 

[pw75]

From what I have seen the pipe repairs have followed the same route but they do go over one of the main joists. I can see copper vs plastic is a bit explosive of a debate! To be honest I just want the pipes secure, no leaks or weeps (especially as they have now put down external marine ply for the floor boards and put the levelling solution down and will now put tiles down today I think).

Unfortunately I am at work today but the boss is sitting down with my partner to work out the new costs and he did indicate (although only verbally) that he would offer me some form of deal/compensation for the distress he knows he has caused. I will ask her to mention about the marks as literally our small spare bedroom is half full of their tools. I wouldn't mind but me being me I would have placed carpet protection down in the centre of the room away from walls for all their tools to go but they have pushed it all against one wall.

Many thanks again for so many responses and the support and suggestions.

 

[pw75]

Just an update, came home yesterday, walked into our bedroom and they have drilled two holes right through from the bathroom to the bedroom! Looks like they were drilling in the boxing in wood and have just drilled too far.

I spoke to the boss and they have confirmed they will repair and make good but yet another mistake that again makes me question their competency.

 

[A1P]

I has been quiet for a few days,hope this is a good sign.Assessing this as a whole ,it has been interesting to have the importance of communication with the customer reinforced.It also demonstrates that even doing checks on a tradesman/company,this one had 3,is not a certain way to get a trouble free,quality job.I hope you have been able to negotiate on the final price as was promised.I still find the raising of the price of materials unacceptable after being agreed.Then there is the matter of how the work was carried out.Even if you are reasonably happy with the final outcome,do not fall soft.It would be interesting to know how it all went.

 

[Radioman]

Further to the above and before you pay the balance. The consumer act changed in Oct 2015, I suggest you bone up on it and make your contractor aware that you are aware of your rights and his liability which now stretches to 6 years not 12 months. On the subject of liability, ask your contractor for a hard copy of his public liability insurance and make sure it covers works carried out by employees and sub contractors, phone the insurance company and make sure it is still valid. To be covered by the contractors insurance they must be on PAYE not self employed. If SE they must each have PLI. Your sparks must be Part P self certifying which means he has the authority to issue a Part P building regulation certificate in his own name or in the name of his company. If he is not then you will need to get local building controls in now before the jobs done. It is a criminal act to work on a wet room without that certificate being issued. Don't be fobbed off, this is serious. Also take photos of the substructure before tiling. All substructure in wet areas must be waterproof. Plaster board and plywood is not enough. It is most important that you understand that the first 30 days and 6 months are very important to your rights.

I have just had to help an acquaintance after a so called bathroom expert ruined their property. They where checktrade etc. Ended up in court and the so called electrician got a suspended sentence.