How do you deal with builder overcharging?

mutley74

We are getting our garage refurbished and decided to ahead with a new concrete flooring (old one had no damp proof).

We rtold builder the height etc and he gave us a fixed price.
Now he had to order more concrete than was expected, and said to the family member keeping watch for me that its going to cost double plus charge for damp proof sheet.
When he gave us the quote he said £250 was for all material.

But he now could want more. Not spoke to him yet but tomorrow he wants to get paid for last weeks work.

What would you do if your builder wants more?
options i see it are:
-pay it
-agree to pay with a discount/reduction
-refuse

(if i go with latter option some people have said some builders get moody and could walk away from the job unfinished or even make verbal threats!)
help please

bryanb

Was it a written quote?

mutley74

bryanb wrote: »

Was it a written quote?

written but not on his letter head (doh)

27col

Why would you want a DPC in the floor of a garage. None of the four garages that I have built over the years had a DPC. Except when I converted one of them into a flat for my son. Even then, there had never been any sign of damp in the floor.
I also have a large workshop and a large garden tool store and neither of them has a DPC in the floor. No damp either.

mutley74

27col wrote: »

Why would you want a DPC in the floor of a garage. None of the four garages that I have built over the years had a DPC. Except when I converted one of them into a flat for my son. Even then, there had never been any sign of damp in the floor.
I also have a large workshop and a large garden tool store and neither of them has a DPC in the floor. No damp either.

previous foundation was not very deep, and we used to get wet/damp patches throughout. Part of garage was converted in a utility room and again we got damp right thro over the years.

ewcs

A quoted priced is a final price for all works to be done, no additional monies should be paid to your builder if 1) He came out and viewed the job and 2) Did not put in the original quote any additional costs that may arise.
If he has under ordered on materials and not costed the job properly then he loses out not you.
I won`t pay a penny extra unless agreed before job started.

latecomer

If you chnage something then he has the right to charge for it. If he's underestimated the materials required then its his problem.

iamcornholio

It matters not if written or verbal, a fixed quote is a fixed quote.

You rely on the builder calculating his material quantities and prices properly and giving you a price for his work. The builder does not rely on the customer being a charity for making up his shortfall due to bad calculating

Now, underestimating by a small amount on a large job is possible, or normal even, but not on a small garage. What is it 5x2.7x0.1 for the floor slab? If he can't measure that then its just incompetence.

Tell him to do one. You budgeted for his price and relied on it being accurate, you may be prepared to have helped out with a slight increase but not a 100% increase

25rts

Dear mutley74,

I agree with the comments of ewcs and latecomer.

I am sorry the following suggestion is too late for you, but anybody else with a damp floor (ground not basement) may wish to look at a product called EFC which stands for Epoxy Floor Coating which is waterproof and resistant to mechanical abrasion and can be applied with a roller to damp floors. It is not particulary cheap but certainly cheaper than excavation and re-laying of a floor slab to incorpoate a DPM


Keith

mutley74

thanks for replies. i reckon he has only used about 1.5 to 2 m3 of concrete. What is the price of concrete ready mix per m3 if anyone knows please?

macman

OP, the only justification for increasing the charge would be if the slab had to be deeper for some reason that he could not have known before digging out the old floor. Is this the case? If not, then since he knew the area of the garage, he simply had to multiply by the depth of the slab to get the volume of concrete required. If he can't multiply 3 figures together correctly that is really not your problem. And what is his justification for not including the cost of the membrane in the original quote?
He is either incompetent, or just trying it on.