New Conservatory Damp & Mould Spots

Pixarstem

Can anyone please give me some advice?

My elderly neighbours (late 80s) used up their life savings to have their old conservatory demolished and a new one built in November 2010.

They asked for my help a few days ago when they found that the floor of their new conservatory was very wet under the mat up to approximately 15” in to the conservatory and mould has appeared on the plastered walls. In addition, the bricks of the exterior were also wet at ground level. They had unsuccessfully tried to contact the builder for over a week.

I did manage to contact the builder this morning who quite aggressively told me that he would not accept responsibility as he had advised my neighbours to have a new concrete base but to save costs they wanted the builder use the original concrete base. He did not tell them though the consequences of what might happen if he built directly onto the original base. He said that the 10 year guarantee he gave them only covered the building and not the base.

I am prepared to take any action necessary on my neighbours behalf to get this rectified but have they lost their rights? Can I argue that the conservatory is ‘not fit for the purpose’? Is it worth involving Trading Standars?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as my poor neighbours who are very vulnerable are beside themselves with worry and I am concerned about their well being.

slummymummyof3

Is iot adequately heated and ventilated? ???Condensation

Pixarstem

Hi,
They have always kept the windows slightly open but it is not heated. It is much worse after it rains. I have set them up with a dehumidifier though.
When they could not reach their builder I asked a professional builder friend of mine to take a look to advise what could be done. He thinks that the water is seeping into the cavity through the mortar and has nowhere to escape other than into the conservatory. He thinks it will need to be a major repair job. Problem is that if their builder refuses to accept responsibility, they simply cannot affords to get it repaired.

slummymummyof3

Is there a visible dpc? Is the ground outside bridging it?

Pixarstem

No there is no visible dpc. Thier builder admitted when I spoke to him today that the original base that he has built on did not have dpc. My neighbours were not made to understand the problems that could arise by the builder using the old base.