Advice on dealing with builder

KTJ_2

Hi all,

I wonder if you can give me a bit of advice on how best to approach dealing with my builder when we meet tonight.

Basically his company have been putting in a new bathroom for me (plaster walls, tiling, install new suite etc). The work is finished (as far as he's concerned) and i got the final bill through this morning.

There are items on the bill im not happy with. Firstly, he has charged me extra for things that im 100% sure we agreed would be in the cost when he came around to give me the initial quote. e.g. fitting towel rail, lights etc.

We had no flooring and I said to him that I would get some cheap carpet from B&Q. He said one of his guys would fit it for me. Now I assumed (probably naively) that this would be for free. It came up on the bill as £40 for fitting. Now before I saw this I was going to complain anyway as the fitting is bloody awful and im going to have to pay to replace it (im getting the whole house carpetted so i'll have to pay a bit more to get the bathroom done at the same time).

Also, when we told him we couldn't find the bath panel we wanted from B&Q, he said "no worries, I'll get you one". At the eleventh hour he said, he couldnt get one but "no worries, we'll make you one". I thought this again would be free otherwise I wouildnt have agreed). It came up as £78 for panel and fitting. It doesnt even look good and if I knew he was going to charge that i would have bought one from another shop.

Lastly, the job isnt really finished. Corners have been cut with sloppy finishing, the tile is cracked where they have fitted the shower screen, door fittings havent been put it, cracks in the walls where the plaster has shifted.

I rang him and asked him to come around to the house tonight so we could talk face to face. I'm absolutely useless with confrontation and am dreading it. How do I deal with him. Do I have a right to not pay him unless the things im unhappy with are put right. One problem may be that its cash in hand. I'm not sure whether this waives any rights I have?

I'm thinking that if I wanted a half arsed job I could have done it myself.

Troubleatmill_2

Having been through a similar experience.

Make an itinerary of all the things you are not happy with.
And calmly and rationally go through each of them one at a time.

Also - do you have a written agreement of what the work would entail and what the cost would be.


You could get a quote from a second builder to fix all the things that are wrong. Then you could offer to pay your first builder his amount minues the amount needed to get everything put right by the second builder.

If he threatens to take you to the small claims court - have the quote from the second builder to hand.


Again - keep the high ground, keep calm - even if he is losing his rag
Mentally count to 10 before opening your mouth.

Remember - you still have the cash in your pocket
Cash in hand isn't an issue - it is his responsibility to declare his earnings on his tax form - not you.

Above all - be assertive - do not get bullied or walked on.

Good luck with your discussions.

Alan50

Make a (snag) list of the improvements/repairs that you require.
Offer the builder the final payment less an approximate value of the above. He may decide to complete the repairs or knock an amount of the final cost to close the job off.
If he has made electrical improvement/alterations within a bathroon, this should be covered by an Electrical installation certificate (Building regulations part P) by a competent person, otherwise he is breaking the law and your insurance could be invaled in the event of shock/fire

Alan

Consult a NICEIC (Domestic Electrical Installer)
veiw: https://www.NICEIC.com

kathyd_2

Can I ask why you assumed he would fit the carpet for free and make a bath panel for free? If he misled you then tell him so, but in my experience builders do 'owt for nowt' but then I suppose, why should they? My BIL is a builder and I have to pay him for everything and it has caused some friction when I've not been happy with his work, I can tell you.

Avoriaz

Your builder appears to be an unprofessional cowboy. He is doing shoddy work for cash in hand. Is he a reasonable person or do you think he will turn aggressive and bullying?

If you are uncomfortable with confrontational situations you need help and support. My advice is to have a third party present when you meet him tonight. Do you have a good friend or relative, or maybe a work colleague who has experience of dealing with difficult situations and is capable of acting in a calm and reasonable but assertive manner. You don’t want someone who will be aggressive and just shout and rant at the builder. You need someone who will not allow himself or herself to be bullied and will remain clam and reasonable even under provocation.

Calm assertiveness and not aggression is required.

If you cannot get someone there tonight, reschedule the meeting with the builder until you can have someone there.

Tom_Jones

Sorry KTJ but would you work for free ? you have no comeback on the fitting of the carpet or the bath panel, you agreed for the work to be carried out. Personally yourself and the builder should have put the extra jobs in writing, but it's a verbal contract. Regarding the other snags then you have every right to have them put right.

BTW Avoriaz how can you say the builder is an 'unprofessional cowboy' have you seen the work ? and where does it mention he's working for 'cash in hand ? The items mentioned are minor snags and will no doubt be sorted out, and after all it appears that KTJ has not paid for the work as yet, doesn't sound like a 'cowboy builder' to me who gets the money upfront and then doesn't finish the job.

bob_a_builder

and where does it mention he's working for 'cash in hand ?

er.. in the original post ...

"One problem may be that its cash in hand. I'm not sure whether this waives any rights I have?"

KTJ_2

thanks guys.

Its worth mentioning that the guy who is coming around tonight is the boss so he hasnt actually seen the work his guys have done. In the main the work has been been very good but I think as it was finished in the week leading up to christmas, the guys were cutting corners.

I know I was stupid to expect the flooring and panel to be done for free but even so, the carpet fitting is terrible and the panel doesnt look that great.

I guess its all about coming to some sort of compromise...wish me luck!

Chas

My advice would be to state your case, see what the builder says & take it from there.

Why would anyone work for free? Would you?

Why are all builders assumed to be cowboys?

Are you going to pay him for his time in coming round tonight to discuss the problems?

Can you guess I'm married to a builder?

Tom_Jones

Well I know I wear glasses, but I can't see the cash in hand bit ?

Good post above BTW Chas

the_geary

Tom_Jones wrote:

Well I know I wear glasses, but I can't see the cash in hand bit ?

I rang him and asked him to come around to the house tonight so we could talk face to face. I'm absolutely useless with confrontation and am dreading it. How do I deal with him. Do I have a right to not pay him unless the things im unhappy with are put right. One problem may be that its cash in hand. I'm not sure whether this waives any rights I have?

It's right at the end, HTH