Building Material Delivery - Is This Usual?

pathsofdarkness

We're having external solid wall insulation (using the Wetherby Building System) done through the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund. We've contracted an approved company to do the work and they organised for materials to be delivered today.

Delivery 1: Guy parks in front of our back-garden gates and unloads the materials. He puts about a third of the material in the back-garden and the rest he leaves against our outside fence on on the side of the road.

He then tells me he's going as it's taking too long. He said this is standard practice and he's only doing what his boss told him. So I've just spent an hour lifting and carrying 117 bags, each weighting 25kg. My back is killing me now.

Delivery 2: 29 packs of polystyrene. Guy came, put them on the side of our fence and said that he wouldn't put them in the front garden as his articulated truck was blocking the road. I didn't have a choice and so I put them in my garden, took about 20 minutes (they were light, just awkward to carry).

I've complained to the company we contracted and they've apologised. They say that the delivery people should have put the materials in the back garden and will raise a complaint with Weatherby.

This is the first time I've ever had building work done. What's the correct way to react in these situations? I was made to feel like I was being awkward by the delivery men which wasn't at all my intention and this was my first experience of building works I figured that possibly maybe my assumptions were incorrect.

My assumption was if a company is paid to deliver goods, then they should deliver them onto the grounds of the property not leave it for me to do.

I don't have any experience in this so I'm just wondering what the correct response from me should have been?

younghomeowner_2

If you had to sign for the delivery you should shave refused to sign until they put them in the garden.
If they don't comply, don't sign, then if the material gets stolen its their fault not yours.
Once you sign, its your responsibility that the items are securely put away.

cyclonebri1

pathsofdarkness wrote: »

My assumption was if a company is paid to deliver goods, then they should deliver them onto the grounds of the property not leave it for me to do.

I don't have any experience in this so I'm just wondering what the correct response from me should have been?

You assumed wrong. The deal is always that they will deliver to the kerbside. If you are there and can give a hand AND has a friendly del guy, you may get them pulled up the drive.

You need to check the small print chap.

Southend1

Shouldn't the company doing the work be present to take delivery of their materials?

cyclonebri1

younghomeowner wrote: »

If you had to sign for the delivery you should shave refused to sign until they put them in the garden.
If they don't comply, don't sign, then if the material gets stolen its their fault not yours.
Once you sign, its your responsibility that the items are securely put away.

Total rubbish, read the small print and take it into the factor, this is a kerbside delivery, they all are unless prior arranged./:iloveyou:



"This is the first time I've ever had building work done. What's the correct way to react in these situations?"

live and learn, they deliver to site, they don't do the donkey work, sorry.

pathsofdarkness

younghomeowner wrote: »

If you had to sign for the delivery you should shave refused to sign until they put them in the garden.
If they don't comply, don't sign, then if the material gets stolen its their fault not yours.
Once you sign, its your responsibility that the items are securely put away.

To be honest, that didn't even occur to me.

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

You assumed wrong. The deal is always that they will deliver to the kerbside. If you are there and can give a hand AND has a friendly del guy, you may get them pulled up the drive.

You need to check the small print chap.

I contracted a Building company to do the insulation. They contracted a suplier to deliver the goods. There's nothing in the building companies terms and conditions sent to me about "kerbside". Based on your comments I presume it's in the T&C's sent to the builder which I've not seen.

However, I'll accept that my assumption was incorrect in terms of standard practice; as I said, this is all new to me. If there were an option to ensure they delivered into the garden I'd've been willing to pay a little extra. The building company I'm using said that the supplier always puts it into the garden so they were surprised too (my back garden has a two large gates which open to the road, amd where we sometimes park the car, so it's very convenient to put pallets onto).

Southend1 wrote: »

Shouldn't the company doing the work be present to take delivery of their materials?

They said that they won't be onsite until the materials are delivered. That seems fair enough to me as otherwise the builders would just be sitting around doing nothing I suppose. There workers will be here tomorrow now that the materials have arrived.

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

"This is the first time I've ever had building work done. What's the correct way to react in these situations?"

live and learn, they deliver to site, they don't do the donkey work, sorry.

I honestly wasn't aware of that. But I'll take it as a learning experience. I do wonder what happens when the person taking delivery has mobility issues.

societys_child

He puts about a third of the material in the back-garden and the rest he leaves against our outside fence on on the side of the road.

So I've just spent an hour lifting and carrying 117 bags, each weighting 25kg. My back is killing me now.

Wonder what the drivers back would have been like if he'd done all the lot on his own.

Delivery 2: 29 packs of polystyrene. Guy came, put them on the side of our fence and said that he wouldn't put them in the front garden as his articulated truck was blocking the road. I didn't have a choice and so I put them in my garden, took about 20 minutes

Didn't you help with the off loading? Expect both drivers were pretty pee'd off . . .

pathsofdarkness

societys_child wrote: »

Wonder what the drivers back would have been like if he'd done all the lot on his own.

Well, he had a pallet to put the bags onto and then a device to help move the pallet itself into the drive in our back garden. That probably helped. Then again he still had to get the bags off his truck in the first place so I'm sure his back ended up hurting too.

I assumed he had another guy to help him. It was only when he said he was leaving that I realised it was only him offloading.

societys_child wrote: »

Didn't you help with the off loading? Expect both drivers were pretty pee'd off . . .

I didn't know I was meant to as I assumed this was his job. I was working from home and dealing with several deadlines so it's not like I was lounging around and relaxing.

Had I known that I was supposed to help, I would have arranged things so that I could help each individual offload.

27col

When I built my house the deliveries were always to kerbside. No question of anything else. Although stuff that came on a Hiab(crane lorry), was hoisted over the wall if the reach of the crane was long enough.
When I built my first house in pre Hiab days. I had to unload 8000 bricks by hand. I was absolutely knackered and just about to change and go back to work. When there was a knock on the door of the shed and voice saying "I've got 5000 bricks here for you, Boss". I will never forget that day. The first pint did not touch the sids on the way down.

A.Penny.Saved

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

Total rubbish, read the small print and take it into the factor, this is a kerbside delivery, they all are unless prior arranged./:iloveyou:



"This is the first time I've ever had building work done. What's the correct way to react in these situations?"

live and learn, they deliver to site, they don't do the donkey work, sorry.

The company doing the work should ensure that the materials are in a suitable location or they should instruct and pay for if necessary, the delivery company to do it. It is not the responsibility of the person having the work done to move building materials IMO.

However when I purchased building materials, it is my responsibility to ensure that the materials are where they should be, ie off the road and not blocking any properties. He was not the person purchasing the materials so I do not think that he has any responsibility for them and certainly no requirement to shift them himself. Would an elderly lady be expected to move 25Kg bags? I do not think so and neither should the homeowner if he did not purchase the materials. It is the company doing the work who should of taken care of this and not the homeowner IMO. While people stand for this they will continue to try and get away with it.

Southend1

A.Penny.Saved wrote: »

The company doing the work should ensure that the materials are in a suitable location or they should instruct and pay for if necessary, the delivery company to do it. It is not the responsibility of the person having the work done to move building materials IMO.

However when I purchased building materials, it is my responsibility to ensure that the materials are where they should be, ie off the road and not blocking any properties. He was not the person purchasing the materials so I do not think that he has any responsibility for them and certainly no requirement to shift them himself. Would an elderly lady be expected to move 25Kg bags? I do not think so and neither should the homeowner if he did not purchase the materials. It is the company doing the work who should of taken care of this and not the homeowner IMO. While people stand for this they will continue to try and get away with it.

I agree with you, it shouldn't have been left to OP to move the materials