Advice on poor workmanship - chimney removal / roof issues

retro1981

I had chimney breast and stack removal in January 2016. A leak started shortly after, from roof into attic then bedroom, and the builder replaced some broken tiles his ladders had hit. It has since leaked so we got a surveyor and different builders out. They claim a large amount of work needs done at a cost slightly higher than the original job cost us.

Unfortunately i was not in a great frame of mind at the time, I paid cash and received no paperwork. I just have text messages. So suing the builder not a likely choice. I messaged the original builder this morning and am shocked that he has been replying. Hes claiming he will fix matters and that the new quote I have receiced seems absurd (new company is my friends dad).

New builder can do the work whilst we are away next week, unsure when old builder will do it and i certainly do not want him in house when we are not there, but at the same time we are unlikely to live in house whilst the work is being completed.

For some reason, council building control signed it off, and the new builder wants to show them how poor the work was, when they expose via my bedroom ceiling.

I just dont know what to do or where i stand? Any advice appreciated.

dominoman

Give the original guy a chance to put it right. No need to spend good money if he's cooperating and willing to fix it.

It may be that the work that needs doing (according to the new surveyor) isn't all due to bad workmanship. There may have been existing problems that were not fixed.

retro1981

Thanks for your response. It's all new materials in the area where the chimney breast and stack existed, so definitely not an old problem. Someone from the original building company is supposedly due to call to the house this eve or tomorrow so I will wait and see. Building control have also been informed and are due to call me back.

Furts

I do not know the Building Control procedure in NI. In England their involvement would mean you had applied for Buildings Regulations for the work to be undertaken. This is the role of the home owner and would require calculations and drawings. All this puts the onus on the home owner to control and monitor matters, and also inspect the work.

It is not the role of Building Control to Project Manage nor to quality control every aspect of matters.

Hence by calling back Building Control it is debatable what this will achieve. The response may be on the defensive, so this will not get you far. The response may be "I have seen such work every day of my life - it is, unfortunately, normal" The response may be "This is a classic example of the home owner failing in their duties".

Hence get the original builder to sort out matters and do not go down the route with the new builder. Why this builder would want to rub Building Control's nose in matters is one for you to ponder over.

Equally you say you have involved a surveyor - what is their role in all this?

retro1981

Building control are meant to inspect the works whilst they are being done and on completion. They have the authority to ask a builder to strip something back to inspect, if needs be. The issues with the roof are clearly visible now and would have been when the work was completed so the council, which I paid in order to provide a service, failed to do this properly. They rang me back this morning and inspected the roof and attic a few hours later. The original builder also called out and is due to do the work next week. Fingers crossed! The council also wish to inspect the work.

I feel a tad more positive and even the council were shocked that the builder has been communicating!

phil24_7

It could simply be an error or a misunderstanding. It could equally be corner cutting or incompetence.

Building control, sadly, quite often 'trust' builders to do what they say they will and don't inspect 'everything' that they should.

Furts

phil24_7 wrote: »

It could simply be an error or a misunderstanding. It could equally be corner cutting or incompetence.

Building control, sadly, quite often 'trust' builders to do what they say they will and don't inspect 'everything' that they should.

Equally the homeowner does not request the inspection, and does not notify when the work is complete.

Roofing is notorious - pay cash with no receipt just as OP has done. Work is often undertaken off ladders, or by standing, or sitting, on the roof tiles. Contractor then does a runner. The Building Inspector has little, or no, opportunity to check the work, and has no access to do so.

Add to this the shortage of staff, cutbacks, and low costs to submit Buildings Regulations and the Inspector becomes an easy target for consumers who are not prepared to face up to their responsibilities regarding their homes.