Building work extras on final bill

albatoph

We have received a builders bill with significant extras added and i don't know if this is fair or not.
We had a new bathroom installed and as part of this had some stud walls moved around to install a new shower. Amongst other items the following appear on our quote which begins with "our quotation is as follows".
Make alterations to allow for a shower tray to be installed
Disconnect the existing fittings and make alterations for the new layout
Connect the new fittings to the supplies from hot, cold and waste pipe work

During the course of the work (after all the walls had been rearranged to make way for shower) the plumber realised there wasn't enough drop for the shower waste to connect with everything else. The only way to fix this was to take the plumbing down into the room below and through a thick wall to join the waste pipe on the ground floor. This did add a significant amount of time onto the job.

We have now received our final bill with over £1000 of extra plumbing added.

My feeling is that they should have adequately assessed the job prior to quoting. Is this correct or is it right that I now pay extra?

Thanks for any help, this is the first time we've had any significant work done and feeling a bit clueless.

Alter_ego

I would talk to them, perhaps point out that connecting the waste was already quoted for. Try to reach a fair arrangement.

neilmcl

A quote at the end of the day is an estimate. Sometimes jobs take a different turn and involve extra work which can be unforeseen even to the best of tradesmen, so I think it's fair that you should have to pay extra for this, whether £1000 is a fair amount depends on just how much work was involved.

neilmcl

Alter_ego wrote: »

I would talk to them, perhaps point out that connecting the waste was already quoted for. Try to reach a fair arrangement.

I don't agree with this. Yes connecting the waste was part of the job, however until the bathroom had been ripped out it wouldn't necessarily be apparent that the only way to do this was moving the plumbing into the room below and out through the ground floor. Like I said, this is an exceptional and unforeseen complication and it's only fair for the OP to have to pay for.

albatoph

Thanks for the advice. I actually think if a plumber had looked at it and thought it through it would have been apparent at the beginning. However, the quote was done by the builder who subcontracted to plumber.

neilmcl

Just go back to the builder and explain that you think the extra amount charge seems excessive, given the amount of work involved. Get him to justify the cost and explain why this work wasn't apparent from the outset. You may be able to come to some sort of compromise.

pinkshoes

albatoph wrote: »

Thanks for the advice. I actually think if a plumber had looked at it and thought it through it would have been apparent at the beginning. However, the quote was done by the builder who subcontracted to plumber.

Either way, the work would still need doing...

Are you saying that if the quote was higher initially to cover this work, you would not have bothered having the bathroom done?

m0bov

neilmcl wrote: »

A quote at the end of the day is an estimate. Sometimes jobs take a different turn and involve extra work which can be unforeseen even to the best of tradesmen, so I think it's fair that you should have to pay extra for this, whether £1000 is a fair amount depends on just how much work was involved.

Not so sure on that. A quote is a quote and an estimate is just that. Might be worth speaking with CAB.

DoaM

neilmcl wrote: »

A quote at the end of the day is an estimate.

No it's not. A quote is a quote for the job, subject to the T&Cs attached to the quote. If the quote's T&Cs don't give leeway for the trader to vary the price then tough.

If they do, then OP may have to "suck it up" ... unless there was no information provided as to how the price would vary prior to the additional works commencing. The trader can't just magic up a number at the end and compel the OP to pay it - there needs to be agreement on how that number was reached.

unholyangel

If I'm understanding the OP right, it sounds like they have made a mistake.

Ive just had 2 quotes for a new bathroom not long ago and both of them pointed out that the pipes would need shifted as the shower tray needs to be higher than the waste pipe in order for it to drain and that their usual way of doing that would be to take it under the floor.

So if that is what OP is describing, it seems that it should have been picked up on.

CardinalWolsey

The additional plumbing work should have been a variation to the original quote. Did the builder and/or plumber talk to you about the additional work required, giving an indication of cost, and gaining your approval to proceed? You may also need to refer to the original T&C's of your contract with your builder as to how variations would be handled.