Nightmare builder, what are my options?

PaulJM

Hello all,

I'm usually pretty good at hiring contractors to do work on my house, but I feel I've made a number of mistakes with this one, and would like advice.

In the storms a couple of months go, the roof got blown off my asbestos garage, so I set about getting it taken down and replaced. I settled in a good business that were registered and removed it well (but expensive) and ordered a new one off them, which was meant to come a week after dismantle. However the guys who took it down found the base not quite good enough, with a tree root pulling the old one up, so recommended it was raised and renewed. They weren't able to do that within 2 months, so postponed the new garage. I have no complaints about their service.

In a hurry, I set about getting someone to dig the tree up and sort the base out. I (stupidly now I think) took to Facebook recommendations page to find someone, and got what I thought was a good recommendation. Some builders came, and out of 3, only one quoted. He seemed decent and i agreed for him to do it. He asked for some of the material costs, and I gave him them (a lot of concrete!) as he was a sole trader.

He kind of sent another guy to wrestle the tree on Monday and since then has made up excuses every day about not being able to get concrete and his suppliers letting him down.

On Thursday, he came at 1pm, and decided he'd get it all from b&q! So because he had a small van, he made about 7 trips there to get the stuff, and kind of half laid a base. He didn't finish it but it's probably a couple of hours away, with another agreed tree needing removal, a drainage channel dug, and the turf that he removed replacing (there's a massive trench) , and the whole side of my house full of empty bags and rubble and bits of trees.

He's promised all week he'd have it done. Yesterday he said he'd "swear on his kids life" he'd get it done on Friday, but never turned up.

My issue is that I can't now use my garden because of the trench and rubble (I have a 3 year old), I have turf drying out, and an electrician who can't come for a couple of weeks now, stuff in storage, and a new garage coming a week on Monday, which if I postpone again will charge again for delivery and installation and I'll go to the back of the queue delivery wise.

So I need to make decisions as to whether I get someone else to finish it this week?
Two idiotic decisions of mine - when I looked at the FB recommendation, it was his girlfriend (arg!) and also any agreement I made was on WhatsApp, I did manage to get him to supply an email with the deposit on it stated.

Debbie_Savard

Cut your loses .

PaulJM

You mean cancel him and get someone else
?

Furts

Give the chap some days next week to see if he returns. But also do a reality check. You deep down know this chap was not competent. So why would you want him back sorting a "drainage trench"? If pipes are to be laid in this then two options arise - bang them in no questions asked and hide them, or go for Buildings Regulations. If the latter is your chap competent? But also are you competent - the Regulations are your responsibility.

It seems like you drew up no Specification, and my intuition is you are operating way outside the law. Think of your responsibility under the CDM Regulations and if anything goes wrong with your works you could end up in Court and prosecuted. I doubt you discussed this, I doubt you have a Risk Analysis, I doubt you have a Method Statement.

Now come onto the works - it is only a garage base but if you intend to use the new garage for vehicles, or as some form of hobby or garden room then face another reality check. It is likely your work has been bodged and needs doing again.

It is likely your impatience has cost you in more ways than you might have imagined. Come to an arrangement with your man and get somebody competent to check, correct and finish everything.

PaulJM

Furts wrote: »

Give the chap some days next week to see if he returns. But also do a reality check. You deep down know this chap was not competent. So why would you want him back sorting a "drainage trench"? If pipes are to be laid in this then two options arise - bang them in no questions asked and hide them, or go for Buildings Regulations. If the latter is your chap competent? But also are you competent - the Regulations are your responsibility.

It seems like you drew up no Specification, and my intuition is you are operating way outside the law. Think of your responsibility under the CDM Regulations and if anything goes wrong with your works you could end up in Court and prosecuted. I doubt you discussed this, I doubt you have a Risk Analysis, I doubt you have a Method Statement.

Now come onto the works - it is only a garage base but if you intend to use the new garage for vehicles, or as some form of hobby or garden room then face another reality check. It is likely your work has been bodged and needs doing again.

It is likely your impatience has cost you in more ways than you might have imagined. Come to an arrangement with your man and get somebody competent to check, correct and finish everything.

Whilst I appreciate your advice, I think you've misunderstood this. There was a current delapidated 1950s garage. I'm replacing it with a slightly smaller garage. No cars, nothing new. The drainage is because it floods with rain water. It's a small trench around the side, it's not a difficult job.

He hasn't turned up, so I can't come to an arrangement. I haven't been impatient. I started this with 6 weeks until my new garage was to be installed. If they can't get access to site, then they will abort the delivery and charge me again, so I'm not sure waiting for this guy who promises to come and doesn't is a good idea

Doozergirl

Oh dear. How much have you paid? Please tell me you've still got plenty left to pay him.

I don't think you're going to find anyone this week. That's part of the reason you're in the situation, I suspect. Anybody good is going to have far more than a week's work laid on. Like your garage people. Think about it. How happy would you be if you only had work until Wednesday? That's an existance, not a life. If you have responsibilities, you'd have actively saught the work out.

Sole traders can have credit accounts too, with multiple different merchants. There is zero reason to pay upfront for something as cheap as concrete. Even B&Q deliver, no one needs to do multiple runs back and forward if they actually organise themselves. Merchants usually needs a couple of days notice for a delivery, but it saves an awful lot of labour moving things. You pay for that labour.

You can also have a great big concrete mixer on wheels come to the house with ready mix and pour for you. It's very simple, much quickler than mixing (should be cheaper than the labour to mix on site, really), would be poured within an hour and you can pay them there and then.

It all sounds like a bit of a mess. I hope he's actually doing it correctly. You can shutter off and pour again on another day but it sounds odd to still have trees that need to come out. There's a a respectable order to do things in.

Did the garage people tell you what the base should be like? Depths etc? Is he working to that?

The desire to do a job well and in a timely manner is lacking in this person, so the only thing he'll respond to is money. Withold it until the job is complete, reiterate the timescales.

I'm only saying that because you will walk straight into someone else's hand if you try and get anyone else this week. No one decent is free.

Otherwise you delay your shed delivery, which is probably the right thing to do. I don't see how they can charge for missed installation if you give a week's notice. The building industry rarely runs like clockwork (although it does run a little better than your man!)

Furts

PaulJM wrote: »

Whilst I appreciate your advice, I think you've misunderstood this. There was a current delapidated 1950s garage. I'm replacing it with a slightly smaller garage. No cars, nothing new. The drainage is because it floods with rain water. It's a small trench around the side, it's not a difficult job.

He hasn't turned up, so I can't come to an arrangement. I haven't been impatient. I started this with 6 weeks until my new garage was to be installed. If they can't get access to site, then they will abort the delivery and charge me again, so I'm not sure waiting for this guy who promises to come and doesn't is a good idea

It is "not a difficult job". That misses the point - where is your due diligence, where is your desire to manage, inspect and face up to your responsibilities as a client and also your legal duties? Where is your desire to have the job done properly? Your post comes across as saying you gave this chap a free hand to bodge to his hearts content. That is fine by me, everybody works in different ways. However you cannot now complain because things have gone wrong. I reiterate you need to come to an arrangement with this chap then get somebody competent to sort out matters.

You may dispute the coming to an arrangement notion, but remember you have engaged this chap. If he is owed money and you do not pay this then he is still a near neighbour of yours. You have to consider what his retribution might be. He make not be aware of his lack of competence, he may be brilliant but need guidance,and he may work perfectly if properly manged. It is clear you have fallen flat down on some of these scenarios. End result ... an all round bad job.

PaulJM

Furts wrote: »

It is "not a difficult job". That misses the point - where is your due diligence, where is your desire to manage, inspect and face up to your responsibilities as a client and also your legal duties? Where is your desire to have the job done properly? Your post comes across as saying you gave this chap a free hand to bodge to his hearts content. That is fine by me, everybody works in different ways. However you cannot now complain because things have gone wrong. I reiterate you need to come to an arrangement with this chap then get somebody competent to sort out matters.

You may dispute the coming to an arrangement notion, but remember you have engaged this chap. If he is owed money and you do not pay this then he is still a near neighbour of yours. You have to consider what his retribution might be. He make not be aware of his lack of competence, he may be brilliant but need guidance,and he may work perfectly if properly manged. It is clear you have fallen flat down on some of these scenarios. End result ... an all round bad job.

Hi, you know I wrote this for help, and your headteacherly preaching, when I've admit I've messed up, is in no way helping my situation?
I don't need telling the many ways I !!!!!!ed this one, so it's best that if you can't answer my initial question, you don't use your precious time up being sanctimonious.

PaulJM

Doozergirl wrote: »

Oh dear. How much have you paid? Please tell me you've still got plenty left to pay him.

I don't think you're going to find anyone this week. That's part of the reason you're in the situation, I suspect. Anybody good is going to have far more than a week's work laid on. Like your garage people. Think about it. How happy would you be if you only had work until Wednesday? That's an existance, not a life. If you have responsibilities, you'd have actively saught the work out.

Sole traders can have credit accounts too, with multiple different merchants. There is zero reason to pay upfront for something as cheap as concrete. Even B&Q deliver, no one needs to do multiple runs back and forward if they actually organise themselves. Merchants usually needs a couple of days notice for a delivery, but it saves an awful lot of labour moving things. You pay for that labour.

You can also have a great big concrete mixer on wheels come to the house with ready mix and pour for you. It's very simple, much quickler than mixing (should be cheaper than the labour to mix on site, really), would be poured within an hour and you can pay them there and then.

It all sounds like a bit of a mess. I hope he's actually doing it correctly. You can shutter off and pour again on another day but it sounds odd to still have trees that need to come out. There's a a respectable order to do things in.

Did the garage people tell you what the base should be like? Depths etc? Is he working to that?

The desire to do a job well and in a timely manner is lacking in this person, so the only thing he'll respond to is money. Withold it until the job is complete, reiterate the timescales.

I'm only saying that because you will walk straight into someone else's hand if you try and get anyone else this week. No one decent is free.

Otherwise you delay your shed delivery, which is probably the right thing to do. I don't see how they can charge for missed installation if you give a week's notice. The building industry rarely runs like clockwork (although it does run a little better than your man!)

Thanks for the positive help here!

Yes, they told us what they wanted, and I think I've got that depth.

I asked a number of people to quote me and he was the only one that turned up and gave a quote.. Which is the state of trying to get trade people now.

Aylesbury_Duck

PaulJM wrote: »

Hi, you know I wrote this for help, and your headteacherly preaching, when I've admit I've messed up, is in no way helping my situation?
I don't need telling the many ways I !!!!!!ed this one, so it's best that if you can't answer my initial question, you don't use your precious time up being sanctimonious.

You did get an answer to your initial question:

Delay the delivery of the new garage.
Come to an arrangement with the contractor you hired.
Seek a competent contractor to undo/re-do/finish what's been done.

You might not like the rest of what Furts has said, but it gives context to the recommendations s/he makes because it explains how you ended up in this situation and sets out how you contract and manage the replacement contractor. It's also useful information for other people contemplating the same sort of thing, so I'm sure the message wasn't intended solely for you. It is a public forum, after all.

PaulJM

Aylesbury_Duck wrote: »

You did get an answer to your initial question:

Delay the delivery of the new garage.
Come to an arrangement with the contractor you hired.
Seek a competent contractor to undo/re-do/finish what's been done.

You might not like the rest of what Furts has said, but it gives context to the recommendations s/he makes because it explains how you ended up in this situation and sets out how you contract and manage the replacement contractor. It's also useful information for other people contemplating the same sort of thing, so I'm sure the message wasn't intended solely for you. It is a public forum, after all.

He's kicking at someone when they're anxious about a situation and came for help. I'm aware, and made clear that I'd messed it up, I didn't need telling.

I'm going to delete this shortly due to this kind of sanctimonious reply you get here sometimes, but thanks to the guys above who managed to phrase something without lecturing.