Advice from a plumber please

JayneGresford

Hi...We have had our bathroom refitted and we are wondering if the plumber has done a good job, the company have been out to see the work after I put my concerns in writing, but it would be really helpful if some plumbers could give me some expert advice please. Concerns are fitting of vanity unit and toilet with poor pipe work. I thought the pipes should not be inside the unit and the toilet should be sitting square on the wall and a little closer to the wall. Many thanks Jayne

FreeBear

If there is what is called a "service void" (a gap between the back panel and wall), then that is where the pipes should be routed - Just like your kitchen. But there does need to be access to the trap from the sink and the isolation valves. Assuming you do have a service void, credit to the plumber - He has done probably the worst job of pipe fitting that I have seen. It is an absolute disgrace, and shows a complete lack of care in marking out & cutting holes in the right place.

Edit - From one of the other images, I can see that there does indeed appear to be a service void - That is where the pipes should be located.....

As for the cistern, that last shot says it all - The screws are suppose to secure the cistern to the wall, no gaps, no spacers. The screw in the last shot is just providing moral support for the poor little spacer, and nothing else.

JayneGresford

Thank you so much for your advice, really appreciate it as the company have visited and plan to ask other plumber if it is a satisfactory job and if they say it is the company will say I’m being picky! They said we need to come to and agreement on what they feel is acceptable standard and what I do, which is difficult when I’m not an expert in this area. I have had a report from a plumber who said exactly the same as you, but they have turned around and said that trades will say it’s a poor job to get the work. I’m at a loss with them! Thank you again 

FreeBear

You are paying (I assume) a considerable amount for this bathroom refit. It is only right to expect a good standard of workmanship. This falls well short of being acceptable, and you are not being "picky" at all. If the company concerned refuses to make amends, name & shame.

Hopefully, you haven't paid in full yet, so you still have some bargaining chips.

JayneGresford

They have unfortunately had £6000 off us, the job was £8000 as they were supposed to do the cloakroom to, but we have stopped them doing that with the problems we are finding in the bathroom 😔

markin

The sink pipes could be boxed in but you wont really see them once you put stuff on the shelves, The elbow could have been chrome or you just paint it, or box it in but you do need access to the valve.

The toilet looks like it has a bent water tank and should be replaced or refitted, is it flush with the wall with the lid on?

Was the a joist in the way stopping the pipes being against the wall? The copper could have been belt to the wall but the waste is more difficult.

tonyh66

Im an amateur, sorry to say but its cr#p, as well as all to points above, picture 4, the edging on the box is badly done, they have used a dark grey sealant along the front and white along the side, there is no grout in the tiles I can see. The cistern should be flush to the wall, I like to put a rubber washer in to space it off the wall a couple of mm and a washer on the screw head to stop it breaking the cistern when its tightened up. Not sure whats going on with pictures 1 and 2 they look like different units going by the drilled holes? Good luck with these cowboys.

JayneGresford

Please can any plumbers advise me if this is correct. Below is the response from the company when I confronted them about the way they had fitted the vanity unit(see above pictures)
‘’Whilst we always aim to place pipes behind the false back panel, however due to the positioning of the joists in order to have them running directly underneath it would have meant part removing part of the joist, compromising its structure.

The plumber who undertook the work made a decision to lose around 4 cm2 of space within the cupboard as opposed to either removing part of the joists or altering the pipework to suit which he thought could possibly cause complications. Whilst we agree it would look neater behind the false back panel, losing a small amount of space in a cupboard is a worthy compromise in comparison to the alternatives.’’
is this correct or are they feeding me a load of rubbish?? 

Thank you 

FreeBear

If the pipework comes out of the floor too far away from the wall, it should have been possible to put a dog-leg in each pipe below the bottom shelf. Failing that, move the back panel forward a couple of inches - I faced a similar issue when fitting out my kitchen, Had to put a dog-leg in to the waste pipe, and also had to move the back panel forward by around 12mm.

The excuse they are trying to fob you off with fails to take in to account the sloppy cutting of holes or the complete lack of attention to basic marking out. The "plumber" has made a pigs ear of a simple job, and there is no excusing the sloppiness of it.

GDB2222

Can you get a surveyor to look at it and provide a report at a reasonable cost? It would then be hard for the firm to argue.