Bathroom quote and payment questions

drdutch

Hi all,

Okay, this post is a bit long, but hopefully complete. My questions are at the bottom.

I need some advice on builder practices in the UK. The flat is located in the upper part of a three-storey terrace house in the NE England. This is my first property and I live in it. It is a long-term investment, which is why I don’t mind spending a bit of money on it.

We bought the place cheaply, knowing that it would have issues. We already rebuild the chimney and are now redoing the bathroom. I have no building experience, time or knowledge, so everything has to be outsourced to people more competent than I am. COVID and Brexit has put a strain on builders available. It took us months, but we finally managed to get hold of a builder who was willing to take on the bathroom, so could not get three quotes to compare.

We agreed that the builder would: strip the place completely, refloor with cementboard, tile three walls, prepare one wall for painting, clad the ceiling, stud walls for the invisible shower and hung toilet, fit shower and toilet, build a pocket door inside a new stud wall, cladding and all necessary plumbing. We received an estimate of £3200, which includes labour (7 days) and materials (hardware we bought ourselves).

The bathroom, then: 210 mm meters high x 160 mm wide x 250 mm long, terrace house (ca 1880), first floor with brittle walls.

The builder now has taken down previous tiles and removed large parts of the 15-20 mm cement layer that rested on top of the hardboard and beams. (see picture). We discovered that the beams suffered from water damage, rot and need to be treated and many of the hardboard material needs to be replaced. The builder also discovered that half of the bathroom floor rests on a cavity (2.5 meters long and 40 cm wide) that goes all the way to the ground floor. This open space is neither accessible nor visible from the neighbours downstairs. Indeed, it seems that the previous cowboy builders made a mess of the property, which means a lot of extra work for our local guy, moving from 7 days to 9 days (and hoping he can finish within that period!).

The discovery has led the builder to readjust the price from the initial £3200 to £4200, as he has to rebuild the foundations of the floor, meaning extra labour and material.

My questions, then:

• Does this sound all reasonable? It seems to me, but that is based on trust and zero experience. We spoke to the only other builder we could get hold of, who told us that 1000 pounds is normal given circumstances.

• The builder offered not to use cement boards (£150), to reduce the costs. Is this smart, or a bad idea?

• How should I pay the builder? I have not paid him yet. He offered 50 percent on Wednesday, in the middle of the work, and another 50 percent when the job is done. What is the best course of action?

I am attaching some pictures, to give you a better idea.

Thanks a lot!

drdutch

I am reattaching the pics, because my original post does not seem to have them. Apologies.

lad22

My experience is that quotes ALWAYS go up! Mine quoted £2,500 apart from the suite. It's now close to £5,000! Really annoying but inevitable. I try to bargain them down slightly when they say more work is required, but they barely budge.

pramsay13

Even £4200 seems reasonable for a completely new bathroom. 

Have you seen other work, had feedback from other customers?

50% in the middle and 50% on completion to your satisfaction sounds reasonable.

drdutch

pramsay13 said:

Even £4200 seems reasonable for a completely new bathroom. 
Have you seen other work, had feedback from other customers?
50% in the middle and 50% on completion to your satisfaction sounds reasonable.
Thanks. Thanks a lot.

Yes, I guess it is, although we supply all the hardware (toilet, shower screen, etc.). If only I had the expertise, guts and time to do it myself...
I read feedback they received from previous customers, but the information on gov's company house was very limited. The builder almost kept in contact and takes a lot of time explaining the details, which builds trust. That helps.
Thanks. Thanks lot for taking a moment to put my mind at ease.

drdutch

lad22 said:

My experience is that quotes ALWAYS go up! Mine quoted £2,500 apart from the suite. It's now close to £5,000! Really annoying but inevitable. I try to bargain them down slightly when they say more work is required, but they barely budge.

Yes, I guess it is inevitable. You never know what you discover with these old houses. I decided to just pay up, don't think there is much else I can do. Just hope for the best and trust they know what they are doing.

donemedosh

I would say the builder is being quite fair only having 50% now then remaining on completion. As for trust go with your instincts do you think he is genuine? As for price I think it is reasonable but there is nothing wrong with trying to haggle it down a bit.

Aspiration

I think seems very fair to me and better to address properly whilst it is exposed.