Unhappy with builder's work- am I being reasonable?

keepclimbing

Hi everyone. Sorry if this is in the wrong forum and should be in consumer rights instead.

I had a sulphate attack in my kitchen floor (concrete slab) and had a builder come out and quote for replacement and reinstalling the cabinets. The quote specified 'install a new insulated solid floor construction to building regulations including underfloor heating system' and 'levelling points being averaged across the two doorways, allowing for replacement floor covering to be decided.'

I've been out to look at the finished work and am not happy as the floor is noticeably uneven at several points. In particular there is a noticeable slope down towards the back door, where the screed doesn't meet the door. I've checked this with a spirit level which shows that it isn't level.

Using a spirit level on various other parts of the floor seems to show the same thing. The cabinets/worktops seem to be level but it looks like they've been propped up with wood to achieve this. The gap where the fridge was is also now too small for it to fit back in. Lastly, I can't see that an underfloor heating system has been installed. 

I understand my rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 in that the job should be done using reasonable care and skill and should have been done as agreed (i.e. with underfloor heating system). I've contacted the builder to let him know my concerns (with the below pics, sorry I don't know how to make them smaller!) and to ask him to come and take a look and discuss fixing it. For clarity, I haven't yet paid but have every intention of doing so once this is sorted.

I am going to have a discussion with the builder later but he has emailed back with information on levelling tolerances on asphalt floors. It seems likely that he will say that the floor is level within tolerances. I totally understand that a floor wont ever be completely level but I do feel that the job they've done isn't good enough and that it should be fixed.

Based on the pics below do you think I'm being reasonable in asking him to come and fix it? Also, is it reasonable to feel that there should be some money off for not installing underfloor heating as agreed? What happens if they don't agree to do so?

This is all new territory for me and any help or opinions would be much appreciated  Many thanks

grumbler

'levelling points being averaged across the two doorways, allowing for replacement floor covering to be decided.'

What does this mean? Are the doorways at the same level?

keepclimbing

grumbler said:

'levelling points being averaged across the two doorways, allowing for replacement floor covering to be decided.'

What does this mean? Are the doorways at the same level?

As far as I am aware they are the same level. However, the screed matches up with the dining room floor/doorway but then slopes doesn’t match up with the door to the garden.

I assume it means that they use the two doorways to check that the floor is level between them but I’m not sure.

SameOldRoundabout

That is very shoddy work. That floor is nowhere near level and may even be too far out for tiling. Have you seen any evidence of underfloor heating? And what on Earth is going on with the worktop in the last picture? It looks awful. And won’t help the gap be wider as the cab sticks out further! 

Cabinets have adjustable legs, they should absolutely not need packing with wood to make level. Sounds like the lot needs to be redone. I’m not sure how to complain but I would document everything and not pay any final balance until all issues are remedied. Put everything in writing. 

Jeepers_Creepers

keepclimbing said:

grumbler said:

'levelling points being averaged across the two doorways, allowing for replacement floor covering to be decided.'

What does this mean? Are the doorways at the same level?

As far as I am aware they are the same level. However, the screed matches up with the dining room floor/doorway but then slopes doesn’t match up with the door to the garden.

I assume it means that they use the two doorways to check that the floor is level between them but I’m not sure.

So that we fully understand - you have a dining room which shares a doorway to the kitchen, and then the other end of the kitchen has the doorway to the garden?

And, if the kitchen floor was levelled perfectly to that of the dining room, would this level also be ok at the garden door (or would it, perhaps, be higher than the door threshold?)

comment_as...

Yes you are being totally unreasonable. Why should a builder have to include underfloor heating just because you paid for it? Your sense of entitlement is what's wrong with society today.
Consider asking for a VAT receipt, so you can get the tax back on your home insurance claim 😉 If he's taking shortcuts with his taxes too then that might scare him into fixing the problem.

Jeepers_Creepers

"'install a new insulated solid floor construction to building regulations including underfloor heating system' and 'levelling points being averaged across the two doorways, allowing for replacement floor covering to be decided'."

This is what you asked for and are presumably paying for? And I presume the quotes must have been for a few £k?

The job the guy quoted for is pretty sizeable. It would first have involved digging up the whole existing concrete floor to a depth of - I dunno - around six inches? This would then allow him to lay down 4" of rigid insulation on a thin screed bed, and whatever choice of surface over the top (for example, in our recent extension, the builder laid a 22mm chipboard floating floor on to the insulation.)

So, was there pretty massive works going on?  Did they dig up a sizeable amount of floor? Did they fill a skip - or two?

frogglet

We had our lounge floor levelled, but as there was a bit of a height difference between the tiled hall and the lounge floor, they made a very slight slope into the lounge , you couldn't see it with the naked eye but a spirit level showed it.
I dont understand why they haven't gone right to the edges of the floor.
Ask them to turn the under floor heating on.
Your kitchen cupboards are sticking out beyond the work surface, no wonder there is no room for the fridge

keepclimbing

Jeepers_Creepers said:

keepclimbing said:

grumbler said:

'levelling points being averaged across the two doorways, allowing for replacement floor covering to be decided.'

What does this mean? Are the doorways at the same level?

As far as I am aware they are the same level. However, the screed matches up with the dining room floor/doorway but then slopes doesn’t match up with the door to the garden.

I assume it means that they use the two doorways to check that the floor is level between them but I’m not sure.

So that we fully understand - you have a dining room which shares a doorway to the kitchen, and then the other end of the kitchen has the doorway to the garden?

And, if the kitchen floor was levelled perfectly to that of the dining room, would this level also be ok at the garden door (or would it, perhaps, be higher than the door threshold?)

Yep that's correct. The doorway to the garden is where the issue mainly seems to be.
If it was to be levelled to the dining room door then I'm pretty certain it wouldn't rise above the back door threshold.

keepclimbing

Jeepers_Creepers said:

"'install a new insulated solid floor construction to building regulations including underfloor heating system' and 'levelling points being averaged across the two doorways, allowing for replacement floor covering to be decided'."

This is what you asked for and are presumably paying for? And I presume the quotes must have been for a few £k?

The job the guy quoted for is pretty sizeable. It would first have involved digging up the whole existing concrete floor to a depth of - I dunno - around six inches? This would then allow him to lay down 4" of rigid insulation on a thin screed bed, and whatever choice of surface over the top (for example, in our recent extension, the builder laid a 22mm chipboard floating floor on to the insulation.)

So, was there pretty massive works going on?  Did they dig up a sizeable amount of floor? Did they fill a skip - or two?

Yeah it was around £5K
Unfortunately I wasn't able to be there during the works (living at a friend's house atm and didn't want to travel over during the lockdown) so I didn't see how much material was removed. There is still a skip outside but it isn't full and I don't know if they filled another
I was really just hoping that I could leave them to it and they'd do a good job which might have been a bit naive in hindsight.

keepclimbing

SameOldRoundabout said:

That is very shoddy work. That floor is nowhere near level and may even be too far out for tiling. Have you seen any evidence of underfloor heating? And what on Earth is going on with the worktop in the last picture? It looks awful. And won’t help the gap be wider as the cab sticks out further! 

Cabinets have adjustable legs, they should absolutely not need packing with wood to make level. Sounds like the lot needs to be redone. I’m not sure how to complain but I would document everything and not pay any final balance until all issues are remedied. Put everything in writing. 

Thanks for the advice
I will make sure to keep everything in writing. I can't see any evidence of underfloor heating.