Learning to walk before I run

edinburgher

Thank you all for your thoughts - as far as I know, the builder will sort the switch and pendant light and I'm trying to track down another flooring guy. I've found someone local and while they get good feedback, it largely appears to be for simpler jobs than ours. I'm going to email the supplier, who seem to be receptive re. offering tips for a fitter (and keen to defend their product in a polite way, which is something).

I will not be paying for the stair flooring and expect his final invoice to be revised down in the region of £1,000. I do think, however, that we'll end up being stiffed for the pendant light, it's not another fight I'm willing to have at this point. Relations are relative frosty, as one of my last comments was "this is a massive pain in the balls for me builder name". The main things that annoy me? The fact that we're running a fortnight late and the job won't even be done. I hate a task that stalls at around the 80% mark!

@Greying_Pilgrim - thank you for a lovely shared memory and well done on spotting Sir IM - definitely a legend

I'll try and do a wee finance update in a moment, head still slightly puggled.

edinburgher

Finance update will need to be a bit low level today

16p cashback paid into EF, virement continues between the various pots, we're now back in the negative £,£££ after last week's reduction of the attic conversion budget. This isn't as bad as it sounds, I think we're still overbudgeted by about £6,000.

edinburgher

Electrician was supposed to be out this weekend, but was a no-show. I asked builder why this is the case, but he refused to take any responsibility for it, said he thought the electrician was coming etc. To me, that sums up everything that is wrong with builders who use sub-contractors. No accountability, nothing is ever their fault, doesn't matter that they're a main contractor.

Builder is now delaying finishing yet again, despite telling Mrs E that he had hired in extra help and would be finishing this weekend, coming out next Friday to fit a door as a final task that was expected in stock next Thursday. He has now changed his story to "I'll be out to finish all remaining snagging and the door next Thursday". This seems highly unlikely and with a heavy heart, we've decided that there's no chance of us getting in next week and it will likely be the following week. I have re-scheduled the cleaners for the second time, I feel like an idiot for asking.

Potential replacement floor fitter has quoted a fair bit more than current builder did for the stairs, but that is probably about right as builder has obviously under-billed.They don't like the look of the nosing either, so we may need to do something like bamboo treads and risers with stainless steel edging. Not quite the look we wanted, but would look clean and modern. 

killerpeaty

Well, hopefully the look of the stairs will be better than you originally wanted.

I'm sorry about the disappointment and the unexpected expense. I have my fingers crossed for you.

Builders are hard work. When I used to do a lot of accounts for builders I used to get them giving me the run around as well. Even some of the bigger builders are like it, one attempted to put his new roof for his actual home through the company.. so basically I have a mental log of dodgy tradesmen in my area because the way I see it, if they're dodgy books wise, then they're just plain dodgy. 

savingholmes

Good luck with it all - sounds really frustrating... You just want to be finished now - I'm sure... Hope you get a solution that works soon.

edinburgher

Now the painter is off sick :'(

LadyWithAPlan

You are being more patient than I could be . That last 10-20% unfinished is so annoying as you can’t move on properly 

edinburgher

I strongly suspect that the electrician is also a no-show today (which would make it the 3rd day in a row he's failed to show up). I am not sure how he even could have got in if the painter isn't there (who has the key)? I am furious

Further to this, the cheeky !!!!!! builder responded to my email saying that I expected a significant reduction on the £1,500 he'd charged for the stairs and a few small jobs by trying to take off £400 (less than 30%). This was during a strongly worded phonecall. I told him where to go and that there was no way flooring a small hall, replacing skirting boards in one small bedroom and adding plywood risers to 14 steps would cost £1,000! I told him I wasn't paying and that if he wanted to provide an itemised bill for the work he did do, I'd consider it fairly. At this point he seemed to cave and suggested he'd make a much larger reduction along the lines of what I'd said (I'd expect £1,000 off, but haven't told him this).

Throughout the call, he played the victim, stating that he'd been "so fair" throughout with his quotes, that he'd spent 4-5 days on the stairs and that the project was running late. I retorted by pointing out that the 4-5 days on the stairs was time wasted because he'd done it wrong, that the project running late was on him and that I'd paid every bill on time and not made a fuss on the occasions that he'd mis-quoted and asked for more. I told him that while I appreciated the quality of the finished work, his attention to detail in terms of communications, planning and quoting was poor.

I didn't say "you're running late because you started 3 weeks late after going on holiday, don't know when bank holidays are, don't turn up on the days or at the times you state, use !!!!!! sub-contractors and smoke 20 a day".

Felt kinda good to get some of that off my chest

Karmacat

Wow, Ed!  Good for you - and it sounds like you played it straight, which is always a lot better.  The only thing I'd suggest, which you've probably already done, is confirm in another email what the position is, now that he's caved ☹ making clear your attitude but maybe holding off even on what you said about *his* attitude, even though you're absolutely correct.  I'm in awe that you could be this precise when he's mucked you around so badly.

edinburgher

@Karmacat - thank you - I have a headache now! That is a very good suggestion. I will, however, let it sit for a couple of days. Builder is still due c. £3,000 before deductions, so he will be back to negotiate/ask for money before this is done.