What to do with incorrectly drilled tap hole in Granite Composite Kitchen Sink?

Section62

jennifernil said:

I would not accept any remedy other than the builder paying for a new sink

Dumping a perfectly functional brand-new sink seems a bit wasteful, without at least exploring the options of a repair or fitting a blanking.

Did someone mention 'climate crisis'?

Obviously with the builder offering a significant discount on the job to reflect the consequences of their error.

GDB2222

If it’s plastic, why would the installer have made lots of small holes like that? A hole saw would produce a much better result with far less bother. Maybe, it is granite, like the op says?

deannagone

What I thought when I saw the numerous small holes.  Not the way to make a tap hole in a sink.  But yes, buying a sink with tap holes already present might have been a better idea.  It doesn't look like a granite sink although I could be wrong.

Section62

GDB2222 said:

If it’s plastic, why would the installer have made lots of small holes like that? A hole saw would produce a much better result with far less bother. Maybe, it is granite, like the op says?

If it is the kind of installer who makes the hole on the wrong side, perhaps they are the kind that don't have holesaws in their toolkit?

On the plus side, they didn't just use a hammer to make the hole.

Gavin83

Section62 said:

jennifernil said:

I would not accept any remedy other than the builder paying for a new sink

Dumping a perfectly functional brand-new sink seems a bit wasteful, without at least exploring the options of a repair or fitting a blanking.

Did someone mention 'climate crisis'?

Obviously with the builder offering a significant discount on the job to reflect the consequences of their error.

The exact figure that constitutes a 'significant discount' is obviously entirely subjective but it's clearly unrealistic to expect more than the cost of the sink back! It doesn't look like a particularly expensive sink to me but I'm sure the OP could confirm.

I expect if a repair can be made to the point where you can't tell it's been repaired then that would be considered an acceptable remedy. It would really be down to a sink repair expert (not the builder) to say whether that's possible. If it isn't then you should be getting a replacement. I'd expect the builder to pay for the full cost of this repair or replacement. Depending on the cost of the sink it might be cheaper to replace it than to repair it anyway.

If you're happy with a blanking plate then I'd go down this route but I would expect a discount to account for this, maybe about 50% of the cost of the sink. 

Bendy_House

Gavin83 said:

The exact figure that constitutes a 'significant discount' is obviously entirely subjective but it's clearly unrealistic to expect more than the cost of the sink back! It doesn't look like a particularly expensive sink to me but I'm sure the OP could confirm.

I expect if a repair can be made to the point where you can't tell it's been repaired then that would be considered an acceptable remedy. It would really be down to a sink repair expert (not the builder) to say whether that's possible. If it isn't then you should be getting a replacement. I'd expect the builder to pay for the full cost of this repair or replacement. Depending on the cost of the sink it might be cheaper to replace it than to repair it anyway.

If you're happy with a blanking plate then I'd go down this route but I would expect a discount to account for this, maybe about 50% of the cost of the sink. 

A 'Blanco' badge will double its value, then. Win-win.

Bendy_House

Section62 said:

GDB2222 said:

If it’s plastic, why would the installer have made lots of small holes like that? A hole saw would produce a much better result with far less bother. Maybe, it is granite, like the op says?

If it is the kind of installer who makes the hole on the wrong side, perhaps they are the kind that don't have holesaws in their toolkit?

On the plus side, they didn't just use a hammer to make the hole.

Argh! I remember the early days of 'composite' sinktops which were supplied part-drilled in both positions. And even ceramic basins with three part-sunk tap recesses underneath, to suit all tap combos.

Both came with the instructions - "Use a hammer to tap gently..."

That was heart-stopping stuff :-(

Section62

Gavin83 said:

Section62 said:

jennifernil said:

I would not accept any remedy other than the builder paying for a new sink

Dumping a perfectly functional brand-new sink seems a bit wasteful, without at least exploring the options of a repair or fitting a blanking.

Did someone mention 'climate crisis'?

Obviously with the builder offering a significant discount on the job to reflect the consequences of their error.

The exact figure that constitutes a 'significant discount' is obviously entirely subjective but it's clearly unrealistic to expect more than the cost of the sink back! It doesn't look like a particularly expensive sink to me but I'm sure the OP could confirm.

Totally subjective, but because people's perceptions vary I deliberately said 'significant discount' rather than trying to put a number on it.

Strictly speaking though, the upper bound isn't just the cost of the sink - depending on the circumstances there's the cost and delay of obtaining a replacement, the potential delay in completing the kitchen (cost/inconvenience to both parties), and the hassle factor for the builder having to come back to the job to refit the replacement sink at some time in the future (assuming it isn't an off-the-shelf one).

I wouldn't suggest the OP would have a robust claim for more than the sink cost if it went to court, but initially it is a case of negotiation - there's no point entering into that negotiation with entrenched views on what a satisfactory solution would be, nor on what a 'significant discount' might look like.  Ask the builder what he's offering, see how that feels.