Should be scribed to the wall, this is clearly a bodge.
Am I expecting too much from the carpenter I hired?
- Thread starter sg0
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Yea I could do a better job than that (and have, many times) and im not even a tradesperson.
Really poor workmanship.
If im getting a specialist in, id be expecting absolutely perfectly flush and smooth finishes rather than that jigsaw hodge-podge mess.
Really poor workmanship.
If im getting a specialist in, id be expecting absolutely perfectly flush and smooth finishes rather than that jigsaw hodge-podge mess.
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Soldato
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So many cowboys. Know someone who got a handrail fitted along the driveway. Instead of going into the ground, the cowboy drilled into breezeblocks that was used as a garden border, so the expanding bolts exploded the walls of the breezeblocks , the whole thing is wobbly. Whole thing wobbles about and inch. The father is no long alive but during the last 12 months or so I'd be wary he used them.
More dangerous using the handrail than walking
More dangerous using the handrail than walking
The problem with people in the trade is they are allowed to get away with this because Brits like OP keep paying them silly money. Hold them to task and don't pay. I'd expect an apprentice to perform a higher standard of work than that. I would pay nothing as the job has not been completed properly AND he's ruined your materials.
I get what you’re saying. The trouble is there is so little choice of tradesman to do smallish jobs. I contacted 11 people 3 responded! 1 is from very north London 17 miles away as the crow flies. So little choice here in west London for skilled people.
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Soldato
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Good ones are probably employed to do whole houses, businesses etc. And not worth their time to do odd jobs
Soldato
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Not even having pride in his work, walked away from that "that'll do"
Caulk is what a tenner a tube and it would have used a 1/10th of a tube at the most.
I'd say name and shame that "carpenter"
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Issues with the job aside, when someone quotes "2-3 days" and gives you a price, you would be excused for taking their expert word for it and agreeing to what constitutes 2-3 days worth of money. If they then fit the job in to 1 day... it's easy to see how this is workable across an entire year to essentially double your income based on nothing but misleading a customer.
:edit: I can already feel the"if you're not happy with a quote for a job, then don't accept it" argument coming, and while I understand that, it would feel a bit misplaced when this implies that you have to get many many quotes just to be sure you're not being lied to about a job's complexity/length by a tradesman.
:edit: I can already feel the"if you're not happy with a quote for a job, then don't accept it" argument coming, and while I understand that, it would feel a bit misplaced when this implies that you have to get many many quotes just to be sure you're not being lied to about a job's complexity/length by a tradesman.
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A paid carpenter is a bit rubbish if anything needs filling.
I'm no expert and managed a full stairs refurb with no gaps in American white oak.
I would not be happy with that at all.
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We're definitely too polite in this country and would rather have a moan about them afterward, but not paying some of these types, particularly the ones who think it's acceptable to charge a fortune for shoddy work, will likely result in them taking some form of retaliation.
A friend of a friend had all his car windows put out and four tires slashed when he refused to pay a plasterer for doing the work of someone you'd expect on their first ever attempt at it. He could never prove that it was him, but it happened just a few days after he refused to pay.
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Yeah you see videos on social media showing the trade's side of the story where people "haven't paid", and then they dump a skip on their property, or rip up a wall/fence/roof in spite. I wonder how many of them are where people didn't pay because the work was ****.
Soldato
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Friend is taking builder to small claims court, she paid £10K and he's done a runner.
Soldato
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I think it's quite a mediocre job, but you haven't been ripped off. I think you have been overcharged for the quality of work they can achieve. If it was real craftsmanship, then £800 would be fine.
Take aways:
- Produce a very detailed specification for the work that you want done, that the tradesperson agrees to beforehand. This way, everyone knows what is expected.
- Always keep some money back, and explain that it will only be paid if the job has been done exactly to spec, as above.
- Or, learn to do it yourself instead, as it's not that hard, and then you will never get ripped off, plus you will get it exactly how you want.
For future advice diynot.com forum is good.
Take aways:
- Produce a very detailed specification for the work that you want done, that the tradesperson agrees to beforehand. This way, everyone knows what is expected.
- Always keep some money back, and explain that it will only be paid if the job has been done exactly to spec, as above.
- Or, learn to do it yourself instead, as it's not that hard, and then you will never get ripped off, plus you will get it exactly how you want.
For future advice diynot.com forum is good.
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Having seen the pictures and the price, it is shoddy workmanship. I agree. For £800 on a job like this, I would expect perfection.