Invoice from builder when I wasn't expecting one

PiKe

PiKe

PiKe

Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
25,287
Location
Lake District
I had over £6000 of work done last summer to remove insulation and retrofit cavity trays.

This was supposed to fix the issue of water penetrating the outer wall which it did for the most part. Last month I noticed there was still some water getting in around the window. I had the original window fitters out and they stated it wasn't the frame and that it must be coming in further up.

I got the builder back and he had a look and he said he would send someone round to seal up a hole in the mortar where the water was managing to track down the vertical damp course (the window and dpc was there before they started the original work).

A couple of weeks back two guys randomly turn up and put mastik in the hole and across the top of the window, yesterday I received a bill for £174.

I was never quoted for the work, I just assumed it would be done as part of the original work, maybe as a goodwill gesture, at no point would I expect to have to pay £174 for a tube of £5 mastik and half an hour (if that) of their time.

He is supposed to be ringing me tomorrow but where do I stand legally with this? Do I have to pay or can I challenge how they came to that amount, maybe by asking for an itemized invoice?
 
So he replied stating that this work wasn't included in the original work so the invoice still stands. As it is "merely putting right other defects".
 
jpaul said:
you had made it sound like the leak might have been beyond the scope of the original builders work ...
did the meeting with the builder not clarify that ? ...so, on the basis it wasn't, he thought you were OK'ing the work.

sounds like you should acknowledge any mis-communication and maybe find some middle ground ?
Click to expand...
When he had a look and what might be the the source of the ingress he simply said, I'll get xxxx to come round a fill that in. The guy he named didn't actually come but two others, so just by that I'd be paying for 2x the time rather than 1x.

I've told him I would never have gone ahead with the work if I had known how much it cost, I've requested an itemised invoice including materials because I feel like it's disproportionate to the time spent and mastik used.
 
If I was to make an offer to him, would £55 seem reasonable? I don't know what the hourly rate for labour is.
 
Wouldn't it fall under the 12 month contractors liability period to put right defects when the original job was to stop penetrating damp?

Also their website was misleading as I went with them because it stated a 20 year guarantee on penetrating damp works but then when I asked to be sent the guarantee told me it only covers "specialist damp proofing, timber treatment or below ground waterproofing".
 
Just an update, the invoice was cancelled after an email outlining my other grievances.
 
It's a concrete lintel and the mastik does appear to have fixed the issue, there are cavity tray above and below the windows, there is a run (worn paint) on the outside wall where one of the weep holes are, so water has been able to escape.
 
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