Or the fact there is like £30K of glass to go in! I have looked online and plastering can be done before windows, its just not standard practise.
Project: Two storey/part single storey side and rear extensions
- Thread starter kai
- Start date
Or the fact there is like £30K of glass to go in! I have looked online and plastering can be done before windows, its just not standard practise.
We have £30K left. It was 50K but we gave money last week as the Kitchen payment was made and Quartz. This is not to be paid until final sign off (snagging complete) and building control certifcate.
He has promised again today we will be in by Christmas. He can't guarantee it will be 100% but will have a kitchen, and bathrooms finished.
Windows and doors and slowly starting to go in.
Orginal render design
As part of the original quote, we made the decision not to replace the existing bi-fold door on the right. It's a PVC door and is only 2-3 years old, so replacing it seemed like a needless expense. However, we are now reconsidering this choice. As you can see, it's significantly different, not only in terms of its profile (while all the other doors and windows are aluminum) but also in terms of glass height, handle height, and other aspects. The builder is changing the new door handles to chrome to match as this was an oversight on his part. However, to replace this leaf we would be looking at another £2-3K with fitting. We are not sure if it will be worth it or something we could decide to change at a later date if it is that obvious when its decorated and blended in.
Orginal render design
As part of the original quote, we made the decision not to replace the existing bi-fold door on the right. It's a PVC door and is only 2-3 years old, so replacing it seemed like a needless expense. However, we are now reconsidering this choice. As you can see, it's significantly different, not only in terms of its profile (while all the other doors and windows are aluminum) but also in terms of glass height, handle height, and other aspects. The builder is changing the new door handles to chrome to match as this was an oversight on his part. However, to replace this leaf we would be looking at another £2-3K with fitting. We are not sure if it will be worth it or something we could decide to change at a later date if it is that obvious when its decorated and blended in.
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Lots. Garage front need to be taken down and bricked back up with a door and window. Upstairs the Apex glass. a window cut out for staircase. We are also not technically water-tight even with the doors and windows in - columns of brickwork need to happen including headers above.
We have a few of these windows dotted around the place also.
This is the issueDon't be killing your builder about completion timelines then start throwing in nice to have change requests
1. Budget - we want to stay within our allocation.
2. This will likely delay plastering etc. We have decided to see if we can live with and decide future state if its something that needs changing.
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If at all possible, swap them now.
The time, cost and disruption of doing it later is disproportionately higher
Also, now it's in your head, it will niggle away until you snap and change it.
Change it and change it now for your sanity
It annoys me now; but i think once it is done and painted i will not notice as much. It will delay the project (Keep in mind, we need to be in by Dec 18th, and its going be an extra £2-3K. Money we do not have right now).
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Would love some advice :x
Yesterday, the developer contacted my wife, informing her that he would be invoicing the penultimate installment next week. Initially, we had always agreed to retain £10,000 until the snagging process is complete. However, during the last payment cycle (5 weeks ago), he stated in both our presence to pay the larger installment now and withhold £30,000 until final sign-off.
Upon challenging this, he asserted that it was a mistake or a misunderstanding, insisting that we had always agreed to withhold only £10,000 (all communicated verbally, of course).
The concern I face is that settling this new invoice would take us to 93% completion to date. Despite my lack of expertise in the trade, it's evident that we are far from reaching this level of completion. To illustrate, the outstanding items include:
My stance is we , we've already disbursed payments exceeding the value of the work delivered thus far.
Yesterday, the developer contacted my wife, informing her that he would be invoicing the penultimate installment next week. Initially, we had always agreed to retain £10,000 until the snagging process is complete. However, during the last payment cycle (5 weeks ago), he stated in both our presence to pay the larger installment now and withhold £30,000 until final sign-off.
Upon challenging this, he asserted that it was a mistake or a misunderstanding, insisting that we had always agreed to withhold only £10,000 (all communicated verbally, of course).
The concern I face is that settling this new invoice would take us to 93% completion to date. Despite my lack of expertise in the trade, it's evident that we are far from reaching this level of completion. To illustrate, the outstanding items include:
- Kitchen/Utility Installation (payment pending for the kitchen and utality to Howdens)
- Utility Room Installation (including brick up of the existing garage with new a new front doors, windows and timber frame, insulate, screed floor etc.)
- Two New Bathrooms (we have picked, he needs to purchase and fit)
- Underfloor heating + him to purchase our new flooring for both upstairs and downstairs
- Two Front Doors
- All interior doors, architrave, frames, etc.
- Additional windows and doors yet to be installed / arrive
- Still lots of external brickwork to be completed
My stance is we , we've already disbursed payments exceeding the value of the work delivered thus far.
All verbal. This is all really the contract states in terms of T&C's
- Holding Deposit required 10%
- Interim payments throughout project
- Due to recent climate, we cannot commit to timescale, every effort shall be made to complete within a resonable timescale
- Every effort shall be made to minimise disruption.
The relationship is quite volatile and appears to hinge on the time of day when dealing with him. His demeanor swings between very warm and very cold. While we maintain communication and he provides daily updates, he can become exceedingly defensive and easily loses his temper when faced with any form of resistance.
I would go so far as to say that he holds the bargaining chip in this situation, considering that there is a lot more at stake than just the £30,000. The kitchen alone accounts for nearly £20,000. If we proceed with the payment, he would have significantly more leverage, and the situation would decidedly tilt in his favor.
I am contemplating bringing in a QS at my expense to oversee the remaining work. This would ensure that payments are handled impartially and without bias. However, I am aware that this suggestion might go down like a lead balloon and will cost me more money.
I'm hopeful that someone can provide advice before I escalate the matter with the developer tomorrow. Tonight, we're finalizing the order for our kitchen with the designer, and we've discovered a discrepancy of over 500mm. We now need to reduce the size and eliminate cabinets.
Upon reviewing old drawings, I realized the builder made the wall the exact same size, perfectly aligning it when, in reality, the kitchen wall should be longer. This presents two significant issues:
The wood on the floor i have placed - indicates how much the kitchen wall is out. How easy would this be to add an extension to an existing timber frame stud wall (it's already been plastered front side) ? Or does he need to take the entire wall down and do it again?
I am just kicking myself i have missed something so obvious
Upon reviewing old drawings, I realized the builder made the wall the exact same size, perfectly aligning it when, in reality, the kitchen wall should be longer. This presents two significant issues:
- We lose cabinet space.
- The line of sight into the house is affected; the island is now aligned with the door (which is going to be a glass door), not providing the visual arrangement I desired.
The wood on the floor i have placed - indicates how much the kitchen wall is out. How easy would this be to add an extension to an existing timber frame stud wall (it's already been plastered front side) ? Or does he need to take the entire wall down and do it again?
I am just kicking myself i have missed something so obvious
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He refused to admit fault, but said it was a simple fix to rectify. They are building it now as we speak.
I wasnt going to get into an argument - it really is not worth it with him
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The guy gives me Del-Boy vibes - honestly. He claims he has ordered it, but I'm skeptical. The wall position won't affect the staircase as the staircase was originally starting at the old wall position before moving.
Today, we're facing a new challenge. The kitchen is set to arrive on Friday, yet he keeps telling us he hasn't received the final price from Howdens. As part of the work, he has had us work with his kitchen designer he uses but they can't show us the price because of PII. I am at the point, i am just going take the design into another Howdens and get an idea.
Contrary to his verbal promises, the kitchen we showed him, with dimensions and worktops, was supposed to be within budget he set at the start of the project with ample room for movement.
Our quote explicitly states: "Pc sum for utility room and kitchen, appliances, worktops plus fitting. £20,000.00, as per plan."
He (supposedly) receives a 40% discount at Howdens and substantial discounts on Quartz from a supplier. During a site visits in April to a client reference site, he showcased kitchens twice the size with the same Quartz worktops we ordered, all within this price range. However, he is now claiming that fitting is £3,500, and worktops are £4,500-£5,000 with fitting. This leaves us with only £11,500 - £12,000 to outfit two fairly large rooms.
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Solid advice. This Is the most stressed I have ever been, given that i have a really stressful job. Our discussions, my wife's and mine, revolve around this work approximately 99.9% of the time; it has become all-encompassing (we just want our house back).
Regarding collaboration with the contractor, my wife primarily handles interactions with him, as it constitutes a significant aspect of her day job, which involves managing challenging contractors, albeit in a different field.
Yes, i mean he is not doing this for the benefit of his health (we get that), but i get the feeling here comes the this is going cost you!
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The new section of the wall has been added and plastered, as indicated in the drawings. This encloses the entrance, aligning with our intended design, so we are happy with this part.
We now have some lights and electric sockets on the hallway - small victories, but progress. Most nights, we no longer need to rely on a torch to navigate around to look at progress.
On Friday, my wife found herself in a confrontation with the developer over his insistence on upfront payment again. She started doing shorthand of the meeting, of which he could not understand so started to get irate and upsetting her. To which she called me and i had to come out of a work to calm things.
Long story short he said if you want to pay me in smaller installments; my work will align with the payments (doing it much slower)
To address concerns regarding the kitchen, she caught him in a lie and insisted on a call to Howdens, where they agreed to disclose the individual price breakdown at his consent. Later that evening, we reviewed every detail, and I managed to negotiated significant discounts on appliances, going into the design meeting with internet prices. While we may exceed our budget by a few thousand, securing the desired kitchen and design is pivotal aspect for us.
His organisational become evident again – we selected our worktops in June with his supplier, and the kitchen is scheduled for installation this Wednesday. Despite this, he initially states that the worktops would be in the range of £4,000 to £5,000. Later the same day, he calls whether we ordered granite or quartz, admitting they can't find our order and could we confirm the name of the worktop; what we wanted etc. Surprisingly, he hadn't even booked the supplier for the fitting. Now, his carpenters are expected to handle the installation, i was under the impression it was a fairly skilled trade
He insists that the cost for the kitchen and utility fit will be £3,000 to £3,500 it will be 21 cabinets in the kitchen / Island and further 12-15 in utility.
Last week we got the floors screeded in both the utility and media wall for the snug plastered.
We are getting this insultated, framed and dot and dabbed this week. The floor had to be raised significantly to achieve a level surface throughout the entire downstairs. This was necessary because the area was previously an external garage, completely disconnected from the rest of the house.
I am also hoping that water pipe for the washing machine and dryer can be used for an outside tap, as they forgot about the plumbing for this :x
Let's hope the fire never breaks as its been plastered into the wall.
The developer has now addmitted that he won't be able to fulfill all the promises made a few weeks ago within the initially expected timeframe for our move-in date (18th Dec). He's facing challenges in completing the flooring, requiring over 100 square meters of underfloor heating (downstairs) installation before laying the herringbone Additionally, he won't be able to rip out of the master bathroom within this time frame.
As a solution, he proposes, at his expense, to reinstall the old radiators, provide space heaters, and install a temporary floor. However, we've are not happy with this offer, emphasizing our reluctance to deal with the mess and potential damages, especially considering that all radiators have been removed and walls have been skimmed.
Furthermore, he aims to complete the upstairs entirely before Christmas, encompassing all painting and decorating activities, doors etc. However, he plans to delay the master bathroom renovation until after the new year, a proposal that we find unacceptable, i do not want to be in a mess again upstairs.
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Interested to get feedback here. Upstairs we have a few rooms they have needed to move doors across, add walls and general reconfiguration.
The quote states: Decorate upstairs (likely white/white gloss) and landing etc
This was my own text included when putting together the statement of work. The quote he signed states this exactly.
This morning he confronted me to confirm he is is only having his painter, paint walls he has touched. If i want to pay him extra for any private work that's on me. Is my wording open to interurpation or do people take this as paint upstairs, everything?
For example; the X is the only wall he is going do as it's a "new wall". They are white walls and he didnt secure the property for 2-3 months so we had all types of bugs, condensation etc inside this room so it 100% needs a refresh.
It's also starting to creep into other areas. This is my airing cuboard, he refused to finish with new plaster as it was 50% an existing wall and "sound".
The quote states: Decorate upstairs (likely white/white gloss) and landing etc
This was my own text included when putting together the statement of work. The quote he signed states this exactly.
This morning he confronted me to confirm he is is only having his painter, paint walls he has touched. If i want to pay him extra for any private work that's on me. Is my wording open to interurpation or do people take this as paint upstairs, everything?
For example; the X is the only wall he is going do as it's a "new wall". They are white walls and he didnt secure the property for 2-3 months so we had all types of bugs, condensation etc inside this room so it 100% needs a refresh.
It's also starting to creep into other areas. This is my airing cuboard, he refused to finish with new plaster as it was 50% an existing wall and "sound".
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I mean technically, yes i could do the work myself but i have paid the contractor to handle this. He has receved a lot of money for this project and it's more the inconvience of taking time off etc to do this work and find out what paint etc the painter is going use to match etc.
Per my post from last week:
On Friday, my wife found herself in a confrontation with the developer over his insistence on upfront payment again. She started doing shorthand of the meeting, of which he could not understand so started to get irate and upsetting her. To which she called me and i had to come out of a work to calm things.
Long story short he said if you want to pay me in smaller installments; my work will align with the payments (doing it much slower) and basically good luck finding a builder any time soon to finish for you.
He know's we need to be in, in some shape of form by December 18th; he is also holding a lot of money in product i.e. windows, doors, flooring, bathrooms etc all yet to be delivered.
He openly admits that if he were to undertake the project again, he would need to add an additional £60-80K. While this statement seems questionable, he insists that he might struggle to break even on the current project. However, it's worth noting that we provided comprehensive support, including technical drawings and detailed itemized quantity surveying lists from other builders (with prices removed).
Regarding additional rent, that's not on the table for us. Currently, the project is incurring more expenses than income, considering not only the ongoing renovations but also the replacement of all items with new ones. Fortunately, we had allocated £20K in contingency for these items.
Not just Adam, but I get the feeling that this situation is not unique, and many people face similar challenges when undertaking a massive renovation job
We are already past the six month mark; we could technically stay with freinds or remain in the house we are living at the moment for a little longer but we have enforced the 18th Dec on the developer to force his hand and put emphasis on the job' before he was doing days, here and there and dragging the project out. We told him from day 1 we have to be in for Xmas (back in April).
If we dont force hand, this project will keep dragging on and on.
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Things have become intolerable. Last Friday, we caught the builder in a lie. He claimed we needed to reduce the size of the worktop because the quartz we ordered doesn't come in a 2.2m length. He wanted to charge us for wasted fitting time and not being able to return the carcasses to Howden’s. Despite my 10 years of experience in kitchen designs during university (part time), he wouldn't listen. He was in a bad mood, making everything an issue. He knocked on my door 10 times that afternoon with questions like, "Do not speak to my builders without me being there; they are paid to work, not listen to your issues." I informed them that morning about our mold being everywhere problem due to the lack of outside brickwork and windows.
That evening, I contacted his worktop supplier directly, and they confirmed that all worktops come in 3.6m lengths. The supplier informed the developer, who perceived this as going behind his back. This resulted in an outburst of abuse over the phone directed at my wife, including threats and making her cry (she refused to give me the phone due to my anger).
Over the weekend, we decided enough is enough, and we are bringing in a building consultant/QS/Project Manager. Fortunately, we know someone willing to take charge and hopefully alleviate the stress. We believe these stunts won't work with this person.
Fast forward to this morning, I had a face-to-face chat that quickly turned nasty. I told him never to speak to my wife like that again, and from now on, he should deal with the Project Manager we're bringing in. He squared up to me, wanting to fight. I burst out laughing, and realizing I wasn't backing down, he threatened to walk off the job. He said the only reason he's staying is that we have a baby, and we need to be in by December.
Currently, I'm waiting for the Project Manager to speak to him (he has refused to work with him), but we'll see how it unfolds.
That evening, I contacted his worktop supplier directly, and they confirmed that all worktops come in 3.6m lengths. The supplier informed the developer, who perceived this as going behind his back. This resulted in an outburst of abuse over the phone directed at my wife, including threats and making her cry (she refused to give me the phone due to my anger).
Over the weekend, we decided enough is enough, and we are bringing in a building consultant/QS/Project Manager. Fortunately, we know someone willing to take charge and hopefully alleviate the stress. We believe these stunts won't work with this person.
Fast forward to this morning, I had a face-to-face chat that quickly turned nasty. I told him never to speak to my wife like that again, and from now on, he should deal with the Project Manager we're bringing in. He squared up to me, wanting to fight. I burst out laughing, and realizing I wasn't backing down, he threatened to walk off the job. He said the only reason he's staying is that we have a baby, and we need to be in by December.
Currently, I'm waiting for the Project Manager to speak to him (he has refused to work with him), but we'll see how it unfolds.