It's wrong, it needs changing
It's not that big a deal at all, plant extra stud to extend to the correct length, plater board and scrim tape the joints then feather in the new to newly plastered side and the side facing the photo isn't yet plastered, so the plasterer needs to come back anyway.
The (what appears to be) the cabling for the light switch at the bottom of the stairs likely needs moving
Id aksi double check the staircase is measured and ordered on the longer / extended / correct wall length and position.
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.
It doesn't help you now, but for other people. Never go with Howdens through your builder, it's the easiest way to take you to the cleaners in terms of cost. You can't see the figures and his discount will be anywhere from 40-60%. Plus they always ask for your budget, which you should never answer as their cost wall always suddenly equal your budget exactly.
Margin on worktops through a kitchen company is also circa double the cost you could order it yourself (and have them come template/install).
Definitely need to be firm with him as you are the client at the end of the day. Always keep back a chunk more money than there is worth left, they thrive on being in the advantageous position.
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
Fitting a kitchen carcass before worktops are fitted does not sound like 3.5k work (eg 10days @350a day) but maybe 12k will get you all the cabinets anyways and he's just making up figures for his margins?
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.
