Several people have asked me why the blog hasn't been updated recently. The simple answer is that there has been no action on the building front since March 2019 when everything ground to a halt pending the resolution of money matters.
Money, money, money
After one false start (it had somehow slipped the mind of the man in charge that we were scheduled to meet to sort things out..) we eventually got together on 23 May last year. At our meeting, we went through the sheets of money facts and figures I had given him a couple of months previously to explain why the amount specified as owing in his "full and final" invoice was completely OTT in my opinion. He agreed to go away and review some of the figures. So I waited...and waited...
A chase up email on 4 June produced no response. He eventually came back to me on 26 June (a month after our meeting). Rather than review the figures as agreed, he proposed a reduced sum for the amount owing which in his view represented "meeting in the middle". I was happy to meet in the middle as a way forward. However, his "meet in the middle" sum was nowhere near the halfway point between our respective figures, based on my calculations.
After more to-ing and fro-ing between us, in August 2019, I offered to pay a much reduced sum based on my "meet in the middle" calculation (about a quarter of the sum he had originally requested) subject to the completion of outstanding work included in the original contract; remedial works to put right all the things that hadn't been done to a safe or acceptable standard or had been done but not in accordance with the contract, and snagging all the problems which had arisen or come to light since they had left site in March.
After three chase up emails in September, the man in charge eventually came back to me on 7 October and agreed my figure, with a promise to review the list of works "tomorrow" and get back to me with any queries.
Progress!
Works, works, works
There were more email exchanges in October to clarify some of the works on my jobs list, then silence...
Chase up emails in November got nowhere...Then, just before Christmas, the man in charge requested copies of earlier emails, which apparently had not downloaded fully. Duly sent several times, I put the house project out of my mind over Christmas and enjoyed the festive season.
In the middle of January, the man in charge came back to me. We had still not agreed all the outstanding works, remediation and snagging. He offered to do some of the works at extra cost on the basis that they were not shown on drawings which formed part of the tender. I could not believe my eyes!! But rather than explode, I sent him copies of various documents which showed his claim to be entirely false...including the contract he'd signed which specified the drawings in question. I also suggested a couple of compromises on the two biggest jobs to ease the way to completion.
In response, the man in charge finally agreed to carry out all the works on my list and we met last Tuesday to go through the jobs on site, to make sure everyone knew what was going on.
Success!
Action stations
Which brings me up-to-date...The builders came back to make a start on Friday. I say builders, but actually it was one person (the man in charge's dad) who came for a morning to fill holes and rub down areas of patch repair left proud last February/March.
Sadly, my request for advance notice about who is coming when, to do what (so that I can clear that part of the house of clutter and organise my time accordingly) appears to have fallen on deaf ears. I had less than an hours notice by text early on Friday morning (which arrived while I was still asleep) to let me know that "dad" builder would arrive at 8 am. However, I managed to get up in time and was ready for him when he eventually arrived.
I'm still waiting for the man in charge to confirm that the new inset wash basin which they've agreed to install in the ground floor loo can be fitted with minimum of disruption to the existing counter top and plumbing. Until then, I'm reluctant to place the order and the likelihood of getting the works completed by the end of next week as promised is looking more and more unlikely.
Will the 10 week job which started in June 2018 finally be finished by the end of February 2020? The answer my friend is blowing in the wind...a bit like the candle in the attached video which shows the draught coming in round the edge of the new double glazed windows in the loft - an example of the poor quality workmanship I'm insisting is sorted out before parting with any more money!
Money, money, money
After one false start (it had somehow slipped the mind of the man in charge that we were scheduled to meet to sort things out..) we eventually got together on 23 May last year. At our meeting, we went through the sheets of money facts and figures I had given him a couple of months previously to explain why the amount specified as owing in his "full and final" invoice was completely OTT in my opinion. He agreed to go away and review some of the figures. So I waited...and waited...
A chase up email on 4 June produced no response. He eventually came back to me on 26 June (a month after our meeting). Rather than review the figures as agreed, he proposed a reduced sum for the amount owing which in his view represented "meeting in the middle". I was happy to meet in the middle as a way forward. However, his "meet in the middle" sum was nowhere near the halfway point between our respective figures, based on my calculations.
After more to-ing and fro-ing between us, in August 2019, I offered to pay a much reduced sum based on my "meet in the middle" calculation (about a quarter of the sum he had originally requested) subject to the completion of outstanding work included in the original contract; remedial works to put right all the things that hadn't been done to a safe or acceptable standard or had been done but not in accordance with the contract, and snagging all the problems which had arisen or come to light since they had left site in March.
After three chase up emails in September, the man in charge eventually came back to me on 7 October and agreed my figure, with a promise to review the list of works "tomorrow" and get back to me with any queries.
Progress!
Works, works, works
There were more email exchanges in October to clarify some of the works on my jobs list, then silence...
Chase up emails in November got nowhere...Then, just before Christmas, the man in charge requested copies of earlier emails, which apparently had not downloaded fully. Duly sent several times, I put the house project out of my mind over Christmas and enjoyed the festive season.
In the middle of January, the man in charge came back to me. We had still not agreed all the outstanding works, remediation and snagging. He offered to do some of the works at extra cost on the basis that they were not shown on drawings which formed part of the tender. I could not believe my eyes!! But rather than explode, I sent him copies of various documents which showed his claim to be entirely false...including the contract he'd signed which specified the drawings in question. I also suggested a couple of compromises on the two biggest jobs to ease the way to completion.
In response, the man in charge finally agreed to carry out all the works on my list and we met last Tuesday to go through the jobs on site, to make sure everyone knew what was going on.
Success!
Action stations
Which brings me up-to-date...The builders came back to make a start on Friday. I say builders, but actually it was one person (the man in charge's dad) who came for a morning to fill holes and rub down areas of patch repair left proud last February/March.
Sadly, my request for advance notice about who is coming when, to do what (so that I can clear that part of the house of clutter and organise my time accordingly) appears to have fallen on deaf ears. I had less than an hours notice by text early on Friday morning (which arrived while I was still asleep) to let me know that "dad" builder would arrive at 8 am. However, I managed to get up in time and was ready for him when he eventually arrived.
I'm still waiting for the man in charge to confirm that the new inset wash basin which they've agreed to install in the ground floor loo can be fitted with minimum of disruption to the existing counter top and plumbing. Until then, I'm reluctant to place the order and the likelihood of getting the works completed by the end of next week as promised is looking more and more unlikely.
Will the 10 week job which started in June 2018 finally be finished by the end of February 2020? The answer my friend is blowing in the wind...a bit like the candle in the attached video which shows the draught coming in round the edge of the new double glazed windows in the loft - an example of the poor quality workmanship I'm insisting is sorted out before parting with any more money!
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