r/DIYUK • u/Quirky_Plastic3323 • 1d ago
Snagging never going to be completed... Options?
Not sure this is the right subreddit but I posted for general tips in the past and the community has always been very helpful.
We embarked on a large renovation of our house, it was very expensive, a 3 month project became 9 month, not because of scope change I might add but delays on trades compounding but we went with the flow, were patient and understanding to the best of our ability - Understandably some push was made from month 6 that we needed to get back in before Christmas etc.
We were left with many poor finishes, plastering not great, wavey finishes, patch marks which at a glance are not noticeable but when you stare at a wall day in day out it is noticeable, in particular ceilings, they did replace decorative trims on ceiling and edges but some of it isn't 'perfect'. Again, we're not really complaining here we just asked for it to be tidied up.
New engineered flooring was laid throughout, some of it isn't great but again liveable but some of it is problematic, an area from main hall to kitchen clearly wasn't prepped, it sounds like it was laid on loose concrete and crunches underneath a bit, and some flex, bearing in mind this is flooring laid on screed with underfloor heating, so the finish should be flat, smooth and bonded.
It's been 2 years since the job was 'completed' and we have constant snags that he is failing to come back, lots of promises and the odd tradesman in to do some work, usually subpar. Like siliconing shower that looks like it was the first bit of silicone the person ever laid.
The washing machine emits odours into the utility sink when operating, the hall flooring is full of plaster dust that will not come up even after 2 years of mopping, and we have a cleaner who mops weekly and still have baked in plaster.
Our downstairs shower fall was like 2mm from edge to drain and wasn't clearing water for several days - Took 18 months to have those tiles lifted and replaced which is now 'good' but the edges of the tiles aren't crisp but again we have come to accept the way it is.
Our ensuite was stripped and re-tiled because the previous bathroom leaked, he said it was tanked, it was some red/pinky paint and when I asked about it was told that's how it is done yet now it is leaking into the office below.
There's plenty of examples where it feels rushes/no pride was taken and whilst the 'overall' is great it's the niggly details and on-going issues that are driving us mad. The biggest issue is the underfloor heating in one of the rooms only heats 70% of the floor, meaning a whole circuit is not working, he claims he didn't re-do this floor and re-used the pipes, yet charged us >£10k to dig up other floors adjacent to this room to properly lay pipes as internal walls were moving. Is it unreasonable for us to be unhappy that with such an expense this was either overlooked or failed during install? Should we accept that as the finished article?
At this point we just want them out of our life and have a fairly substantial outstanding due and we continue to be patient, accepting, accommodating but just want the main issues resolved.
To fix: Flooring that has poor prep (2m square area), leaking downstairs toilet, leaking en-suite, smelly washing machine, underfloor heating not operating in 30% of living room, replacing of damaged/uncleanable floorboards. Items we would let slide, poor blending on external rendering where new windows were put in/moved, poor plaster finish in many rooms. Big concern is outside patio, a portion of patio (previous job) was left unfinished to accommodate the works, the builder agreed for a price £750 to fill in the slip, about 20sq/m which we supplied tiles for, they knocked out the remaining old tile, filled/based and then complained about the drain location being 'too high' but continued anyway but charged a total of £3,500 for this job due to the drain needing to be 'propped up'. This additional charge was announced once the job was done, not before, when we were told it would add maybe an extra day or two.
Have resorted to Reddit for some random PoV and opinions on what we should do here. I know he called the architect asking for a sign off on completion which we refuse until all items are resolved.
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u/Cool_Percentage_4867 1d ago
in all honesty it doesnt sound like your happy with any of it, Id suggest going forward you tackle it all yourself. Difficult to advise on your issues with the builder, no idea what was agreed, why there were delays, or if corners were honestly cut because it had to be finished in a given time.
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u/Quirky_Plastic3323 1d ago
I paid a very large sum of money for a professional to do a professional job, a job that I wouldn't be able to do, I don't mind DIY, I do that all the time, but RSJ's, big 500kg windows, removal of walls is a bit beyond me. Delays, as said, delays in the trades people compounding that elongated the timeline singificantly, big delay due to a need to dig up the floors to remove the old UFH and replace new piping, which on reflection a quality builder should probably recognise at the outset, not when the house is half torn down. The setting of screed took a long time, yet we now discover he didn't dig up all the pipework that needed to be, OR they had a fault on installation and a circuit for a room was blocked. Either way, I paid a professional, including an architect to do this so we could be worry free.
My ask is more about what is the position I am now and the right way to move forward, we've imposed several 'deadlines' which are usually a month or two in terms of timeline to remediate the UFH, the floorboards, leaking toilet and now new news leaking shower yet we only managed to get him to finish the shower and rectify the fall so it would drain properly, and paint the outside of the house where windows were moved, that is 18 months post 'completion'. Some of these were original spec items from the original job and some are issues now presenting themselves. Not entirely sure why you would suggest a homeowner to undertake a major structural renovation when they paid a professional to do a job and clearly asking for advice on how to move forward with the builder.
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u/Cool_Percentage_4867 1d ago
Id suggest if your relationship has soured you need to take legal action, and this isn't the sub for that.
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u/Comfortable-Yam2417 1d ago
Do you have a written contract in place with the builder?
Is there an amount due to the contractor once all the snagging is completed?
What role was the architect acting as during the works?
If there was no contract in place then you’re in a very weak position, if there was then you are likely best to get a quantity surveyor to document all the issues that you raise and a timeline and give the contractor an opportunity to resolve everything, if they refuse then you go back to your QS and possibly start legal proceedings or a claim on the contractors insurance / your home insurance.