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Apologies for posting yet again - but I need further advice, please.
I hired a builder to refurbish my kitchen. The job was 'completed' on the 19th August. Certain aspects of the job were OK, but much of it left a lot to be desired.
One of the major disasters was the plastering ...
I had a new ceiling installed, and as the new plasterboard had been haphazardly fixed to the old ceiling, the surface consisted of a series of 'waves' rather than being entirely flat. Added to that was the fact that the plaster that was applied to the plasterboard seemed to be mixed with debris, giving a very rough-looking 'texture'. (Even the way the plaster had been applied was sub-standard).
After sending the builder a recorded delivery letter which quoted the 1982 'Supply of Goods and Services Act' he eventually sent another plasterer to sort out the mess. (He arrived on 29th October). The 2nd plasterer put more screws into the plasterboard to lift the dips in the surface. This worked to some extent, but he was unable to get it completely flat (presumably by the plasterboard had distorted after being 'bent' for over 2 months?) Anyway, he then plastered over the first layer of plaster and attempted to 'fill in' more of the dips. Unlike the first plasterer, this chap did manage to get a reasonably smooth surface to the plaster.
After this 'remedial' job was done, the builder (without coming to inspect the work) texted my brother to say that the ceiling was now "perfect". Bizarrely, he didn't contact me to check that I was happy with the 'improvements'.
But the fact is ... I'm still not satisfied with the state of the ceiling: the suface still consists of peaks and dips, although they are not as pronounced as before. I'd like a normal, flat ceiling. I paid £1200 for the job, and apparently this is very expensive considering the small size of the room.
So the question that I need to ask now, please, is what shall I do next?
My own thought is that this ceiling needs to be taken off completely and the job started again from scratch (preferably by a different firm of builders!)
In legal terms, should I give the first builder another chance to sort the ceiling out - or should I now go to the small claims court to request a refund so that I can hire someone else to do the job?
Apolgies for the lengthy post but I guess it reflects the fact that this refurbishment has turned into a lengthy saga!
I hired a builder to refurbish my kitchen. The job was 'completed' on the 19th August. Certain aspects of the job were OK, but much of it left a lot to be desired.
One of the major disasters was the plastering ...
I had a new ceiling installed, and as the new plasterboard had been haphazardly fixed to the old ceiling, the surface consisted of a series of 'waves' rather than being entirely flat. Added to that was the fact that the plaster that was applied to the plasterboard seemed to be mixed with debris, giving a very rough-looking 'texture'. (Even the way the plaster had been applied was sub-standard).
After sending the builder a recorded delivery letter which quoted the 1982 'Supply of Goods and Services Act' he eventually sent another plasterer to sort out the mess. (He arrived on 29th October). The 2nd plasterer put more screws into the plasterboard to lift the dips in the surface. This worked to some extent, but he was unable to get it completely flat (presumably by the plasterboard had distorted after being 'bent' for over 2 months?) Anyway, he then plastered over the first layer of plaster and attempted to 'fill in' more of the dips. Unlike the first plasterer, this chap did manage to get a reasonably smooth surface to the plaster.
After this 'remedial' job was done, the builder (without coming to inspect the work) texted my brother to say that the ceiling was now "perfect". Bizarrely, he didn't contact me to check that I was happy with the 'improvements'.
But the fact is ... I'm still not satisfied with the state of the ceiling: the suface still consists of peaks and dips, although they are not as pronounced as before. I'd like a normal, flat ceiling. I paid £1200 for the job, and apparently this is very expensive considering the small size of the room.
So the question that I need to ask now, please, is what shall I do next?
My own thought is that this ceiling needs to be taken off completely and the job started again from scratch (preferably by a different firm of builders!)
In legal terms, should I give the first builder another chance to sort the ceiling out - or should I now go to the small claims court to request a refund so that I can hire someone else to do the job?
Apolgies for the lengthy post but I guess it reflects the fact that this refurbishment has turned into a lengthy saga!