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Hi All
Hopefully, this is in the right place.
We have had a new annexe, garage, and dog kennels built in our garden by a contractor. This was built under a permission to build certificate from the local council; it falls under the caravan legislation.
We have had a nightmare from day one with the contractor; they blocked the main drains in our street, installed the wrong windows and doors, built the garage too high and had to knock it down to start again. That’s only a few of the issues…
The project was finally completed in January. We paid the final payment, which we withheld until work was completed. We were given a 10-year structural warranty that is very basic with the promise from the contractor that they would come back to any issue.
Last week, we had a drain blockage and called in a drainage company to jet the drains and put a camera up it to see what the issue is. (The drainage pipework was all installed by the contractor new last June but not used until January.) The CCTV showed that the pipework has sunk and is full of wastewater for over 10m going under all the buildings. I’ve looked into drainage installs and found that they should have put shingle under the pipes to stop it subsiding, but this didn’t happen.
We are now left with an annexe that my 78-year-old father-in-law has moved into with no use of any toilet, shower, kitchen, etc. We reported this to the builder, who has refused to do anything with it, saying it’s not covered by his structural warranty and is our problem to resolve. I’m sure this is not the case, and any work should come with a longer guarantee than five months. The drainage has so little
use because it’s just him in there that it’s taken a long time to fill up. We also think there could be a leak in the pipe allowing water to leak out into the ground.
The repair for this is going to be over £ 10k; they will also have to remove a large area of the newly laid patio ( laid by the same company).
We have tried to take up with the builder, but he will not answer our calls, and our emails are now being ignored. We will be speaking to a solicitor, but we are trying to get this resolved with him before any costly work and legal fees happen.
Any help with this would be appreciated.
Hopefully, this is in the right place.
We have had a new annexe, garage, and dog kennels built in our garden by a contractor. This was built under a permission to build certificate from the local council; it falls under the caravan legislation.
We have had a nightmare from day one with the contractor; they blocked the main drains in our street, installed the wrong windows and doors, built the garage too high and had to knock it down to start again. That’s only a few of the issues…
The project was finally completed in January. We paid the final payment, which we withheld until work was completed. We were given a 10-year structural warranty that is very basic with the promise from the contractor that they would come back to any issue.
Last week, we had a drain blockage and called in a drainage company to jet the drains and put a camera up it to see what the issue is. (The drainage pipework was all installed by the contractor new last June but not used until January.) The CCTV showed that the pipework has sunk and is full of wastewater for over 10m going under all the buildings. I’ve looked into drainage installs and found that they should have put shingle under the pipes to stop it subsiding, but this didn’t happen.
We are now left with an annexe that my 78-year-old father-in-law has moved into with no use of any toilet, shower, kitchen, etc. We reported this to the builder, who has refused to do anything with it, saying it’s not covered by his structural warranty and is our problem to resolve. I’m sure this is not the case, and any work should come with a longer guarantee than five months. The drainage has so little
use because it’s just him in there that it’s taken a long time to fill up. We also think there could be a leak in the pipe allowing water to leak out into the ground.
The repair for this is going to be over £ 10k; they will also have to remove a large area of the newly laid patio ( laid by the same company).
We have tried to take up with the builder, but he will not answer our calls, and our emails are now being ignored. We will be speaking to a solicitor, but we are trying to get this resolved with him before any costly work and legal fees happen.
Any help with this would be appreciated.
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