Big rant

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G

Gazzer

Ok here is the suituation, I was asked to to a house and it was a big job,
1,Tank out wet room, lay UFH. Tile wet room floor which in the shower was mosaic, walls normal tile.
2, Tile walls and floors in Guest shower room, Floor normal ceramics, Walls 600x400 Glass tiles.
3, Main bathroom, UFH and 800x130 floor tiles (to look like floor boards), Walls 400 x100 and a featured 2 walls of a nother tile to add a contrast.
4, WC, floor and walls, standard stuff
5, Kitchen floor ( unknown at the moment but with UFH)

So far so good and i discussed deatils regarding working with the bathroom company and all was agreed that we would work together. The job was measured and quantities supplied to the company for them to supply all tiles. Again so far so good.

The quote was given to the client whose house it was and after some haggling a deal was done. I will point out that when talking with the bathroom company it was agreed that when i started all that would be fitted in the rooms would be the bath and /or shower trays and relevent shower controls etc. So basically i would have a blank canvas to work on.
So last monday i turned up as agreed to make a start in the smallest room but no tiles had arrived for that floor. The walls could not be started as the shower controls still needed to be fitted and boards replaced on the walls.

The wet room was in no state to have any work done at that time.

The only room i could have made a start in was main bathroom but that was where the plumber was working. He had installed all bathroom furniture, ie. Vanity units and wall units, i pointed out that we were lead to believe the furniture would be fitted on teh tiles, The client agreed too but bathroom company said that this was the way they worked.
Then the client could not remember which way she wanted the tiles on the walls laid and then dropped it to me that she wanted lights in the floor in front of the bath. But the electrician was on holiday for a week and he needed to position the lights . Bear in mind there is an Electric UFH being installed.
To further frustrate matter 6 lights needed to be installed around the shower controller.
Well i wasnt too pleased and pointed out that all this would be extra costs, this didnt go down well with the client. So basically now the situation is taht i have said no to the job as i feel that everyone is messing me about and that i am expected to carry the extra cost of all the extra cutting and drilling 16 (in total) 26mm holes in the floor and wall tiles to accomodate the lights.

So why am i telling you all this?
Well for a start i feel bad because i hate letting anyone down, I really wanted the job as i felt it would make a good addition to my portfolio and i dont like turning work away anyway but.....I just have a gut feeling that things would get no better and that was the reason for saying no in the end.
How would you have reacted in the same situation? I have to say that my main gripe apart from being asked to carry the cost of drilling the holes etc was the fact that the bathroom units were all instaleld before tiling. I cant ever remember that happening to me before unless it was an existing bathroom.

Sorry for the rant, but i am really wound up today.
 
With the sounds of it, this would of been quite a bit of work, and also I would of presumed quite a good payday at the end.

I guess it would of been the case that if I was making a real packet on the job. and the only real thing it would of cost me to drill the holes, then I would of got stuck in, removing toilet and sink etc to tile away.

What was the quote you agreed with the customer if you don't mind me asking ?
 
im with you on that one. and would have done the same.
tilers do seem to be disregarded, and left to pick up the peases .when every one else has picked off what that want to do...
 
There were no toilet and sink as yet. It was all wall hung furniture. The amount quoted was for blank walls and even then she knocked me down in price. This would have been ok without all the extras but not worth the hassle now.
 
Well, it would of all depended on what I was originally going to make on the job.

If I was already down to my bare minimum then yeah I wouldn't be happy doing more for the same, but as well, how long a job did you plan on it being ?
 
Had the job all been your standard run of the mill tiles and without UFH/tanking etc then yeah it would have been a good earner.
A price was agreed on and then i was expected to do a lot more. In terms of hours i would imagine about 2 days all in extra work plus cost of tile drills.
 
trouble is they want it all there own way. knock you down on price.
then dont care when thay make it harder for you.
what you price it for doesn,t matter,
its what you agree is or isnt going to be in the room..
 
once the price was agreed I would have given her an invoice for that amount, clearly stating and pointed out to the customer that any additions to the original terms would cost extra
 
Thats the way I work Bigdaz. Send the estimate detailing what was agreed, state any changes require recosting etc. I also send my Terms and Conditions of Trading. When they accept my estimate, they are accepting my terms as well.

That's why I never estimate there and then. Here in Scotland, verbal contracts are binding in a court of law.

Grumpy
 

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