Information needed.

[Haywood.J]

Hi Folks

Need a little help here.
We decided to try and help my mother and father who are over 70's as they were finding it hard to get in and out of the bath.

We discovered a grant was available and applied, got two quotes and got the grant for 90% of the work to replace the bath with a walk in shower, tile part of the bathroom, fit an extractor fan and new light.

When the surveyor came we enquired about getting the rest of the bathroom tiled at our own expense and to have less wall to paint for the parents.

We agreed on a price under the instructions that no pipes or cables would be seen and were told that all pipes and cables would be hidden by the tiles, sorry if this is a bit long.

Everything went well and the room was cleared for the plumber and electrician to do their stuff, the next day the new shower etc were fitted and the tiling started.

The next day the floor went down and we were told they were just waiting on the electrician to fit the fan and light and everything was finished.

When the electrician left I went to visit so that they could show off their new bathroom to me, I was horrified, all that extra money they had paid for the rest of the bathroom to be tiled has been totally thrown away.

Coming from the fan in the corner is plastic trunking which goes across into the corner, then up the corner to the ceiling, along half the ceiling, then takes a right angle turn into the centre of the ceiling and connects to the light fitting in the middle.

I didn't know what to say to them, I told them there would be no cables or pipes showing, that they would all be embedded into the wall before the tiles went on, this is what the company told me and I believed them.

The electrician that fitted the shower had placed a switch outside the bathroom door which I thought would work the shower and extractor fan, boy was I wrong.

Over a thousand pounds of new tiles have been totally disfigured and a beautiful bathroom destroyed with cheap plastic trunking.

I called the company yesterday but was too late to catch them as they finnish at 1pm on a Friday, but a plumber called me today just in case it was a leak.

I explained to him that this cable should have been hidden, he said that he thinks that's the way it should be done but wasn't sure and would get someone to call me on Monday.

I would like some advice on where they would stand with regards to this hideous trunking spoiling the look of the bathroom.

Should it have been put in place when the shower was wired up to hide the cable, before the tiling was done?
Do we just have to accept it the way it is?

Help please
Haywood

 

[jay]

hi have you got anything in writing

 

[Ajax123]

Sorry to hear of your predicament. Surely if the contract with this company was that they would install the electrics without having any cables or trunking visible then they are in simple breach of contract. Get them back to put it right IMO. I guess the argument they might make is that you said you wanted no cables visible and as the cables are in the trunking then they are not visible. A bit of a thin argument IMO though. Hope you can get it sorted.

 

[hillhead]

Was anything put in writing??

 

[hillhead]

seems we all jumped in there at the same time,lol

 

[Ajax123]

seems we all jumped in there at the same time,lol

Yep - Oh I meant to ask - was anything put in writing.....

 

[mikethetile]

ive seen a lot of this on grant work

the sparks is paid for one visit so cant first fix and then return to fit fan etc, so one visit means coming in at the end and using trunking

the double pole switch outside the door should isolate the shower and another external switch for the extractor

ironicly if your parents were in local authority housing all services would be embedded in the wall

 

[kilty55]

quite frankly this is outrageous, a brand new bathroom from scratch and these people think its acceptable to have trunking all over the shop? its very easy to raggle wires especially with a blank canvas to work with and i hope you get it sorted mate,good luck

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

surly you had a verbal contract, have you payed yet, if not you hold the power!!!!! use it well!!!!

 

[faithhealer]

Awful workmanship, hope you can get it sorted.

 

[CJ]

Has the work been paid for??

 

[Stan001]

I know that cables installed in walls where the cable runs less than 50mm from the surface have to run inside metal trunking now. They should also as run within 150mm of room wall to wall interface or vertically and horizontally from the socket or switch. Now the situation you ref to is slightly different in that the trip specified for your circuit is the lower lighting circuit current but still 240V. However I think the same rules apply. At least your switching is outside the wet room area.
The idea behind these rules is that users should be protected against mains power by more than a couple of mil of plastic or a bit of plaster or plasterboard (at least a bonded metal trunking provides some mechanical and electrical protection).
The bottom line though is unfortunately by logic ref your case may not be 100% on target – but the people who can advise you are will be your local council building regulations officer. They will happily visit and tell you if your cabling is in conformance (I don’t think it is). Hopefully you have not paid that ‘sparky’ yet!! If you have then you can take him to small claims with a building regs report in your hand (will cost you £50) and he will be instructed to rectify his work in accordance with regs.
The other thing you can get him on is Part P (does he have it?) its required by the local council regs people for anything more than a spur addition to a currently installed circuit, and I believe for all wet room (bathroom!) electrics. IF he doesn’t have it he’s toast. The council officer will do him, you pursue him for costs and get a Part P sparks to rectify the job.
Like I say I only have some of the story but call your local council building regs guys and they will tell you.
Fyi … sorta related ….
Cables concealed in a wall or partition - Voltimum UK - Electrical Installation Products and Contracting

 

[Haywood.J]

Hi guys

Many many thanks for your replies and information, very much appreciated.
My parents have paid for their part of the work but they used a visa debit card, I know from experience that it is possible to recall the payment and I will tell the company that this is exactly what I will do if the problem is not sorted.

As for the regulations, I'm sure these people will have all the things they need as most of the work they do is through the council.

If the fan had to be connected to the light, I don't see why they couldn't have done this when the bathroom was empty, thus the cable would have been hidden.

The electrician was supposed to come back on day four to install the fan but it was a week later when he arrived, don't think this would have made a difference as the tiles were already on by then.

If anyone had said that there would have been trunking over the tiles, I would have got another electrician or company or paid extra to get it hidden, as it is the bathroom is totally ruined and hideous.

I have the number of the social works lady and will give her a call on Monday.
I have no intention of giving up on this and will recall the money my parents have paid and take them to a small claims court to get the problem sorted, wouldn't look good for the company, this happening to two over 70's.

Watch this space for any developments as the company could be named and shamed and reviews placed all over the web.

Many thanks again for your replies and support.

Haywood

 

[jay]

thanks haywood,j any chance of some pics we like pics:8: and good luck let us know

 

[diamondtiling]

Debit card? are you sure you can recall that money? I know your covered if you use a credit card. I watched a programme the other week about buying online and all were advised that debit cards had no backup at all. I hope you get all this sorted out, maybe get another builder in and get his thoughts down on paper.