Opinion On Bathroom Please

[saliboti]

Hi,

I've just joined to ask for an opinion on the following situation.

We are in the process of having a new bathroom, which is slow progress due to a number of problems with the fitters, (6 weeks so far, for a 12 day job.) The first guy working on the job was sacked by the boss for a number of **** ups, the main one being installing the shower valve upside down (the plate was etched, so unfortunately it mattered.) Anyway, the boss has carried on now (after 2 weeks of no work while we waited for him.)

In the process of correcting the valve he obviously had to remove a number of tiles from the shower area. Ultimately this now means that he has run out of tiles for the job and has bought some more (it was a 100% supply and install agreement including the tiles). The pictures show some of the new tiles that have been fitted so far - which obviously look like a different batch. He has attached these on all 4 walls in places - and there is still a fairly large area left to tile with the new lot as well.

We pointed this out to him after the days work, and unfortunately he decided to quit the job as we had "unobtainable standards". This is combined with other outstanding issues from the previous guy he sacked (eg. scratch in bath and on waste, poor plastering around light fittings plus some other things we were originally promised will be sorted when we pointed them out.) He is always a little argumentative when we mention a problem by blaming us for the issues, even though they were caused by his fitter.

The fitter has since requested that he carries on the job, repairing the issues with the bath etc, although he is obviously not keen on correcting the tiles saying that it would damage the plasterboard if they were removed.

We have tried to be reasonable all the way through this process, but we would like some further advice on what we should do next. Should we give the guy an opportunity to carry on, and if so should we be expecting him to replace the tiles to match. (This may be problematic as the first fitter appears to have disposed of all the boxes in the skip which has now been collected so I doubt he could find the batch number?) There is £1500 remaining to pay, and the guy originally said we can use that to get someone else to finish it. However if new tiles and fitting is required it would cost a lot more than that. I don't think I am comfortable accepting the miss-matched tiles as they are obvious, but your advice would be appreciated.

Sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance. I can't appear to upload photos, so I've linked to a folder on my OneDrive:

tilersforum

I've downloaded from your one drive and inserted them.

 

[Spud]

What a mess
Honestly there should always be sufficient wastage on any order to allow for breakages setting out issues however let's look at it
did the tiler check the batches , perhaps not, did the customer who supplied the tiles check the batches definitely not , did the customer supply enough tiles . yes for the job , however , gno not enough for any contingency , has the contractor been professional , yes and no , he tried to sort the issue but cocked up even more
What would a pro do ?
Strip all the tiles and provide a fair replacement
The customer isn't at fault even though they didn't allow adequate wastage or checked their order the contractor should have flagged this up before starting
What are your options now as it will cost so much to put right ?
Ask the contractor to strip it all explain that although you are sympathetic you booked the job in good faith and will pay him the quoted price when the work is done and that you have realistic expectations and are not looking for perfection just all you ask for is a shower that works and tiles that are the same colour with a reasonably finish

 

[bcd-87]

You should work for the UN !!! @GaryTheTiler

 

[Italy]

You should work for the UN !!! @GaryTheTiler

ahahhahh

 

[saliboti]

Thanks everyone for your comments. We have decided to let him go, and we will use the outstanding money to find someone else to finish off.

@GaryTheTiler that is very diplomatic, however the fitter ordered, collected and supplied the tiles. We even asked if his quote for this included contingency and he said yes. Does this change your response? Was this the wrong thing to do, as we thought that leaving everything to the fitter was the best way to ensure that no problems could occur as there is no debate over responsibility for checking or ordering the right amount?

As I said, the tiles were the only aspect I was seeking opinion on as we wanted a second opinion to try and understand if we were being reasonable. The list of other problems include:

- Scratch in bath, and on the waste waste caused by the first fitter storing tools, and working around the bath with no protection other than the plastic sheet. This is still unresolved.

- Dodgy plaster work around the light. Still unresolved.

- A multi-coloured (black & white) pipe on the side of the house, and a hole in the brick work where the first fitter attempted to connect the bath waste to the downpipe. This was stopped as soon as we told him it was illegal. The pipe is still there however.

- The shower valve was fitted upside down. This has been resolved.

All of the above was caused by the first fitter, who was fired for the shower valve incident (he had done that before on a previous job apparently.)

- The incorrect plug type was fitted to the sink which is different to what we ordered. This occurred in last day before the fitter we hired quit himself.

All of this is now 6 weeks after the start date, on a 12 day job.

As I said, thanks again.

 

[Spud]

Good luck with the job and let's hope it has a good outcomes and please keep us informed of how it ends. may I ask how you found the initial contractor and how many quotes you got for the work at pricing stage ?

 

[saliboti]

Thanks. I will report back in the New Year when hopefully it's done.

We had 3 local people quote, from local advertising and the internet, and 1 from the Bath Store for comparison. The guy we chose was about middle of the road on price, but he provided the design we were most happy with, and was the most personable during the quote and planning phase.

We didn't really know anybody in the local area who have had a bathroom done before, so we couldn't get personal recommendations unfortunately.

Merry Christmas!

 

[andy8758]

Interesting tale of woe. If Dickens had written a Christmas Carol for tiling, this story could have been it!

We all make mistakes sometimes. The professional tradesman readily fixes it without too much fuss, at no extra charge.

Hope you had a better Christmas saliboti and all the best for the New Year.