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Having a nightmare with builders on my home extension
I’m loosing the will to live with this build
I feel no trades listen and just does the easy way they want, instead of what I ask for – I’ve even drawn on the walls to mark where I want things to idiot proof things after feeling like they didn’t listen on the first fit (lights, sockets etc) and it’s ignored.
When I tell the main builder he seems to side with them
Today the tiler bill has come in and it equates to over £1000 PER DAY
He was here 3 days tiling and just over half a day to grout. Tiles are 900×900.
£4450 is his bill
This doesn’t include any materials. Just labour. Am I right in literally thinking WTF and that everyone should retrain as a tiler?!?!
I also had a quote from tile company to supply matting, adhesive and grout etc. they quoted around £800. Don’t get it from them the builder said, I can get it cheaper through who i use and the tiler prefers another brand. Ok I said and screen shot him the quote from the tiles company. I ordered tiles only from the company which were £7000.
He now wants me to pay £2200 for materials.
So that’s £4450 fitting plus £2200 = £6650 to lay just under 90sq m of tiles. Tiles were huge so no intricate work. The tiles alone cost me £7000.
Total for this floor so far would be £13,650
I still have one room to go which is approx 40sq m. So based on the above prices I’m looking at another potential cost of £7000 ish for tiles and laying etc.
That would be for the total build a tile and fitting cost of nearly £21,000!!!
I’m raging inside. I feel physically sick that despite having conversations etc and thinking it was clear cut that they’ve now billed this.
So I’m here yet again to ask for your wise words and views as to whether I am overreacting or whether I should say something
On a seperate note.
Had assumed fitting was in the total price for a ‘all in job’ the only things clear that were not included were kitchen and flooring we would provide ourself. As in the tiles and units. So why am I being billed for a tile fitter? We have had an extra room done but I had said I knew that would be extra fitting cost so I was expecting a charge for 28sq m of fitting. Not the entire 90sq m of fitting.
I hate conflict and feel so nervous bringing things up but equally this is killing me. I’m not sleeping, I’m stressed, full of tension.
I’m feeling so low, down, I’m snapping at everyone in my family and just can’t take it anymore
For info: it’s a rear 6m extension plus knock through. House is 11m wide. I said I needed it all completed for £150k including kitchen etc. original quote was lower so he said no prob, easy to complete.
Only extras I added were this other room tiling
Was over budget
Staged payments but the extras are adding up when I feel they should be included
Over £200 maybe nearer 220 so far
Edited: going to request a meeting for when my husband is around.
I’ve also just listed the car on autotrader.
I don’t know how I’m going to finish the house and we can’t leave it as we are living upstairs at the moment with 3 children, including a baby
Not even sure the business will survive labours National Insurance increase etc. just feel the world is against me at the moment.
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8 Replies
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I would be raging too, you have been very clear on how much you could get the materials for and he is charging you almost 3 times that. I would have a meeting to discuss the grout, adhesive costs and ask why they have come in 3 times what the tile company costed.
Just as a comparable we pay £48/sq mtr for basic tiling installation labour. Excluding mats, board, adhesive and grout/trims
Hope that helps
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I think I would ask the builder for a meeting & to breakdown his costs. Does he know youre not good at confrontation & is pushing his luck to see what he can get away with? I would now want everything documented in emails, no verbal agreements whatsoever! Good luck, it sounds incredibly stressful for you
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If you don’t like confrontation could you request clarifications via email.
I wouldn’t allow any work to continue without knowing what you are going to be charged.
Get everything in writing
Can the tiler provide a breakdown of his bill?
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Firstly no, you are not overreacting.
I would ask for a break down of costs and for a copy of the receipts for the materials that the builder purchased.
I completely understand you don’t like confrontation, I don’t either but I would call a meeting with him and bullet point what you want to discuss in an email to him in advance.
If you can I would also get a couple of other quotes for the remaining room just to gauge how close the builder’s tiler’s rates are to your area’s average. It sounds expensive to me but I’m in South Yorkshire.
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Can you halt? No wants to feel like someone is taking advantage ….
Things need to slow down. And be way more clear.
Re the tiles – maybe no intricate work – but there is huge care needed to lay large format things or mistakes will show up very badly or even be unsafe.
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My goodness, I’m so sorry you’re going through this, sending huge hugs! We’re in the process of getting our loft conversion done and its been so similar, I’m absolutely miserable about it. And what’s worse after all the money is spent and the tears have dried we will be left with a space that isn’t and never will be what we wanted, its heartbreaking. I know the builders will get it to building regs standards but beyond that they literally couldn’t care less. I’m afraid I don’t have any advice, just solidarity.
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As a builder we state what is not included and if that’s flooring that means labour and materials aren’t included in the quote. Always always agree costs before the work being undertaken. For 90sq mtrs of tiling 4450 (labour only) is cheap. I would have been more expensive.
Happy to have a chat if you want to talk through some things
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I can’t offer any helpful advice, sorry, but I can entirely sympathise. Renovating is so, so hard. This is a place where you can vent, no-one here will laugh, blame or whatever else happens on other awful groups. You will survive this, I do promise that much. You might not know how, it might not be pretty, but you’ll survive and one day you’ll have lightness and fun back in your life.
Sarah Schutte in this group may be able to offer legal advice, if pertinent?
In the meantime, if you feel you need a bit of additional mental resilience and fortitude (I think of it as someone propping me up when I’m flagging!) the book ‘Why has nobody told me this before’ by Dr Julie Smith is excellent for coping strategies. Helped me enormously when I felt I was totally loosing my mind with my house.
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