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Other Stuff => Misc / Open => Topic started by: hairygit on July 11, 2016, 09:34:23 AM

Title: Cowboy builders?
Post by: hairygit on July 11, 2016, 09:34:23 AM
Landlord at the house we live in decided we needed a new kitchen and bathroom. Great news we thought, but what a nightmare it has been, and talk about bodging! The electrician came to do the wiring, cut chases in the plaster for the wiring, and then the kitchen fitters came in and mounted the units before the plasterer and flooring people came. Result is a total mess, the plasterers won't be able to do the areas behind the cabinets, and it seems to be very bad practice to fit the base units before the flooring. What do you guys and girls think? Do they qualify as Cowboy builders?
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: Nurse Julie on July 11, 2016, 10:19:18 AM
I think they are definitely worth a nomination for the title 'Cowboy Builders' !!!. It makes me mad when piss poor planning ruins a job, it's just not necessary. Is the kettle working though Hairy ? I can live without anything but, not a kettle  ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: hairygit on July 11, 2016, 10:39:35 AM
[attachimg=1][attachimg=3][attachimg=2]  I'm glad to say it does work, but here should give you an idea of the bodge, I mean, normally the plastering and decorating is done first, then the flooring, then the kitchen units. This lot make Laurel and Hardy look professional! >:(
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: Nurse Julie on July 11, 2016, 10:48:40 AM
Bloody hell, what a bodge.
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: hairygit on July 11, 2016, 11:00:57 AM
Guess what, nobody has turned up today to get on with the kitchen, it's just a total mess, we can't get on putting anything back in the kitchen, it's all stacked up in the living room! Better than that, a plumber turned up to start the bathroom, but had no idea what he was supposed to be doing, had to phone his supervisor to find out. So he removed the bath and sink, and disappeared, with no idea when they will be back!
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: RGP750 on July 11, 2016, 11:16:42 AM
It's not 1st April is it???
I can't believe they fitted the kitchen with it like that.
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: hairygit on July 11, 2016, 11:24:48 AM
Sadly not! We have complained to the landlord this morning, only to be told they have the utmost confidence in the contractors! Thinking it might be worth speaking to Citizens advice to see if we would be entitled to a rebate on the rent as less than half the house is useable!
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: Seabeowner on July 11, 2016, 01:04:07 PM
Think that wiring may not pass building regs as I thought it must run run either vertical or horizontal from switches or junctions. Looks like the vertical wiring to the 13A sockets on the left is not in line with the sockets and the wiring to the hood is diagonal.
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: hairygit on July 11, 2016, 01:23:19 PM
Apparently provided the consumer unit has a 30ma RCD it is permissible these days, although it is bad practice to do anything other than vertical or horizontal, it smacks of laziness and penny pinching!
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: MeilakJ on July 11, 2016, 01:34:23 PM
I thought that here in Malta we had cowboys but it seems they are all over the place not just here !!

It is logic sens even for the plasterer to work with the kitchen in place it is going to be a bigger job and then he has to make sure not to damage the new kitchen !! even more if they are to install any wall tiles !!

Just make sure  your bikes are kept away from these people  8) ;D

 
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: hairygit on July 11, 2016, 01:37:42 PM
Funny you should say that, it is supposed to be tiled when the plastering is done, also the floor is being tiled with terracotta tiles at some point!
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: SteveD CB500K0 on July 11, 2016, 02:01:54 PM
Think that wiring may not pass building regs as I thought it must run run either vertical or horizontal from switches or junctions. Looks like the vertical wiring to the 13A sockets on the left is not in line with the sockets and the wiring to the hood is diagonal.

Just what I was thinking when I saw the channel for the cooker hood.
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: mike the bike on July 11, 2016, 02:31:22 PM
It all looks very shoddy.   It reminds me of the customer that was having a belt from her washing machine.  I made some checks and found th he machine was OK -  the 13A socket wasn't earthed.  After more checks, I found that none of the sockets in the new kitchen extension were earthed.

Best get yourself a martindale plug.

Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: BigAl (Alan) on July 11, 2016, 02:35:07 PM
mmmm. Been in the Electrical business for 30+ years, electrical reg's are now BS:7671. On completion of the job ask your landlord for a copy of
1. BS: 7671 Electrical installation Certificate for the kitchen work
2. Building control compliance/authorisation (electrical safety part P) certificate

Alan
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: Aly-b on July 11, 2016, 03:47:26 PM
With the greatest of respect I think you are worrying needlessly.
Think it will look nice when it is finished.
I take it the walls will be tiled so any plastering,cabling will not be seen.
Tiling all the kitchen floor before fitting the base units is a waste of tiles and money.
Once the floor is tiled and the kick boards are in place under the units is not seen.
As has been said,when finished a certificate should be obtained for the electrics.
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: Nurse Julie on July 11, 2016, 03:59:49 PM
With the greatest of respect I think you are worrying needlessly.
Think it will look nice when it is finished.
I take it the walls will be tiled so any plastering,cabling will not be seen.
Surely that's the point of having electric cables running vertical or horizontal isn't it, so when the walls are tiled you know where the wires are. ?
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: hairygit on July 11, 2016, 04:06:36 PM
Exactly Julie, the regs used to say if not vertical or horizontal it required protection by an earthed steel channel, and buried 50mm, okay the RCD will stop someone getting a shock if they drill or nail into it, but the wall would need stripping back to replace the cable!
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: Aly-b on July 11, 2016, 04:19:33 PM
Had you moved into the house after the kitchen was fitted and did not know where the cables were fitted and you wanted to drill the wall, the sensible thing to do is test the walls with a suitable device.Then you would know where a cable or pipe is.

Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: ST1100 on July 11, 2016, 04:49:42 PM
...normally the plastering and decorating is done first, then the flooring, then the kitchen units...
This site/setup is wrong in so many ways...
And all the kitchen cabinets have to come off before anything else can be finalized...
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: matthewmosse on July 11, 2016, 05:17:45 PM
I rent off my parents and before I moved in I helped the electrician re wire the place, I reacon our spark would have a fit and downright refuse to put his name to that job, especially the diagonal wiring. I have worked on instalation with 2 time served electricians and both were adamant about the diagonal wires thing unless the wire comes up to a sloping roof then it goes streight until no longer possible and is routed somas to be protected by several inches of solid timber perlin and roof truss. Yes you can tile up to but not under the kitchien units, but that may be a long term issue as it leaves a area for damp to get under units and lift the tiles, hence part of our rennovation was removing a 8 year old tiling job that was already cracking and comming loose and replacing with floorboards running right to the wall. Ok for a rental where the landlord is assuming the floor will either suffer abuse or he'll sell soon enough for it to pay for itself he might think that ok, but if it were my house....
As to the idiots ripping half of the house appart and expecting you to live in a building site, where I used to work as a carer, when they did that to the kitchien the tennant was moved to a b&b for the 3 days it was in a state. To my mind and how we did our own house, the best way must be to make the room sound and plastered and painted, then pop the kitchen in - the kitchien is basically flat pack furniture after all.
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: Spitfire on July 11, 2016, 05:41:40 PM
Not impressed with the diagonal wiring, as others have said it should be vertical or horizontal, I can't imagine a professional doing a job like that, sure I always test a wall before drilling but sometimes these testers are not at all accurate, then you have to rely on the electrician doing it properly.

Cheers

Dennis
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: Green1 on July 11, 2016, 07:22:16 PM
I'm a decorator by trade and see this sort of thing often in rented property and it drives me crackers.I think you will find the plaster will just be patched and then a painter (not decorator) will be expected to feather it in to loss it if he can be arsed or even capable.But it will look OK in the end.

I rarely see floors tiled under the units and never in new builds anymore unless its a million pound plus propertys now.
I have never come across wiring like that as sure its a no no.

I rearly work for landlords as they are often a funny breed that never want to pay the going rate.I think you will probably find that its an acceptable finish for the price there paying.
Hold in there it will come good in the end.  ;)
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: matthewmosse on July 11, 2016, 07:35:09 PM
Bear in mind the mindset of a landlord may be absolute ruthless squeezing of expenditure and maximising of profit margin, my soon to be ex boss has at least 3 properties, probably a lot more, including 2 large farms with workshops where our factory grew up from and a full blown victorian mansion. He got there by being ruthless and pretty cut throat, wish I had known that before I thew in a dull but stable job to work for his firm. Quite willing tomcut corners for a quick profit, we are talking shot blasting 27 ton payload trailers and avoiding the brakes - initially I was told because the brake mechanism was too much work to strip, when I pointed out the back plates and mounts were dangerously thinned or totally rotted, I was told, we know, just paint over it, he wants to sell at the best price he can. I geuss my obvious disatisfaction with this is part of the reason my contract has been cancelled. Anyhow, how does someone get to have a property portfolio worth millions, one way is to really push for every last bit of profit, that trailer I blasted would probably only have cost £600 more to do right, but that hits profit and some folk just want to squeeze for every last drop of profit.
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: hairygit on July 11, 2016, 07:53:49 PM
Our landlord owns a large part of Devon, with 800+ rental properties. The kitchen was not a cheap one either. What we think has happened is the contractors have got a contract to do 30 properties to start with, and they may have cut prices to the bone to win the contract, and the diagonal wiring and bodge the plaster later is an effort to save a few quid on materials here and there.
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: Green1 on July 11, 2016, 08:00:29 PM
Sounds about right I have worked almost for nothing to win contracts in the past
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: Rozabikes Tim on July 11, 2016, 08:05:31 PM
Part of my job is fitting curtains / poles we make via our shop. I once ended up drilling through and electic cable running diagonally between switch and light. Guess what the very embarrassed home owner's trade was.....!

Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: hairygit on July 11, 2016, 08:07:20 PM
Part of my job is fitting curtains / poles we make via our shop. I once ended up drilling through and electic cable running diagonally between switch and light. Guess what the very embarrassed home owner's trade was.....!
Oops! :-[ :-[ :-[
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: Green1 on July 11, 2016, 08:25:39 PM
The blind man often causses me problems on one mansion I worked on the curtain fitter drilled into microbore pipe that was run at the perfectly wrong hight across the window distroying the £400 a role wallpaper and the games room below.

On the plus side it gave me more work  ;D
Title: Re: Cowboy builders?
Post by: mike the bike on July 11, 2016, 08:34:22 PM
The blind man should have got his labrador to do it
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