Builder Required for Maintenance Work
Discussion
I have an interesting tale of woe - and I could do with a builder/contractor local to me (Basingstoke) who can deal with the following problem.
In my lounge I have a bay window. Its a new house (four years old) with cavity walls. The ceiling of the bay got damp, then damper, the finally this morning the water broke through and pissed out. About a bucketful.
Luckily I was there and got buckets under the deluge.
We'd already started the process with the house insurance when we got this new development. We've had a builder round who has diagnosed
a) Poor pointing around the bay.
b) Sodden brickwork (the weather has been awful!) that could do with sealing
c) The Cavity Tray above the bay may have a problem.
He's suggested dealing with (a) and (b) and seeing if it fixes things. We're to get an estimate - and that's all good. The only problem is that I have a suspicion that there are other problems leading to an unusual amount of water in the cavity coupled with the fact that house settling may well have broken the cavity tray.
This one is definitely going on the insurance so however big the job is the budget to fix it properly should be there.
I reckon that the bay ceiling will need to be opened up and whatever knock-on problems dealt with in there. The ceiling will then, obviously, need to be made good and the repair made invisible. But the real crap will fix somehow fixing the cavity tray - bugger knows how you do that!
Any recommendations for someone reliable who takes on this kind of work and knows what's to be done?
In my lounge I have a bay window. Its a new house (four years old) with cavity walls. The ceiling of the bay got damp, then damper, the finally this morning the water broke through and pissed out. About a bucketful.
Luckily I was there and got buckets under the deluge.
We'd already started the process with the house insurance when we got this new development. We've had a builder round who has diagnosed
a) Poor pointing around the bay.
b) Sodden brickwork (the weather has been awful!) that could do with sealing
c) The Cavity Tray above the bay may have a problem.
He's suggested dealing with (a) and (b) and seeing if it fixes things. We're to get an estimate - and that's all good. The only problem is that I have a suspicion that there are other problems leading to an unusual amount of water in the cavity coupled with the fact that house settling may well have broken the cavity tray.
This one is definitely going on the insurance so however big the job is the budget to fix it properly should be there.
I reckon that the bay ceiling will need to be opened up and whatever knock-on problems dealt with in there. The ceiling will then, obviously, need to be made good and the repair made invisible. But the real crap will fix somehow fixing the cavity tray - bugger knows how you do that!
Any recommendations for someone reliable who takes on this kind of work and knows what's to be done?
mattyboy101 said:
I would contact the builder, you should still be under the DL period, especially because it's a latent defect.
Interestingly we contacted the NHBC. Basically their guarantee doesn't cover you if your home insurance does! (Or at least - we were fobbed off with this). Our home insurance does cover the problem, mind.
The house was built by Bryant Homes. Do you think its worth contacting them, then? They're quite specific about a two year warranty then eight years NHBC...
I don't know if it will help you, I have never been involved with the NHBC or domestic situations in a professional context, but this guide from the ICE should explain a few things that might be able to help you.
www.ice.org.uk/downloads/Liability%20of%20Professionals%20for%20Defects(1).pdf
Matt
www.ice.org.uk/downloads/Liability%20of%20Professionals%20for%20Defects(1).pdf
Matt
mattyboy101 said:
Any luck Don?
Turns out after a slightly more forceful conversation the NHBC are going to send round an inspector...within three weeks!. Luckily we have had dry weather. In addition to this it would appear that the deluge we suffered was a one-time occurrence and it will be a slight drip rather than a flood until its sorted out. The fix is going to be horrendous, sadly.
Don
If its an insurance job, let them sort it out. We found a leak before Christmas and the insurers got someone round really quickly to estimate on the work. Unfortunately, the problem that is causing the leak isnt down to storm damage etc, its down to crap building so they wont cover the external work.
We got the yellow pages out and after ringing a number of roofers, only one ever got back to me - this guy is top and came and fixed our problem yesterday. Bloody builders had cocked up the lead flashings when the house was built and water was getting in, but the best bit was the silly buggers had then ripped the felt under the tiles and of course thats where the water was getting in.
The good news is that the insurers have agreed to put right the water damage inside and the guy is coming tommorrow to sort that out.
HH
PS - The guy I used has a partner in Basingstoke so happy to pass his details to you if you need it.
If its an insurance job, let them sort it out. We found a leak before Christmas and the insurers got someone round really quickly to estimate on the work. Unfortunately, the problem that is causing the leak isnt down to storm damage etc, its down to crap building so they wont cover the external work.
We got the yellow pages out and after ringing a number of roofers, only one ever got back to me - this guy is top and came and fixed our problem yesterday. Bloody builders had cocked up the lead flashings when the house was built and water was getting in, but the best bit was the silly buggers had then ripped the felt under the tiles and of course thats where the water was getting in.
The good news is that the insurers have agreed to put right the water damage inside and the guy is coming tommorrow to sort that out.
HH
PS - The guy I used has a partner in Basingstoke so happy to pass his details to you if you need it.
herbie hammer said:
Don
If its an insurance job, let them sort it out. We found a leak before Christmas and the insurers got someone round really quickly to estimate on the work. Unfortunately, the problem that is causing the leak isnt down to storm damage etc, its down to crap building so they wont cover the external work.
We got the yellow pages out and after ringing a number of roofers, only one ever got back to me - this guy is top and came and fixed our problem yesterday. Bloody builders had cocked up the lead flashings when the house was built and water was getting in, but the best bit was the silly buggers had then ripped the felt under the tiles and of course thats where the water was getting in.
The good news is that the insurers have agreed to put right the water damage inside and the guy is coming tommorrow to sort that out.
HH
PS - The guy I used has a partner in Basingstoke so happy to pass his details to you if you need it.
If its an insurance job, let them sort it out. We found a leak before Christmas and the insurers got someone round really quickly to estimate on the work. Unfortunately, the problem that is causing the leak isnt down to storm damage etc, its down to crap building so they wont cover the external work.
We got the yellow pages out and after ringing a number of roofers, only one ever got back to me - this guy is top and came and fixed our problem yesterday. Bloody builders had cocked up the lead flashings when the house was built and water was getting in, but the best bit was the silly buggers had then ripped the felt under the tiles and of course thats where the water was getting in.
The good news is that the insurers have agreed to put right the water damage inside and the guy is coming tommorrow to sort that out.
HH
PS - The guy I used has a partner in Basingstoke so happy to pass his details to you if you need it.
Yes please, mate. Our problem is that the likely fault is a misfitted cavity tray above the bay window. the NHBC actually cover this as it is a "build error". Its just that its taken a few years to show up as it requires a very heavy ingress of water through the porous bricks to create enough water flowing down the inside of the cavity wall to actually induce the fault. Or so our likely diagnosis has been intimated.
It also helps that the NHBC are actually happy to send an assessor round.
Our insurer wasn't going to send anyone!! To be fair - at the time we first contacted them the problem was minor. Then we had the deluge. Then I got riled and spoke to the NHBC again - who at that point agreed to send someone round. So they deserve a chance, really...
If the NHBC are no joy we'll get the insurers on the case again. In any case we may wish to claim for the difference between the insurer's excess and the NHBC excess...we'll see.
Don,
Sounds like you are being fed a load of rubbish. NHBC 10 year warranty is put there to cover this.
Does the bay window have a tiled roof or a flat roof above it? Is the leak at the back, middle or front of the roof?
Is the lead flashing properly affixed to the wall, are there any gaps in the tiles
Personally if you take a stanley knife and cut out the damaged plasterboard ceiling it will show you in seconds exactly where the leak is coming from.
Its just as likely that the water is coming in round the lead flashing or perhaps under the tiles and through a rip in the felt as it is anything else thats been suggested.
Bennno
Sounds like you are being fed a load of rubbish. NHBC 10 year warranty is put there to cover this.
Does the bay window have a tiled roof or a flat roof above it? Is the leak at the back, middle or front of the roof?
Is the lead flashing properly affixed to the wall, are there any gaps in the tiles
Personally if you take a stanley knife and cut out the damaged plasterboard ceiling it will show you in seconds exactly where the leak is coming from.
Its just as likely that the water is coming in round the lead flashing or perhaps under the tiles and through a rip in the felt as it is anything else thats been suggested.
Bennno
bennno said:
Don,
Sounds like you are being fed a load of rubbish. NHBC 10 year warranty is put there to cover this.
Does the bay window have a tiled roof or a flat roof above it? Is the leak at the back, middle or front of the roof?
Is the lead flashing properly affixed to the wall, are there any gaps in the tiles
Personally if you take a stanley knife and cut out the damaged plasterboard ceiling it will show you in seconds exactly where the leak is coming from.
Its just as likely that the water is coming in round the lead flashing or perhaps under the tiles and through a rip in the felt as it is anything else thats been suggested.
Bennno
Sounds like you are being fed a load of rubbish. NHBC 10 year warranty is put there to cover this.
Does the bay window have a tiled roof or a flat roof above it? Is the leak at the back, middle or front of the roof?
Is the lead flashing properly affixed to the wall, are there any gaps in the tiles
Personally if you take a stanley knife and cut out the damaged plasterboard ceiling it will show you in seconds exactly where the leak is coming from.
Its just as likely that the water is coming in round the lead flashing or perhaps under the tiles and through a rip in the felt as it is anything else thats been suggested.
Bennno
Thanks for your replies, chaps.
We've actually had a chap check out the lead flashing which seems OK. The bay window actually doesn't have a tiled roof - its a kind of all in one fibreglass (probably) cowl. Bryant must order them by the bazillion as you see 'em on all the houses around here. The water is coming through into the centre and rear of the bay window ceiling.
I reckon the NHBC will now assist us as they have agreed to send an assessor round.
Bizarrely there is no further water coming in at the moment - or at least the quantities are undetectable. It seems to take a special sort of stormy weather to cause the problem.
Odd as a complete Bucketful came out on the one occasion...
Last december after the foulest weather imaginable we got a stain. Then the problem went away so I assumed that since it was the first time in four years that this had happened that it was exceptional. So I waited until it was bone dry...
...and painted over the stain you see in the pic above.
But the storms reoccurred and the water came through...
..briefly held back by the paint but...
...eventually coming through and a complete bucketful poured into my house. Luckily I was there and nothing worse happened than a plastic bucket filled up.
Knowing my luck the circumstances will not reoccur, the bloke will come around and think I'm making it up. Luckily he will be seeing the pictures above (and others) which should convince, I think.
...and painted over the stain you see in the pic above.
But the storms reoccurred and the water came through...
..briefly held back by the paint but...
...eventually coming through and a complete bucketful poured into my house. Luckily I was there and nothing worse happened than a plastic bucket filled up.
Knowing my luck the circumstances will not reoccur, the bloke will come around and think I'm making it up. Luckily he will be seeing the pictures above (and others) which should convince, I think.
bennno said:
post a picture of the outside...
if there is a cavity tray then there should be visible weep holes in the brickwork from which it drains.....
is the roof over the bay flat or pitched
bennno
This strange cowl thing...and directly above the bay there are indeed little plastic "spacers" which are supposed to allow the water out from where the cavity tray catches it. I've looked but I can't really tell if there's been anything flowing out from 'em. No visible "staining".
Edited by Don on Wednesday 17th January 08:48
... herbie hammer said:
Don
The company are
TK Building & Roofing
01264 791145
- ask for Tony Wyatt and mention me as the roofing job in Celtic Drive!
They do all sorts and have impressed us so far
HH.
The company are
TK Building & Roofing
01264 791145
- ask for Tony Wyatt and mention me as the roofing job in Celtic Drive!
They do all sorts and have impressed us so far
HH.
Mrs Don has just been in touch. They'll be popping round to look at the bay and also a new problem...
To add insult to injury at around 7:00am this morning the gales took off a section of roof. So now its not just a leaking bay window cowl/cavity tray problem. Its a missing end-cap and roof tiles as well. Scary.
MY HOUSE IS BEING BLOWN DOWN!
Mind you - by the number of roofers vans and trucks running around so are other people's...
Bloody wild here as well - we are on the top of the hill and very exposed, so far so good though, apart from the wheelie bin going over we are ok!!
Hope you get everything sorted - the guys you called seem to know what they are going and have impressed us and I am not easily won over when it comes to trades men
HH.
Hope you get everything sorted - the guys you called seem to know what they are going and have impressed us and I am not easily won over when it comes to trades men
HH.
Gassing Station | Thames Valley & Surrey | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff