Renovation Woes

MissStitch626

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jun 11, 2009
As I mentioned in the bathroom design thread, we've just had our bathroom redone this week. The team finished the work on Friday and the old thirty year old bathroom is all shiny and new.

That's the good news.

When the owner of the company did the handover on Friday, my husband spotted a couple of minor issues (missed seal in the ceiling, missing hook for the light pull). No big deal, owner would come back on Monday to fix them. Once he leaves, we realise the crew have done a fair bit of cosmetic damage to the door frame so I'll need to repaint. Again, not the end of the world but I did think it odd they didn't comment on it during handover.

On Friday night, as I'm walking into the living room I spot a bubble in the living room ceiling. Quick dash upstairs and we find the new pipe for the shower is leaking. Between Friday night and now, we've discovered a second leak below the new sink, gaps around the ceiling lights (not visible during handover when they had the lights turned on), the new towel rail makes a clunking sound when anyone walks by the bathroom, and both the sink and the bath are super slow to drain. The bath, which was left filled to let the bath settle, is clocking in at 27 mins and counting and still a third full). They also removed the door to work in the bathroom and since going back on it is loose in the frame and rattles constantly if it's closed.

We've already been in touch with the company but it's showroom only at the weekends so waiting for a follow up tomorrow.

So, anyone have similar experiences to share? Any advice, tips, wisdom? Is the slow drain normal in modern bathrooms and I'm just being super critical?
 
As I mentioned in the bathroom design thread, we've just had our bathroom redone this week. The team finished the work on Friday and the old thirty year old bathroom is all shiny and new.

That's the good news.

When the owner of the company did the handover on Friday, my husband spotted a couple of minor issues (missed seal in the ceiling, missing hook for the light pull). No big deal, owner would come back on Monday to fix them. Once he leaves, we realise the crew have done a fair bit of cosmetic damage to the door frame so I'll need to repaint. Again, not the end of the world but I did think it odd they didn't comment on it during handover.

On Friday night, as I'm walking into the living room I spot a bubble in the living room ceiling. Quick dash upstairs and we find the new pipe for the shower is leaking. Between Friday night and now, we've discovered a second leak below the new sink, gaps around the ceiling lights (not visible during handover when they had the lights turned on), the new towel rail makes a clunking sound when anyone walks by the bathroom, and both the sink and the bath are super slow to drain. The bath, which was left filled to let the bath settle, is clocking in at 27 mins and counting and still a third full). They also removed the door to work in the bathroom and since going back on it is loose in the frame and rattles constantly if it's closed.

We've already been in touch with the company but it's showroom only at the weekends so waiting for a follow up tomorrow.

So, anyone have similar experiences to share? Any advice, tips, wisdom? Is the slow drain normal in modern bathrooms and I'm just being super critical?
Regarding the slow drain - NO, it should not take half an hour for the tub to drain. If you had tile work done I'd wager there is grout in the drain; either there accidentally or they purposely washed the left-overs down during clean up. :( (I work in residential construction and this is a very common occurrence.)
 
Regarding the slow drain - NO, it should not take half an hour for the tub to drain. If you had tile work done I'd wager there is grout in the drain; either there accidentally or they purposely washed the left-overs down during clean up. :( (I work in residential construction and this is a very common occurrence.)

This makes sense. They took down all the old tiles and re-tiled the full bathroom. It ended up taking just over an hour for the tub to drain in full :sad2:
 


I have never had that big of a problem but I sympathise. Were these licensed plumbers? How frustrating.

We used a local company who did the full refit and project management. They handled the design, supplied all fixtures and fittings, and fit the flooring and ceiling panels themselves. They subcontracted for tiling, electrical and plumbing work.

The company we worked with fit our kitchen a few years ago with no issues at all. For the current job, there were a few delays at the start such as the tiles arriving a day later than expected and the plumber arriving late one day. It feels like they maybe rushed, cut a few corners and missed some final checks to get everything done by Friday afternoon and it's backfired.
 
Document everything! Take pictures, make detailed notes and document in detail every interaction w the company.
I hope they make everything right but if they don’t you will have what you need for a small claims court case.
 
As a previous poster said, be sure to document everything and take lots of photos and video of the issues. Hopefully they will resolve everything without issue, but always best to be prepared.

The slow drainage and rattling fixtures should not be happening (the leaks are an obvious need of repair).
 


Have you paid for it in full? If not then do not pay the balance yet.

One advantage of using a credit card instead of cash or debit card is that it is possible to get the credit card company involved by disputing the bill. But do not dispute the bill early in the game. Give the company a reasonable chance to fix the problem fitst,.
 
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Take picture and videos... Call and ask for the owner... and ask him to come out...

Pictures and videos are for you in case you have to take them to court... make several copies...
 
Update:

Plumber arrived on Monday, fixed the leaks and the slow draining issues. An hour after he left guess what? Another puddle of water under the new sink :mad:

He came back today, this time with another plumber, and it's now finally fixed.

The owner and the guy overseeing the refit came this afternoon. They have fixed most of the issues and agreed to come back to put the rest right. They were very apologetic and agreed they won't take the final payments until we're happy with the work.

We have taken photos and videos of everything and we'll see how things go this week.

Thanks for all the tips!
 
They also removed the door to work in the bathroom and since going back on it is loose in the frame and rattles constantly if it's closed.
Yikes! People are human... but that is just too many things overlooked to be acceptable. Glad they seem to be making you a priority to return ASAP and resolve everything.

You might be able to fix the rattling yourself if a bit handy with a screwdriver.

Was the tub pitched properly? The problem could also be due to errors when replacing plumbing. Or they weren't careful and let debris go down the drain (not good). Make sure they tell you what the issue is they fixed, just in case you need that info for future reference.

Stuff should not be leaking. Thats #1 for them to check before a crew leaves or closes walls, etc because it can be so damaging.
 
Update:

Plumber arrived on Monday, fixed the leaks and the slow draining issues. An hour after he left guess what? Another puddle of water under the new sink :mad:

He came back today, this time with another plumber, and it's now finally fixed.

The owner and the guy overseeing the refit came this afternoon. They have fixed most of the issues and agreed to come back to put the rest right. They were very apologetic and agreed they won't take the final payments until we're happy with the work.

We have taken photos and videos of everything and we'll see how things go this week.

Thanks for all the tips!
It's all about supervision and proper QC inspections. I'm in new construction so those processes are watched like a hawk but renovation is a bit different as I doubt there is oversight of every job at all times. Even the best of sub-trades are not great at doing their own QC because typically the final accountability doesn't rest with them. Good that your general contractor has been responsive; sounds like a quality outfit and I'm sure that sooner-or-later it will all sort out to your liking. :wave2:
 
Yikes! People are human... but that is just too many things overlooked to be acceptable. Glad they seem to be making you a priority to return ASAP and resolve everything.

You might be able to fix the rattling yourself if a bit handy with a screwdriver.

Was the tub pitched properly? The problem could also be due to errors when replacing plumbing. Or they weren't careful and let debris go down the drain (not good). Make sure they tell you what the issue is they fixed, just in case you need that info for future reference.

Stuff should not be leaking. Thats #1 for them to check before a crew leaves or closes walls, etc because it can be so damaging.

We've opted to go the DIY route to fix the rattle at least.

After my last update we've found the hot water tap in the bath has lost pressure and found another leak :sad: I'm swinging wildly between laughing because what else can you do and wishing I had just kept my old ugly but functional bathroom.
 

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