Advice on how to finalise this home renovation?

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carmel65

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We started a renovation of our home in February.
We engaged a planning consultant and a builder that he works closely with, both were recommended by friends. The consultant offers a ‘full service’, which includes the services of a structural engineer and any planning applications.
Plans were drawn up, discussed and agreed. A detailed tender document was prepared we got three quotes and selected the builder our friends recommended. The main focus of the project is the renovation of downstairs and the replacement of all our windows and doors. We are living upstairs during the works.
The project started in February and was due to finish at the end of June.
The main delays we encountered relate to a well known windows company. A two week delay due to ‘technical issues’ a two week delivery delay. Then due to a production mistake, a 4 week delay due to the front door having to be taken back out and aligned properly. The final mastic on the windows is still not done 7 weeks after installation. There has been no inspection of the windows and there are numerous issues with them, faulty locks, damage done to frames on installation, sealant/glue still visible on aluminium frames, holes drilled through them not plugged, etc.

The consultant has been very elusive. He does site visits when payments are due, provides no updates, does not track changes, does not agree anything with us in advance, he told us he has 15 jobs on the go at the same time. As a result, our main point of contact has become the builder. We are happy with the work the builder has done.

The problem with the windows was not picked up by the consultant, we noticed it ourselves, in fact he told the windows company that we were requesting the door be taken back out. We had to step in ourselves to resolve the problem.

Early on in the project a number of load bearing walls downstairs were removed. Shortly after a number of cracks appeared upstairs in several locations. The builder reassured us that he would make good any problems and repair them in full. The structural engineer assess the problem and agreed what remedial works needed to done. The consultant has now instructed the builder to “make good the internal plaster with a plaster skim finish to match the existing & leave ready for future painting / papering”. As a result our master bedroom, ensuite, stairs and landing are left unfinished awaiting wallpapering and painting.

We were told by the consultant that windows would be removed and installed from the outside. At no point was there any conversation about internal damage. There is no allowance in the tender documents for repairs to the inside of our home. The windows were removed and new windows installed from the inside. Extensive damage was done to the walls around the windows, we were told a kango hammer had to be used, we have also noticed damage to wardrobes and hardwood floors. The consultant approved an invoice from the builder which included an amount to “repair the reveals”, this was before it was discussed with us and before the work had been completed. The cost did not include painting/ wallpapering.

Our renovation project is nearing completion, however, every room in our home, now needs to be painted/wallpapered to bring it back to its original state. The electrical plans specified wired smoke and heat detectors. These have not been installed. We are worried that this does not comply with building regulations.

The consultant wants to put the window issues and outstanding mastic work on a ‘snag list’. Even though the builder offered to do the mastic himself and reclaim the money from the windows company.

The consultant is not impartial, he openly said he needed to free up the builder to work on his other jobs. The builder is very dependant on this consultant for his work.

We have been told by the builder that the consultant is planning on doing a snag list.

He has not contacted us about it and we don’t know what this involves. We are also very unclear on how we get from here to the end of our project which is to apply for retention permission.

We want this work completed as soon as possible. But we want assurances that the work has been completed to the required standard and that it meets all building regulations.

We prefer to resolve any issues in a fair and amicable way, but we are unsure on how best to go about this. Any advice would be most welcome.
 
Have you paid the consultant in full - if not, how much is outstanding. I find withholding payments can focus their minds a bit.
 
If you’ve brick, stone or ornate plaster outside, they’d have to be replaced from inside. If standard plastered and painted you can replace windows from the inside or outside. For either option you’ll need a kango and will damage plaster that will need to be repaired and painted. If the original windows had metal brackets fixed to the internal wall which most windows have then removing them from the outside is way more difficult. Therefore you remove and replace them from the inside. If the intention was to kango and make good plaster on the outside, then this will somewhat offset the cost inside. Problems like this occur during builds.

A wired smoke alarm is unlikely to be required as you might not have got the full house re-wired however it’s not clear the work involved, and therefore can’t comment on this without seeing drawings of the proposed work.

Often builders do work leaving the project ready for painting or wallpaper. You can get builders to include this but if trying to save money this is often omitted and clients do it themselves to save money.

A snag list is a list of defects, issues or problems. Anything that makes a project non compliant with building regulations or is a health and safety risk can’t be marked as a snag and have to be completed before signing off. Therefore the snag list shouldn’t delay the handover of a project. Eg a faulty fire door or electrical problem can’t be a snag and fixed later however a scratched wall, door, a kitchen drawer that doesn’t close right, a small leak or some missing mastic can be a snag. If one light switch doesn't work right, that can be a snag (provided it’s safe). No lights anywhere isn’t a snag. Similar for sockets, etc.

I’d advise you to do your own snag list which can be incorporated into the consultants list.

Separately it’s not clear what type of person you hired to do the design and drawings. A ‘planning consultant’ doesn’t sound like an architect. What actual qualifications do they have? I know you had an engineer looking later at steel. Was this the same person?
The reason I ask this is its important to find out what type of contract was used. Eg was it an RIAI contract for small works? You may have a defects liability period in which case 5% of the fee is retained for 12 months (or another period of time).
 
Thank you both for taking the time to read a rather long post, you replies are very informative and helpful.

Yes Elcato at the moment we have approximately 20% left to pay on the contract, we are expecting a request for payment of this very soon, after the snag list is completed ? which is one of the main reasons I want to understand what work and inspections need to be done before we hand over a final payment.

The consultant is registered with engineers ireland as MIEI.
In terms of contracts with the builder we signed the RIAI ‘form applicable where quantities do not form part of the contract, 2002 edition.
We signed the RIAI agreement between client and architect for domestic work 2002 edition, revision 1, print 1 with the consultant.

Duddaa we have mainly brick outside. So it appears that they had always intended to take them from the outside. We certainly did not ask to leave decoration out of the tender, we have no intention of undertaking all that work ourselves. The main area for renovation has had a full rewrite approximately 40m2, a new fuse board has been installed in this area, which links under the floor of the hall to the main fuse board. A wired heat sensor and smoke detector was on the plans for this area and another smoke detector in the hall. None of which have been installed.

The retention amount is a round figure representing 3-4% of the total cost of the build, held for 6 months.
 
In terms of decoration, there were no cracks upstairs when the tender was agreed, so no decoration was included. This damage was caused by the builder.


There was no allowance in the tender for decoration of any rooms as a result of the new windows being fitted. The professional should have know that the windows would be installed from the inside and that there would be damage to all the rooms and that repairs and redecoration would have been needed. I know that now, but I did not know it at the time and trusted the professionals.
 
carmel65 said:
The professional should have know that the windows would be installed from the inside and that there would be damage to all the rooms
Click to expand...
It's also impossible to avoid any damage when installing from the outside. There's always some element of filling and making good required, and when new plaster is involved, best leave that fully dry out prior to decorating.
 
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