Bad Plastering In A New House

M

MrsWoody2

Guest
Can anyone out there help me and give me advise on what to do or how to deal with a bad plasterer? I have issued him already with 3 Solicitors letter in which he has completely ignored. He has also got numerous phone calls from myself.
 
Was he working for you directly or for the builder/developer?
 
He was supposed to be working for us directly but like most tradesmen he contracted it out.
 
What did the plasterer you are writing after do (or not do)? If you actually employed someone else who contracted it out is your beef not with the person you employed rather than this subcontractor? When I've had building work done whatever the standard of subbed carpenters, roofers, plumbers etc. the negotiation is always with the builder with whom one has the arrangement/contract.

However it is difficult to comment without details of the situation and the work and as you already have a solicitor involved presumably your legal advice has been to pursue the subcontractor?
 
I am chasing the contractor. I went to look at the contractors work before deciding to employ him. His work was fine.
When starting the contractor put up all slabbing and then sub-contracted the main job out
There are more waves on my walls & ceilings than would be in the Atlantic Ocean. On some joints you can see the mesh appearing etc. I had an engineer down and he said "it has been the worst he ever saw", he then took photographs.
We are now issuing him with a court summons. I know if i go to court i will win the case but the problem/doubt in my mind is that, can he say that he has no money and then am i left to foot the bill.
Help!!
 
Yes he has been fully paid for the job.

At the end of April '04 the sub contractor finished the so call job. In June '04 i got the house painted. It was then i noticed the waves etc.

So from June'04 i have been chasing the contractor and it's now February '05.
 
I am so sorry to hear of your troubles. From experience, there's nothing worse than something like this happening in your home, where you can't get away from it because you see it every day.

You are to be congratulated on pursuing the matter and not letting yourself be taken advantage of with unacceptable workmanship.

Unfortunately there is a tradition in some parts of the building trade that whenever these confrontations in the courts come up, the contractor can decide to 'cease trading' and re-open trading under another name the following day.

You suspect he may say he doesn't have any money. Would you settle for him re-doing the work properly or arranging for the work to be done satisfactorily? In which case that might be a way to negotiate and get you some satisfaction. This could be done through a mediation service which doesn't involve the continuing costs of solicitors and might mean the contractor would stop being evasive.
 
He doesn't have to worry about changing his name to avoid a court judgement - enforcing a court judgement is a long, drawn out, painful and expensive process.

I guess there might be a lesson learnt here for those considering self-build projects - you really need to know enough to be able to supervise the work of the tradesmen.
 
We are not physically going to take him to court because of the expense issue but we are still going to issue him with a court summons as a "scare tatic". It may help!!
 
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