Where to start with getting En Suite done up

N

Niallman

Registered User
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Hi,
we've had an on-going battle with mould in our En Suite since we moved in five years ago despite trying various combinations of fans/open and closed windows/heating on and off/ant-fungal paints etc etc, none of any lasting success though. The two largest walls in the room are external and are always cold so its very difficult to avoid condensation so thats at least part of the problem. I had to change a tile recently and the plaster behind the tile was in far from good nick so I'm guessing the tiles are probably holding it all up at the moment!

So I've a feeling we'll need to get the whole thing gutted and new plasterboard/ceiling etc, but am a bit lost as to where to start. Who do I contact to come and have a look at it and assess what actually needs to be done? A builder? Any recommendations on how to go about it would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
Nothing sinister about it, he actually sent me the following helpful message with the e-mail address of the builder...

"Hi i saw your post and it brought back memorys of my own hassle. Last month I got a builder in to solve my proplem. He stripped out the bathroom back to the walls and then fitted durock cement board and re-fitted with a new suite. It took a week and cost 2500 euro.
I got a new ensuite and floor-to-ceiling tiles plus all the rubbish was taken away in skips. I was and am happy with the job"
 
Cool, thumbs up for teneguia.
Could still leave the wider audience see the info as others may be in the same situation and value the feedback.
 
You cannot tout for work on AAM.

If you are offered work that is a different matter.

Posts are intended to inform readers of the various forums.

They are not invitations to carry on conversations privately via PM.

teneguia's comments should have been posted to the forum in which he saw the original post.
 
Niallman said:
Hi,
we've had an on-going battle with mould in our En Suite since we moved in five years ago despite trying various combinations of fans/open and closed windows/heating on and off/ant-fungal paints etc etc, none of any lasting success though. The two largest walls in the room are external and are always cold so its very difficult to avoid condensation so thats at least part of the problem. I had to change a tile recently and the plaster behind the tile was in far from good nick so I'm guessing the tiles are probably holding it all up at the moment!

So I've a feeling we'll need to get the whole thing gutted and new plasterboard/ceiling etc, but am a bit lost as to where to start. Who do I contact to come and have a look at it and assess what actually needs to be done? A builder? Any recommendations on how to go about it would be appreciated. Thanks!
Click to expand...


It is likely there is an insulation issue with your property, which could be exacerbated by a lack of ventilation and the orientation of the dwelling - the ceiling is only part of the problem.
You need an architect, mechanical and electrical consulting engineer or experienced building surveyor who understands the relationship between water vapour insulation, ventilation and orientation.
It is likely that you will need some opening up work done to the outside wall to assess its insulation capabilities and a study done on your house utilization of heat and water to determine where the issue arises.


ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon as a defence or support - in and of itself - should legal action be taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports on the matters at hand.
 
Niallman said:
Nothing sinister about it, he actually sent me the following helpful message with the e-mail address of the builder...
Click to expand...

Nothing sinister except for the fact that in this case, teneguia is the builder that they are recommending. So this isn't a genuine recommendation from a satisfied customer, it's a builder pretending the be one. So your first interaction with this builder is based on a lie... I wouldn't hold out much hope for future any dealings.
Leo
 
Ok, enough about teneguia please. If any of you have a problem with him, please take it up with him separate to this thread.

Thanks for your comments Onq, if anyone else has any useful comments or similar experiences to share, please do.
 
Yes, that builder's PM is a bit obvious: reads like a quote, and like many builders, makes no attempt to explain where the problem actually lies (because he doesn't know, or care).
 
Niallman,

One person addressed concerns to you about teneguia'spostis a Mod - Leo. The other person is me, someone who can usually smell a rat a mile away in building matters. But extopia's comment hits the nail on the head - it was an obvious PM. Such touting for work normally results in a ban. As you can see the post has been removed.

Even if teneguia's comments offered in the PM had been a truthful account of what was done, they may well prove ineffective. The measures allegedly undertaken by the builder seem to be such that they will only put a sticking plaster on the underlying problem. They will not address issues of internal condensation on walls or a lack of insulation. The builder will more than likely not be back to check his work unless the client threatens to sue. If the client sues the builder, he will most likely rely on the fact that the work he did was sound in and of itself and he could not be held accountable for a pre-existing problem on which he gave no undertaking.

Don't take advice on complex matters involving condensation from builders. Unless they are pushed to do so by a competent architect retained by you they will resist opening up to check the detailing and the insulation.

Don't accept bald assurances that things are okay from builders. Unless the work involved addressing the underlying problems things are usually not addressed, merely covered up. You will end up for a while with a wall that has no damp, but it will recur, and in the meantime the wall is leaking heat like a sieve because is it saturated with moisture.

ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon as a defence or support - in and of itself - should legal action be taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports on the matters at hand.
 
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