Bender Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 We are getting our drive done as the old one was cracked and lifting and becoming an increasingly bigger trip hazard for anyone entering. Came home tonight to one side shuttered at a jaunty angle 3 inch gap one end 6 inch at other, and straight as dogs hind leg. Supposed to have done away with a border next to hedge, said couldn't go further for roots, I managed to dig a trench full length no roots. I've already phoned one of them by now as blood pressure rising. I re did shuttering, don't think neighbours would have been impressed, angle grinder and sledge hammer at 7.30. That sorted I thought I would check manhole by back door, hmmmmmm backlog of stuff that's not nice, unfortunately that's what drains are like, fook, goes back out to front drive, try to work out how to release center of new hollow manhole that's been cemented in, ha fooking ha, cemented in my ass. I just lifted the whole lot as it was on a mix so weak an ant could probably have dislodged it. A pile of bricks, off cuts and most of the cement in the bottom, completely blocked, spent the next hour, full stretch head first down the bloody thing clearing it out. It's not big enough to get down into and it's about 5ft down. Some interesting phone calls to be had in the morning. And breath, rant over for now 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 I hope you haven't paid them any money yet! I would be telling them where to go! This is the whole reason I would rather do a job myself if I can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted November 25, 2020 Author Share Posted November 25, 2020 If it had been plain old concrete I would have done but Mrs wanted patterned concrete, I didn't fancy 50Sq meters of that as a first go. But yes your right this is the reason I prefer to do anything that is doable. I even said that to her as I showed her the lovely blocked drain. We used them for daughters a few years back and they were fine but obviously something or someone has changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onesea Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Got to agree, I hate having people in to work in the house. They tend to work to what they want not what you want. You make it clear what you want and why, they agree turn up and do there own thing... Telling you how they where right. The last job we had done was a new boiler.. They fitted the condisate drain to the shower vent pipe not the toilet down pipe. Left the condisate pump lose in bottom of Cupboard. Screwed a screw through the wall into the bedroom. I could go on. And this was top rated local company.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 1 hour ago, onesea said: Got to agree, I hate having people in to work in the house. They tend to work to what they want not what you want. You make it clear what you want and why, they agree turn up and do there own thing... Telling you how they where right. The last job we had done was a new boiler.. They fitted the condisate drain to the shower vent pipe not the toilet down pipe. Left the condisate pump lose in bottom of Cupboard. Screwed a screw through the wall into the bedroom. I could go on. And this was top rated local company.. Top rated national ones ain't much better, they are prone to sorting things though as they don't like bad publicity, even those use a huge amount of local sub contractors so it's no guarantee on the day your getting a good installer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six30 Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 what did you expect .... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
husoi Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 I had a guy giving me an estimate for my drive and front garden. He wasn't happy when I asked for a breakdown of the price. and told him that he would get paid once the work was complete because I was expecting to take less than a month and as long the work was done properly and no snags were found I would happily paid him in full. He got a fright when I told him that I'm a construction estimator and know all of their tricks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 Well I think surprises are in order today, I've been out with my own Road pins and lines if that dosen't make the penny drop my 4x2 will. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxie49 Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Cowboys abound at the minute .... We recently had a shiny new extractor fan installed in the kitchen. A week or so after installation I noted the kitchen was steaming up, nothing was being extracted, so I got the step ladder out and had a look above the cupboards and this was the F-----g disaster that I found! Ducting was too small for the power of the extractor, continually blew everything off .... These people are supposed to be tradesmen, more like cowboys, quick to take your money but not that quick to accept responsibility when things go wrong. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Frog Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 9 hours ago, Bender said: Well I think surprises are in order today, I've been out with my own Road pins and lines if that dosen't make the penny drop my 4x2 will. How did it go today @Bender I hope you made your point ! Cheers Ian 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 12 minutes ago, Ian Frog said: How did it go today @Bender I hope you made your point ! Cheers Ian Well..... Only phone calls today which at least they answered, everyone is wanting to blame the digger collector for the blocked drain. They couldn't come today as they were all hiding, I added the gully drain was only rated to light traffic and 1.5t so they were acquiring a proper one today. Meeting guy responsible tomorrow morning who is happy to put everything right apparently. See how that goes. I did tell them if he can't do it properly I'm happy to do it on Saturday and charge them for my time, no no they insisted he can and will. Either way I've got a whacker plate sorted for Saturday so I can sort out the rest of the sub Base and amend anything I don't like the look of. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowlycatchymonkey Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 @manxie49 have a similar thing. I don’t really understand why the plumber indulges in the bullshit he does when he has to come back to fix it. I’m used to checking his work before we pay him but getting up in the loft is a pain in the arse. He fixed the leak in the roof (he caused) but the shower room is steaming up a lot more and the ceilings starting to mould so I get up to look and the tube isn’t on the vent, it’s just resting next to it. according to the plumber this is because the tubing “a bit old” I said “oh it’s not cos you can’t fit it back on there due to the bit of wood you’ve hammered across there then?” Ive lost count of how many times I’ve seen his sheepish face, he quite often tails of mid sentence now as soon as my eyebrow raises. I suppose they mainly get away with it so don’t care. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 4 hours ago, manxie49 said: Cowboys abound at the minute .... We recently had a shiny new extractor fan installed in the kitchen. A week or so after installation I noted the kitchen was steaming up, nothing was being extracted, so I got the step ladder out and had a look above the cupboards and this was the F-----g disaster that I found! Ducting was too small for the power of the extractor, continually blew everything off .... These people are supposed to be tradesmen, more like cowboys, quick to take your money but not that quick to accept responsibility when things go wrong. You use proper round to square adapters and screws, that's crap. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trooper74 Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 I was away doing stuff in Norway. She who must be obeyed said she wanted the back garden paved in Indian sandstone. No more mowing, fine says I. She picks me up from the airport 2 weeks later " I've got a surprise for you " ... she says... I'm thinking lycra and lace, blindfold ..... No! the back garden has been paved in Indian sandstone ... Its not flat! IT RUNS OFF IN 2 DIFFERENT PLANES .... AAAGGGHHH "2 nice Irish men did it and they charged £50 per meter " I call our local paving company, he's a mate of mine ... He takes one look at and says ..... "Good job, can't have it flat , death trap when it gets wet and freezes , ..see how they have made sure the water runs off towards your soak away drains" "But £50 a meter " says I. "I charge £100 a meter " says my mate. ...... 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkW Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 @Bender I can't help you with your drive I'm afraid, but if you need any floorboards nailing down just give me a shout. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynax Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 Just now, MarkW said: @Bender I can't help you with your drive I'm afraid, but if you need any floorboards nailing down just give me a shout. Just insist on @MarkW using rubber nails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 (edited) It’s a shame people have experiences like this. It gives many traders a bad name when there are some out there who are genuine and have the client’s best interests in mind when doing a job. As a Carpenter, I can never understand why some would do “half a job”! If it was me doing it, I’d want to leave a good impression because my reputation will be on the line and if the client is happy with the end result, then I would stand a better chance of work in the future by recommendation. I can’t speak for everyone because I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know everything and I only focus on woodwork. Sorry to read about your situation. Edited November 28, 2020 by Troy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowlycatchymonkey Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 This is just my experience so brace brace for a barrage of abuse but carpenters don’t seem the same as other trades. I think this is cos if you don’t know the craft and are bodging bast*rd looking to cut corners you wouldn’t choose that area. Where as a basic knowledge of DIY can set you up in many other areas with no questions asked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiggie Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 How i look at it is that if i'm paying someone to do a job then it had better be a better standard than what I would do myself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowlycatchymonkey Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 11 minutes ago, Tiggie said: How i look at it is that if i'm paying someone to do a job then it had better be a better standard than what I would do myself! Yer and disappointingly is often much worse. Sometimes simple things like using a level don’t even get done. My driveway has been in need of redoing for donkeys. There’s lots of loose gravel from disintegrating tarmac that make it a pig to turn a bike on but the idea of finding someone to tarmac it fills me with such horror it’s stays as it is! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted November 28, 2020 Author Share Posted November 28, 2020 On 26/11/2020 at 22:14, Trooper74 said: I was away doing stuff in Norway. She who must be obeyed said she wanted the back garden paved in Indian sandstone. No more mowing, fine says I. She picks me up from the airport 2 weeks later " I've got a surprise for you " ... she says... I'm thinking lycra and lace, blindfold ..... No! the back garden has been paved in Indian sandstone ... Its not flat! IT RUNS OFF IN 2 DIFFERENT PLANES .... AAAGGGHHH "2 nice Irish men did it and they charged £50 per meter " I call our local paving company, he's a mate of mine ... He takes one look at and says ..... "Good job, can't have it flat , death trap when it gets wet and freezes , ..see how they have made sure the water runs off towards your soak away drains" "But £50 a meter " says I. "I charge £100 a meter " says my mate. ...... Well so far so good, I was told to play nice by the wife thismorning she was afeared we would be left with a sub-base drive Everything that was supposed to be done has been, I can't lift manhole but worst case is some pointing on the inside. I've just spent 2hrs raking, removing boulders, leveling off the himalayas that they had put down, I think they notice the difference when they return, my vibrator is bigger than theirs 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted November 28, 2020 Author Share Posted November 28, 2020 That was yesterday,I must not have completed posting it When I do a job I do it to the same standard that I would do for myself as. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowlycatchymonkey Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 And that is the difference between tradesmen you tell everyone about and have back and the ones you want to throttle with your bare hands! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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