The work entailed sorting out a damp problem by re-bedding coping slabs on a sloping gable end wall, repairing and repointing the wall underneath the coping slabs where stone had perished and replacing the fillet where the wall joined the slate roof.
Access to the gable end was by ladder and work was carried out from the slate roof. On reflection the workmen thought it would have been easier and safer to have used scaffolding or a tower, particularly given the weight of the slabs and the difficulty of manoeuvring them into position. The first attempt resulted in misaligned and uneven slabs, which the workmen were reluctant to correct. Following my complaint, Wesley acted swiftly and the slabs were removed the following day and re-laid which produced a better result.
Replacing the mortar fillet was carried out comprehensively. However, repairing the wall was completed minimally with large gaps being filled with mortar or left open, rather than using new stone. The reason given was that the newly bedded stone slabs above would have been disturbed had more work been done. This will need to be completed at a later date, but I do not want to ask the workmen to return.
Cleaning up at the end was cursory, with debris left in the gutters and the ground beneath.
Overall, the work seems to have produced a good enough result and I hope it will resolve the damp problem, but why couldn’t it have been done correctly the first time without the need for complaint?
