Restoration & Refurbishment

Builder invoicing for work he forgot to quote for, and mistakes.

Anonymous user 16/03/2024 - 2.50 PM

We hired a builder for a full house renovation, loft conversion and side return extension. The builder was given full plans, made 3 site visits and quoted for the job as a whole. He provided a 52-page breakdown of his quote. He claimed to have a big team that would complete the job in 4 -6 months. 10 months later, we're not finished. A new major problem has occurred almost every month since the beginning and we have considered firing him countless times. He made multiple major structural errors, among other serious mismanagement issues. Eg 1: He didn't support two structural walls during demolition and the house nearly collapsed. There were 30mm cracks spanning diagonally from one side one the house to the other all the way through the house. He did not inform us of the damage but instead suggested removing the entire second storey and rebuilding the rear of the house. A third-party building surveyor said the site should be closed until all major structural damage was repaired. The builder repaired the walls for free, but we were seriously alarmed by his dishonesty and his attempt to hide the damage and get us to pay for repairs. Eg 2: The builder installed all the loft beams 25cm too high. The loft ceiling didn't meet regulations for minimum height and left a 25cm void above the 1st-floor ceilings. Building control noticed the mistake immediately, and so did I. The builder asked if we wanted to replace the 1st storey ceilings while he fixes the beams. No extra costs were mentioned. We assumed he was acknowledging his mistake and was offering to replace the ceilings while he fixes his mistake with the loft beams. One month later we received a bill for over ten grand for replacing all the loft beams and ceilings. After much arguing, we regrettably paid the bill. The builder is now requesting over thirty grand more than the quote to finish the job, and says the outstanding bill is for work he did not include in the original quote or was impossible to predict. We do not consider any of this work to be outside of the original job, and we believe all work should have been covered in the original quote. For example, the builder is claiming he forgot to add the loft stairs to the original quote, so we can expect an extra invoice in future. We looked at his quote as a whole, we did not inspect every detail, we looked at the final number and chose him based on his price. If the stairs are not itemised in his original quote, can he charge us extra for them later, or can he refuse to install stairs? What shall we do if he is unwilling to negotiate? 1. Are we liable for “extra" costs due to my builder not quoting properly? 2. What happens when a builder does not list every item in his quote, but quotes for the job as a whole? Can they add “missing items” to the quote later? The builder is also warning me that the plastering and electrics will need to be recalculated at the end of the job, so we can expect more invoices.