TomCat's new digs!

[blackcat20]

You mean from that pic that they left some brick exposed?

The evidence from the other places is pretty conclusive, but it sounds like the Supervisor had conceded the point already.

Yes, they rendered above, below and the right hand wall, but left the left hand wall....

While he agrees that we didn't want it, hes only looking into "if it can be fixed". In my mind if it cant be removed then the bricks get removed and the whole thing redone. I'll knock it down myself if I have to at this point

 

[JohnM]

Surely face brickwork should have been markedly different (colour, texture, quality, laying neatness) and evident to the renderers compared with rendering brickwork?

 

[blackcat20]

Surely face brickwork should have been markedly different (colour, texture, quality, laying neatness) and evident to the renderers compared with rendering brickwork?

The plan says "provide fine texture trowel-on acrylic pigmented render finish to portico", and what I expected is shown on the plans. The door surround is not shown on the plan and there is no note regarding it being rendered, so Id have assumed the default was to leave it as exposed brick. The fact they rendered the portico a few weeks back then came back to do the door suggests someone got it very wrong.

 

[love_the_life]

And it was all going so well

 

[Dr Bob]

Yes, they rendered above, below and the right hand wall, but left the left hand wall....

While he agrees that we didn't want it, hes only looking into "if it can be fixed". In my mind if it cant be removed then the bricks get removed and the whole thing redone. I'll knock it down myself if I have to at this point

Sounds like he is trying to wriggle out of it. But you are quite right, it can be fixed & it will be fixed at no cost to you.
Unlike our experience, a private build with an approximate cost with a builder we knew, had 3.5 metre ceilings & lowered the big bathroom ceiling to accomodate exactly 7 of our Italian tiles floor to ceiling. Away for a week then came back & looked at the bathroom , wow it looked great but hell, a half tile gap at the top, counted the tiles 1 to 7 & a gap at the top, my heart sank I had measured wrongly then my wife said "look at the f#*@%#g bottom tile" a half tile that was started at the bath height leaving a half tile at the top. Anyway another $3,500 for more tiles plus the backing walls. My builder said he paid for it but I doubt it.

 

[blackcat20]

And it was all going so well

I know! Of course something had to go wrong eventually and it had to be the most difficult thing to fix....

 

[RAM]

Yeah someone suggested taking your phone charger and checking every power point .

Slightly older tech BUT can be more reliable - small lamp wit compact fluorescent light - if flickering then can indicate poor connections on outlet.

Also MORE importantly - sometimes to save time and money they put power and lights on same circuit breaker. So easy to test - turn off all power circuit breakers and try turning on every light, then vice-versa for power.

Discovered this on newly being installed kitchen on vacation house (ten days ago) - fridge, microwave ALL on one circuit AND it was a light circuit.

Needless to say, all changed now. They needed to run another wire from the power board and that would have taken them about an hour, so what most people would not check...

Not happy were they.

Then I checked max load for fridge and found that it and microwave could trip the circuit breaker - so they needed to run two new wires - so extra 2 hours work they tried to avoid, although charged for.

Sometimes being a pedant is just soooo enjoyable (and worthwhile).

A friendly electrician years ago recommended check the gauge of wiring used. Say in the kitchen you have a counter top plug-in combination (small) oven as well as a high wattage food processor etc - then the wiring needs to be able to carry the load. Quite often instead of 10 or 15amp wiring they'll use lower rated ones regardless as:

• they're cheaper but not to the extent of risking a fire!!!!
• it means they only need to carry one coil of wite around with them instead of two or three.
• or they do not know any better (much more frequently the case soince the change to TAFEs etc

 

[rogerkambah]

Unlike our experience, a private build with an approximate cost with a builder we knew, had 3.5 metre ceilings & lowered the big bathroom ceiling to accomodate exactly 7 of our Italian tiles floor to ceiling. Away for a week then came back & looked at the bathroom , wow it looked great but hell, a half tile gap at the top, counted the tiles 1 to 7 & a gap at the top, my heart sank I had measured wrongly then my wife said "look at the f#*@%#g bottom tile" a half tile that was started at the bath height leaving a half tile at the top. Anyway another $3,500 for more tiles plus the backing walls. My builder said he paid for it but I doubt it.

Yes, the tiler would have measured up and calced exactly 7 tiles floor to ceiling.
Then because floors and ceilings are not always horizontal he (she) commenced with a half tile at floor level to obviate a problem that may arise at the ceiling, that is, that a very thin sliver of tile may be required or an extra large grout line, neither of which is acceptable to the tiler, builder or client.
As it worked out second time around your floors and ceiling may have been horizontal.
Glad it worked out eventually.

 

[blackcat20]

Sounds like he is trying to wriggle out of it. But you are quite right, it can be fixed & it will be fixed at no cost to you.

I dont think so, they seem pretty keen that we point out any mistakes we notice so they can be fixed. I'd say though that this isnt an easy fix. Though someone else who built with the same company told me they had the whole front of their house rebricked due to issues, so it can be done, even if its not ideal. If they can't remove the render without damaging the bricks then I'd want it redone for sure.

 

[blackcat20]

One very unhappy cat right now, they're saying it has to be rendered. I don't agree. If I'd known they were going to render the front I would have removed render from the whole portico rather than lose the bricks around the door

 

[Pushka]

One very unhappy cat right now, they're saying it has to be rendered. I don't agree. If I'd known they were going to render the front I would have removed render from the whole portico rather than lose the bricks around the door

And how did they come to that conclusion? I'd want to know why they cant/wont fix it. And why it was done in the first place.
Maybe impossible to do right now but please dont let it spoil your new house.

 

[RooFlyer]

I hope there's an independent dispute resolution clause in the contract?

 

[blackcat20]

And how did they come to that conclusion? I'd want to know why they cant/wont fix it. And why it was done in the first place.
Maybe impossible to do right now but please dont let it spoil your new house.

Essentially to render the side of the portico/house, they have to render the front as you cant have a raw edge, it needs to go around the corner.
I've just spoken with our support coordinator who was just lovely and realised very quickly how much I dislike it. The supervisor had said they would have to put a metal strip on the corner and I would prefer this, especially if the colour matched the rest of the house. So the SC is going to follow up and see if we can do that instead. She agreed with me that its not on the plans; if it was we would have to accept it but its not so she's happy to see if we can find a better option.

 

[Pushka]

Essentially to render the side of the portico/house, they have to render the front as you cant have a raw edge, it needs to go around the corner.
I've just spoken with our support coordinator who was just lovely and realised very quickly how much I dislike it. The supervisor had said they would have to put a metal strip on the corner and I would prefer this, especially if the colour matched the rest of the house. So the SC is going to follow up and see if we can do that instead. She agreed with me that its not on the plans; if it was we would have to accept it but its not so she's happy to see if we can find a better option.

Ah, so they can remove what is there, but then they need to deal with "closing" it off at the edges of the corner. It sounds like she is going to do the best she can then to sort it.

 

[blackcat20]

Ah, so they can remove what is there, but then they need to deal with "closing" it off at the edges of the corner. It sounds like she is going to do the best she can then to sort it.

Yeah she is going in to bat for me. I understand the logistics of why it cant stop at the corner but a simple phone call to discuss options first would have saved a lot of stress.

 

[Dr Bob]

Essentially to render the side of the portico/house, they have to render the front as you cant have a raw edge, it needs to go around the corner.
I've just spoken with our support coordinator who was just lovely and realised very quickly how much I dislike it. The supervisor had said they would have to put a metal strip on the corner and I would prefer this, especially if the colour matched the rest of the house. So the SC is going to follow up and see if we can do that instead. She agreed with me that its not on the plans; if it was we would have to accept it but its not so she's happy to see if we can find a better option.

The supervisor is offering excuses but I think your SC realises the gravity of their mistake & the renderer may well have decided by himself (or his apprentice) & just did it anyway. The render can be removed & if not to your liking then they re-brick it. It might take a while but you will win & they will fix their mistake.

 

[blackcat20]

In other news, I have fancy new (purple) Tupperware!

 

[love_the_life]

In other news, I have fancy new (purple) Tupperware!
View attachment 133374

And red lidded spice jars that do look a bit familiar.

 

[blackcat20]

And red lidded spice jars that do look a bit familiar.

Haha yes, the old mustard jars. It's what I've grown up with.

 

[blackcat20]

Well I'm now waiting to hear from the construction manager as the render is "compliant" and completed as per the order