P G Wake

Today there has been a lot of running around to do.

There was another job I was asked to look at and that is the subject of today’s article and at what point does a builder relinquish responsibility on the new build houses they have built, it seems after two years they really are not interested.

The pictures below tell the story, both from different houses, and both with a similar fault with the roof finishing.

The first one shows the under-cloak or verge strip has dislodged from the line it should be on and the pointing had come lose and even fallen off.

The second one shows better the verge strips coming away from the mortar infill.

So what has caused this?

Well firstly let’s go back to the first picture, on the right-hand side you can see the mortar fillet has come away and other sections are lose, the actual mortar infill is cracked in various places and the verge strip has slipped out, the whole of the front and rear gable are like this given me the impression of fast drying out of the mortar, in other words the air temperature was to high to do the work, probably the middle of summer of done in direct sunlight, this is further reinforced by the fact the verges are all lose as these normally bond very well, especially if you wet them down first, a retardant in the mortar also helps if the weather is too hot or humid.

What doesn’t help is the verges seem to of been laid dry on the brickwork giving only one bonding surface (which obviously didn’t work) and then to make it look nice the pointing has been added as an after thought (which obviously didn’t work either).

The second picture shows it more so, although the pointing seems to of held here and again the other sides of the house show signs of the verge and mortar have parted company.

To put it right means all the verge will need to come off and be re-done, which means scaffolding is required, not a cheap repair.

My opinion is the builder should return and put it right and looking around a few other houses on the estate also seems a regular fault.

From what I have been told so far the builders are not interested or liable and even the NHBC have effectively fobbed off the house owners and said they have to foot the bill themselves, basically because the house is over two years old!.

Although I believe one of the house owners will be looking for compensation after the work has been done.

I find this hard to believe as it is so evident it’s a building fault and even car company’s do recalls years after they have sold the cars if a problem is found with a particular model.

I have even gone back on a job a year after hanging an external door because they said it was sticking, the fact they had still not painted it didn’t stop me from doing it, and actually found it quite amusing afterwards, I did mention I wouldn’t do it again and told them to get it painted.

This is one of those things you need to know what you are getting when buying a new build house, so check your small print as it seems your new house has a short guarantee.

Category : Diary, Repairs, Roofing

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Yesterday I mentioned about a staircase I was adapting for a customer, it’s not a big job but as I mentioned yesterday the stairs had been put in against a wall, which had now been removed.

It needed firstly to be supported as the winder section at the bottom was now free to move (although it did have a block of wood wedged underneath).

Because the stringer at the back had been made as one, the new posts had to be cut and scribed over the existing string to maintain the line of the handrail and base rail for the spindles. The curved top of the lower part of the stringer had to be routed off to allow the base rail to lay flat.

The one against the wall is a half newel and also acts as the stringer support, the main post or newel post lines up with the existing one on the other side and because this one sails over the stringer it had to have a fill in piece on the back.

You can see where the wall once was by the end of the yellow painted wall, the handrail and spindles came from the joinery shop that made the staircase as these were not ‘off the shelf’ items, I followed the existing layout for the handrails and spindles on the other side of the staircase

The understair area between the posts will now be made into a small cupboard, which will be made in the workshop ready to fit.

Category : Carpentry, Diary, Stairs

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It must be at least a week since I posted anything here, but then there has not been a great deal that would interest anyone, most of my time has been taken up doing small jobs and paperwork.

Yesterday (Tuesday) My van finally arrived and although I had booked the day off to board out the van, it seems other people had different ideas

It had been arranged for the chimney sweep to come to the cottage today while I was around and he arrived at 12:30, we had worked out that it’s been two years since he was here last, so the woodburner was well overdue for a dusting.

I was asked to go and watch for the brush, so I took my camera outside with me, and the amount of soot that came out the top defied belief, just as well I had it done.

The afternoon was taken up doing smoke tests on three other woodburners for the farm next door and then I went straight off to Kent to alter a radiator and fit new valves.

Draining down always takes the time, whereas the actual job took less than the draining and re-filling did.

Today I have started on a small job in Chelmsford adapting a staircase recently fitted against a wall. The wall is no longer there and the customer has asked me to fit posts and spindles to the other side to support the stringer, there will more on this tomorrow, complete with pictures.

Now for a moan, I went in to Travis Perkins today (which I rarely do these days) to get some timber for this staircase job, most I already picked up Monday, but still needed a 100mm x 100mm post about 2.4mtrs long and the same length of 100mm x 50mm.
After cutting it and putting it in the van, I went to pay for it and the bill came to £48.00 odd, I must have had the look of horror on my face added to which I said “What for two bits of wood ?” the young guy at the counter asked someone else if they “Could do anything on that” and the bill magically came down to £30.60 How?…. why was it £48.00 to start with, this only reinforces why I don’t go in there much, and would suggest that if you really have to use Travis Perkins, always question their prices, it seems they are over inflated to start with.

Category : Diary, The Cottage, Blog

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