External insulation

antietam1

We got the external insulation/cladding done 7 years ago and have been chasing the contractor ever since.
Issues such as leaky roof, bits of insulation falling off, rusting window sills, horrible greying of the surface paint, crooked insulation giving an odd line of sight look to the windows.
He turned up two or three times over the years after much chasing and did nothing, the paint manufacturers are no longer trading.
So much for lifetime guarantee.
The contractor does only grant work and is no longer returning calls.
Is it worth taking this guy to the small claims court?

listermint

You'd have to check the guarantee that he supplied to you.

7 years is an awfully long time though to start this process. Why didn't you do it before.

antietam1

listermint wrote: »

You'd have to check the guarantee that he supplied to you.

7 years is an awfully long time though to start this process. Why didn't you do it before.

It said in the contract lifetime guarantee, which I interpret as 15 years.
It was two years before we made any complaints bar the roof leak, so five years off being promised this and that.
I was in property maintenance myself and either people did the job right or didn't get paid.
Is small claims a good idea?

Graham

Mod Note

Thread moved to construction & planning

BryanF

antietam1 wrote: »

.
Is it worth taking this guy to the small claims court?

Yes

Edit: seek legal advice as the small claims will only pay out 2k

On the basis that you have exhausted other avenues and are heading a legal route, please let the mods know so they can close the thread.

Dudda

I don't understand how someone doing external insulation could cause the roof to leak. They generally don't go near the roof or gutters. They remove rainwater downpipes and put them back bit that's not going to cause the roof to leak. Can you explain this issue more?

Have you photos of the issues you could post. I had issues with external insulation I had to get fixed. Common issues are water getting in behind the render and bubbling or a poor base layer which impacts the top finish layer.

Dig out the receipt and paperwork. See what type of insulation or system they used. External insulation is usually a coloured render not a paint. The brand of the render system should be in the documents. Also it should say the type of insulation. If it's eg Kingspan insulation they've a very good and helpful technical department. Contact them and maybe email them photos and they might help advise what's causing the issue as chunks of insulation don't come off. If not Kingspan insulation then contact whoever made the insulation. Highly unlikely but they could have used the wrong type of insulation.

smelly sock

antietam1 wrote: »

We got the external insulation/cladding done 7 years ago and have been chasing the contractor ever since.
Issues such as leaky roof, bits of insulation falling off, rusting window sills, horrible greying of the surface paint, crooked insulation giving an odd line of sight look to the windows.
He turned up two or three times over the years after much chasing and did nothing, the paint manufacturers are no longer trading.
So much for lifetime guarantee.
The contractor does only grant work and is no longer returning calls.
Is it worth taking this guy to the small claims court?

If its grant work follow up with the seai?

antietam1

Dudda wrote: »

I don't understand how someone doing external insulation could cause the roof to leak. They generally don't go near the roof or gutters. They remove rainwater downpipes and put them back bit that's not going to cause the roof to leak. Can you explain this issue more?

Have you photos of the issues you could post. I had issues with external insulation I had to get fixed. Common issues are water getting in behind the render and bubbling or a poor base layer which impacts the top finish layer.

Dig out the receipt and paperwork. See what type of insulation or system they used. External insulation is usually a coloured render not a paint. The brand of the render system should be in the documents. Also it should say the type of insulation. If it's eg Kingspan insulation they've a very good and helpful technical department. Contact them and maybe email them photos and they might help advise what's causing the issue as chunks of insulation don't come off. If not Kingspan insulation then contact whoever made the insulation. Highly unlikely but they could have used the wrong type of insulation.

They replaced the roof on the garage and insulated it, the people who made the render are gone out of business.
The chunks are small and at ground level.
I have paid roofers to no avail, did a temp fix on the inside.

antietam1

smelly sock wrote: »

If its grant work follow up with the seai?

Thanks will give them another go.

antietam1

BryanF wrote: »

Yes

Edit: seek legal advice as the small claims will only pay out 2k

On the basis that you have exhausted other avenues and are heading a legal route, please let the mods know so they can close the thread.

Close it, thanks.