Builder claiming extras advice wanted please.

Philthefluter

Hi there I need a bit of help. We are coming to the end of having majors renovations done on a 1960s house. We drew up a very detailed schedule of works for the renovations we wanted done including a very specific window system and sliding door. We had initially thought of getting these organised ourselves so got quotations (windows 15k sliding door 3.5k) but in the end included it for builder to arrange thinking he’d get a better deal.

The builder we went with gave us a price of 65k based on our specifications for all works and off we went. When it came to ordering up the windows in the end we decided to actually go with a cheaper system (as the one we originally soecified wasn’t available in triple glazed) and changed a window for a door. The whole thing came in at 12k. The sliding door couldn’t be done by this company (its huge and needed to be aluminium frame)so we ordered up a higher spec sliding door for 6.5k thinking we had saved on the windows. My husband sorted out this item and we paid for it ourselves.

So here is the difficulty. We have been presented with a bulk of 25k of extras (and that’d not the final bill) I was aghast when he told us this number and so didn’t question it until we were given a breakdown of costs. To be fair the majority is very fairly priced but I have an issue with the windows. The builder is charging us 2k extra for the windows as says he had originally gotten a quote for all doors snd windows for 10k (remember we have personally paid 6.5k for the sliding door). This figure apparently included a sliding door. This is impossible unless he priced the cheapest bog standard pvc windows which is not what we had specified (and I also doubt it includes the door).

So what should we do? The builder jokes around and laughs at how he didn’t read the schedule of works doc properly and ‘shur I was no good at doing my homework at school’ like it was a wee oversight but I don’t know why we should pick up the tab on his oversight (I’m also not confident he’s just not a cute hoor). Should we ask him to explain the extras and to see his original quote for the windows or just take the money off the bill and tell him to do one?

JohnMcm1

Philthefluter wrote: »

Hi there I need a bit of help. We are coming to the end of having majors renovations done on a 1960s house. We drew up a very detailed schedule of works for the renovations we wanted done including a very specific window system and sliding door. We had initially thought of getting these organised ourselves so got quotations (windows 15k sliding door 3.5k) but in the end included it for builder to arrange thinking he’d get a better deal.

The builder we went with gave us a price of 65k based on our specifications for all works and off we went. When it came to ordering up the windows in the end we decided to actually go with a cheaper system (as the one we originally soecified wasn’t available in triple glazed) and changed a window for a door. The whole thing came in at 12k. The sliding door couldn’t be done by this company (its huge and needed to be aluminium frame)so we ordered up a higher spec sliding door for 6.5k thinking we had saved on the windows. My husband sorted out this item and we paid for it ourselves.

So here is the difficulty. We have been presented with a bulk of 25k of extras (and that’d not the final bill) I was aghast when he told us this number and so didn’t question it until we were given a breakdown of costs. To be fair the majority is very fairly priced but I have an issue with the windows. The builder is charging us 2k extra for the windows as says he had originally gotten a quote for all doors snd windows for 10k (remember we have personally paid 6.5k for the sliding door). This figure apparently included a sliding door. This is impossible unless he priced the cheapest bog standard pvc windows which is not what we had specified (and I also doubt it includes the door).

So what should we do? The builder jokes around and laughs at how he didn’t read the schedule of works doc properly and ‘shur I was no good at doing my homework at school’ like it was a wee oversight but I don’t know why we should pick up the tab on his oversight (I’m also not confident he’s just not a cute hoor). Should we ask him to explain the extras and to see his original quote for the windows or just take the money off the bill and tell him to do one?

Tell him to complete the work for the original agreed upon price or you'll find someone else.

Philthefluter

JohnMcm1 wrote: »

Tell him to complete the work for the original agreed upon price or you'll find someone else.

I’m not contesting the other extras tbh, just the windows. He’s taken so long to do the house ( busy doing other jobs at the same time) that at this stage I just want it finished.

edanto

But just going off your first post, you don't mention that ye requested a lot of extra work that would justify a €25k charge. Why not contest it all?

On the windows, it does sound a little messy in terms of deviating from what was agreed, but sit down with the builder and agree what the initial plan and price was, what changed, who paid for what and how that affects the amount agreed initially.

The builder would probably be able to source the windows for a cheaper price than ye, but his memory of '10k for all windows and doors' against your quote at the time of 18.5k for both sounds a bit unbelievable and more likely to be pulled out of thin air.

It sounds like he's just too busy with the various jobs he's on, has lost track of his costs and is trying to pull a bit of a fast one.

Do ye have (or can you get) some help from a QS for a few hours to work through the contract, the story of the build and the 'extra' charges to get yourself on some firmer ground?

Philthefluter

edanto wrote: »

But just going off your first post, you don't mention that ye requested a lot of extra work that would justify a €25k charge. Why not contest it all?

On the windows, it does sound a little messy in terms of deviating from what was agreed, but sit down with the builder and agree what the initial plan and price was, what changed, who paid for what and how that affects the amount agreed initially.

The builder would probably be able to source the windows for a cheaper price than ye, but his memory of '10k for all windows and doors' against your quote at the time of 18.5k for both sounds a bit unbelievable and more likely to be pulled out of thin air.

It sounds like he's just too busy with the various jobs he's on, has lost track of his costs and is trying to pull a bit of a fast one.

Do ye have (or can you get) some help from a QS for a few hours to work through the contract, the story of the build and the 'extra' charges to get yourself on some firmer ground?

Some extras were requested (new floors upstairs and ceilings in most rooms) but some weren’t exactly requested they were more urgent things for eg a corner of the house that was more or less falling down that we discovered when builder took out old windows).

The QS idea is good, I didn’t realise you could ask one to help on issues like this.

lemonkey

Find a local QS, bring him a copy of the all the contract documents (schedule/scope, contract, drawings, pricing document if you have one..etc). Also ask for a breakdown of his extras and bring that too. Make a list of any potential savings that might have occurred along the way (i.e builder using different brand of materials than specified).

Let the QS do a fair recommendation on the price and then go back to the builder or pay the QS to do it on your behalf.

When I used work for a PQS 6 years ago he used charge €35/hour. That may have gone up a nice bit since.