Botched Plumbing/Bathroom work

SG250

I recently had a concealed shower replaced, so the work involved was:

Break tiles

Install new shower

Install PVC panels instead of tiles over the concrete wall.

Everything was fine the first 3 weeks but now I can see the sealant isnt holding up holes have appeared.

Where the shower T bar portion of the shower connects to the wall is falling off.

It was a cash job that cost me just under 4k, I didn't know this until the end and the guy told me that he assumed it was a cash job and if not hell have to charge me VAT.

What's the best course of action here? Im trying to get the guy to come back and fix it but am getting left on seen/no answer. Worried about the issues they could have caused that I can't see behind the wall.

Sleeper12

Can you post some photos of dodgy bits

Gant21

Is that fella a professional tradesmen registered business or a lad working out of the boot of a high tax bmw?

SG250

You can see holes and the pipe is coming out of the wall one side.

astrofool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119198696#Comment_119198696

It looks like the pipe wasn't clipped to something solid, or that thing has come loose, did you see the pipework before the t-bar was fitted? (though I would normally expect the hole to be pipe sized and that chrome piece was flush against the PVC rather than being in the hole, hard to know without the installation instructions).

Sleeper12

I'm not a fan of the PVC sheeting. Mostly because it's usually installed incorrectly. On studded walls there should be plywood behind the PVC to support the shower, soap dish, shower pole or anything else you might want to screw into the wall. For the T bar I'd expect plywood even on a concrete wall to support it. Is there any movement on the T bar? Does it rock a little if you wiggle it? Or is it solid as a rock?

SG250

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119198883#Comment_119198883

It wiggles slightly if you shake it up and down. There’s is a concrete wall behind with no plywood as far as I remember.

is this an easy fix if I got a professional in to do it?

or am I gonna end up paying another couple hundred/thousand to get it all re done.

SG250

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119199523#Comment_119199523

Any thoughts on this folks?

Got quoted 130 an hour for a plumber with guaranteed work to fix this up, do you think its a big job or something that can be knocked out in 2-3 hours?

lomb

No one knows I had a guy fit a t bar and the nuts were behind the tiles, I moved it out before the tiler came. Ive replaced the t bar twice since. If I didn't move it I would have had to retire the bathroom likely as I have no spare tiles.

The truth is 98% of bathrooms in Ireland installed are going to leak. Go to skibuilder channel on YouTube to see how to do it, you need- classi seal , a L shaped trim under the tiles and siliconed by you to the tray or tub BEFORE the tiler comes and set,waterproof backer board with fiber glass and a tanking kit with tanking over the tape on all joints and screws holding the backer board.

I know of a bathroom that's been redone every few years ,guy keeps getting same guy back too , it keeps leaking!

For a tub it's less critical and tanking paint and L strip siliconed is all you need.

SG250

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119233398#Comment_119233398

Got ya the guy who did it no longer answers or responds so I am getting a handyman over to see how much it would be to fix it among other things in the apartment.

But what you just described doesn't sound like an overly massive job for a professional.

lomb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119240812#Comment_119240812

Not too many professionals around tho...