Devon Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 As a British Builder maybe I should give a builder's perspective and start a thread about customers from Hell [;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Would be good, Devon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEO Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 [quote user="woolybanana"]How dare you call your wife a Gobbling Teasmade!!![6][/quote]Gobbling ,Tease Maid, p'raps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Sort of large, flirtatious lady turkey, then?[6] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 Heres a little story that has just come to light and proves you can't trust some French builders.An English couple bought a rather large newly renovated house. The thing that attracted the wife to the house was the fact that the whole of the downstairs was open plan giving a massive living space. It even came with old rustic ceilings, especially down stairs which went up and down like a form of rolling hill. Sort of made it look olde worlde if you know what I mean.The winter before last their house was flooded and they called out their French insurance broker who in turn sent some form of surveyor along to look at the water damage. When he saw the ceiling downstairs and the massive open area he told them that in his opinion the supporting walls had been removed and no support was put in their place which was why the ceiling sagged up and down. He told them it was dangerous and suggest in very strong terms that they a professional to have a look.They got a French guy to come and have a look and to do so he had to remove part of the ceiling to see inside. He said there was in deed nothing supporting the ceiling and the floor above and promptly got a builder round to install some 'acro's' to support the ceiling and floor above. Unfortunately for them several weeks later the ceiling did in fact fall down, including the floor above and the furniture contained in the bedrooms. They went back to their French insurance broker you told them they because they had allowed the 'surveyor' (or whatever he was called) to remove part of the ceiling that it could be his fault and the insurance company would not pay out. They went to find the French builder who had done the original renovation only to discover he had gone out of business years ago and had done the renovation job on the black and finished it six months before they bought the place.They have been to see a French solicitor who has looked in to it and said that the insurance company are correct and will not pay out. It seems what they should have done is told the insurance company what their surveyor said when he came round and let them deal with it. As to the French builder who removed the walls in the first place he walks away without it costing him a penny. As for their house its estimated that the best way to deal with it and the cheapest is to knock it down and build a new one, at their expense of course.I thought I would mention this because it just goes to prove that a cowboy builder is a cowboy builder and they come in many nationalities including French.If it were me and my wife wanted the place I think seeing not a wall in the place on the ground floor would ring a few alarm bells and being newly renovated I would have wanted proof either by plan, seeing for myself or getting somebody to inspect the place before I parted with any dosh but there you go, easy to say after the event I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 You don't need a degree in Rocket Science, when you see a large open room like that, to look around at what is supporting the weight of the upstairs areas.How is the load distributed and how are the large spans supported? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opas Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 [quote user="Quillan"][quote user="jon"]But I am here...in France[/quote]God that phrase rings a bell or two. [;-)] Sounds like a tag line from the past of a certain long distance lorry driver we once knew.[/quote]Oy cheeky! copyright laws![Www] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 [quote user="sweet 17"]You don't need a degree in Rocket Science, when you see a large open room like that, to look around at what is supporting the weight of the upstairs areas.How is the load distributed and how are the large spans supported?[/quote]Mrs Q is working on the case so I can't say anything more really. What I will say is that I don't know any of the people involved nor have I ever visited the house. I do agree with what you say but then all men can wire a plug, can't they? If you get my drift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 [quote user="opas"][quote user="jon"]But I am here...in France[/quote]Oy cheeky! copyright laws![Www][/quote] [:D][:D][:D] [:P] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 [quote user="Quillan"]They got a French guy to come and have a look and to do so he had to remove part of the ceiling to see inside. He said there was in deed nothing supporting the ceiling and the floor above and promptly got a builder round to install some 'acro's' to support the ceiling and floor above. Unfortunately for them several weeks later the ceiling did in fact fall down, including the floor above and the furniture contained in the bedrooms. They went back to their French insurance broker you told them they because they had allowed the 'surveyor' (or whatever he was called) to remove part of the ceiling that it could be his fault and the insurance company would not pay out. They went to find the French builder who had done the original renovation only to discover he had gone out of business years ago and had done the renovation job on the black and finished it six months before they bought the place.[/quote]Nice story but soemthing does not ring true.The ceiling does not hold up the floor above but the opposite. So the floor, ceiling and furniture etc did not collapse until part of the load (the piece of ceiling) was removed and the joist span supported by acro's.Mind you I have seen something similar where a staircase had been fitted to amenage a grenier but it was running at 90 degrees to the joists which were now was being asked to cope with a floor loading, all but a few of the (now undersized joists) instead of spanning the two outside walls had been cut off 1 metre short and were joined (visibly) to one single ridicoulously undersized (half the width of the joists) trimmer with tiny bricolage angle brackets, the whole floor wobbled like a jelly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 I think what the guy did was remove a section of ceiling to see if the wall above was sitting on an RSJ (or whatever its called) and discovered it was basically sitting on air where as previously it had been the continuation of the partition/supporting wall that was under it. So basically they removed the wall underneath without supporting the wall above which I can only assume was then hanging by whatever connected it to the side walls. How much of the ceiling and other joists it took when the upstairs wall fell I don't know although I understand it pulled some of the side walls down with it and also caused light damage to the roof. Three fire places and chimney breasts were removed downstairs as well with no support placed under the upstairs part of them (they left the fireplaces in place and functioning upstairs).So basically everything inside the house on the ground level was removed to make a very large square room. I am not a builder myself (although judging by some work I have seen and the fact I have build a three brick high by 2M long wall I could claim to be[;-)]) and leave these things to the professionals. Likewise I don't know the size of the house but it had four large bedrooms plus a bathroom and toilet upstairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gosub Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 "Oy cheeky! copyright laws!"Not quite, this time the punctuation was correct, "I,m here in France" is copyright.[:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 [quote user="Quillan"] I am not a builder myself (although judging by some work I have seen and the fact I have build a three brick high by 2M long wall I could claim to be[;-)]) .[/quote][:D][:D][:D]Judging by the standard of the so called professionals around here and what I saw at the C.F.A (apprentice college) you are doing yourself a dis-service.Whenever anyone compliments me on my work and calls it professional I ask them if they really did mean to insult me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opas Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 smartass[:P] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 [quote user="Quillan"][quote user="sweet 17"] You don't need a degree in Rocket Science, when you see a large open room like that, to look around at what is supporting the weight of the upstairs areas.How is the load distributed and how are the large spans supported?[/quote]Mrs Q is working on the case so I can't say anything more really. What I will say is that I don't know any of the people involved nor have I ever visited the house. I do agree with what you say but then all men can wire a plug, can't they? If you get my drift.[/quote]I disagree that all men can wire a plug Q. My old man for instance! He wired up an electric shower to a 13 amp plug with the earth connected to the line and line to the earth pin! He then told me to mind my own bruddy business when I told him about it![:-))] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 And one of my relatives actually just pushed the three wires into the back of the plug through the hole and thought he had done well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Wot, you mean they can't! Well I'll be blowed because if you ask a chap if he can he will always say yes [;-)] [;-)]PS. I nailed two pieces of wood together yesterday and screwed them to the wall to make a shelf (it fell down just after I left the room [:(]) does that make me a cabinet maker as well as a master builder? Onwards and upwards I'm going to join two bits of pipe together tomorrow and become a plumber. Next week its brain surgery, I have a book with pictures, all I need is a brain..............wait for it ............... to practice on [Www]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Had a house built back in 2006/2007, using a large french building firm that uses multiple sub contractors. After the foundations were completed the bricky commenced and brought the house up to roof level. We were not happy with the mortar that was used and asked for a meeting with the foreman and the bricky, they told us that they had used a product called hordex etc etc. All work stopped for 4 weeks whilst the builders had the work of the bricky examined and tested, the result was that the walls etc were demolished to foundation level and the walls rebuilt using the same bricky. They paid for everything and we also received several thousand euro in compensation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Crikey Danny, what drew your suspicion to the mortar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 will try and post some pictures tomorrow and it will be evident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sid Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Pardon me for repeating myself, but if you don't do your homework as far as checking out companies and individuals BEFORE you take them on, then you'll only get what you deserve. It takes a bit of effort to do the investigation but it's so much easier than trying to put things right and moan about it afterwards.Sid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 OH NO....Cover to a book can be rather different to its contents.......Rogues are often very clever at their rougish lifw style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Depends on the homework..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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