Page 2 of 2
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 11:22 pm
by local patios and driveway
bloody mybuilder and similar sites. those are for people that want competent looking bodges. the basis is on who ever supplies the cheapest price and has a few good reviews, full of out of work desperados and foreigners.. (not the kind of professional you would choose i suspect)
for me i wouldnt have him back i would pressure wash the lot as you say that has a good effect, then go buy 2-3 bags of kiln dried sand and brush tht in, that will make the best of a bad lot
same story- price was cheap, job is crap, where did i go wrong? :rock: to be honest i dont have much sympathy.
Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 11:44 pm
by mitzimad
to cheap to do it properly you get what you pay for
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 3:11 am
by local patios and driveway
oh and dont have the renderer back either!
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 6:59 am
by lutonlagerlout
looks like stevie wonder rendered that wall
very nice looking dog millsy
daschund?
LLL
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:23 am
by Millsyy2k
@LLL yes that handsome little fellow is indeed a Daschund 
The wall was like that when we moved in, along with a host of other issues that we have steadily been fixing. I'm glad it gave you lot a good chuckle 
To be fair we have had some great tradesmen from mybuilder and to the layman (me!!) it seems like a good system. But, we live and learn.
My gut feel is to pressure wash it, try the acid on any remaining marks and go down the kiln dried sand root. The guy made such a hash of it i'm concerned he might make matters worse.
Whilst i've got a bunch of pro's engaged.... We will inevitably be doing more work to the house over the summer. Where would you guys say is the best place to look for good quality tradesmen. We haven't been here long so don't know anyone through word of mouth, which is always my preferred method.
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:30 am
by Carberry
If you let us know what area you stay in and what tradesmen you need somebody here might be able to recommend people to you.
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 5:24 pm
by mike builder/landscaper
just a thought on this one. can you not grind out the joint, taking with it some of the damaged area and then repoint it properly with easypoint or 3 to 1 sand and cement.
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:29 pm
by Carberry
mike builder/landscaper wrote:just a thought on this one. can you not grind out the joint, taking with it some of the damaged area and then repoint it properly with easypoint or 3 to 1 sand and cement.
More hassle than it is worth. It would be a lot easier to get away with if you had riven / pendle slabs because of the variation in joint sizes with them but with those slabs it will be just as noticeable as leaving that 'pointing' in. Grinding will also be a problem with those slabs as they have a rough surface, don't want to grind it down and leave smooth patches everywhere.
I agree with local patios and driveways, pressure washer then kiln dried sand. Make sure paving is dry before you brush in sand if you go down this route.
Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 9:03 pm
by jonnyboyentire
Not a lot of point trying to clean it up if it is puddling and high on the dpc is
f you ask me. Polished turd and all that.
£49/m2 laid??????? Ludicrous.
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 2:39 pm
by Millsyy2k
Hi Guys,
Showing my complete lack of technical terms again... what is high on the dpc and why is this a problem?
I called the guy, he answered and said he would come round and hasn't responded to voice mails, emails and texts ever since!!
Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:52 pm
by jonnyboyentire
The finished height of the paving at its highest point against the building should ideally be 150mm (two bricks) below the damp proof course (dpc) which is the black line right around the building of rubber/plastic membrane that just shows through a horizontal brickwork course. You can be less than 150mm but its not ideal.
From your photo the line of the bottom of the render (which could be dpc height) looks awfully close to the patio. The closer to the dpc, the more chance of damp problems associated with water ingress.
He won't return your calls? Gee, there's a surprise.....
Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 3:31 pm
by Millsyy2k
I read up on this a little more and it looks like this will devalue the property or we will have to put it right before selling.
It's about 30mm in places so well below the recommendation.
I'm going to give trading standards a call see what they recommend as this is a complete shambles.
Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:24 pm
by DNgroundworks
Id leave him a voicemail message telling him that you are going to speak to trading standards and see if that will scare him in to repairing it. Doing anything through trading standards in a long drawn out affair.
I managed to scare a very very large car dealer in to a partial refund and a 2 year warranty for my Navara after i threatened them with Trading standards.