Browse Forums Outdoor Living 1 Nov 30, 2013 2:55 pm Hi, I'd like to get an opinion of the quality of work of my partially completed deck. I hired a registered builder to build a small deck in cypress, treated pine and red ironbark. The frame looks ok, but the decking itself looks terrible to me. Some of the screws are sunk too deep, there are broken/split bits of wood, the screws are not lined up. I got my neighbour in, who is a really good DIY guy to have a look and he told me the decking work was unacceptable in his opinion. He bought over his drill and countersinking tool with a little guard on it and showed me how easy it is to drill perfect holes and drill the screws nicely in some of the offcuts of the ironbark. God it's nice wood!! I then spoke with my builder and told him that I wasn't happy with his work and would like him to fix the problems. He proposed to fix some of problems. eg, unscrew the screws to raise their level, replace the damaged wood. But he insisted that he won't fix the misaligned screws and that all his other clients are happy. I asked more questions and he told me that this was the first job he'd done with screws, he normally uses decking nails, even with merbau. This was his first job with ironbark, but he assured me that he could handle the job. He also told me that he has never used a string line to make sure that the decking nails line up and that I was being unreasonable to expect that. Am I within my rights to ask him to replace all the decking and do it properly. I've paid for half the job so far, can he just walk away from the job and keep the money for just the frame? BTW I'm in Melbourne. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I appreciate any comments and/or advice people might have. General quality looks poor. All 4 screws are misaligned around the join. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ For these next 4 photos, the string line is right over the middle of the screws at either end. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Top 2 holes drilled by my neighbour. Bottom hole by the builder. They look quite different. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ My neighbour drilled in some of the screws into the ironbark and frame to show me what it should look like. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Poor quality decking work by registered builder...HELP 2Nov 30, 2013 3:35 pm Hi Gseremetedis, I'm afraid I can't help you on what to do but I found your post interesting because our builder has left us with a front porch deck that looks just like yours, if not worse! I didn't realise it could be done better. Your neighbour's work looks fantastic. Hope somebody else can give you some advice on your options. Re: Poor quality decking work by registered builder...HELP 3Jan 19, 2014 8:41 pm Go to the office of fair trading in your state. They can look at the work that has been done and have you and the builder present at the same time. The building codes have changed yo include cosmetic issues so if appearance is unsatisfactory he may be forced to make good. He is just lazy. It's not hard to snap a chalk line to line up screws. Poor form. Re: Poor quality decking work by registered builder...HELP 4Jan 24, 2014 12:47 pm You have shown a classical example of substandard workmanship and basic negligence on the part of your builder. Firstly, I wouldn't pay him anymore money. Request that he rectify the problem in writing, you need to gib him sufficient time to rectify. Threaten him that you will get another builder in to fix the problem at his expense. If he doesn't respond in kind, follow the procedures set out by the CTTT and Department of Fair Trading. Re: Poor quality decking work by registered builder...HELP 5Jan 24, 2014 12:56 pm to lazy to put in a string line, and a bit to happy with countersinking. Also have you look up his registration? Are you sure his has a DB - U and not a DB-M. If he only has a DB-M then he is not allowed to do that work. Hi, as per the subject. Does anyone have any recommendations for the best value decking oil (Bunning is close to where I live) for a treated pine deck? Thanks 0 10940 Use a product like Equisol's Vitalise to clean the deck then coat with a penetrating timber oil. It will look 10 years younger and add value to your home. Visit for… 1 15743 Hi, Really struggling to find some consistency amongst Span Tables, can anyone help… 0 2632 |