Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Sep 06, 2009 10:08 pm I've been building since Feb, and we're a couple of days from handover. I've been unhappy with the bricks from the start, they've done things that even being a girl and untrained I don't think I wouldn've have stuffed up. Putting bricks in upside down for example (only three sides are green, the other is orange, so it's pretty noticeable to say the least!) Also several bricks fell inward from the top row, but the supervisor said this was normal as well? He told me everything will be fixed later, and got me to sign off on various stages on that basis. But nothing's happened, and that supervisor left, and a new one started. The new supervisor was digusted with the bricks, and did a lot of headshaking, but nothing else happened. It wasn't until my partner came out and mentioned he'd have someone come out to check the bricks that the whole story came out. Apparantly they've chased the brickie to fix his mistakes and he wouldn't come to the party, so they're at a standoff, and I'm not sure when that will be resolved. The major problem with the bricks is the mortar is crumbling, and if you run a key over it is comes out like sand. I'm worried it won't only be the bricks at the top falling out in five years or so. The new supervisor has told us we have to do handover next week regardless, and then it will be fixed after we move in. His solution is to have a 1/3rd of the mortar scraped out and then replaced with new, hopefully well mixed mortar, and it all should hold together. So my two main questions are, do I have do handover with this issue unresolved? And is scraping out a 1/3rd of the mortar going to fix the problem? I don't think I even trust them to do a competant job of that, at this stage, not to mention how long it will take if they have no financial motivation to finish. The only other case of this I've heard of they tore it down and started again, but that was a garage and evidently a bit easier to do than a house Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!! Belle Re: Crumbling Mortar 2Sep 06, 2009 10:26 pm Sorry to hear about this Belle. If it was me, I wouldn't accept anything to be done after handover. Tell them you will NOT accept the house until it is all fixed. And I would ask for the whole bricks to be ripped down and re-done properly by another brickie. We have recently accepted our house with a few minor issues outstanding and now it's as if the builder has skipped town or something, and nothing is getting finished or fixed. My next step is to write to senior management to complain. If we had been in a position to delay handover, we would have done. I would never take another house without it being fully completed to my satisfaction. Unfortunately, we see this all too often on this forum Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Crumbling Mortar 3Sep 06, 2009 10:57 pm I suppose it is creme mortar as well is it? I am with Hels on this don't accept it. I will never get better only worse IMHO. Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Hi, I am planning to select San Selmo reclaimed original for the fascade of my build. I have seen many photos on line of the brick varying from a rustic to a neat finish.… 0 4578 Building Standards; Getting It Right! Hi, sorry if this is the wrong place - Iām new to the property/building journey (trying to buy my first home) so not sure where/who to go with these sorts of… 0 19156 2 8874 |