Browse Forums Building A New House 1 May 05, 2014 6:53 pm Hi We are building new and have a dispute with our builder over the workmanship and bricks used. We selected a mono colour brick (from website and sample bricks given) and accept a small variation between individual bricks - what we have is all the sides of the clay bricks are a different shade to the face of the bricks - giving an odd chequerboard look at the corners (see pic) also have lots of variation in the gaps between bricks - some really narrow some big - builder says that it’s an acceptable job. Hubby does paving for a living and wouldn’t get away with this variation. Am I being picky or is this bad workmanship and awful bricks and I should stand my ground? Pictures on the blog address attached. http://terriblebrickwork.blogspot.co.nz/2014/05/terrible-brickworkwould-like-opinions.html Re: Bad bricks and Brickmanship or am I just being picky? 2May 06, 2014 9:10 am Really ? Are you serious ? i can't see anything wrong with your brick work. They all line up. I don't think it's reasonable to expect the builder to use the mm guage on a ruler when laying your bricks. Unless I'm missing something here ? Re: Bad bricks and Brickmanship or am I just being picky? 4May 06, 2014 10:01 am Is the bricks being used are exactly the one you've picked? If so, I don't really think either the bricks are bad or brickies done a bad job. I can see that there are different shades for the "small faces" corner bricks, not sure if it is actually a characteristics of this brick.. As for workmanship, I think yours look clean and clear. Can't really be justify as bad for sure. You can look around the forum and I am sure you'll find out what is really bad and how bad it can be. Re: Bad bricks and Brickmanship or am I just being picky? 5May 06, 2014 11:56 am i think youre being pedantic. In the grand scheme of things its berely noticible and not a structural issue. These are bricks you've agreed to use. The fact that they didnt turn out as you'd pictured them is not the builders fault or the fault of the brick producer. Also Sample bricks may vary slightly in the batch that was used (its the same variation you agree to). when choosing paint colours, bricks, cabinetry etc scale makes a huge difference. you cant really picture 100% what something will be untill you see it at the scale its intended. Take it as a lesson learned. Next time you buiild and you like a particular brick, ask for some displays or adresses where the particular brick was used, take note of paint colours in the displays (theyre often out of production so paint chips dont exist but the forumla can be called up) etc. Basically youre disputing the brick choice which you made because you didnt considder what it would look like from all angles. Thats not the builders fault. The only solution that is forseeable to your dispute is taking all the brick work down. Doubtfull a builder would ever foot that cost unless there were structural issues that were the builders fault. Rightly or wrongly how do you think the rest of your build will go if you pursue this given its not the builders fault? Dont sweat the small stuff. Creator of superduperonium, expert at expert things, nobel laureate, can hold my breath for 10 minutes. Re: Bad bricks and Brickmanship or am I just being picky? 6May 07, 2014 4:56 am Hmm problem is I did go and look at 4 completed in the brick colour. Our bricks look different to those houses - the brochures, previous houses, website and brick showroom all show a monotone with no variation on the corners.... It just seems to be my house. It seems that the variations in gap sizes that swing between 6mm and 12mm over the house is reasonable... Re: Bad bricks and Brickmanship or am I just being picky? 7May 07, 2014 9:49 am I guess that you now need to work out whether its something that is important to you enough to continue disputing. Im unsure what the brick processing procedure looks like and why seemingly every single small face of your brick appears a lighter shade and whether this constitutes the "small variations between batches" clauses you signed off on. Rest assured though that given your only recourse for resolution is knock down or render (if you like that sort of thing), i can't imagine it will be cheap, timely or stressless. quickly weighing up the pros and cons in my head if I were in your situation (granted they may be different), I can only see one pro, and thats a maybe at best. The list of cons is huge. weigh it up, and work out whether its worth your time and money. people say building a house is stressful. And in your case youre probably making it more stressful for yourself. as to spacing of your bricks, unless its a structural issue i'd let it go (unless theyre everywhere, and then Id argue the work wasnt completed profesionally). But again your only recourse is knock down and start again or render. Both that are unlikey to be footed by the builder if it isnt a structural issue. Time and money to you. Creator of superduperonium, expert at expert things, nobel laureate, can hold my breath for 10 minutes. Re: Bad bricks and Brickmanship or am I just being picky? 8May 07, 2014 11:15 am Actually if its not the whole wall that is being contested, but only a handful of bricks, then the bricks can be removed (without having to knock down the whole wall). Our brickies took out bricks from the side of one of our walls (we didn't contest it, they just did it of their own) as they were chipped badly. Looked at bit weird to have 3 bricks halfway up a wall missing, but they were able to replace them and the area looks fine. The only thing is that the onus will be on you to prove that an error has been made, i.e., issue with different brick colour as opposed to the one that you chose. It is is up to you if you feel you can live with it or not. It is not our house, we are not the ones paying for the house to be built. If you feel that it is something that you really can't live with, then approach you builder about it in a respectful as possible manner. Don't go in with guns a blazing as that will put people on the defensive right away. Slab – 31 Oct 2012 Frame - 15 Nov 2012 Bricks – 26 Nov 2012 Roof - 14 Jan 2013 Lock Up- 11 Feb 2013 PCI- 23rd May 2013 Settlement - 7th June 2013 My garage door has started playing up recently. Sometimes (and getting more frequent) when I press the button to open it, it wont. The motor is an ATA GD0-6V3. 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