Building Control

[Mangold]

Hi all.

I have recently had some work done at my house by what was a reliable builder at the time.

However since the work has finished we have had no replies from him.

We still need building control to sign off, we paid upfront to the local council for this. But we were under the impression the builder would get them round to sign off the work. Is this something that I can arrange? We also had some bi fold doors put in, which look great, but are really suffering from condensation and it has swollen some skirting. Any suggestions on a quick fix?

Thanks all

 

[Dutto]

I suggest that you contact your local Council and ask to speak to a Building Inspector. When we built our own house in Scotland they were very helpful and came out at the various stages of the build to sign it off; and occasionally offer helpful advice. Don't forget to mention that you have paid them already!

If you are lucky, then the condensation you are suffering from may be due to cement, mortar, plaster or bricks, used during the building work, drying out. If this is the case then closing off the particular area and running a decent dehumidifier will speed up the drying time, otherwise you will just have to get into the habit of opening the windows whenever you can. (*)

However, if this isn't the case then the only way to permanently get rid of condensation is to make sure that the area is properly ventilated.

Most windows have small slot vents at the top and personally I leave ours open all the time (even though we have central heating) and if there is any condensation visible on the window panes I open one of the small casement windows until it disappears.

(*)
Dehumidifiers work best in an enclosed space. If the area is open to the general atmosphere then all you will be doing is spending money in an attempt to dry out the local area!

 

[Hoddy]

Hi all.

I have recently had some work done at my house by what was a reliable builder at the time.

However since the work has finished we have had no replies from him.

We still need building control to sign off, we paid upfront to the local council for this. But we were under the impression the builder would get them round to sign off the work. Is this something that I can arrange? We also had some bi fold doors put in, which look great, but are really suffering from condensation and it has swollen some skirting. Any suggestions on a quick fix?

Thanks all

Or worse case scenario the doors have been poorly fitted and you are suffering from some rain water ingress. Which given the driving wind and rain we had last weekend that will have tested everyones water tightness.

 

[Leon103]

Hi all.

I have recently had some work done at my house by what was a reliable builder at the time.

However since the work has finished we have had no replies from him.

We still need building control to sign off, we paid upfront to the local council for this. But we were under the impression the builder would get them round to sign off the work. Is this something that I can arrange? We also had some bi fold doors put in, which look great, but are really suffering from condensation and it has swollen some skirting. Any suggestions on a quick fix?

Thanks all

Anyone can ring building control and ask for an inspection.

 

[Mangold]

Thanks all. I think it is the drying out process more than anything else. The condensation has persisted since it was completed in December and the builder said it would happen.

I will call building control. Hopefully we won't have any issues!

Thanks all.

 

[Clint]

I'd do as said and get a dehumidifier. We run one constantly in the wife's shop,it takes out loads of moisture.

 

[Mangold]

Thanks Clint. Will get the dehumidifier out!

 

[Dutto]

I'm sorry to come back on this, but I woke up at about 6am this morning with the thought "Why the hell did he pay the man all of the money before the job was finished?"

Looking at the OP again I can't see any mention of this but your phrase "However since the work has finished we have had no replies from him." and knowing a bit about builders, was what woke me up!

I hate to be negative but I have NEVER paid a builder up front for ANY work; and I just wouldn't employ someone who wanted paying before he finished ALL of the agreed work. (The agreed work being laid out in a Checklist that I had prepared for the work.)

Normally, if I want a builder to do something, I will only pay by instalments which are usually:

1. Purchase of materials. The payment is usually made AFTER the materials are delivered on site.
2. Stage Payment. This can be stages such as Footings, Brickwork, Roof, Insulation etc. NO payment is made until AFTER the relevant piece of work is finished and signed off by the Building Inspector.
3. The last tranche of money is only paid AFTER the Building Inspector has signed off the whole project; and ALL the items that are on a Final Punchlist have been rectified.

I'm sorry to be so negative but every builder worth his salt will accept similar terms ...

... and hopefully it will serve you well for future projects.

 

[Mangold]

Hi Dutto. Thanks for the above. To clarify, the work has been completed and everything has been done. But he said that he would keep in contact and re do the skirting but for us to keep him updated. He said that whilst it is still drying out it might bubble slightly. Which it has. He also informed us that he would ask building control to come out, so as far we were aware he would do this.

But, yea, your right.

Thanks