Thanks for the help, much appreciated, I agree with you that this will be a long winded and is heavily in his favour, he isnt making money anymore and believe this is the hospital job.
On your points:
He got the slabs from Nustone so would this be a case of taking pics if the patio and sending to the supplier to see if any of the stones look off? He recently replaced some slabs which are still to be laid, around 37 or so which he said were damaged. However considering the spaces between the joints across the entire patio, he has really done this horribly wrong.
Website is handy as it has an installation guide and the pictures on there of the slabs laid is really not reflected in what he has done; as it stands he hasnt even grouted or sealed them yet, thats how unfinished this work is.
On this one we have a whatsapp chat with me, him and wifey from quote/timelines through to disagreements/excuses for delays and constantly drawing more money for the job. He said 5 days and he even fucked off on holiday to Turkey for 10 days and the people who were meant to cover didnt turn up - its clear there was no one coming, thats how sketchy this dude is. My gut feeling made me have everything in confirmed in chat in case something like this happened. Hopefully I am able to rely on this as these exchanges cover from sept till now.
On agreements, surely he cant propose that i intended for the patio to be in this state, we agreed a 2-level patio with the slabs in question. I didnt explicitly say that it shouldnt have a drop as that is surely a basic necessity for a patio and that it should be all level and finished to a high standard.
Got plenty of pictures and proof of conversations in the whatsapp group including when money was exchanged etc. I could definitely get a quote to see what this would cost to repair, my father in law who is a Gas Engineer by trade but knows his stuff says it probably needs to be redone from scratch, especially as the ground wasnt prepared properly in the first place.
I took this pic after it rained, I am at the top patio and as you can see, the pooling is ridiculous and the slabs are just degrading by the day. In terms of levels, top patio starts off following the gradient of the land, but then flatens out in the middle to the end although some areas slope back!
Bottom has a slight drop away from the house on first slabs then flattens out and the back is similar to top patio, although you cant see it but first slabs on the opposite side look to be dropping towards the house smh. I just dont see how this can be salvaged without ripping it all out. You can also see how the condition of the slabs have deteriorated.
Wow that Nustone company do have some excellent patio materials in their catalogue. With the amount of practical data they recommend in carefully explained chapter and verse detail for the installation side of their products, it is easy to see why you picked their products above others. Not just because they seem a large enough competent company that would deal with complaints sympathetically and efficiently, but also for the ease at which yourself and supplier can read from the same information, thus establish a pre-understanding common to you both of what works will be involved to produce the finished item to brochure picture standard, due to implementing āGood Working Practiceā installation guidelines. Unfortunately, with the guy buying the slabs, their contract is with him, although like I said above, they seem to be sympathetic to an end-user. Handy to know at this stage though.
Good to note you agreed to have the 5day project done in early September, mainly because you were concerned about the winter revving up and it made sense for grouting and likes to be completed prior to a frost snap or full-on water freezing range temperature fall.
Preventing water seeping below the slabs, even if these slabs have been properly primed underneath, will be vulnerable from water ingress turning to ice which expands and lifts them from their base.
Not sure what you meant by slabs having a ādropā (maybe step), as terminology differs slightly across regions, but Nutone specify in the installation brochure, a āfallā of 1: 60 at least in one direction is crucial. for eg, Slabs can be level from left to right, as long as the fall is away or toward you (90deg). This fall is predominately to prevent liquid pooling, thus by default, prevents ice forming atop and remains safe to walk upon. The patio after all, has to remain āfit for purposeā summer AND winter. It is also a recommendation based against the manufacturing methods and tolerance āflatnessā across the surface area. Think Concave or Convex at the centre of the slab.
It is to be remembered, accurately estimating for most works is one of the most difficult tasks there isā¦ but for these guys, who normally have numerous projects on the go at the same time, it is the nature of the beast and why most load the initial cost up. Could be this guy is good at his work but just a crap businessman. If this is the case the danger will present itself if the guy tries to cut corners on materials or labour aspect when reality of the situation bites him hard. This may be why your father-in-law is suspicious of the workmanship of the sub-base.
Bottom-lineā¦ If it was me facing the scenario, with winter months almost upon us, I would prioritise getting him back to finish the works ASAP, as these works are not the type for piecemeal attendance, unless of course it is early summer months. Mention the concern about the exposure of works to date against the harsh weather conditions to be expected in the near future. If he plays along great, no additional monies until works are finished. When works are finished you should still have concerns whether they will withstand a winter poundingā¦ and you will offer him a final opinion and reserve judgement of whether you are satisfied or notā¦ Those big slabs, while really looking the part, will be suspect to ārockingā or breaking if the base is not adequateā¦ Also, once the slabs are grouted, the difference in width joints is not normally as noticeable as they appear without. My main priority, if I had handed over 80% of the agreed sumā¦ get it finished, simple. Argue at a later stage when the weather picks-up, and inspections can be a lot more thorough. Decide then if it will still look as good in 5yrs or 50yrs, pick it apart, but bear in mind, the guy might have just got his costings wrong, and he just does not have the money, nor the will to finish it right now.! Then you can buy materials out of the 20% or whatever. If you have been offered a price too good to miss, only you can judge, so maybe consider a small contingency sum as a bonusā¦ Either way, to a judge you have attempted to resolve the issue before it went full litigationā¦! :0)
Speaking as an ex NCO, if I found that happening Iād post myself at the gate and make the culprit carry every returning soldierās kit from the guard room to the block. Then theyād be on duty for every weekend of tge next month.
Just lifted Jnr up onto one of the lions at Trafalgar Square. Belting photo too. Very very happy day. Royal Ballet dance comp tomorrow, still not entirely sure Iām dad!
Off the charts mate, so proud. Iām expecting the day that the line ādonāt really want to do this anymoreā comes out and Mrs will be distraught but when I was 15 I was smoking and drinking scrumpy in the local park. Tomorrow is absolute gold dust. Ever seen Billy Elliot? Happy to say I am that dad.
I think I mentioned a while back a good friend of mine, I lad I lived with for 2 years and played with after moving the to the US, was diagnosed with a fatal form of cancer about 12 months ago. He was given only 3 months to live at that point and in typical Byers fashion he said āfuck you, Iām having 12.ā
Today I finally got the call, and itās been a wild ride. Just an incredible mix of emotions of sadness but also intense joy at reliving memories we shared. I am in my my mid 40s and this guy was in my life for a TINY percentage of that. I havent spoken to him or many of the guys Iāve been chatting with today more than a handful of times collectively over the past 20 years, but the pain cuts like it was a friend I spoke to everyday, and the memories are as vivid as if they happened yesterday.
I have moved around a fair bit in my life and made some great friends and then went on my way to new challenges. This is a reminder for those who need it that those people from your past are no less important to you for the fact they are no longer a part of your life if they meant something significant to you at some point, and that itās the things you go through with someone not the amount of time you spent with them that bonds you to them.
I hate travelling by bus and I specially hate travelling by bus at night. Have you heard the quote āitās not about the destination, itās about the journeyā? Well, Iām a true believer in that. You can barely experience anything travelling by bus, you just glide along. Itās more like you are being transported (in a cage) than you are travelling. And if itās at night, you donāt even get to enjoy the rare morsels thrown your way. Life has become so much more about the bottom line than the finer points of it.
So, when I started my 17-day work trip; it may not have been exhausting, but it was definitely uninspiring. But it was actually a blessing in disguise. Our roads donāt run through whispering woods or glistening grasslands or daunting deserts. They donāt even run through the serene green meadows we are so famous for, not anymore. Our roads are lined with vehicle stands or stranded vehicles, bazaars and shopping malls, offices and factories, and whatever other god-forsaken elements of development you can possibly imagine. You see, whenever a road is built or improved, the land along it is immediately converted to commercial uses.
Yes, yes, I saw the occasional patches of green rice fields or a docile river or a village hiding among a distant tree line. They were such a delight to my sore eyes. Are you wondering how I saw these during the night? Well, my return journey was subjected to many check-posts and queues due to some impending doom at Dhaka. So the latter part of the journey was unexpectedly blessed with daylight. Look, Iām not an ungrateful brat. I know these roads not only mean a safe & comfortable journey for me but they are also helping me earn my bread in some way. But I know thereās a better way to do all that.
Thanks for asking. Itās complicated. Thatās the short version. She has been having these weird pain attacks, like every 2 minutes for about 20 seconds lasting, still trying to figure out what is causing that. That doesnāt exactly help in recovery/rehab either, as you might imagine. She also got tested positive for Covid a week ago, but at least that didnāt seem so bad, she didnāt really have any symptoms and I was allowed to visit her (with mask and protective gear, and Iām required to get tested everyday before visiting anyway).
hope she feels better soon @anon27364116 your family has been on a wild ride for too long now
had a teammate from ball die suddenly from a heart attack two weeks ago, was standing in his kitchen making dinner and dropped. leaves a very recent ex-wife and son who are shattered. feel sorry for them both, he was one of the good ones.
Problem is you canāt look inside her, if you know what I mean, and communication is still difficult and if she answers itās sometimes unreliable. She does say yes and no, but it depends on her concentration level at that moment and those pain attacks didnāt exactly help with that. There could be multiple explanations for these pain attacks, especially since sheās essentially been lying in bed for 4 1/2 months and one side is paralysed. Thankfully it seems to be getting better, yesterday it was quite alright when I visited.
There are little moments of real joy, difficult to explain. Like in the last 2 days I was able to actually work on words with her. Before she wouldnāt repeat/train a word, even if you tried, she would look at you like you were insane.
It seems that is possible now, yesterday I worked on 3 words - eyes, nose, mouth - for like an hour with her, endlessly repeating and motivating her and in the end she could say them. Also managed āgoodbyeā and āhelloā. Some consonants/sounds are more difficult than others, apparently.
Greatest thing about that was that she herself seemed genuinely happy with that little success. Sheās often frustrated atm, and who can blame her, so it was lovely to see. Iām off to the rehab hospital now, hopefully we can continue with that.
