Has anyone had success getting builder to rectify after buying house?

LFaithgrrl on 01/10/2016 - 15:57
Last edited 01/10/2016 - 18:00

Hey all- I bought a house 2 years ago and now the bathrooms are leaking (they are upstairs and leaking down to the basement level). The house was fully renovated 4 years ago. I asked the original builder (who renovated the house) to come in and he put some new sealant in but I understand that is not a permanent solution. It's started leaking since. I have 2 bathrooms and they are both leaking (well, dribbling when I take a shower)

I asked another guy for a second opinion and he said the only permanent solution is to rip up the tiles and reinstall the membrane. He is quoting me $3500 for one bathroom and $2500 for the 2nd.

Questions:

  1. Do I have any recourse to the original builder to ask him to rectify the defective now leaking bathroom done 4 years ago?

  2. If not, should I go ahead with the quote? The other guy said I was at risk of termites in the wood! (and I am terrified of them!!)

I had a look around oz bargain and whirlpool and it looks like the reinstall is the only way to go. But I can't figure out if I have any recourse to the original builder?

Also: go the Sharks!!

Home & Garden

Comments

  • Faithgrrl on 01/10/2016 - 16:36

    Thanks oz gamer for the Google! It's good that I am not in SA and Google is working.

    I did have a Google before and it would appear that I could make a claim under the builders warranty, and get the builder to rectify.

    However given the other thread on people's experience with building a new home and having defects after, I was wondering if it is worth the trouble going after the builder, or if it is more likely they'd just give me the finger….

    • oscargamer on 01/10/2016 - 17:22
      +1

      up to you if it's worth the hassle

      personally, i don't have a spare $6k lying around

  • [Deactivated] on 01/10/2016 - 16:37
    +1

    I used to have a house, but got sick of worrying about things like this - I was also terrified of termites! :) However, the termite risk is possibly quite exaggerated, but depends on what state you are in. If you are genuinely worried about them, have a chemical barrier installed. Biflex tends to have the longest lasting effect of several years in the soil. I like the fact that it's actually a repellent, as opposed to some termite treatments which are attractants (which act to kill off the colony). Pros and cons of both, though. If your house is 20-30years+, make sure you have full subfloor access and have inspections carried out annually, but if it's a slab build, I'd just go for the chemical barrier. Of course, this is all extra money but I know for myself personally, it helped put my mind at rest worrying about them.

    As for the quote, yes you will be out thousands for leaks. I had a leak repaired on a shower area + patch work (as I was planning to renovate anyway) and it cost me about $1k-1.5k just for that from memory. It's important to get this type of work done as soon as you notice it, as there's other structural issues beyond worrying about pests that can happen if left for too long.

  • captobvious on 01/10/2016 - 17:35
    +1

    1. You can try but will usually lead to legal action which will cost more than fixing it, if its due to termites warranty does not cover this anyway. Warranty would have only been for 1 year.

    2. Get the pest guy to check, they can get in with a camera or check for tell tale signs, then you will know what you are up for. It is actually quite normal for wooden floors to flex and cause cracks in the water proof membrane.

    It is possible this is wha has happened, Floor was water proofed but termites have weakened the floor and has caused a crack. Water has been seeping for the last 4 years into the wood which has now rot and has given way even more for a bigger leak.

  • Faithgrrl on 01/10/2016 - 17:44

    Hello cap! The floors are wooden and that is most likely what happened. Re termites, I have the house sprayed once a year so I am hoping this won't be a thing (😱😱😱😱😱😱😱) when he comes back to spray I'd get him to check.

    Gamer: I don't have $6k lying around but it's just gonna have to be out of the mortgage…I also don't have $6k lying around for therapy if going through the legal process is going to cause mental health issues!

    W8: thanks for the advice. It's my first house after moving out of an apartment. If I think strata levies are high I am paying much more to maintain the house. So much for the dream of home ownership. Btw: out of curiosity, are you one of the few females in oz bargain? Or can guys also be afraid of termites?? 🤔🤔🤔

  • Uncle Chop Chop on 02/10/2016 - 01:39
    +2

    I was in a very similar situation, upstairs bathroom (shower) began leaking into the mid floor and pooling on the ceiling downstairs.

    We managed to get our builder to fix it, but after seeing what you were quoted to do the job, I just had to comment. I watched the entire process at our place - a tiler came in, ripped up the floor tiles in our (double) shower, re applied the waterproofing, then re laid tiles. It took a box of tiles, and a couple of half days, because he needed to allow the waterproofing to dry.

    I was chatting with him afterwards, and he told me works for about $30 an hour if I ever needed any work done in the future. So by my calculations, it would have cost my builder about $300 in labour, $50 for a couple of metres of tiles, plus whatever the waterproofing material, silicon and grout cost. Say another $50.

    So all up a $400 job, give or take… I'd be getting a few more quotes if I were you!

    • Drifta on 12/01/2017 - 18:10

      did you get the number of the guy? I could use someone who works for $30/hr

  • Uncle Chop Chop on 02/10/2016 - 01:46
    +4

    Here's another tip I picked up from all the tradies I've dealt with for all the various issues we had with our house - always ask for an hourly rate, as long as you're around to keep an eye on the work. I was told more than once, that if they have to quote a job, they always quote high, so they never come out behind.

  • VictimEqualsProfit on 02/10/2016 - 08:40
    +1

    Your home insurance should pay for damages like this. I know this because my mother has had two showers completely retiled due to cracked shower base and tiles coming unstuck. I'm sure the insurance company will chase the builder if they think they need to. You will probably have to come up with the excess though. It's definitely worth you calling them and having a conversation. They can send somebody out to look at it and give your more information.

  • HeWhoKnows on 02/10/2016 - 10:32
    +1

    The remedy offered is correct. The original builder did not lay the waterproof membrane down properly if at all. This job would have gone out to a sub-contractor so you ask the builder to remedy and the builder then asks the subby to remedy. Ask dept of fair trading for your rights.

  • Odin on 02/10/2016 - 12:51
    +1

    1. This is a major defect, covered by the 6 year statutory warranty period. You're saying renovations were done 4 years ago, so yes, the original builder should repair this at his own cost.

    2. The only correct way to do the job is to rip out the tiling and re-waterproof the areas.

    3. You might get away with just doing the shower tray area (walls and floors), and not the entire bathroom. IMO though, the entire bathroom should be ripped up and re-done to be certain. If the WP is no good in the shower, it's probably no good everywhere else.

    4. Shower tray re-waterproofing is usually $3-5K. Full bathrooms are usually $10k-$15k.

    5. "Sealant" or megaseal, or any other sealing works or sealant application are not good enough, they're not fixes they're just temporary band-aids.

    • Uncle Chop Chop on 02/10/2016 - 19:10
      +1

      Odin, can you please to me how it could possible cost this much? I watched the guy work at my place, it was a 10 hour job max over a couple of days, with a couple of days in between to allow the new waterproofing to dry. And there's no chance in hell materials cost more than labour for a job like this.

      • Odin on 02/10/2016 - 19:16
        +1

        Depends where you're doing it, but in Sydney that's about the going rate for builders. And yes i agree it's a huge rip off, but that's Australia for you.

        Assuming you're just doing the shower tray and leaving the rest of the bathroom:

        • Pull out shower screen and manage to salvage it to be put back
        • Demo tiles, screed, existing wp
        • Repair walls / floor as need, prep surfaces
        • Apply new WP membrane, sheet or liquid, whatever.
        • Bedding
        • Tiling
        • Grouting + silicon corners
        • Clean up

        You're looking at about a week and a half to do it properly. Bed + WP takes time to dry, primer + multiple coats are required. Materials cost might start at $500+

        Depends on the size of the shower, if there's a hob, if there's a break from the floor to the shower recess, etc. etc. Depends on a tonne of things.

        *edit, just had a look at your comment above. In Sydney your average labourer / builder is going to be charging $70 / hour +, tiles would be $50/m2 on average. waterproofing + other materials are probably $300+ for the good stuff. Yeah you can cheap out, but it's a bathroom, I wouldn't cheap out on products and take the risk.

        • Faithgrrl on 02/10/2016 - 23:23

          Yay for Sydney! The most expensive place in Australia….😭😭😭😭

  • Faithgrrl on 02/10/2016 - 18:18

    Hey uncle chop chop are you in Sydney?? If so, any chance of PM your builder for an extra quote? Re Odin and others, I am looking at a few grand give or take??

    • Uncle Chop Chop on 02/10/2016 - 19:13
      +1

      Nah I'm in regional SA mate. The job was done by a tiler, who was contracted by my builder. But I reckon you could get any decent tiler to do the job for you.

  • Faithgrrl on 02/10/2016 - 21:44

    Dammit! So much for a short cut…..so….I will talk to the insurer, the previous builder, and get a few more quotes….the joy of home ownership!

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