Problems with extension - whose fault is this?

Question

My extension started in March. To cut a long story short, it was supposed to take around 10 weeks but has more than doubled despite us moving across the road to allow work to go faster.

Now the works are nearly finished & snagging items are being seen to (for the 5th time!)

In week 6 I was told by my project manager to arrange for my electric meter to be moved. When they came to provide estimate, the builders had cemented over the cable and a £650 job became a £1750 job!

The electric guys came on Monday to move it (three months later) and spotted that the builders have also built right over my gas service pipe (illegal apparently), my mains water & my telephone line (not ducted).

The project manager is denying any blame as he states he didn't know it was there! The architect hasn't returned my calls but he is friends with the Project manager and apparently he is denying he is at fault for not getting the right plans beforehand.

How can this be our fault!! We weren't advised of anything to do with service cables etc before.

has anyone had something similiar....

Answer 1

Your project manager should definately have considered these things. Its his job to forsee problems like these!

Answer 2

That would depend on whether you hired a general contractor who then subcontracted the jobs out, or if you hired everyone yourself piecemeal.

If a general contractor hires all the subs, he is responsible for all phases of the job. And, if someone screws something up, it's up to the subcontractor to make things right. If they don't, the general contractor eats the extra expenses.

If you hired everyone yourself, it's now up to you to get the subcontractor who screwed up to redo the part of the job that caused the problems - and at no extra cost to you (they are under contract to you for a certain scope of work for a given compensation, regardless of what it actually costs them to do the work - including rework to fix a mistake).

If you can't get the subcontractor who's at fault to fix the problem (or compensate you for having the other subcontractor do the extra work), then you have to pay the other subcontractor and go after the subcontractor at fault in court. But, it will be up to you to prove he was at fault.

I was on the jury for a civil trial several years ago, where a general contractor was building a shopping center, including building a new street to access it. Company A (the general contractor) hired Company B to do some sewer line work in the street. And, after the job was completed, a water pipe burst, causing the street to cave in. So, Company A paid for the repairs and then sued Company B for the costs.

Company A contended that the work Company B did to the sewer lines under the water lines caused the damage to the water lines that led to the pipe failure. But, while we in the jury agreed that it was probably Company B's fault, Company A did not fully prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Company B was liable for the street repairs.

Answer 3

Was there a proper permit for this work? Where is the building inspector,get him out there,request he inspect the progress.