So... we have damp. It is due to failed render and we have committed to re rendering the entire house because the render is old, failed and this gives us an opportunity to improve the appearance of the property.
We've used the builders before and they are sound and trustworthy. I trust their advice, judgement etc. The quality of their work is top notch.
House is sold brick walls, built in 1907. Exposed to some typical Carmarthenshire weather; wet and windy. As time has gone by we have found more and more evidence of previous sub standard work from previous builders.
We had the property re roofed 9 years ago. New battens, membranes and slates- it's Wales after all. All lead replaced too, pluss new soffits etc, all to current standards.
Here we go...During the hacking off of the render last week the builders found that the brickwork in the peaks of the pine end walls was loose so we then instructed them to remove and replace, based on their advice. I have no problem with this, the walls were scarily loose, held only by badly done mask and over-thick render.
Worse though was this then exposed the ends of the purlins and five of them need addressing due to rot in the ends in the compromised exterior walls.
This has been addressed by bolting on 3m timbers of similar cross section to the original purlins. All now is treated, supported, bricked up, weather proof etc.
This has been a bit unexpected. We were budgeting for a re-render but this extra work (peaks of pine end walls, plus repair purlins} has added a fair chunk of work. Builder wants an extra £3,600. I have no quibble about the price.
Do you think that I might be able to claim successfully on my house insurance; Hastings Direct?
I'd rather not ask them directly only to find that I won't get anywhere and then they increase my premium anyway.
There only seems to be accidental damage listed on my policy.
IDK. What you describe sounds like ‘wear and tear’ that could have been prevented by maintenance. The only way to know would be to ask the folks who provide your buildings cover.
A typical buildings insurance policy covers:
Damage from fire, lightning, explosions, and smoke.
Storm and flood damage.
Damage from falling trees or aerials.
Theft, vandalism, and attempted theft.
Damage from burst pipes or water leaks.
Cover for subsidence, heave and landslip.
https://www.money.co.uk/home-insurance/what-does-buildings-insurance-cover
Great that it’s being fixed and I sympathise with unexpected construction costs. Common, surprising, never welcome.
When I had a leak through the roof that damaged the bathroom ceiling the insurance covered the repair and redecorating of the ceiling but not the replacement of the the roof gully as that came under wear and tear
That's wear and tears, plus you authorised work ahead of telling the insurers.
Sorry, not a chance with that claim.
Houses of that age would be pretty much uninsurable if they paid out claims for shoddy workmanship and/or general decay due to damp.
Even if they were going to pay I would be thinking twice for 3k - excess and increased future premiums should be considered.
Long out of the claims game, but doesn't sound like one of the insured events listed further up, and it's not accidental damage, so I'd be thinking this is wear and tear/maintenance
Thanks folks, that's pretty much what I thought.
Ouch, that stings. Personally I'd accept it as "wear and tear" and be glad to have dodged a bigger bullet.
If you're going to be there for a while then it's an investment. You have to keep the property in good order to maintain insurance cover
I have to say for that amount of extra work £3600 seems a bit of a bargain! 🙂
We're up at about £25,000 so far. Comes with a 25yr guarantee. I'll be 89 by then. Possibly going to be someone else's problem if it fails at that point!
Having said that, builders reckon that whilst guaranteed for 25 yes it will probably last longer, possibly 40 years. Definitely not something I'll be dealing with when I make it to 104 tbh.
OK folks, place your bets!
Loads more of the old render was stripped off today. It was scarily easy to do and has now revealed a disintegrating chimney with the void filled with old bricks and crap from when the chimney was decommissioned years ago. The rubble Nd mess has bridged the gap and is sodden. I could pretty much squeeze moisture out. The internal wall that aligns with this was tanked last year by the same builders we have in now. They told us that it was a two year stopgap.
So- how much to rebuild a 1 x 1.5m external wall? Lintel will be required!
I haven't discussed it yet with the builders but I reckon about another £600.00
Hey, don't worry about the extra bits of cost, you're already way waaaaaay ahead of us getting someone to actually turn up and render your house in Carmarthenshire! We're 3 or 4 (or 5) years behind on that job now, seems like we're the kiss of - well, not quite death, but losing labourers, sudden hospitalisations, knackered knees, or just getting straight out gazumped by bigger jobs.
Last year's bloke has recovered now and reckons we're penciled in for May this year, but no further comms in the last few weeks...
Can you let me know who you're using??
In the meantime, our house has its share of bodges too, it's mainly early 1700s so there's been a lot of time for them to accumulate... I shiver to think what hacking the old stuff off is going to reveal 😬
@defblade, whereabouts are you? I'm in Garnant, between Ammanford and Brynamman.
PM me and I'll get the builder's details over to you.
Improvement Homes - Construction Company | Ammanford https://share.google/jUpnoOb****koUm7a
@Ambrose I'm getting a 404 when I try to click to your profile to message, but no probs I'm sure what you've posted will be enough... I'll pass it on to the project manager (my better half 😉
I'm not a huge distance away from you - Foelgastell, by the Smiths Arms... might well see you out and about sometime 🙂