Unprofessional Tiling Job - Can I Refuse To Pay?

We recently moved into a new house. Tiles were not included in the ensuite and bathroom. We asked the builder for measurements and also a quote from his tiler to lay them. He gave us the measurements of 25 sqm ensuite and 25 sqm bathroom. He informed us that the normal charge would be E20 sqm ceramic and 25 sqm marble or porcelin but said as we were not taking the fridge freezer included in our built in kitchen and also as the house would not be ready on the day it was suppoded to be, he would sort something out for us.

We agreed with this and went ahead and bought our tiles. We had to have them on site on a specific day as the tiler was only on the developement every now and then, which we did.

Tiling was done before we moved in and it wasn't the greatest. Didn't look like a professional job at all. Around doors wasn't grouted at all, grout was loose on ground at saddleboards and the place was left in a mess. We noticed a lot of full boxes of tiles were left over too. We put the grouting issues and the holes not filled on the snag list (which is still not completed!) and left it at that as we thought we weren't being billed for it.

One or two people that have visited have commented on the poor quality of the tiling; lack of symetry, a large crack in a tile behind a heated towel rail that we hadn't noticed, chips out of corner tiles and also of the mess the bathrooms were left in.

My partner was chatting to one of the odd job men on site a few weeks ago regarding the lack of work in the building industry now and he was casually informed that there was lots of work, especially for tradesmen. He went on to tell him that the tiler wasn't available after all on the day our tiling was to be done so he had done it himself with one of the juniors on site.

We kind of just agreed to cut our loses over the poor quality as we weren't being charged for it even though after people pointed out the flaws that we never saw before, they were all we saw after that!

Then, last week we received a bill from the builders office for E1400! (price including VAT, trims, grout, adhesive etc)

Can anyone tell me what my rights are regarding this?

Surely I shouldn't be billed for a professional tiler when I didn't get one?

Have I any comeback on the fact that the builder gave me measurements of 50 sqm and the measurements were actually only 42 sqm? I'm out of pocket for all the extra tiles! (it may sound petty but the tiles we bought were E60 per sqm)

Should a tiler leave the place in showhouse condition or is it exceptable for it to be in a mess with the grout all over the walls still?

What can I realistically expect to happen?

Can I demand for them to re-tile my bathrooms at there expense?

Any help, tips advice welcome

I empathise with you on your tiling problems - been there, had it done to me. Did you get a written quotation or have any form of contract with the builder for the tiling work?

1) Take photographs of the bathrooms as they are, highlighting bad grouting, cracked or chipped tiles and general mess

2) Get a surveyor to measure the bathrooms

3) Get the name of the actual "tiler" and his junior who did the job

4) Get a report from the surveyor on the professionalism or otherwise of the job

5) Query the 1400 bill ASAP

6) Ask the builder to meet you onsite for a bathroom inspection, you being armed with your photographs, surveyors report and surveyor if at all possible. Get the builder to agree that that your pictures reflect the bathrooms as is

7) Write to the builder telling him that the tiling is not acceptable with copies of reports and photos and ask him to write to you regarding the corrective action he plans for the tiling and when this will start.

Best of luck.

Thanks a million Mathepac

Your advice is fantastic. We'll get onto it straight away. As it was a new house, we didn't have a surveyor. A builder friend of ours did the snag list for us. Should we get a surveyor or will our friend do?

We haven't signed for the house yet as there was some problem with the deeds so maybe that will be in our favour?

With everything thats going on at the moment we just couldn't think straight as to what to do.

I'd be well and truely lost without this site!

IMHO, with all due respects to your friend, a professional surveyor's report with a snag list is the only defence you will have against shortcuts, poor workmanship, non-compliance issues, etc. It may seem unusual to spend money on a surveyor for a new build, but I did and have never regretted it.

IME, your surveyor will have no problem incorporating your friend's observations into his/her report. It could be the best 400 /500 quid you ever spent.

if you have not signed for the house then the ball is in your court.dont sign for anything until the tiles are fixed. builders do not have much money these days so they will fix them.