Misunderstanding with the plasterer

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who is right?

  • Developer

    Votes: 3 37.5%
  • Tradesman

    Votes: 5 62.5%

  • Total voters
    8
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Hi, I need some advice. I have a misunderstanding with a tradesman and not sure who is right and what to do. All communication was in writing by text.
Here is our text correspondence (I kept only relevant sentences - please share your opinion. I don't know the industry jargon and realise that I could be wrong but need some honest opinion :

My request: ... I would like you to plaster and paint the whole house... When could you start?....

His reply word by word: ... To do plastering and painting to supply all materials and do 2 wash down coats on every wall and celling the price would be... I can start...

He started plastering this Monday and today I asked him when he is planning to start painting so I can choose colours.

His reply was:
...There is just a wash down coat just seal plaster not to paint whole house finished project haven't allowed finished paint...

I replied to him that there must be a misunderstanding because I initially requested plastering and painting. I copied and sent him his and my messages and he replied:

...Yea that's just seal the plaster not finished coat lol...

what went wrong? I thought I was getting plastering and painting and it seams he wants me to pay extra for the painting? What's your view?

When he came on Monday he said that there is more prep when he expected (he viewed the house before the electrician did rewiring and before the plumber finished new pipes installation). So I agreed to pay extra £400-500 on top of the agreed price.

I just don't want to agree to another addition. I do 4 properties per year and used to work with another builder but he is busy now. I was planning to work with him in the future but not sure if honesty and transparency is there.

Any thought?
 
think you need some more options on your voting, ie both of you , neither of you, its not as clear cut as developer or plaster
 
Your forum name is property developer and you do 4 properties a year so i guess you must deal with tradesmen throughout these projects, I would think you would be well versed with written estimates rather than text messages as a concrete form of communication. seems he's done what he said he would do
 
as above. text messaging thats lost in translation. never heard of wash down coat myself but i would have guessed it wasnt the finished product. i would have explained that myself if i was texting you back. that it was just to seal it. if and wouldnt have put the lol in the text explaining that. then again maybe he thought you were taking the pisss thinking you were going to get it all painted for the price he quoted. you must have thougt yourself wtf is a washdown coat? and should have phoned him to ask?
 
You should`ve stuck with your usual builder especially if you do up 4 houses per year and he do them all, you known his work and pricing you should`ve waited. Or the existing builder maybe too expensive and didn`t wanted to go in at a lower price. In my opinion if you do up 4 houses per year, and you only running it , you`d be better off employing 2 multi-trades people on the books full time, so you would have more control of budget and quality.
Not sure you flogging it or let them, but usual practice is if you let you have to spend a full years rent on the house/flat before the first tenant moves in as a minimum.
For re-sale I usually do the plastering, decorating, bathroom & kitchen refits, rewire (subbed out along with gas), carpentry top to bottom for developers, but i never quoted in a text, and I only give estimates not quotes, as people think the final bill will be matching with the quote which is not always the case especially when people changing specs on a daily basis.
I sort of agree with you that you requested a full replaster and full redecorating so the decorating part shouldn`t just involve 2 mist coats, but he only quoted for mist coat, so there was a misunderstanding which should`ve been realized at that point.
 
Hi, I need some advice. I have a misunderstanding with a tradesman and not sure who is right and what to do. All communication was in writing by text.
Here is our text correspondence (I kept only relevant sentences - please share your opinion. I don't know the industry jargon and realise that I could be wrong but need some honest opinion :

My request: ... I would like you to plaster and paint the whole house... When could you start?....

His reply word by word: ... To do plastering and painting to supply all materials and do 2 wash down coats on every wall and celling the price would be... I can start...

He started plastering this Monday and today I asked him when he is planning to start painting so I can choose colours.

His reply was:
...There is just a wash down coat just seal plaster not to paint whole house finished project haven't allowed finished paint...

I replied to him that there must be a misunderstanding because I initially requested plastering and painting. I copied and sent him his and my messages and he replied:

...Yea that's just seal the plaster not finished coat lol...

what went wrong? I thought I was getting plastering and painting and it seams he wants me to pay extra for the painting? What's your view?

When he came on Monday he said that there is more prep when he expected (he viewed the house before the electrician did rewiring and before the plumber finished new pipes installation). So I agreed to pay extra £400-500 on top of the agreed price.

I just don't want to agree to another addition. I do 4 properties per year and used to work with another builder but he is busy now. I was planning to work with him in the future but not sure if honesty and transparency is there.

Any thought?



I reckon your trying it on.

I reckon you kept quiet, knowing, then 'picked' your colours once you'd known he'd committed.

Met many people like this down the years.
 
Thank you for your replies and opinions.
I am going to talk to him today. He is British and yes I am naive :)
He is a builder and has a team, so I thought different people would be doing different jobs.
I'm paying £3200 for the 2 bed house but its has big ground floor due to the extension. I will check with the £2.60 and see where I am at.

He saw my other properties - both were with magnolia, so I thought he priced with it in mind. I decided to change the colour and planned to add extra depending on the price of the paint.
 
Thank you for your replies and opinions.
I am going to talk to him today. He is British and yes I am naive :)
He is a builder and has a team, so I thought different people would be doing different jobs.
I'm paying £3200 for the 2 bed house but its has big ground floor due to the extension. I will check with the £2.60 and see where I am at.

He saw my other properties - both were with magnolia, so I thought he priced with it in mind. I decided to change the colour and planned to add extra depending on the price of the paint.
Your a plonker by the sounds of it just pay him what he has quoted doesn't sound like he's done any thing wrong it's you not listening or reading properly 2.60 was a joke spanner.
 
Thank you for your replies and opinions.
I am going to talk to him today. He is British and yes I am naive :)
He is a builder and has a team, so I thought different people would be doing different jobs.
I'm paying £3200 for the 2 bed house but its has big ground floor due to the extension. I will check with the £2.60 and see where I am at.

He saw my other properties - both were with magnolia, so I thought he priced with it in mind. I decided to change the colour and planned to add extra depending on the price of the paint.

[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
 
I wonder if the reason that all this occurred was because you went for the cheapest price offered? Further, I wonder if the reason your previous builder is 'busy' is because he doesn't fancy working for such low prices anymore? A further pondering is exactly what made you think that you'd get an entire house plastered and painted for £3,200?
 
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