conservatory problem, please help and advise, urgent

with reference to the posts about toughened glass, how would i know they have used the correct glass? are there any marking that i should be looking for? thanks all for your help, its good knowing that its not just me who thinks they are doing wrong. i will try and load a photo of the gap later today if i can figure out how to do it
Look for the safety glass kitmark in one corner of the glass;

http://www.bsi-global.com/en/ProductServices/Construction/Glass/Safety-Glass---CE-Marking/
 
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All safety glass has to have an identification stamp that is visible when glazed.
usually in the corner,toughened tends to carry the kite mark to BS6206a
some times white etched but also a semi transparent version is used does not show up as much but is still visible when inspected.
 
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dont be sorry, i already know they are have screwed up big style...its just now a matter of me bringing all the faults up with them. the worrying thing for me is that i am a mere customer, they are a multi million pound company. they have £6500 deposit, and another £6500 due on completion, which i will not be paying them as things stand. I am wondering how i stand if i want them to refund my deposit as well.
 
That’s just a total bodge & unacceptable; the roof & glazing will need to come off again to rectify it. It’s a hard lesson to learn but the large nationals are invariable more expensive (often for the same product); personally I’d never touch them, it’s small & local every time for me.

You need to contact the company’s surveyor & insist on a visit to discuss what they intend to do in order to rectify the situation. Always give them reasonable time periods & definate dates to work to & you may have to start putting things in writing if you don't get an initial good response. Try & keep calm & reasonable when you deal with them & stick to the facts; you will have to give them the opportunity to rectify the problem but DO NOT pay any more money until it is rectified to your satisfaction. Check if the company is a member of any trade federation or body as you may need to contact them; an initial phone call to your local trading standards might also be a good idea. At the end of the day, if you have all of the conservatory on site, the £6 ½ K you’ve hung on to is a big lever & should be more than enough to pay someone else to put it right.
 
To rectify it, the foam can be scraped out in sections with packing peices left in, and then the void filled with mortar. There will be a bit of a big joint beneath the cill, but its subjective how noticable this will be. The internal window board could remain on foam, as long as the frame is packed with mortar

OK, its not a perfect job, but it is salvagable. Once properly packed, it will be a purely cosmetic issue and not a structural or performance issue

Then you will need to negotiate a discount.

Depending on the terms of your contract, you may be able to withhold all or a % of the final sum to allow for this untill the issue is sorted. Otherwise you may have to pay the agreed sum and take out a civil claim (small claim) if you are not happy. But you must give the company the opportunity to correct it

Think carefully before witholding all the amount due, you may not be entitled to do this. Normally you would pay it, noting "under protest" on a covering letter listing the defects.
 
thanks richard and woody for your replies. to clarify the money side of things, the final payment of £6500 is actually through 0% finance which was arranged through the company. the finance company have stated that money is not released to the conservatory company until i sign the satisfaction note. so i think the money is safe. with regards to woodys comments about rectification, i dont think it will be as easy as you say because it is like this all the way around, including the length down the side where next doors wall is. it would be near impossible to get down there to properly mortar it. also. the roof was expected to run onto an existing detached garage roof at the side, but it now falls short. they have said that this is because of the required gradient but it is now apparent to me that if the wall had stayed at 670 mm then the roofline would be at the correct height. it seems to me that by making a mistake on the measurements they have caused the whole thing to be incorrect and not as plan. the planning permission and drawings/plans they gave me showed the roof running to meet the garage roof but it now stops short by about 1ft. i will of course give them the chance to fix everything but i agree with richards comments about the amount of work that will be involved. i dont see why i should have to pay for a 2nd rate rectified job.it should be done correctly in the 1st place.
 
If access is not possible from the external then, it can be accessed from the inside - if need be the window board can be removed and the joint acessed. Once replasterd and the board refitted then its as good as it could ever be.

In context, mistakes do happen in any construction, and the redress or rectification has to be in proportion.

The dismantling of the whole frame is way over the top when other methods are available and which will give the same end result.

The roof is a separate issue, and there may be particular reasons why it was altered. It would not affect the planning approval as it is a minor amendment
 
just posted a couple of pictures of the brickwork. i'm not too keen on the way they have used small pieces on one side as i think it looks bad. can you guys have a look and give me your opinion please. i asked the bricklayers about it and they said each side of the dwarf wall was a different length so only one side had the small closures and its called a "queens closure"??? still looks bad if you ask me.

//network.diynot.com/tkaay/albums/
 
the brickwork is shocking. not only do you have a closure one side but a 3/4 up the other (behind the blue laundry bin).

not good. :(
 
yes there are 3/4 bricks on the right hand side and small closures on the left. when i pointed out it didnt look good they just said that they had to build to the measurements on their plan and this small closure was common. i'm not happy but dont know what to do or say to them. obviously i'm not a builder and they fob me off every time i complain to them. what i really need is an expert view to say you shouldnt do that because......
 
... they just said that they had to build to the measurements on their plan and this small closure was common

Yes they should build to measurements but for this brick bond (stretcher bond) there is never ever a cut brick of less than 100mm (half a brick) in the wall and closures are not common at all for this bond.

Basically any cut bricks are either a 1/2 or a 3/4 and are only placed at the wall end or in the centre of a run or under the centre of a window. In this case, what should have been done, is a 3/4 is used on one course up the door jamb, and a header plus 3/4 on the next course to maintain the bond

Also, the air bricks could have been more appropriately spaced - evenly along the length of the wall or at least centrally under the door. Don't be fobbed off with "it has to line up with the one on the house"

And the DPC has not been laid correctly (20mm joint) and is not identifiable - which is another quality issue

The standard of the brickwork is poor, and it is a typical amateur job by someone who does not understand basic brickwork principles. This was not done by a tradesman

Advise the company that it "diminishes the value of the conservatory and your enjoyment of it". It is also contrary to BS 5628: Part 3 - Code of practice for the use of masonry. Also guidance from the Brick Development Association, NHBC Standards (6.1) and any other text on the subject

Demand a reduction in the cost or insist that the brickwork is changed - and the new work properly blended in with any existing brickwork.

If you get no joy, offer to employ an independent expert to comment on the standard of work and if the work is found to be contrary to accepted standards, then the company pays for the survey and for the remedial work or discount the price to reflect the quality of the work done.
 
... they just said that they had to build to the measurements on their plan and this small closure was common

Yes they should build to measurements but for this brick bond (stretcher bond) there is never ever a cut brick of less than 100mm (half a brick) in the wall and closures are not common at all for this bond.

Basically any cut bricks are either a 1/2 or a 3/4 and are only placed at the wall end or in the centre of a run or under the centre of a window. In this case, what should have been done, is a 3/4 is used on one course up the door jamb, and a header plus 3/4 on the next course to maintain the bond

Also, the air bricks could have been more appropriately spaced - evenly along the length of the wall or at least centrally under the door. Don't be fobbed off with "it has to line up with the one on the house"

And the DPC has not been laid correctly (20mm joint) and is not identifiable - which is another quality issue

The standard of the brickwork is poor, and it is a typical amateur job by someone who does not understand basic brickwork principles. This was not done by a tradesman

Advise the company that it "diminishes the value of the conservatory and your enjoyment of it". It is also contrary to BS 5628: Part 3 - Code of practice for the use of masonry. Also guidance from the Brick Development Association, NHBC Standards (6.1) and any other text on the subject

Demand a reduction in the cost or insist that the brickwork is changed - and the new work properly blended in with any existing brickwork.

If you get no joy, offer to employ an independent expert to comment on the standard of work and if the work is found to be contrary to accepted standards, then the company pays for the survey and for the remedial work or discount the price to reflect the quality of the work done.

Absolutely
 
... they just said that they had to build to the measurements on their plan and this small closure was common

It is also contrary to BS 5628: Part 3 - Code of practice for the use of masonry. Also guidance from the Brick Development Association, NHBC Standards (6.1) and any other text on the subject

thanks for the great help, does anyone know where i can get copies of these to download/free? i did an internet search but all the results are for purchasing the publications.
 

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