Conservatory flooring... concrete or just sand?

[TheRealDave]

Yes, this will sound like a daft question. I am certainly not proficient when it comes to this subject area. Excuse the length.


My mother is getting a conservatory built on the back of the house as a memorial to my recently deceased step dad who always mentioned getting one. We recently had our kitchen flood due to water coming out of the outlet pipe for the washing machine and could not source the problem and this is where the problems started..

We went to check the drain outside to see of the water was coming out and the pipe wasnt frozen. The builders hadn't moved it and it is still under the floor. We took up the wooden floor, chipboard flooring and polystyrene to find the polystyrene resting on thin wooden planks lying on plastic. The plastic is full of water. Under the plastic is a depth of sand, no concrete.

is this normal for a floating floor? excusing all the water obviously. The water is trapt in from the sand due to the plastic layer however the floor was beginning to sink drastically, even after a couple of weeks. The plans state a concrete base (not sure on the depth) btw. Is there legal grounds? They've said they will come in a fix it but my mam doesnt trust them one bit now and wants money back to get it fixed by another company.

I can provide photos if needed. We're still not sure where the water is coming from but the outlet pipe has two splitter things on them with the open ends upblocked which is a likely source for the water to come out.

The job seems a complete mess to be honest.

 

[briandale]

sounds a mess pictures would help, it should not be sand should be concrete

 

[r896neo]

Is the conservatory finished or was this some sort of temporary measure to give a basic floor over the christmas period?

Even the most slap-dash crazy cowboy surely wouldn't try and get away with a sand sub-floor??? That genuinely made me chuckle.

Your washing machine waste could well be frozen anywhere along the length of the pipe run.

 

[mointainwalker]

They've said they will come in a fix it but my mam doesnt trust them one bit now and wants money back to get it fixed by another company

.


My understanding is that you have to give them a chance to fix it after making them aware of the problem ( got written proof of complaint to them and reply ? )

Get someone else in beforehand and costs will be down to you and they might try to come after you for loss of earnings on rest of job..

 

[TheRealDave]

it would nearly have been finished, just needed some final touches before we realised the floor was dipped and the problem with the washining machine in the next room.

This is the image. Below the plastic is sand, no concrete.

image here

edit: my mams going to trading standards/council over it tomorrow and he wouldnt compensate her.

 

[conservatorysurveyor]

the photo you uploaded shows just chipboard laid on jablite insulation ... are there no joists? if not then this is probably a sign of other bad work. you say that the waste gulley has not been moved and is still under the floor, if this is so then the structure should have had building regulation approval and obviously has not. I hope you have not payed until all the work has been inspected.

 

[r896neo]

I don't mean to doubt you but are you absolutely sure there is no concrete under there? if the concrete was particularly rough they may have put a layer of sand on it as blinding to make sure the dpm was not punctured.

Have you tried digging a small hole to see how deep the sand is/ what's below it?

I have to disagree with conservatory surveyor and say that plenty of people use a floating floor of chipboard straight over insulation which is fine if done properly and the subfloor is sound and level. However if this method has been used there should be no wood under there and i can't imagine what those strips of wood in the picture are doing?

 

[stuart45]

i can't imagine what those strips of wood in the picture are doing?

It might be an attempt to level up the insulation.

 

[TheRealDave]

100% sure there is no concrete. Just sand and mud (its an extension over the garden). There are joists but they obviously aren't supporting the load. It's turning out to be a nightmare of a job!

 

[r896neo]

Sorry to doubt you it's just i can't believe that anyone would even try to do this? You have got to know when you do it that your going to get caught out in a matter of months if not weeks. Even calling it cowboy is generous, I can only imagine someone who travels and scams people trying it on like this.

Is this a genuine company and if so what do they have to say about it?

Also what do you mean when you say 'there are joists?'
Could you take a photo of these?

 

[Nige F]

I can believe it Even "those who travel" settle in houses @ some point. We all know who and what they are but we must be PC Sad thing is it was supposed to be a memory of OP`s late Step Dad

 

[masona]

Is the conservatory a full glass type or brick wall etc can you see the dpc on the outside? How is the dpm finish to the edge ? any more photo?

 

[TheRealDave]

Woops, i lied. There isn't even sand down there!! The 'joists' are just bits of wood that the floor has been nailed to. I cant take it up to show you sadly but i remember seeing it.

We had the company owner round who said it looked perfectly acceptable to him and he has been doing them like that for years. The owner knows outright that it is in memory of my step dad too and played out like he wasnt aware what was going on with the construction.

@masona, not sure what dpc or dpm is sadly


http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/7538/imag0255g.th.jpg

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/7574/imag0256.th.jpg

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/4959/imag0246s.th.jpg

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/5450/imag0257a.th.jpg

 

[JohnD]

We had the company owner round who said it looked perfectly acceptable to him and he has been doing them like that for years.

Then he has been doing unacceptably shoddy work for years

I see you are in touch with Trading Standards, this is a good place to start. I hope you have an invoice showing company name, quotation and paid by cheque.

 

[Deluks]

Funny looking conservatory, looks more like a bad extension.
The walls are much thicker than necessary and I wonder if it meets the glazing requirements to be classed as a conservatory.

Did they move the boiler out there as well?