Foundations for extension

[Lp123]

Hi everyone.
After some advice on where I go from here.

Builder gave us a total quote before starting an extension.
The quote inc the 1m footings.
It did specify in the quote that if BC wanted deeper footings then we would pay more which we would be told about if the time came. (no problem)

So before the foundations were poured, he had BC round and they "apparently" told him because we had conifers too close that we needed to go deeper to 1.5m and for 4m of conifers to be removed.
He rang us and told us this and the additional charge would be £2500.
We had to go with that as that's what BC wanted.

I was at home before they were poured and measured them at 1m deep.

We contacted BC to double check the information that the builder gave us and yes she confirmed we needed to take 4m of confier out but they were happy to go down 1m.
So this matches our original quote.
The additional work in this case was to dig out the confiers.
As the BC have confirmed they didn't need deeper foundations am I OK to argue the price of £2500 to take out the conifers?
Yes I understand 'additional work' was carried out but surely not paying for "imaginary deeper" foundations when I have pictures of the 1m trench.
Thanks

 

[^woody^]

You pay for what was actually done.

As for the builder's attempt to con you, I would be inclined to get other quotes for the tree removal as you don't need that done straight away or by the builder. Or even just tell the builder you are getting other quotes and see how that impacts on his quote.

Keep your eye on costs and extras in future. Good contact practice is always to have a mechanism in place to enable fair pricing of additional works.

 

[Lp123]

As for the builder's attempt to con you, I would be inclined to get other quotes for the tree removal as you don't need that done straight away or by the builder. Or even just tell the builder you are getting other quotes and see how that impacts on his quote.

Thanks for your reply. He had already removed the confiers before we had got home and called a tree surgeon to put them though their chipper after the ground workers had pulled them out.

 

[^woody^]

Then you only pay a reasonable amount, or argue that it was not urgent and so you should have been consulted in advance and agreed how to proceed and agreed costs.