help with cowboy builder and damp cold bedroom

[mishel02]

Hi, I’m looking for some much needed advice about a single story side extension that I had built 4 years ago.

The original builder dug the foundations out and found a pipe. He told me that this was an old rainwater or soakaway drain that was no longer in use so wouldn’t be a problem. It is not part of my sewage drains as they are on the other side of the garden. So I had no reason to doubt him at the time. Anyway the next day the foundations had filled up with water and it had no rained. When questioned he said that the drain must have emptied out but was now empty. This happened for the next couple of days and he had to hire a pump to get the water out. I was very worried but he said that once the concrete was poured it was seal the drain up. The building inspector never questioned the foundations so I thought everything was ok.

The building inspector did ask for a block and beam floor to be laid. Once the concrete was poured I noticed that the water filled up in the middle where they had dug down for the block and beam floor. The water was still filling up the hole but it had been raining heavily so that was the reason I was told it had happened.

The walls went up and the floor down and as days turned into weeks and weeks into months we were messed about by the builder. He turned up late, didn’t turn up at all, we had countless arguments and he finally walked and didn’t come back and I had a shell with no roof and no windows. We had stupidly paid him and as he kept asking for more money and we said no, he said ok and left us right in it.

We had to get another builder to finish the job which cost a fortune and the building inspector made us rip stuff out and start again as it was all wrong. By this time we were well fed up, had ran out of money and wanted the shell finished.

The first thing I noticed was that the extension was very cold, much colder than the existing house. This made no sense as it was more insulated than the existing house. There is insulation in the walls, floor and roof.

As weeks went by there was a horrible musty smell in the extension (which was meant to be a bedroom for my son) and it was even colder. The skirting boards began to fall off and the laminate floor sunk in the corners. I was very worried by this point and moved my son out of the room. There is green mould on the outside walls where the floor meets the extension the whole way round and the soil is very damp, even when it dry outside.

My main issue is I have no idea who to call and who will tell me what is wrong. I trust no one and cannot afford to be ripped off again. I have saved some money to try and get the problem fixed but it cannot be wasted.

My fence fell over and the post had to be put back in and when my uncle dug down the hole was full of water and this particular fence post is in line with my extension foundations and in line with where this pipe was running.

Can anyone give me some advice about what could be wrong and who I can turn to please?

 

[ree]

1. The pipe that you saw in the trench - had it been smashed or damaged or interfered with in any way?
Presumably, it was a clay pipe?

2. If it was a sump drain where was it taking discharge from? Where do you think it was taking any drainage to - where would a sump be?

3. As usual, could you post a plan view of your property and some pics of the three elevations that could be involved?
Would you show gullies, manholes and soil stacks? And the rough position of the pipe?

4. Are you on a common drainage system ie. connected to neighbours drainage?

5. Is this mains drainage or to a cess pit/tank?

6. Does the extension have cavity insulation?

7. What kind of roof does it have - flat or pitched?

8. Would you post pics of the interior?

9. Is the property on a hillside?

10. How come: "the inspector asked for a block and beam floor" ? - what kind of floor was in the plans/drawings you originally submitted to the Bldg Dept.?

11. Do you have any kind of access to under the block & beam floor - can you pic under it?

 

[joe-90]

It sounds to me like you've got problems with the water table. Go into the garden and dig down a bit. If it fills with water then that is the problem.

 

[mishel02]

1. The pipe that you saw in the trench - had it been smashed or damaged or interfered with in any way?
Presumably, it was a clay pipe? Yes it was smashed and it was a clay pipe with little holes in it?

2. If it was a sump drain where was it taking discharge from? Where do you think it was taking any drainage to - where would a sump be? the pipe seemed to be running down from a neighbors garden into mine, but it definatley doesn't join into my sewage drain, sorry im not sure what a sump is?

3. As usual, could you post a plan view of your property and some pics of the three elevations that could be involved?
Would you show gullies, manholes and soil stacks? And the rough position of the pipe? yes ill draw this and post here thanks

4. Are you on a common drainage system ie. connected to neighbours drainage? yes we share a drain and I am the first drain and then it goes down the street

5. Is this mains drainage or to a cess pit/tank? mains drainage

6. Does the extension have cavity insulation? the builder put loft type wool insulation in the walls and kingspan in the floor

7. What kind of roof does it have - flat or pitched? Its got a tiled pitched roof

8. Would you post pics of the interior? ill take some and post them here

9. Is the property on a hillside? No we dont live on a hill

10. How come: "the inspector asked for a block and beam floor" ? - what kind of floor was in the plans/drawings you originally submitted to the Bldg Dept.? no originally a suspended wood floor on plans but building inspector wanted block n beam due to a tree nearby.

11. Do you have any kind of access to under the block & beam floor - can you pic under it? No there is glued laminate on the floor and underneath that is a chipboard floor.

Thank you for your help

Read more: //www.diynot.com/diy/threads/h...r-and-damp-cold-bedroom.440230/#ixzz3iu5F0ZIf

 

[^woody^]

You need to instruct a building surveyor to report on the extension. It will cost a few hundred pounds.

Perception of room temperature is subjective and people trend to think a room cold and convince themselves that it is. Rooms don't heat themselves, so as part of any report, ask for comment on the size of the heating emitter (radiator) to check that it is suitable for the room size. Damp ground does not equal cold rooms.

If the walls are shaded or north facing then green algea is common and not necessarily a defect.

The building inspector can not/should not insist on a block and beam floor. The specified timber floor would have been fine and trees being near is irrelevant.

 

[stuart45]

1. The pipe that you saw in the trench - had it been smashed or damaged or interfered with in any way?
Presumably, it was a clay pipe? Yes it was smashed and it was a clay pipe with little holes in it?


Read more: //www.diynot.com/diy/threads/h...r-and-damp-cold-bedroom.440230/#ixzz3iu5F0ZIf

Probably a land drain. Was on a job in Crawley years ago where the footings went through quite a few of them taking water from an underground stream to a pond at the front of the land. Water never stopped coming out of them filling up the trenches. They had to dig more trenches and put in extra pipework to take the water round the side to to pond.

 

[mishel02]

thank you for your help, who or what do you think my first action should be?

The radiator is large enough to heat the room and there is also a towel radiator in the ensuite. There are 3 external walls and the temp is colder as I used a thermometer. Granted it was only 3 degrees colder but feels a lot more. what about the damp and the smell would water sitting under the house cause that?

How easy is it to fix a land drain and who would I call? a plumber?

Sorry for all the questions im a single mum and im not very good at diy!

 

[Newboy]

You need to instruct a building surveyor to report on the extension. It will cost a few hundred pounds.

Find out what the issues are first - anything else may be a waste of your money and may not cure the problem

 

[mishel02]

Do I need to contact the building inspector about this or not as he was not aware about the pipe when he passed my foundations?

 

[stuart45]

thank you for your help, who or what do you think my first action should be?

How easy is it to fix a land drain and who would I call? a plumber?

Sorry for all the questions im a single mum and im not very good at diy!

Plumbers normally work on above ground drainage.
Difficult to say without a site visit, so you need surveyor or builder with experience with those issues.

 

[mishel02]

do you know where i can find the right person, I cant afford to be ripped off again, my funds are limited. Someone else has suggested contacting the building inspector and that I might be in trouble for not telling him in the first place, im very worried

 

[^woody^]

www.rics.org/uk/find-a-member/

www.istructe.org/finding-a-structural-engineer

You need an independent professional to diagnose the problem and advise on any necessary remedial work. Get quotes and be clear on what you want and what services the person will provide - especially if they may suggest additional specialist investigation such as drainage surveys or ground testing.

Don't have anyone look at it who has a vested interest in doing the work they "recommend" themselves.

See if your local council operates an approved, vetted contractor scheme. Or use the one from Age Concern.

Don't contact the building inspector. You won't be in trouble as they have passed off the work, it's just that they won't be much help now the work is done - ie they are hardly going to admit that they did a poor job of inspecting the work in the first place.

 

[ree]

mishel02,
i'm still waiting for the exterior & interior pics. The idea is that the more accurate the information that you can give us then the more accurate the advice we can give you. Pics are worth a thousand words.

If you gather enough basic info on here you can go to an independant of some kind, as recommended above, with some idea as to the cause.
Keep in mind, the cause is the key to your predicament, & any on site independant must explain the cause in writing, & schedule what to do also in writing.