New vanity unit - big holes around pipes

[Notch7]

As the OP has described him as a fitter and has obviously been paid to install that, then he should be a professional and not an enthusiastic DIY'er who has tried to do things correctly IMO.
If he has been employed by the OP as a handyman type person then fair enough and I apologise for being so critical. If he hasn't and was employed as a proper fitter then that's not a very professional job at all and why our trade can get such a bad rep sometimes.

Just because he may have used some correct fittings and installed drain off's, which I'm sorry but just aren't needed in that situation, doesn't make it OK IMO. That pipework should have been much tidier, tight to the wall and clipped, flexi's too long, no need to use push fit, make good the wall if he has created those holes etc.

didnt you know: the more fittings you use the less chance of leaks

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

I'm not confident that the smell will go away once the holes have been covered... it seems to be coming from the white plastic pipe going in the ground.

What was there previously? If the waste hasn't been sealed into the drain correctly then you have another issue.

 

[Madrab]

Unfortunately if there is a smell of drains when you open up the cupboard then it needs to come out and investigate where that white plastic pipe is going and is it secured properly. The only reason for drain fumes permeating the vanity unit/room is because it isn't sealed properly somewhere.

 

[Groovejet]

thanks all. He isn't a full time plumber, he is a handy/maintenance man. Yes he is being paid for this. Really nice guy and hard worker, but I'm disappointed with the pipe work. I have accepted that a perfect end to end job is never done (no matter how much money you pay, people are always lacking here and there. I'm waiting to be proven wrong though). Unfortunately this kind of pipework is all too common in my experience. The last bathroom we had renovated was also left with an abyss around the pipework. We have 2 bathrooms being renovated next month (by a "professional bathroom fitter") and we will not hesitate to bring this issue up from the beginning. I'm tired of being polite and giving people chances to do the right thing, I can't afford to do that anymore.

That being said, I will bring it up with him next week to see if anything can be done, but I'm expecting I'll have to solve this myself. I'd rather avoid expanding foam as there is some already in our en-suite and it doesn't look pretty at all. Will this pollyfilla deep gap do the trick?

Handy man....I'm a good.guesser arnt I @Madrab ? Ha ha

 

[Groovejet]

Also worth mentioning, there is an unpleasant smell coming from inside the vanity too. I'm hoping that this smell is coming from the cavity because it hasn't been filled...

That sounds very suspicious.. Should be no foul smell no matter how many holes there is...sorry

 

[Madrab]

'm a good.guesser arnt I @Madrab

Lucky guesser more like ....

I can understand someone coming on here complaining about a professional but if the chap is actually a 'handy' man then they shouldn't really expect a professional job ... pay peanuts ....

 

[finchfinch85]

I hear what you're saying, and with that logic, I should expect poor workmanship. The reality is his rates are far from "peanuts"... and I've dealt with many tradespeople: "professional" bathroom fitters/kitchen fitters and no one has ever blown me away. There's always something to correct or fix afterwards. I do admit that I have high standards, but it's not asking much for someone to come in and do the job correctly. I've even used large companies that "oversee" the work and coordinate all the tradesmen. I shouldn't have to conduct awkward conversations and highlight their poor work haha.

The only point I was making is that the majority of people are generally lazy or incompetent. This isn't purely down to trade, I see it on a daily basis in my profession too (technology). It's just a human thing

There are exceptional people out there, but always difficult to find or source. Mini rant over. I'll keep you guys posted with the end result once this mess of a wall is fixed!

 

[Madrab]

I hear what you're saying

That wasn't really directed towards you @finchfinch85 directly, it was more a comment to Groovejet about the assumption that it was a DIY job and saying "well it's ok" as against it being by a competent worker and me saying that it wasn't acceptable, as that wasn't obvious at the start.

Usually posters would be complaining about bad work by tradesmen so the presumption was that it was a professional. If he is charging professional rates though then the job should be performed professionally and that certainly isn't.

The only thing I would say is that I don't consider a job finished until the customer is happy, that ensures there isn't anything to correct or fix afterwards. If there is(which is usually down to an unseen failure) then all the work is guaranteed. TBH, as a professional, if I went in and saw that job and you said you were charged proper rates for it then I would be embarrassed for the person that did that work.

 

[Groovejet]

Lucky guesser more like ....

I can understand someone coming on here complaining about a professional but if the chap is actually a 'handy' man then they shouldn't really expect a professional job ... pay

 

[Groovejet]

I agree with everything mentioned.
I just made a educated guess, that the plumbing was done by a Diy guy. The way things were installed. If looked like alot of effort was made, when most of the plumbing wasn't required, sorry to say.
But it will all work just the same.
5 outa 10

 

[Madrab]

Yup, the sad thing about it is though that these days work like that is left by guys that do call themselves professional and charge a fortune for it. It wouldn't have surprised me if it had been.