What can you see wrong in this picture? (extension build)

[jgodwin]

Hi everyone,

My sister recently had an extension done, to what I believe is a terrible standard. Aside from an unbelievably shoddy finish, the main issue is structural. Rather than the usual cracks that appear when you slide in the RSJ, her entire second floor has 10-25mm cracks all the way through the brickwork (not plaster), running around the perimeter of the two rooms above it. Literally as if completely detached. I don't have pictures unfortunately.

What I do have, though, is this picture, and I'm wondering if any experts can tell me if anything particularly bad jumps out at them:

Would appreciate some feedback

Thank you!

 

[Murdochcat]

Dare I ask if she has a completion certificate from the BCO ?

 

[DAZB]

Is this one of those test where you spot as many things as you can that are wrong with this scenario....

1) the right hand side of the RSJ not being sat on a padstone
2) wall under said RSJ is damaged
3) wall beneath left side of RSJ has no bond and is just block on block
4) no padstone visible, just looks like it has been rendered
5) Genie lift is sat on a flimsy pallet and a sheet of OSB
6) there is a large chunk of unsupported masonry above the Genie lift
7) planks and a 4 x 2 holding up whatever is above instead of an acrow
8) Substandard pads for the other acrows
9) Where is the footing below the existing wall corner ?
10) Rubbish and crap everywhere and badly stored materials.

It is a Health & Safety Officers dream and it would be shut down in a flash.

 

[Murdochcat]

I read the op as if the extension is complete

 

[jgodwin]

Thank you! I suspected as much. I'm not an expert, but having done a lot of my own work, I was pretty sure the things mentioned in your list DAZB were present in the picture. Just had to be sure. Really appreciate you taking the time to be so thorough.

And yes, the extension is, unfortunately, complete. I cannot begin to tell you the amount of errors that were just blatant even in the finish, I can only imagine what's lurking behind the walls.

I highly doubt they have a completion certificate; I told her to contact BCO this morning, and hopefully she will have done so already.

The most worrying part is the bathroom located in the gable end room above the extension. The entire room, on all four walls has a 10-30mm split where you can see through the entire inner skin into the cavity. I have no idea what a fix looks like in that scenario.

Predictably, she had an absolute nightmare with the people who did it from start to finish. There wasn't a moment where they appeared to be doing anything up to standard. I just can't begin to list the amount of things wrong even from a visual inspection of the kitchen itself. She didn't even go cheap, either.

 

[jgodwin]

DAZB: regarding point 7, do you think that might be responsible for the split? Directly above that bit of wood is the bathroom. I assumed the crack appeared when they dropped the building off the acros onto the steel, but now I'm thinking it might simply be a split caused by the floor bearing down onto that 2x4?

 

[^woody^]

That pier holding up the corner of the house, says it all.

 

[Notch7]

I highly doubt they have a completion certificate; I told her to contact BCO this morning, and hopefully she will have done so already

Do you know if buildings regs had been applied for?

if so the starting point is finding out what they have inspected


The structural elements such as steels are usually a point requiring inspection….so in theory they should have been signed off before further work was added

 

[DAZB]

I doubt that the 4 x 2 is responsible for causing a split as bad as you describe and more likely the overall bad quality and workmanship carried out by people who appear to have had no clue in general has contributed to a very bad finish and, what sounds like, unresolved structural issues.

 

[Notch7]

The entire room, on all four walls has a 10-30mm split where you can see through the entire inner skin into the cavity

Did this occur during the works or started appearing after?

there’s a difference between lack of support whilst installing steels and steels not correct and not on a suitable bearing.

Mind you the image doesn’t give much confidence the job ended up compliant.

I have no idea what a fix looks like in that scenario

If the foundations are ok then a fix probably looks like exposing the steels and their bearing walls, supporting everything whilst those areas are rebuilt.

If the image is an indication of the resulting structure, I can see £5k disappearing remedying it easily

 

[jgodwin]

DAZB: Thanks, yeah, I suppose either is just as bad.

Notch7 - This occurred during the works and hasn't gotten any worse as far as I'm aware. I'm not sure if regs were sought or granted, these guys were such cowboys it's unreal. The problem with these things is you always assume the people having the extension done are having oversight, but I think they were quite naïve to everything.

Thanks guy, really appreciate you taking the time to respond. I guess the next part is to find out what contact the builders had with BCO at any point

 

[mrrusty]

Unless it has been agreed beforehand, it's the householder who is responsible for the building regs application. The householder can appoint the builder as their agent. I'm going to make a guess no application has been made at all.

 

[Murdochcat]

Unless it has been agreed beforehand, it's the householder who is responsible for the building regs application. The householder can appoint the builder as their agent. I'm going to make a guess no application has been made at all.

Whilst this may be how people view it, it’s the moral responsibility of the contractor to point out to the home owner that it’s required - then agree who will do it

 

[mrrusty]

it’s the moral responsibility of the contractor to point out to the home owner that it’s required

I totally agree, but no legal responsibility to make an application on the clients behalf, and if there is a failure to make an application for notifiable work, it's the homeowner that gets chased not the builder.

 

[Koolpc]

Looks like a bomb site!

Looking at that pic, i can understand the issues that are presenting themselves!

Maybe an SE would be a good person to look at the cracks etc.