Home improvements
 

Arrghhh..... plumbers and electrician decided on height for bathroom mirror cabinet. Far too low for myself or even my wife to splash water on our faces. I insisted it should be higher. Arrghhh .... moving it higher meant an exposed drilled hole! I'm lost for words because none of them asked us what height we wanted bathroom cabinet. Why? I dunno ..... Did they think because we are deaf they should make the decision for us?
New kitchen .... got another issue ..... splashback .... does not cover almost full length of the wall despite kitchen worktop covering full length. Join of splashback is in wrong place.
Do I grit my teeth and accept this is Hungarian way or tell them to do the jobs properly?

Re: Home improvements
 

Doesn't make any difference what nationality workmen are or whether you're deaf or not, You have to supervise what they are doing. They're not mind readers and over certain things like the height of a mirror you have to be specific.

I've had workmen in my house for nearly two months and because my Hungarian leaves much to be desired, I give the boss man a detailed list of everything I want doing. I check their work several times during the day and if anything's not to my liking, using google translate on my mobile, the boss man and I can usually sort it out before it's too late.

Re: Home improvements
 

We do check regularly but in the case of the splashback for kitchen it had already been fitted to the wall. He explained the length we required was not available. He only told us afterwards! Had he told us we would have asked for the join to be in line with where the wall units join each other and not in between, I.e. 1/3rd or 2/3rds from where the wall units join.

I am worrying about the electricity supply cable for the induction hob because it is too short. I'm praying a longer cable is available. I had my heart inmy mouth when I helped thread through the electricity cable for the oven because the socket looked like it was too high. Thankfully it was just about long enough!

I think the kitchen fitter should be finished within two days but that will depend on the materials being available! He had to delay starting because the supplier hadn't delivered materials sooner.

We are waiting for our plumber to plumb in everything. He's currently working at Diósgyőr Castle.

Just been told materials for kitchen have not arrived so kitchen fitter will be back next week.

Electrician popping in today to discuss under wall unit lighting and clarify what we had previously agreed on.

Apart from all the above we are very pleased with the 3D layout. Colours and everything else nearly everyone involved contributed to the final colour scheme.

Re: Home improvements
 

+1 Totally agree
You have to watch them every step of the way otherwise you get 'job done with no corner left uncut' !!

If something is not to your liking you have to say before it is finished. Builders hate having to do a 'do over' and the sooner you catch the problem the less resistance there will be.

Re: Home improvements
 

Our electrician is popping in today. We'll see what his reaction is but I'm not hopeful as he was one of three workers who decided on the lower height for the bathroom mirror cabinet. We cannot expect the kitchen fitter to replace the splashback if the three workers who messed up the mirror cabinet height are not going to replace the tile they drilled a hole to secure the mirror cabinet to the wall. That job would take three days because they'd have to remove the washing machine/drier and the cupboard, replace the tile, grout around it, put cupboard back then put the washing machine and drier back.

Re: Home improvements
 

Re the splash back it depends upon the spec provided to the kitchen fitter, the looser the spec the more problems you will get. For a splash back I would put lines on the wall saying from here to here. The problem is that trades people (and builders are the worst for it) look at the plans, put them in their truck never to be looked at again and then get on and do what they always do. The other problem is that if the top surface looks OK then all is good - according to them - never mind what sub-standard work is underneath. As I said above Job done with no corner left uncut!
You have to watch them like a hawk. BTW the UK is no different, a lot of new houses are sub-standard (especially on insulation and air tightness) due to batch inspection of one house in a development with the assumption that the rest are the same. (The developer choses the house, usually the first).