Remedial Work : Fri 15-Aug-08

Dawn breaks over the silver birch, a lonesome magpie surveys a silent field from a high branch. Not me, I was fast asleep. Thank feck.

Fitters4 came back without any alternative sink clips. As far as we can see they've fitted just two of the ones they gave up on last time - one at each end of the sink. And that shallot.


The sealant round the sink looks GREAT ! ! ... Pity it's only on 3 sides. Yup, they've not done the back. FFS.


Here's the best bit. Fitting the shelf in the sink base unit. Tell this story to your children at night for endless fun and amusement.
And this is the reason that YOU NEED TO WATCH OVER THEM...

Fitter4 holds shelf at an angle in the base unit, weighs up where the randomly placed filter cartridge bracket comes to on said shelf (roughly) and puts a dodgy pencil line on the shelf.
He then hands shelf to his apprentice with the instruction to cut a square into it so it will go onto the brackets.
I enquire, just out of interest, with Fitter4 whether the filter cartridge bracket could have just been moved 2 inches to the left - thus negating the need to saw a square out of the shelf.
Fitter4 does a good impression of sucking on a lemon.
In the background the sound of manic sawing fills the air outside.
Fitter4 smugly remarks that it's too late now anyway.
I helpfully remind Fitter4 that the piece of wood his apprentice has is not the only spare shelving in the house. There is a full size piece, for example, under the stairs out of which he could have not 1 but 2 more bites at the apple.
Fitter4 gives an encore performance of the fruit impression.
In a fit of pique, he takes his cordless drill and unscrews the filter cartridge bracket (one small screw so no biggie), totally fails to measure 2 inches, shoves it back in again at a 30 degree angle using a combination of unprofessionalism and random guesswork and then finds the shelf still won't go in because the new location is still too close.
He then repeats above step another inch to the left.
Shelf then fits in perfectly with no need to hack it to pieces.

I guess that now makes me a qualified fitter.
What say you.


The sink base units are still misaligned. The end wall panel still needs replacing. There's an inverted 'V' gap on the endfill next to the freezer now that those appliances have been moved around. Rods in the drawers are adrift. The electrics are still not done.

Etc Etc. It just goes on and on. Plus we now have an additional 2 wrong holes in the back of our sink unit.

After the fitters leave, I open the sink base cupboard to find a steady leak is slowly creating a little froggy paddling pool.

By the way, kind regards to all my new readers.
:-P ;-)
Love and hugs, guys.

TeleCommunications

On Monday this week, the IM rang about our list of concerns following Friday's work which I duly went through. We traded gritted teeth comments about the sink fitting; she said that moving the sink an inch to the right wasn't on the original list. Of course it wasn't - (a) it was a Solution that Fitters 2 & 3 came up with, and (b) it's common sense that you work out how much room you need for the plumbing tackle you're going to use and then ensure that you put the sink in at the appropriate place for it!!! Jees. And I'm only in the next room for feck's sake, is it really that much effort for them to ask.


Anyway, 2 things were missing at the end of last Friday's session
- the Franke connector kit, and
- the Duropal sealant tube.

The IM said that Fitters4 had probably taken the connector kit to match up with an appropriate fitting to replace what they'd used.

As for the sealant...
...I told her that if the reason for it missing was that they'd used it all up then I'd have to know asap because it would mean ordering another tube for them to do the sink edging. She said she'd ask them.
...I now have a voice message from her today to "confirm that the sealant is not required". What? Eh? Of course they need it! To do the sink! - and does that mean they did use it all or not? !

FFS.

She didn't mention the Franke kit on the voice message, so I'm taking that to mean that her original answer stands on that one.


Footnote
That makes a running total of 4 things going for a walk now: the kit, the tube, the bag of bits, and the Gorgeous Blue Mug.

Remedial work: Friday 8 August 2008

NEW SNAGS!
Fitters4 have discovered the following additions to the original snag list:
24. Isolator valves were not fitted to the sink feed pipes. They've now done that.
25. Seals were not fitted to the bases of the plinths. They've identified what the spare plastic thing is.

Remedial work done on Fri 8-Aug-08:-

a) End panel reinstated on wall unit, now fitted close to wall eliminating gap. Door handle sorted.
SNAG: The bottom corner of the end panel is dented and looks rounded instead of right angled as it should be.

b) Base unit incorporating new Franke sink, door handle and replacement counter end worktop reinstated; pipework under sink tidied up. Edging seal fitted at other (cooker) end of worktop.
SNAGS:
1. U-BEND MISFIT: Fitters4 found that the U-bend does not fit to the outlet properly; so they've forced it hard up against the side of the unit to get it to meet the plug outlet, so it's slightly angled as a result. They said that was causing a leak, so they've left a bowl to catch the drips and say they will obtain a more suitable telescopic U-bend. They should've come & told me that they would not be using the Franke connecting and waste kits supplied.They should've measured up for their solution, too. The sink should've been at least another inch to the right to make their solution fit (moving the sink to the right was one of the original solutions discussed with Fitters 2 & 3 in any case).
2. LEAK: We have found that it is NOT just the U-bend that is slightly leaking. The joint/seal of the filter tap is leaking worse.
3. MISSING FRANKE CONNECTOR KIT: This was supplied with the sink and should've been left in the box (with the opened Franke waste kit) but was nowhere to be seen at the end of the day.
4. POOR CUTOUTs: The cutouts for the sink are mismatched to a very visible extent.
5. SINK SEALANT: Gap under edges of new sink, requires more sealant to eliminate dirt trap. Fitters4 also took the remaining Duropal sealant with them.
6. NO SINK CLIPS: They were unable to get the clips to fit & are sourcing alternatives.
7. LOOSE water TAP: The taps themselves are ok, but the central water spout is very loose.
8. Hot tap has a flexible feed; cold tap does not.
9. MISALIGNED UNITS: each unit is slightly off kilter to the one next to it, leaving a step effect where the worktop sits, and the bottom shelf inside each misaligned to the frame.
10. WORKTOP JOINT still standing proud.
10. WORKTOP: Edging seal tape to be fitted at cooker end of remaining worktop.
11. WORKTOP: Refit edging brackets either side of cooker so they don't protrude out.

c) Footings fitted on floor to ceiling unit.
SNAG: OMG they look awful. Truly awful. They're a totally different colour (and I mean TOTALLY!) and should have at least had some beading or wooden seal across the join to mask it. One is slightly misaligned too, so it has a more noticeable gap where it meets the main panel. Plus they should've pulled the vinyl flooring away.

Still to do:-
1. Realign fridge & freezer (fridge door slight misfit).
2. Lower cooker height.
3. Fit shelf in sink base unit.

OTHER ISSUES
a) Socket covers that were unscrewed by the plasterer do not screw back onto their casings due to the plastering. One of the sockets hisses when the cover comes back close.
(nb. The plastering curves outwards as it reaches the worktop. This is going to make tiling difficult.)
b) Extractor fan joint box is lying loose on top of the wall cupboard. The box and its wires should have been fitted back into the wall.
c) 2 months warranty has been lost on the appliances by MFI submitting registration too early and without asking. We want those 2 months back.
d) The fact still remains that we were missold on this kitchen right at the outset, because it does not meet the brief: ie. wall units which, when fitted at the correct standard height relative to the worktop, meet the ceiling.

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE...the tap doesn't spit madly out like an irate customer.

Arrangements for the base units

IM rang Friday to let us know that Fitters4 will be back this Friday. They're bringing the handle with them and should finish the wall units.

We have not been given their contact number.