I Recently finished renovating a bathroom in Aug & today I recieved a phone call from the customers father who is a lawyer, stating that the pipes in the bathroom should not be coming up from the floor.
I have made some inquiries and he is right, but the thing is- it was another plumbing company that did the pipe work and they sent the bill to these customers.
I sent my bill for the joiner and tiling work.
I told this lawyer that he should contact the plumbing company who did this job- but he insists that it's me that has full responsibility and it's my company who should fix this mistake which will cost a lot of money...
So now I am confused !- who should fix this problem ?

Did the plumber quote for the work through you or directly with the customer

If another company did the plumbing work, and invoiced the customer directly, then you should be politley telling this guy that he had telephoned the wrong contractor, and that he needs to speak with the company who installed the plumbing, as he has mistakenly telephoned the joiner/tiler.

It would probably be a different matter if you had taken the money from the customer for the plumbing as part of one large invoice and sub contracted out to the plumbers, paying them yourself.

Originally Posted by Stewart__SPM

Did the plumber quote for the work through you or directly with the customer

With the customer, as they also did a lot of work in the basement.
As the new water pipes came from there.

I cant see what this has to do with you. I tile many bathrooms and I just tile to what is there !

We probably posted at the same time mate, but you have just confirmed what i had assumed anyway from your first post.

Just tell him your not connected to the plumbing work and that he needs to phone the plumber.

why can't pipes come out of the floor??

Also, if the guy is being funny with you, then make sure you charge double to do any retiling/making good after the plumber has gone back to redo the pipework.

Originally Posted by doug boardley

why can't pipes come out of the floor??

I was thinking that Doug, but though I must be missing something obvious.

All the pipes in my house come out the floor, in the kitchen,both bathrooms and the cloakroom.

I can't see how you can be held liable. Tell him to contact the plumber and leave with him. If you had nothing to do with him, then you have nothing to worry about.

You say you have made some enquiries and he is right ?? My pipework comes out of the floor ? Is there something we are missing or you havent told us ?

I am going to talk with the plumbing company on Monday- I couldn't get a hold of them today.
Thanks fo the advice guys.

Do the pipes go to an open vanity unit? Could you please explain.

Originally Posted by Sir Ramic

You say you have made some enquiries and he is right ?? My pipework comes out of the floor ? Is there something we are missing or you havent told us ?

Yeah!- I am a Scotsman living in Sweden, which I have run my tiling business for 4 years- and I have to follow the Swedish laws and thats one of thier laws.......no pipes coming up from the floor.....this started in 2007
I joined this forum, as I do not want that Swedish lawyer looking at what I have been posting on a Swedish forum....

Ahhh right then scratch all info above... why didnt you say that in the 1st place then ?

I'm bailing out of this one, know nothing about swedish regs...

Originally Posted by Sir Ramic

Ahhh right then scratch all info above... why didnt you say that in the 1st place then ?

I only wanted to ask the question I asked and not where it happened......know what I mean ?

Me too.......... Good luck!

bearing in mind I know nothing about contracting in Sweden I still don't see how you can be responsible for the work of a plumber contracted by the customer.....but Swedish law might be very different to here.

How is the business situation over there?

Originally Posted by limco

I only wanted to ask the question I asked and not where it happened......know what I mean ?

I get where your coming from, but I very much doubt anyone would have any idea if your liable or not in sweden mate, you'd be better passing it to the plumbing company who will hopefull have an idea of swedish law, and if your still unsure, see a solicitor.

As i said, thanks for trying to put me in the picture, and I will return to this forum and let you know what has happened.
Plus I am looking forward to be part of this forum............

Welcome Limco,
Good luck with your plumber company, i still don't see how it's your problem !
I have a real good danish friend who i will be talking to this week and i must ask him as he's an engineer and works in Sweden often and all over Europe.

Originally Posted by hillhead

Welcome Limco,
Good luck with your plumber company, i still don't see how it's your problem !
I have a real good danish friend who i will be talking to this week and i must ask him as he's an engineer and works in Sweden often and all over Europe.

Sounds great- looking forward to hearing his pionts of view on this matter.
Plus a contract was never ever signed......as I did these customers bathroom before and they got me to do this one in thier new house they bought.
Plus they wrote a lovely referance on my web site, stating I did an excellent job....
This has only come up- as the couple are selling thier house and the inspector pionted out that these pipes in the bathroom should not be coming up from the floor, according to the Swedish rules.
Then they get thier Father the lawyer to phone me and not themselves...strange eh!

I agree we cannot say what regs sweden says but one question..?

inspector pionted out that these pipes in the bathroom should not be coming up from the floor, according to the Swedish rules.

Do you as a tiler not know Swedish by-laws/regs for pipe work..?.. is it part of your your tiling regs..?

Phew i got really really worried when i read the first fews posts, glad i read it all!

Originally Posted by Dave

I agree we cannot say what regs sweden says but one question..?

Do you as a tiler not know Swedish by-laws/regs for pipe work..?.. is it part of your your tiling regs..?

Dave: as I said, they are changing these rules all the time.
To get your tiling licience over here, you have to go on 3 courses- the 1st one is all the tiling rules, the 2nd is the law of the building trade and the 3rd is the products you use.
The tiling rules, include how you should cover those pipes coming through the walls and up through the floor, by using these...
pci-manschett-1-webb.jpg
I have used this plumbing company for all my bathrooms, they do a wonderful job and I trust them- and if there is a special way the pipes must be in a bathroom, it's them that should know and of course tell me...then I will prepare those pipes before the tiling starts.
So the answer to your question is No !
Plus at the end of every job, I write the customer a certificate for thier new bathroom, stating which products I have used and I have followed the tiling rules according to the Swedish bathroom laws from and to 2006.....( note 2006 )

When you say you have used this plumbing company for all your bathrooms, did you use them for this bathroom? What I mean is although the customer paid them direct were they actually working under you? If that's the case I can understand where the customer is coming from and why they feel it's your resposibility to deal with the problem.

Also was this work just to do tiling & joinery or to do the whole bathroom? If you did the work as a bathroom fitter using subbies ( regardless of who pays them) then I would see it being your responsibility too.

Once again foreign regs are alien to me but that's the way I would see it over here.

Hi Sandy, yeah! these plumbers did this bathroom in mention.
And yes, the work is for all the bathroom, but I do tell the customers that I bring in another company for the plumbing and the Electric's and when they have excepted my estimate- I take along the plumbers to the customers and they explain what will have to be done and how much it will cost.
The plumbers should have known the new rules and told these customers- know what I mean ?
If the blame is totally mine, then I will fix it, there is no problem there- but I didn't do the pipe work and didn't leave a guarantee for them.
But I did talk with my Brother in law this morning- he is from Denmark and is a building engineer.
He asked me " Did the plumbers send a bill to the customers and they paid it ? "- I said yes!
Then he told me- then it's the Plumbers reasonability- so don't worry.
But I do worry, as it's my good name that is at stake here !- the quicker tomorrow comes the better.

so you organised the tardies for the job then

its no different to what i do.......somone wants a b/r doing they ring me and ask do you know a plumber i say yes we will both come round to see you, i look at the tiling.......its going to cost x-amount.......plumber looks at plumbing work.....his will cost x-amount add the two together they get the total price.......the work is booked in to follow each other and when tiling is completed i get paid by customer and when plumbing is completed plumber gets paid by customer..........if theres a massive leak and the ceiling falls down not my problem same as if all the tiles fall off not the plumbers problem.