What would you guys have done? - Tile Advice

[Rayce]

Hi guys. Am I a ****? Bumped into a builder in my local and he sees I do tiling so asks me to price up to tile 7 showers in a local hotel he's refurbing. Tells me they're 800 quadrants, all new stud work, moisture resistant plasterboard yada yada. 250x325 bumpy white ceramics cheap as chips from Wickes. So breaking a cardinal rule I price it unseen. Turn up on the Monday to start and first thing I see is they're not quadrants they're alcoves so there's half as much tiling again. Having a look round I see in several of the showers the plasterboard is 25mm shy of the top of the tray and there's a gap down the back of the trays. Also in four of them, for some reason two of the walls are all bonding plaster, and whoever did it must have used a guaging trowel to apply it! At this point I should have turned around and effed off but no! Like a mug and thinking I may get more work from him I cracked on. I even mentioned the gaps above the trays to him and he said...."just tile down onto the tray and silicone"....I said "do you really want to rely on one bead of silicone?"....and his answer was..."you're not gonna get all anal on me are you?".

Long story short, pissed and bumpy walls, two of which I tried to flatten with rapid set, no light in the cubicles, trying to work around the other trades etc etc and the end result is as you can imagine, not the most fantastic bit of tiling I've ever done. He's pulled me up on it and when I challenged him on the state of the walls he's come back with "My tiling is rubbish hot and if you were any good as a tiler you'd have got over all that I would have". Suffice to say I picked up my tools and walked away. £900 down.

I only recently started my business and although I haven't got years of experience, I've been in the building trade doing renovations for 20 years but decided to concentrate on tiling and I've done plenty of jobs with no comeback. To be honest this has knocked my confidence a bit so just wanted to get your views on it. Like I say I think I should have turned around and walked away on day one. So, am I a ****?

 

[Flintstone]

Take it as a very steep learning curve, with experience comes a 6th sense and you can spot a nightmare before it haunts you most of the time.

 

[Blunt Tool]

Should have not started and renegotiated a new price to rectify all faults and extra tiling, then walked if not accepted

 

[Rayce]

Take it as a very steep learning curve, with experience comes a 6th sense and you can spot a nightmare before it haunts you most of the time.

Very true. One thing I've learned....experience is a great teacher....she's just very expensive!

 

[Spare Tool]

Don't let it knock your confidence, sounds like you were well and truly stitched up, builders are renound for backheeling and you've gone and had to learn that the hard way, sounds like you knew you should have walked away at the start, if or when there is a next time listen to that voice and either give them the choice of prepping it yourself or pack up and sack it off. No love lost and they may very well respect you more for it, but knowing builders..probably not.

 

[Dumbo]

Two things wrong .
1 not walking off to start with .
2 . Wanting to get more work with that builder .
Don't let it bother you . Anybody who prep is crap says if you were any you would get over it . Think of the finish at the start .

 

[Wayne Brown]

Hard to swallow bud but you picked up on the warning signs you will know what to do next time, thanks but no thanks. kop

 

[Rayce]

Don't let it knock your confidence, sounds like you were well and truly stitched up, builders are renound for backheeling and you've gone and had to learn that the hard way, sounds like you knew you should have walked away at the start, if or when there is a next time listen to that voice and either give them the choice of prepping it yourself or pack up and sack it off. No love lost and they may very well respect you more for it, but knowing builders..probably not.

Cheers Andy I appreciate your comments.....makes me feel better

 

[Rayce]

Hard to swallow bud but you picked up on the warning signs you will know what to do next time, thanks but no thanks. kop

Thanks Wayne

 

[Spare Tool]

Cheers Andy I appreciate your comments.....makes me feel better

Don't take no sh#t off em....you are your own boss now and much as the builders like to think they're in charge in the end its up to you to make the call...

 

[Andy Rhodes]

Rayce you have just been unfortunate if you believe in your own ability stuff what the builder said you can bet a pound to a penny that he's not took the tiles off ,all the jackass want was free labour, the most valuable thing you can take for this is next time go and look at the job before giving a price because builders lair

 

[Tim Saunders]

I often get asked to give a price on jobs I haven't seen. If it's a regular client then it's usually ok as you can negotiate around any issues...otherwise I'll only ever give a written (emailed) estimate with a caveat that it is only an estimate and is subject to alteration if further work/materials are required. I hope you didn't quote him £900 to tile 7 showers?!!
We all make mistakes...just try not to make the same mistake twice!
Put it down to experience and move on...Good luck

 

[acaciaguy]

You did the right thing walking. Don’t let people set you up to fail. With time comes the ability to sniff out bad jobs.

 

[Balloo]

Hi guys. Am I a ****? Bumped into a builder in my local and he sees I do tiling so asks me to price up to tile 7 showers in a local hotel he's refurbing. Tells me they're 800 quadrants, all new stud work, moisture resistant plasterboard yada yada. 250x325 bumpy white ceramics cheap as chips from Wickes. So breaking a cardinal rule I price it unseen. Turn up on the Monday to start and first thing I see is they're not quadrants they're alcoves so there's half as much tiling again. Having a look round I see in several of the showers the plasterboard is 25mm shy of the top of the tray and there's a gap down the back of the trays. Also in four of them, for some reason two of the walls are all bonding plaster, and whoever did it must have used a guaging trowel to apply it! At this point I should have turned around and effed off but no! Like a mug and thinking I may get more work from him I cracked on. I even mentioned the gaps above the trays to him and he said...."just tile down onto the tray and silicone"....I said "do you really want to rely on one bead of silicone?"....and his answer was..."you're not gonna get all anal on me are you?".

Long story short, pissed and bumpy walls, two of which I tried to flatten with rapid set, no light in the cubicles, trying to work around the other trades etc etc and the end result is as you can imagine, not the most fantastic bit of tiling I've ever done. He's pulled me up on it and when I challenged him on the state of the walls he's come back with "My tiling is rubbish hot and if you were any good as a tiler you'd have got over all that I would have". Suffice to say I picked up my tools and walked away. £900 down.

I only recently started my business and although I haven't got years of experience, I've been in the building trade doing renovations for 20 years but decided to concentrate on tiling and I've done plenty of jobs with no comeback. To be honest this has knocked my confidence a bit so just wanted to get your views on it. Like I say I think I should have turned around and walked away on day one. So, am I a ****?

As short and to the point as i can be,,,, be bold, be proud,, be confident, and if you think you've done the best you can then thats enough , you cant please everyone.
And sometimes you just have to get a jimmy bar and pull all the work you did and tell the waxxer who has a problem to get someone else.

Ive never did this but if you do let me know how it goes

 

[Steve doc]

If it was a couple of walls that was bad I think I would of said id re do them as long as he paid you half the money before you continue the job and the rest on completing .