Discovered fault in completed work after I paid the invoice

[Lejonhonan]

I paid the invoice to the construction company that performed work at my home within the stipulated time. A week later, I discover issues with part of the work.

- The finish on the gable panel is not straight
- The panel is mounted with screws and nails, and several are driven/nail driven so far down that the wood has splintered around the screws. Additionally, they are not set in a straight horizontal line
- A gutter is missing a slope
- One gutter has an oversized slope
- The rafter hooks are mounted too low, so the distance between the roof tiles and the gutter is 10 cm
- Screws are missing in a few places on the fascia boards
- A couple of the fascia boards where they end have metal about 4 cm sticking straight out
- The fascia boards are cut without a small fold, therefore they are extremely sharp

Where can I turn if the company does not assess that the work is improperly done according to applicable building codes and considers it to be aesthetically pleasing (I mean the uneven finish on the panel and that the screws and nails are not set in a straight horizontal line)?

 

[hempularen]

If we assume that the company does not take responsibility for it being a fault, you will need an inspection carried out by an inspector who can determine if there is a fault.

But it is not certain that what you describe as a fault is a fault in a formal sense.

 

[klaskarlsson]

I paid the invoice to the construction company that performed work at my home within the specified time. A week later, I discovered faults in part of the work.

- The end of the gable panel is not straight
- The panel is mounted with screws and nails, and several are driven/nailed so far down that the wood has splintered around the screws. Additionally, they are not set in a straight horizontal line
- There is a lack of slope on one gutter
- One gutter has an oversized slope
- The rafter hooks are mounted too low, so the distance between the roof tiles and the gutter is 10 cm
- Screws are missing in a few places on the bargeboard metal sheets
- A few bargeboard metal sheets where they end have a metal piece about 4 cm sticking straight out
- The bargeboard metal sheets are cut without a small fold, and therefore they are extremely sharp

Where can I turn if the company does not assess that the work is incorrectly performed according to current building standards and considers it aesthetically pleasing (I mean the uneven end of the panel and the screws and nails not being set in a straight horizontal line)?

I agree with hempularen; You should probably bring in an inspector if you want to dispute it since it sounds like there are some minor discrepancies that are questionable whether they are acceptable or not (the definition of professional workmanship is not clear-cut). It might also depend on the cost to fix it, and in some cases, it can lead to something you find worse: For example, they will probably not re-nail all the paneling (it's quite unreasonable just because some nails aren't straight), instead, they paint over, and if it's pressed in, maybe they will filler first. And if it looks better than not completely straight rows... well ...

 

[hempularen]

Ask me to think about a thread here from a few years ago. A member had a carpenter put up a nice, extremely expensive indoor panel in fine wood. Meant for concealed nailing, the carpenter had put two very visible nails in each panel plank, which also varied in height and distance to the edge randomly.

 

[pelle plåttak]

pictures if you need help thanks.

 

[Lejonhonan]

pictures if you want help thanks.

I'll get back with pictures!

 

[Lejonhonan]

Agree with hempularen; you probably need to bring in an inspector if you want to dispute it since it sounds like there are some minor deviations that are a bit questionable whether one should accept or not (the definition of professional quality is not clear-cut).
It might also depend on the cost of fixing it, and in some cases, it might lead to something you consider worse: For example, they probably won't re-nail all the paneling (it's quite unreasonable just because a few nails aren't straight) but rather paint over, and if it's indented, maybe fill it first. And if it looks better than not completely straight lines...well...

The fact that the screws and nails are not horizontally straight (it looks terrible) is not the worst part; it's that the screws are driven too far into the wood, just like the nails are nailed too far down. A carpenter we know said that the consequence will be that moisture will get into the wood.

 

[Lechuza]

That the screws and nails are not straight horizontally (it looks terrible) is not the worst part; the worst part is that the screws are pulled too far into the wood, and the nails are hammered too far in. A carpenter we know said that the consequences will be that moisture will get into the wood.

You can apply latex sealant in a similar color to the facade, then paint it when it's dry. Depending on how deep it is, you may need to apply it twice.

This will also fix the issue of the screws/nails not being in line.

It works and holds up perfectly well, it's just unfortunate to have to do this when it's brand new.

 

[Anna_H]

That the screws and nails are not perfectly horizontal (it looks terrible) is not the worst; it's that the screws are driven too deep into the wood, and similarly, the nails are hammered too far down. A carpenter we know said the consequence will be that moisture will get into the wood.

That will be resolved when painting the second time. Mixed screws and nails also won't be noticeable after painting, and any unevenness will be much less visible.

We have also mixed, for the simple reason that the carpenters used a nail gun, and my husband and I used a screwdriver. Every other one is slightly higher and every other one slightly lower on purpose, so that the backing lath behind the panel won't split.