I have to admit that I haven't read the whole thread and I'm not a construction expert...
But when you start joining corrugated plastic with silicone under the balcony, the BIG alarm bells start ringing.
But when you start joining corrugated plastic with silicone under the balcony, the BIG alarm bells start ringing.
Deplorable!
First and foremost, water from the roof should not come down onto the balcony. They should never have torn up the roof and roof tiles! Now there's unnecessarily much water coming down from the roof, onto the balcony.
If they had left the roof and gutters alone and constructed the balcony as a protruding roof from the new build with a gutter at the front, and placed the deck on this, it would have worked.
But as many have already said, bring in a construction technician who can see it on-site and give instructions.
First and foremost, water from the roof should not come down onto the balcony. They should never have torn up the roof and roof tiles! Now there's unnecessarily much water coming down from the roof, onto the balcony.
If they had left the roof and gutters alone and constructed the balcony as a protruding roof from the new build with a gutter at the front, and placed the deck on this, it would have worked.
But as many have already said, bring in a construction technician who can see it on-site and give instructions.
I find the aggressive tone towards TS to be deplorable. The idea is that he should be able to receive help and support. It is clear that he regrets the choice of builder and has learned an expensive lesson.
We have built a shed against the house, prepared to later become a balcony. I then followed a recommended construction that involved tongue and groove boards, roofing felt, and standing seam metal. Proper slope. The battens for the rafters are then fastened onto the metal. I will later leave the job of adding a window to the patio door to a builder/metalworker. Of course, this construction requires some height...
Construction - träguiden, I used the variant "balcony with load-bearing wooden beams" under "balcony for multi-story buildings." There are more variants to look at as you can see. Träguiden is an industry lobby, but I trust their construction sketches, it would be bad advertising otherwise...
We have built a shed against the house, prepared to later become a balcony. I then followed a recommended construction that involved tongue and groove boards, roofing felt, and standing seam metal. Proper slope. The battens for the rafters are then fastened onto the metal. I will later leave the job of adding a window to the patio door to a builder/metalworker. Of course, this construction requires some height...
Construction - träguiden, I used the variant "balcony with load-bearing wooden beams" under "balcony for multi-story buildings." There are more variants to look at as you can see. Träguiden is an industry lobby, but I trust their construction sketches, it would be bad advertising otherwise...
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It's a shame that it has come to this, but it can be fixed!
You need a "scoop" coming from the roof slope to lead the water out to the existing gutter.
This will help remove most of the water from the roof that comes down onto the balcony.
The plastic that is installed underneath as "drainage" should be removed, as it will not be reliable. A metal sheet with a V-shape can be made by chiseling if you want to direct the water to the house gable to install possible gutter and downspout there.
Furthermore, where the wall panel has been removed and opened into the insulation, there should be panel again. Then you can install a felt with a raised edge and then a flashing that is placed under the decking floor.
Leave a small gap so any water can drain down without staying in the end grain of the decking. Snow can also blow in and need a way to go downward
As it stands now, water will continue to run into the wall and down underneath this, and with the plastic seam, you can be sure the water is moving capillarily.
Since you have Ecofiber, you presumably don't have any plastic in the construction? If so, a little water doesn't need to be a scenario to lose sleep over...
You need a "scoop" coming from the roof slope to lead the water out to the existing gutter.
This will help remove most of the water from the roof that comes down onto the balcony.
The plastic that is installed underneath as "drainage" should be removed, as it will not be reliable. A metal sheet with a V-shape can be made by chiseling if you want to direct the water to the house gable to install possible gutter and downspout there.
Furthermore, where the wall panel has been removed and opened into the insulation, there should be panel again. Then you can install a felt with a raised edge and then a flashing that is placed under the decking floor.
Leave a small gap so any water can drain down without staying in the end grain of the decking. Snow can also blow in and need a way to go downward
As it stands now, water will continue to run into the wall and down underneath this, and with the plastic seam, you can be sure the water is moving capillarily.
Since you have Ecofiber, you presumably don't have any plastic in the construction? If so, a little water doesn't need to be a scenario to lose sleep over...
Ronekma - what you describe is almost exactly a solution that I also thought could address the problem. As a non-constructor and non-builder, I have been unsure if I overlooked anything. But now we plan to have a competent tinsmith look at the situation and also design the metal solution required.
Initially, I believe the builders had thought of a "scoop," an angled metal plate with a lip down towards the gutter or similar, but for some reason, they changed their mind. They were poor at communicating about it. The language barrier also probably contributed... Our big mistake here was assuming they had the competence for that type of work. One "assumes," and takes too much for granted, that I have learned.
Yes, I thank my lucky stars that we have Ecofiber, and no plastic, in either the house or the attic extension. The only plastic is a plastic sheet on top of the levelling compound; otherwise, we would have had to wait an extra 2-3 weeks before the bamboo floor could be laid. Water intrusion is, of course, always unacceptable, but Ecofiber without plastic is somewhat forgiving in the case of a minor moisture mishap like this.
Initially, I believe the builders had thought of a "scoop," an angled metal plate with a lip down towards the gutter or similar, but for some reason, they changed their mind. They were poor at communicating about it. The language barrier also probably contributed... Our big mistake here was assuming they had the competence for that type of work. One "assumes," and takes too much for granted, that I have learned.
Yes, I thank my lucky stars that we have Ecofiber, and no plastic, in either the house or the attic extension. The only plastic is a plastic sheet on top of the levelling compound; otherwise, we would have had to wait an extra 2-3 weeks before the bamboo floor could be laid. Water intrusion is, of course, always unacceptable, but Ecofiber without plastic is somewhat forgiving in the case of a minor moisture mishap like this.
Now I hope that the "plåtis" we've ordered will come next week and fix the roof they've damaged... and arrange proper drainage from the roof. The construction company doesn't want to pay him, so we'll have to do it ourselves and then try to deduct the cost from the final invoice... now we are quite tired of this mess and the roof must be fixed before the autumn rains come!
We are still "arguing" with the construction company about who should pay for the sheet metal work... it will cost about 12000. Our position is that it is the construction company's responsibility to complete safely, which means hiring a proper sheet metal worker; after all, they have "damaged the roof" (causing damage to the house) and caused water damage... they are the general contractor and the fastening method was entirely their own suggestion, and the implementation started without further discussions. We had no reason to believe that they did not know what they were doing. The entire new dormer extension is fastened to the house! And they have admitted that they don't have the in-house expertise to complete it, which is why a subcontractor (the sheet metal worker) must be hired—are we supposed to "clean up" after their mistakes?
When they realized what the sheet metal work would cost, they claimed that they (verbally) told us "from the beginning" that the balcony's attachment would cost extra "on a rolling account" and that we agreed (verbally) to this, thus they want us to pay the 12000. A complete lie. The entire claim is a fabrication, the subject was never even brought up—it was only mentioned that they found a "smart" solution to support the balcony by fastening it to the house, to avoid having a pillar from the ground (which would have ended up right in front of the front door on the ground floor). It sounded like they assessed it as both a simpler and cheaper solution and got started without further discussions.
It was only after the water damage that they realized the proposal's inappropriateness and "expense." Since a finished balcony is included in the total price and agreement from the start, we, of course, do not believe we should pay 12000 extra because they botched it. We have now said that if they do not intend to hire the sheet metal worker to complete it, we will do it ourselves and then deduct that cost from the final invoice (we have already spoken to the sheet metal worker, and he has agreed to take the job directly from us, and we will pay him). The construction company's counterproposal is then:
1. They come and dismantle the balcony... and offer us a 5000 reduction.
2. They dismantle half the balcony (the part closest to the house) and support the rest with a pillar from the ground (but this is not an option since the pillar would end up in front of the exit).
We have not approved any of these "solutions" since we have said that we do not accept their workers "repairing the roof" since they have admitted that they do not have such competence, meaning they would still need to hire a subcontractor for that part.
There is also reason to reflect on whether proposals 1 and 2 are a pure act of revenge because none of these would be particularly much cheaper for them than hiring the sheet metal worker and completing it.
To put an end to the misery and move forward, we have considered agreeing to pay a certain part of the sheet metal invoice, but certainly not the whole amount. What does the assembly think?
When they realized what the sheet metal work would cost, they claimed that they (verbally) told us "from the beginning" that the balcony's attachment would cost extra "on a rolling account" and that we agreed (verbally) to this, thus they want us to pay the 12000. A complete lie. The entire claim is a fabrication, the subject was never even brought up—it was only mentioned that they found a "smart" solution to support the balcony by fastening it to the house, to avoid having a pillar from the ground (which would have ended up right in front of the front door on the ground floor). It sounded like they assessed it as both a simpler and cheaper solution and got started without further discussions.
It was only after the water damage that they realized the proposal's inappropriateness and "expense." Since a finished balcony is included in the total price and agreement from the start, we, of course, do not believe we should pay 12000 extra because they botched it. We have now said that if they do not intend to hire the sheet metal worker to complete it, we will do it ourselves and then deduct that cost from the final invoice (we have already spoken to the sheet metal worker, and he has agreed to take the job directly from us, and we will pay him). The construction company's counterproposal is then:
1. They come and dismantle the balcony... and offer us a 5000 reduction.
2. They dismantle half the balcony (the part closest to the house) and support the rest with a pillar from the ground (but this is not an option since the pillar would end up in front of the exit).
We have not approved any of these "solutions" since we have said that we do not accept their workers "repairing the roof" since they have admitted that they do not have such competence, meaning they would still need to hire a subcontractor for that part.
There is also reason to reflect on whether proposals 1 and 2 are a pure act of revenge because none of these would be particularly much cheaper for them than hiring the sheet metal worker and completing it.
To put an end to the misery and move forward, we have considered agreeing to pay a certain part of the sheet metal invoice, but certainly not the whole amount. What does the assembly think?
Actually, those who built the balcony should pay you significantly more than the 12000 the roofer wants, as they've damaged your house and caused water damage. Send those "builders" home and let the roofer complete the work so there won't be any more leakage.
Agree with the above, send them home immediately and if they show up on your property again thinking they can "tear down" your balcony, it will be reported to the police! Pay what you consider fair for the completed work, deduct for the water damage they caused and for substandard and delayed work!! You have a lot of evidence pointing to their incompetence...
Then hire plåtis to complete the sheet metal work.
Then hire a new construction company, or a local carpenter. There must be someone willing to finish, there shouldn't be that much left?
You can't think "we have to agree to this to get it finished"... Because it won't be done well, as we/you have unfortunately already established! This could lead to much worse damage than what we currently see in the future!
Let plåtis make it watertight, deduct these costs plus other expenses and then take a break from the work and try to find a new carpenter who can complete it either this year or next year. Better that it’s done properly!
Then hire plåtis to complete the sheet metal work.
Then hire a new construction company, or a local carpenter. There must be someone willing to finish, there shouldn't be that much left?
You can't think "we have to agree to this to get it finished"... Because it won't be done well, as we/you have unfortunately already established! This could lead to much worse damage than what we currently see in the future!
Let plåtis make it watertight, deduct these costs plus other expenses and then take a break from the work and try to find a new carpenter who can complete it either this year or next year. Better that it’s done properly!
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Thank you for the support, also to thomas33 and others earlier, and no, there's not much left, aside from fixing the roof we can probably do most of it ourselves if necessary.C crazytok said:
Depends, of course, on what the inspector will, if he would find something else really crazy...
Sending them home sounds like a bad but necessary solution! The scenario is likely this: the company's estimated profit is constantly decreasing due to incompetent management and staff. The only way to save the economy is to hastily put together the rest even more time and material efficiently than before. It's really not surprising that TS. gets a scolding now and then ("the company we have is totally incompetent!!! For the next job, we'll hire...THE SAME INCOMPETENT SWINDLERS"). Sometimes a rude awakening may be necessary. It would hardly have helped if the advice had been - well, everyone can make mistakes sometimes. Remember that the carpenters have families to support. They're doing the best they can. Offer cake, and you'll surely become good friends, and above all, the fact that it turned out this way is nobody's fault...
Yes, I agree that it would be foolish to hire the same useless company for the next job, not even an idiot like me would do that, and that's not the case. Staffan2000 I assume you misunderstood the whole thing and thought it was 2 different jobs, but it's not, it's the same job under the same contract that isn't finished yet, so I totally reject that piece of mind...Staffan2000 said:
It can be added that since we have booked an inspector, I assume that it would be foolish to let a new company come in before the inspection is done, so that the companies can then blame each other and it will never be possible to figure out who made which mistake...
You are sitting in a fox trap. No matter what you do, it will be wrong. Just try to minimize the damage as much as possible.
My comments are based on posts four and five in this thread.
Staffan
My comments are based on posts four and five in this thread.
Staffan