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Back to square one !


Triassic

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Just over nine weeks ago I shortlisted five companies to quote for the insulated foundations, designed by Hilliard Tanner, for our new build. Two came through recommendations from the timber frame company, one had recently finished a new build up the road and two where local companies suggested by neighbour's.

 

Having talked to them all and sent them the package of drawings, specifications and other details, they all visited site, some within days of us talking and the last about three weeks after. Two pulled out of the quotation process soon after (too complex a job),  then another about six weeks into the process. One submitted his quote on the agreed date and the last one has not been seen since, other than an email saying our quote would be here on 14th July, it didn't arrive, so I phoned the office and I'm told he's on holiday now for three weeks!

 

I give up !!!

 

Edit

 

On second thoughts, I can't give up! I've just demolished the house on site! The wife won't let me give up. But what next? Answers on a postcard please!

 

 

Edited by Triassic
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Keep going is the only advise I can give you.

 

I have to say I am genuinely horrified by the lack of service/response/interest from suppliers of products and services in the building industry generally.

 

How do these companies survive? There must be a massive supply and demand issue going on which defies general economics!

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1 hour ago, Triassic said:

Just over nine weeks ago I shortlisted five companies to quote for the insulated foundations, designed by Hilliard Tanner, for our new build. Two came through recommendations from the timber frame company, one had recently finished a new build up the road and two where local companies suggested by neighbour's.

 

Having talked to them all and sent them the package of drawings, specifications and other details, they all visited site, some within days of us talking and the last about three weeks after. Two pulled out of the quotation process soon after (too complex a job),  then another about six weeks into the process. One submitted his quote on the agreed date and the last one has not been seen since, other than an email saying our quote would be here on 14th July, it didn't arrive, so I phoned the office and I'm told he's on holiday now for three weeks!

 

I give up !!!

 

Edit

 

On second thoughts, I can't give up! I've just demolished the house on site! The wife won't let me give up. But what next? Answers on a postcard please!

 

 

Part of the reason we went with MBC for our frame was that they did a package that included the passive foundation. Less room for error if things were wrong and if the frame didnt fit properly it would be  their call not ours plus the engineering, the spec, timing and delivery was all a one stop shop. The price wasnt bad either.

 

Good luck 

 

 

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10 minutes ago, lizzie said:

Part of the reason we went with MBC for our frame was that they did a package that included the passive foundation. Less room for error if things were wrong and if the frame didnt fit properly it would be  their call not ours plus the engineering, the spec, timing and delivery was all a one stop shop. The price wasnt bad either.

 

Good luck 

 

 

 

 

Same here.  I did look at other passive slab companies, but overall I felt the risk was too great by using separate companies.

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11 hours ago, Triassic said:

I did ask MBC to quote for the work but they declined, mind you that was before they opened their UK factory, maybe I'll talk to them again.

 

You should, great kit and great company. 

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On 7/21/2017 at 16:52, Barney12 said:

Keep going is the only advise I can give you.

 

I have to say I am genuinely horrified by the lack of service/response/interest from suppliers of products and services in the building industry generally.

 

How do these companies survive? There must be a massive supply and demand issue going on which defies general economics!

 

 

I could not not agree more, I can honestly say the hardest part of self building I've found so far is getting people to take my wads of cash that I have waiting in return for work. 

 

I could name 20-30 suppliers of various products/services that I've had in depth conversations with about work, then left it awaiting them to come back to me with various quotes or further info etc, or even in some cases to book in a date for the work - never hear from them again, even if I chase them up I just don't get anywhere. 

 

I was was starting to think it was me! Like you say there must just be so much demand for the limited supply. Customer service just goes out of the window in the building industry it seems. 

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Plan, plan, plan ...... I have, but the lack of enthusiasum from local builders has rather taken the edge off my plans.

 

I've had a couple suggestions as to possible ways forward which I'll be perusing on Monday.

 

Interestingly, I bumped into one of the guys who works for the local first who failed to provide a quote within the agree timescale. Apparently the firm has recently won the local heat of Master Builder of the Year competition, as a result the boss is eager to find another prestige job. Clearly my foundations doesn't fall not that category!

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On 22/07/2017 at 07:06, Triassic said:

I did ask MBC to quote for the work but they declined, mind you that was before they opened their UK factory, maybe I'll talk to them again.

I would talk to Tricia at MBC. She is a superstar.

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It is reading posts like this one that convinces me that if ever I do find a plot, I will go for a company who provides the full package to a watertight house.  I'm looking at the PH15 system by Passivhaus Homes as they supply everything and have contractors who know their system and are trained in its use.  They are currently doing a Passivhaus in Buckinghamshire and their airtight test came back at 0.8ACH!! and the guy who did all the work had never done passivhaus before.  But they have a known system and components that all work.  And that seems to give an awful lot of confidence and hopefully less stress. 

Sorry I'm not able to help with your problem but at least you know we all feel for you.  You'll get there in the end (hopefully!).

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10 hours ago, TheMitchells said:

They are currently doing a Passivhaus in Buckinghamshire and their airtight test came back at 0.8ACH!!

 

The upper air test limit to meet the Passivhaus spec is 0.6 ACH, so 0.8 ACH is non-compliant, but a bit better than the Part L1A building regs requirement (hard to compare directly, as Part L1A uses a different measurement system).  First test on our build, for example, was around 0.43 ACH, IIRC, and it's now a bit better than that having adjusted the front door and French windows.   To allow for a bit of degradation with time (door seals gradually getting a bit more leky, for example) it's probably better to aim for an air permeability that's initially a bit better than the PH worst allowable figure.

Edited by JSHarris
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On 24/07/2017 at 07:30, JSHarris said:

 

The upper air test limit to meet the Passivhaus spec is 0.6 ACH, so 0.8 ACH is non-compliant, but a bit better than the Part L1A building regs requirement (hard to compare directly, as Part L1A uses a different measurement system).  First test on our build, for example, was around 0.43 ACH, IIRC, and it's now a bit better than that having adjusted the front door and French windows.   To allow for a bit of degradation with time (door seals gradually getting a bit more leky, for example) it's probably better to aim for an air permeability that's initially a bit better than the PH worst allowable figure.

Opps.  You are right - just checked and it was 0.087! It was the lowest that the air tester had ever done in 30 years of testing. 

http://www.houseplanninghelp.com/hph183-how-to-achieve-an-outstanding-airtightness-result/

 

 

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1 hour ago, TheMitchells said:

Opps.  You are right - just checked and it was 0.087! It was the lowest that the air tester had ever done in 30 years of testing. 

http://www.houseplanninghelp.com/hph183-how-to-achieve-an-outstanding-airtightness-result/

 

 

 

 

It looks interesting, very similar in the way it's constructed to an MBC frame, in fact it's  almost identical, except for the use of I beams rather than twin studs for the walls.  It's worth noting that the air test result was very heavily influenced by having a basement, though.  Basements can't leak air, so they make the air test result a great deal better by providing a larger internal volume.  The same house without a basement would have a lot worse result, just because the only possible "leaky" bit of a house is the above ground structure.

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It's it funny, you send out a request for a quote and you have a deadline for responses and it's missed, So you call to be told the boss is on holiday for three weeks! Oh well you think, he can't be that interested in the work!  

 

Then today he calls me out of the blue to ask which point on the topo survey is the site datum. I ask why? He needs to work out the quantities for the quote!! I go along with him and don't question the missed deadline.

 

If I were ever daft enough to use this guy, I'm going to write a timescale clause into the contract. If the speed of quotation is anything to go by, he'll be paying me!!

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A week after the call regarding the site datum (see the above post)  I received his quote for the insulated foundations and reinforced basement walls, £135,000, in comparison the other quote I have is for £50,500 and I thought that was a lot!

 

I've sent Trish the drawings and she's said they will happily quote for the work, I eargerly await her reply!

 

Edited by Triassic
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The building trade in the UK really is an eye opener isn't it? We had similar "responses", super enthusiastic builders, asking for full copies of plans etc then disappearing without trace - or when chased up promising a quote "next week" .  Ditto a couple of window manufacturers too.  Fortunately there are some gems to be found amongst them still.   The "best" was one who actually did supply a quote, but whinged the entire time of his site visit about the shape of the site, how his "masons" would not like recycled stone and his roofers hate recycled slate and its a bit far to travel etc. etc. Yet the builder we ended up with thinks the stone is great and the roofer has recycled slate of his own which is nice and cheaper!    

Edited by curlewhouse
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On 8/1/2017 at 15:24, curlewhouse said:

[...] but whinged the entire time of his site visit about the shape of the site,[...]  

 

Tooth sucking. I've never had the guts to do that, except when taking the proverbial out of builders in the pub.  But when they do that to me (us) I find it's an excellent filter - a sort of audible warning: of bullshooshoo.

 

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Oh absolutely. No way was I going to use Mr Whingey. If that's how they are before they've got the job, it doesn't bear thinking of what they'd be like once it was secured. I'm all for them being up front about issues or things that will likely raise costs - that's exactly what you want really. I couldn't be more happy with the builder we ended up with - bang on the quotes even when things have actually ended up more involved than he thought, and a competitive quote too. He's also a good laugh and his workers all nice guys too. So like I said, there are definitely gems out there to be found.

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