Lintel DPC cavity tray not installed at top.

[DundeeDancer]

I’m in the process of having a new window opening and window installed into a 2^nd floor apartment I own.

 

The workman for some reason forgot to install the DPC cavity try along with any cavity blocker i.e. the items underlined in red in the following picture.

 

 

The builders didn’t tell me, I only noticed as the expanding foam they tried to plug the gap between the window and the lintel with shrunk before the plaster board when on so I could see into the gap that nothing had been installed.

 

I took it up with the boss builder who was very reluctant to come out on site that week and only came to site after I demanded all work was to stop until we had an on-site meeting to discuss the missing cavity tray and 10 other issues with the build.

 

The contractor and the architect both came to site at 8am on Saturday morning and agreed the DPC Cavity tray, Cavity barrier where missing and that they needed to be installed.

 

To do this they said they were going to leave the window in place and take out the inner lintel, then fit the cavity tray, then put the lintel back in again.

 

So I said fine if that’s what you think best. 

 

Sunday afternoon I checked the flat at 5pm and nothing had been done.

 

Monday night I come back at 4:30pm to site and it’s all been plaster boarded over.

 

I have the sinking feeling they haven’t installed the cavity tray but I don’t know enough about building to figure out if not having the cavity tray is a big problem.

 

Will it mean possible damp problems in the future with this window. 

 

It’s a UVPC window so at least it won’t rot but damp might now creep across the cavity void and seep into the inner cavity leaf.

Trying to weigh up how important this fault is? 

 

Is it worth fighting to find out if it's been fixed or are these cavity trays just a nice precaution against damp but not having one doesn't mean there will be a future problems?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice. DD

 

Edited October 16, 2017 by DundeeDancer

[Simplysimon]

ask for plasterboard to be removed to check, cavity barrier a fire check, presuming other 10 items fixed?

you're paying, if you have doubts get it checked now, what else is not being done to spec?

[Declan52]

If you get damp on the 3rd floor you have serious issues. The dpc above the window is there to stop any water that might penetrate the outside skin making its way inside. It hits the dpc then comes out at the top of the window.

It's a simple case of you have a drawing showing what needed to be done and are paying to get this done. If it hasn't been done then don't pay up until it's done.