Front door fitted without a sill

[Anjijoy]

On 29th Aug 2002, I paid £1,740 to Anglian Windows & Doors: via a fitter at (sensitive information removed from public view) to remove the old door and a fit new double glazed front door,
I still have all the paperwork.

Though the door turned yellow, over the years, even though I’d been assured that this would not occur, I was largely pleased with the product and the fitting.

In September 2024 I began some renovation work at the house.
My builder drew my attention to the fact that the front door had been poorly fitted.
No sill had been fitted.
Consequently the door has been the means by which damp had invaded my home for the last 22 years.     

Luckily the front of my home is SW facing and so gets more heat and light than would have been the case at the back of the house.
However, I am told that I need to take action against the damp, which amounts to over £1K.

The fitter must have known the consequence of omitting the sill.

How common is such a situation?

Edited Friday at 12:58 by Nickfromwales
Name and address / contact details removed

[Mr Punter]

PVC is fairly prone to discolouring.

 

Front doors are normally fitted in the outer leaf of a cavity wall and the frame is sealed to the brick / blockwork.

 

Without a sill, water should run down the face of the brickwork.  It should not cause damp to invade!

 

22 years is probably not bad.

 

I have paid £7,000 for front doors and have been very disappointed within 3 years.

[Redbeard]

I have no idea how common the situation is. To some people the lack of a sill would just 'look wrong' and Qs would be raised. Others may not necessarily notice.

 

What have been the signs of damp invading your home for 22 years? What damage has been caused? Do you have any pictures? Depending on the actual existing damp issues the 'Hive Mind' may have suggestions for solutions which may come to less than £1000.

[ProDave]

Pictures of this "door with no sill" would aid understanding of the situation.

[jack]

 

23 hours ago, Anjijoy said:

How common is such a situation?

 

How common is imperfect fitting of windows and doors? Judging by my own experience, what you see on shows like Grand Designs, and the number of posts in this sub-forum, I'd say it might be more common than correct fitting

 

As frustrating as it might be, I doubt you have a cause of action against the installer.

 

You're well outside the standard six years for starting an action.

 

Even if you try to rely on the "three years from discovery of the problem" deadline for action, the problem is that the absence of a cill was apparent from the day it was installed. I can see a good argument that since the cill's absence was apparent from day one, you can't claim that the problem has only just become apparent.

 

You also need to show negligence. Some damp after well over two decades isn't necessarily evidence (by itself) of negligent installation. 

 

If you were talking about ten or more times the amount it might be worth looking into. But for £1000, you're far better of cutting your losses and getting it fixed yourself.

[Redbeard]

9 minutes ago, jack said:

If you were talking about ten or more times the amount it might be worth looking into. But for £1000, you're far better of cutting your losses and getting it fixed yourself.

...quite possibly for less than £1000, OP,  if you can send pictures, as previously requested, of the nature and extent of the damage, and words confirming how and when you feel the damage first manifested itself.