Cape Town - It is scary how quiet the building industry has gone all of a sudden.
I know we’ve just had school holidays and a batch of public holidays but, apart from a few wise people trying to get their homes watertight for winter, there is not much happening.
Even the insurance industry has gone quiet – no storm or fire damage, so contractors are scratching around for work.
This means it is a good time to go ahead with that alteration you have been planning. Although the prices of materials are continuing to rise, I doubt if you will get a better price from builders than at the moment.
But be careful of accepting a price that is too low – you don’t want to employ a contractor who is going to go belly-up on you halfway through the job, because he has been chasing work just to keep wolves from the door.
Always have a second option when you need work done. We all have our favourite plumber or electrician but what happens when he or she is not available? I try to stay loyal to my sub-contractors but I was caught out when one of my staff drilled through a hidden water pipe. Turned out my regular plumber had been away but got off the plane in time to jump into his van and sort out the problem.
I should have known he was going to be away and had a second option available. So, make sure you have at least two numbers to cover any household emergencies – and make sure everyone in the household knows where the stopcock is.
Ripped-off reader on to third builder
Therese has sent me this horror story, with photos.
QUESTION: My son had a nu-tech house built. They took his money and left the house half finished. When my son tried to contact them, he found out that they had been liquidated.
A second builder tried to fix what needed to be finished but also left without finishing the job. Both builders were paid. Now we have a third set of builders.
What can my son do in a case like this? He has to spend so much money to fix the house, as it is a danger to live in, and he has not got money to sue the two builders. He has photos as proof of how badly the house was built.
The new builder says they have to bring in an engineer. The foundation is built on sand and it is crumbling because it is more sand than cement.
My son has been quoted R290 000 to get the house fixed.
ANSWER: I hate questions like this because I detest seeing people being ripped off and it is easy for me to be wise after the event.
As the first builder has been liquidated, there is really little point in going after him.
However, you might have a chance at the second builder, especially if the third builder has not started yet. I would recommend you have no further work done until you have received an engineer’s report – you don’t want to throw good money after bad.
I know a few people who have had success after taking their complaints to Nkosana Vaveki, consumer advisor: complaints management, Office of the Consumer Protector, Department of Economic Development and Tourism, ground floor, Waldorf Building, 80 St Georges Street, Cape Town, phone 021 483 5133, fax 021 483 5872 or email Nkosana.Vaveki@ pgwc.gov.za.
When you go ahead with the third builder, please don’t pay him any money up front. Agree on a schedule with him, whereby every second week he gets paid for what he has done. If he wants money up front he is either trying to rip you off or does not have the money to run a proper business.
I am presuming that you do have council-approved plans for this structure, otherwise we are not going to get anywhere.
If you do have approved plans, you should contact your local building inspector because if, as you say, the concrete contains more sand than cement, he has not done his job properly and deserves a reprimand.
I am sorry that I can’t be of more assistance but please don’t start rebuilding on anything but a properly approved foundation signed off by an engineer.
Risky Facebook posts and other bugbears
We all jump back in horror when we see a cockroach, as they are seen as a sign that our home is not as sanitary as it should be.
In fact, there is little chance of you seeing one, mainly because they are nocturnal. If you do see one during the day it has probably been forced out of its hiding place due to overcrowding, so regularly check behind your appliances, especially where it is warm and food could fall.
It is not easy to see behind built-in cupboards, so it is a good idea to put breather vents in the bases. Not only does this give you better ventilation, it gives you the opportunity of removing the covers and having a look with a torch to see if you have a family of unwanted visitors.
A quick thought off the building line, but it does relate to insurance, so I thought I’d mention it.
Many of us love telling our friends where we are and what we are doing on Facebook but, if you think about it, you are letting the world know you are not at home. Of course, we trust our friends but who knows who else is watching behind the scenes and you could be leaving yourself open to a burglary.
However, this goes a lot deeper. It was reported on the radio that insurance companies might not pay out your claim as it could be deemed that you have been negligent. I am not sure how insurance firms would know what you had posted on Facebook. Perhaps one of you in the insurance world would like to comment.
Who do you tell if you are going away? Is it safe to advise the police? I was burgled by a security company, which responded to my alarm being activated when nobody was at home. I met them on site and everything was fine. One of their staff must have noticed that a window was not properly closed and, after I left, jumped back over the wall and managed to get my wife’s laptop out of the window.
Yes, I was stupid to leave a window open but the thief was even more stupid – still in uniform, he took the laptop to a computer company to have it charged. The technician picked up my wife’s details and phoned us. So, who do you trust?
Don MacAlister, Independent HOME
* Please send me your questions by email: don@macalister.co.za.