They have a website of http://www.dsl-online.co.uk/ and mostly unexpected is that it's located in WAKEFIELD.

For those that don't know, I'm in London, 200 miles south. Didn't sound right, but after some more hunting I see they have regional branches / depots AND a London North, London South and London East depot.

You know, I think I've found the owner!!  :)

First, the balcony is cut up

It is then lowered down the scaffolding where Al gets to work

The portable genny / arc welder is a useful device.

Flipping it over

Don't look!

.. and the modified balcony is taken back to it's final home.

And back in.

Anyway, that's one problem now resolved.

I already knew that there wasn't as much as their should have been, but when the floorboards were removed from the dormer section, the result was (to me) horrifying:

This is not just heat insulation, this is FIREPROOFING... ie. providing extra time to help save someone's life!

I've PAID for the insulation and I've PAID for the labour to put it in. Hell, I've even paid for the building inspector to tell them to ensure they put it in..... but it's just NOT THERE:

Just in case there's any doubt at all about their intention... when they did this, they made the unusual action of coming downstairs, finding my camera and taking 27 pictures of it.. .before calling the inspector who said he was round the corner and would check himself.

Fortunately for them, he only checked a section that was done.

Would you like to see these 27 pictures that they took of the same area....? 

So what do you think?

Mistake.... or deliberate attempt to circumvent the building control compliance, cheat me out of materials I've paid for and put the safety of myself and my family at risk??

I know very firmly which side my thoughts are on.

Anyway, on a brighter note, they undid some of the bathroom and cut into the bulkhead today:

Right then, I wonder what's in store tomorrow...?

So, first thing to write about today was the inspector's visit which was called off after a lorry shed it's load of asbestos outside the Blackwall tunnel, which was closed and clogged the entire area. In fact this screwed me up getting home as I met up with some neighbours, had some drinks, had some food, had some more drinks and before you know it had walked most of the way home! Next day the tunnel was STILL closed.

In the meantime the railings were painted, they took some more floor up, did more to complete the bulkhead height and pressure tested the heating system. This is the bulkhead which now gives 2m height.

Whilst pressure testing the heating system he found problems. Next to the main radiator the pipes leaked and once that was fixed, found a leak under the bathroom floor, only most of the floor had to come up to find it. The problem was a push fit connector that hadn't been properly push fitted. Hmm.. the company told me the heating was connected and ready to go - clearly not then. Then, whilst leaving it running the bottom plug popped out of the radiator in the bathroom - just wasn't tightened up.

All in all, it made for a very busy day - one that looks like the project's in week 3...

Later on in the day the building inspector called me to apologise why he hadn't been around and talk about progress. During conversation, he mentioned he had had a strange call from the company.

A lady had called the office and left a message "asking how the final inspection went on Friday" and to call her back on a landline number. The building inspector called the number back... which (as usual) went straight to the MD.

So this is 'standard tactic number 3' then - get lady to call with random, nonsensical query asking to be called back on a landline.

The building inspector advised it had not been signed off and John said he'd had an email from me saying there were 4 major points (this one). Aaaahhh... so THAT'S why you called the building inspector's office!

Going through the points, they had an argument about the doors, with the glass being over 25% (John doesn't know that the inspector has let it through.). John said "I've done this many times" as the B.I. said something along the lines of not in my borough you haven't.

They then moved on to the balcony. John said "that's a Juliette balcony" as the BI said not if I can stand on it and shut the door behind me. The cries of "we've done that many times before" fell on stony ground.

The bulkhead height - needs 2m, but it's 1.85m. Again, more arguments: we've done this many times / that's not a problem / but, but, but... Thing was it didn't take that much to amend after all and in fact has now been done.

And now... the fireproof insulation in the floor...

The Building Inspector said how he had visited last week and requested 4 boards be taken up. He saw that there was only insulation in certain areas.

John replied saying 1) it's been signed off as compliant already, and 2) subject to a complaint, the floor was lifted with him and in front of the customer to show there was insulation.

I thought that claim was quite amazing. He knew fully well that the hole that was cut was just that - a SMALL hole cut in an area which was one of 2 that had strips of insulation in.

Anyway, the B.I. was having none of it - he is the only inspector for the area, his colleagues have not been out (he checked) and the floor is not compliant. It needs to be compliant before being signed off.

The MD started to get into a conversation about him taking me to court and there being "only 2 days left" (ah look - he's doubled the estimate he gave Pete last week!). The BI said none of his business, he's just there to ensure building standards are adhered to... but he did mention from what he's seen there was certainly more than a few days left.

The BI said it was strange that he keeps referring to it being signed off, when it's not - he's the man doing it, but the MD keeps arguing this.

I said his email might have had something to do with it. I told him about this statement on email from him.

"Ahh.." he said, "that makes sense!"

So anyway, I get home later and find THAT SOME OF THE SCAFFOLDING HAS BEEN REMOVED!!! However, it's dark and I can't see much.

Daylight brings a strange sight... that the scaffolding seems to have been crippled to prevent its use.

There are 2 ways onto it; the double doors at the rear and the emergency exit window to the front. Boarding around both these areas have been removed. Furthermore, all the handrails and visual guides have been removed.

Oooo, the naughty, naughty man!

I am wondering though.... it's kinda ironic that I told him he was off the job a week and a half ago and it takes him that long to send a man round to cripple the scaffolding. I mean - doesn't bode well if he can't even get his revenge in to a timely manner...!

I called the owner, or rather the number stamped on one of the poles. That company doesn't erect scaffolding, they merely hire it to roofers who have it erected. They simply don't know who put it up there. The lady passes my details onto her manager to call me back.. which he does.

He goes through what is up there and why I think it's theirs. He thinks, due to the absence of most of the poles painted orange, that this is just one pole of theirs that's been lost over the years.  :(

He says he's heard that this does happen, that companies stop it being used, but leave it there as a form of blackmail. He's sympathetic and says that he knows a lot of scaffolding contacts in London. He's going to make some calls and come back to me  tomorrow.

He clearly has no intention to remove the scaffolding, so I'm going to. Before I do this I remember my solicitor said to ensure he's received the "move your stuff" notice and so I check the royal mail website.

Unfortunately for me, he's one step ahead. I sent the notice by email and recorded delivery and I reckon he's seen the recorded delivery item come in, know what it is and simply not sign it.

Grrr... This scaffolding being here is really a problem - I can't park my car on the drive (restricted parking in my road), I can't get the gardening people round the back to start the landscaping for the extension, it represents a security risk and is bloody unsightly.

Thinking of the voice message he left with the "I will not be removing the scaffolding", he's sitting there laughing at me.  

This necessitates another call to my friendly solicitor... 

The solicitor suggests a way forward:

Although recorded delivery is all very nice for proving someone got a letter, it's not the only way and I don't have to deliver it to him by hand, and take a picture of it.. or anything silly like that. The court will look on it sensibly and if I've sent him multiple copies and can prove it, they'll say "well, it's not likely that 7 notices all went missing now is it.."

I write a letter, give him another 7 days and in it advise I will be sending that letter by fax, email and post 3 times over 3 separate days. In this letter I also attach a copy of the letters he may (in court) say he didn't get.

Another thing is the solicitor says if I do dispose of his stuff, he will take me to court to claim for it. Although I'm in the right and he won't succeed, it'll be a legal fight. Legal fight's are not nice - they're stressful and therefore worth avoiding. Paying someone to take the scaffolding down, bung it on a lorry and deliver it to him, then put the cost on the bill is a much cleaner way of dealing.

The idea is I'm saying "Here - here's your stuff" and that chapter is then closed.

He's likely to say "you damaged it", etc.. but we'll deal with that. it's not as if he cares about his scaffolding that much as he's left some of it on the road for the last 3 days!

Although I note the scaffolding has since been 'crippled' to stop it being of use, it still remains and I will be having it removed and disposed of at a cost I intend to reclaim from you.

To be as fair as possible, I am providing an additional 7 days to remove all of the scaffolding from my land and I will be sending this by post, email and fax 3 times over 3 days to ensure you receive a copy.

I have a quote to remove and dispose and if the scaffolding is still there by 12pm on Friday 18th May, then it will be removed in the afternoon.

Regards

The original communications are attached below for your reference:

[ attached as sent on 1st May (click) and (click) ]
 

As for other progress in the loft today, it's still looking like a building site and they've been rectifying core plumbing work (leaks, etc..), heating and fireproofing. Basically it's taking longer to correct the shoddy work than to have done it right in the first place.

Pics:


The other side of the room without floorboards on. The bit of floorboards that he cut a hole in when I was there revealing insulation correctly laid was slightly to the left of this.

Leaving me a message to not pull the air conditioner condenser pipe back through . "JUST LEAVE IT ALONE!"  :)

Sometimes I'm a little too inquisitive!

On a brighter note, the building inspector attends and signs off the balcony modifications, the bulkhead and is now only looking for the fireproofing on the floor.