Countertop Lower Than Specified, Contractor Said This Is Normal?

[ultimax 2]

Hello,

My contractor built two countertops lower than what the detailed drawings specified. One is 1cm lower, the other is 2 cm lower. They are both also supposed to be the same height.

He doesn't want to rectify them because he said this is normal because in construction nothing is exact. He said even HDB walls are not built exactly to HDB's specifications.

I find this hard to believe because why take measurements if this is the case? A few mm off, maybe even half a cm off, I can still accept. But 1 to 2 cm, which is noticeable, surely is not acceptable right?

What do you guys think?

Thanks!

[Tiler Seng 57]

Hello,

My contractor built two countertops lower than what the detailed drawings specified. One is 1cm lower, the other is 2 cm lower. They are both also supposed to be the same height.

He doesn't want to rectify them because he said this is normal because in construction nothing is exact. He said even HDB walls are not built exactly to HDB's specifications.

I find this hard to believe because why take measurements if this is the case? A few mm off, maybe even half a cm off, I can still accept. But 1 to 2 cm, which is noticeable, surely is not acceptable right?

What do you guys think?

Thanks!

Hi we do not know what counter top you were talking about, can you show us a pictures?

what is the Ht specified in the drawings?

[ultimax 2]

Hi we do not know what counter top you were talking about, can you show us a pictures?

what is the Ht specified in the drawings?

Hello Tiler Seng,

It's a solid surface kitchen countertop. There are two countertops separated by a wall. One side is 840mm, the other side is 830mm. The drawings say 850mm for both.

Contractor say 10-20mm off is normal because they are constructed by humans. Am wondering if this is acceptable?

Edited December 1, 2012 by ultimax

[angmoh 0]

i can accept difference from the actual and the drawings. but i cant accept the difference for 2 countertops. They should at least make sure the 2 countertops are flushed or same level.

Anyway 1 or 2 cm makes alot of difference. Usually the threshold is 5mm and below

[blueriverview 0]

generally...I can't accept such difference. Its gonna be quote costly for your contractor to replace...assuming its the carpentry or base not measured and done up properly. The counter top thickness sure is same.

Also...if u have paid the contractor a good price, you should expect good quality.

[yourdreamhome 0]

Hello,

My contractor built two countertops lower than what the detailed drawings specified. One is 1cm lower, the other is 2 cm lower. They are both also supposed to be the same height.

He doesn't want to rectify them because he said this is normal because in construction nothing is exact. He said even HDB walls are not built exactly to HDB's specifications.

I find this hard to believe because why take measurements if this is the case? A few mm off, maybe even half a cm off, I can still accept. But 1 to 2 cm, which is noticeable, surely is not acceptable right?

What do you guys think?

Thanks!

did u find the contractor yourself or through ID? thats usually wat happen when u contact contractors ure not familiar with, they are often cheaper but sometime their workmanship is a problem. 1-2cm is really too much by carpentry standard. like u said if they allow such mistake why come measure in the first place. measuring on the site is to markout the structure error eg. wall not in line or flooring level is off which is usually the main reason why we do customize carpentry work. hopefully u haven paid the rest of the money to them if not u really cant do much ... to tear away the already done cabinet is like making another 1 which i dont tink the contractor will do that for u... in the future b4 u want to get any contractor for any work try to make sure they are reliable.

[ultimax 2]

Hello everyone,

Thanks very much for your opinions. Greatly appreciated!

I made a typo in my earlier post. I engaged an ID and not a contractor. He claims his contractor's workmanship is better than what's out there, and his price of course reflects this. But I think this is BS lah ...

Sadly, I paid up in full. It's partly my fault because I was too trusting and maybe a bit too lax. There were other problems towards the end, and the ID promised to resolve them quickly. The ID had been OK right up to that point, so in the spirit of "give-and-take" I trusted him and his promises. Big mistake. The remaining works took weeks to finish, and now I'm getting "too bad it's your problem" type of responses.

I now know that in this industry, only money gives you power. No such thing as goodwill.

I think my only recourse now is Small Claims Tribunal. I just wanted to see if I have a case because I really don't know what the "norm" is in construction. Now I know others think this is unacceptable too, and the detailed drawings back my claim up.

Sigh ... it's not that I want to get back at the ID. I rather not have to do this and everyone leave happy. But I really think for a contract that is a five figure sum, many IDs and contractors tend to be dismissive of client requests for rectification. I think it's only natural that if you pay that much, you have certain expectations of standards and quality of work.

[ultimax 2]

Can share who is your ID so others can be careful in appointing them?

Hello as much as I would like to, I would rather not openly state the name of the ID firm as this may complicate matters in future if I boh pian have to take legal action against them. Don't want them to say I'm publicly defaming or bad mouthing them.

I do still believe in honest feedback so if you're interested in finding out the firm's name and my experience, just PM me. I can give it to you in private.

[ClearValley 0]

Like what angmoh said, I can accept the difference between the finished product and the planned height, but I can't accept the height difference between the two counters in the same room. That's just rubbish workmanship. They need to fix that.

[renovice 0]

Maybe its better show us the photo(s),

are these two countertops you're telling us here are attached/joining together?,

if they are not and just opposite each other, can u see the difference of only 1cm between the two?

[iTalk 0]

Does the sales contract or 3d drawing state the height or size of the measurement, thickness, etc.... 1to2CM is a big differences. Read through the sales contract that you have signed to see the t&c for any clause if it states. Hopefully you have a copy still with you and that the job done is not at it's final stage. If not chances of a quick turn around will be quite slim.

[ultimax 2]

Thanks for the further opinions.

This is how it looks like.

http://postimage.org/image/9rh9nmms9/

It's not super obvious there's a height difference because it's 10mm but it is obvious. You don't need to stare to realise one side is higher than the others. One quick glance and you already know something is not right. Quite a few of our friends already asked why is one side higher than the other so I guess it is noticeable.

I'm not particular to the extent that everything must die die be constructed to the exact mm specified in the drawings. But in this case, the usability of the kitchen counter is affected because it is built lower than specified 850mm. 20mm is almost an inch! In the first place, even 850mm is already on the low side. Most of the counters I've seen are about 860mm. At 830mm, I get back strain washing the dishes, and I'm only 1.76m tall!

iTalk: The sales contract doesn't specify dimensions other than per foot run. I think most quotations are like that. But the detailed drawings very clearly show 850mm. It's computer generated so all the dimensions are listed out. Sadly, we've already paid up. The end of our renos was quite messy because there were quite a few defects and unfinish works, but we had to move in because time at our previous place was up. Ideally, I would have given myself a few weeks to slowly inspect everything after the ID said renos were completed because a lot of things you don't notice right away. But I had to move in, and the ID was also trying to wrap everything up.

The ID did give us a one year warranty against defective workmanship and this is stated in the agreement in black and white. I think this is defective workmanship.

At this point, I just want to be treated fairly. The way I see it, what the ID is doing is similar to a shoe salesman telling me I should accept half a size smaller than what I ordered because I still can wear it, eventhough it's not comfortable. No one would accept that from a shoe shop, so why should we from an ID?

Edited December 3, 2012 by ultimax

[ClearValley 0]

The height difference is way too obvious. I think your contractor should be obligated to fix that. Plain carelessness on the workers' part, and the supervisor's as well.