ᐅ Downpipe Faux Pas...

Dear Sgt. Lapdance, so far I have only read about a minor issue here, and you don’t need a lawyer for that. If you want to talk about something else that’s on your mind, feel free to do so.

In that case, I would need to change the title again, but up to now, my comments only relate to the downpipe.

The certified expert (publicly appointed and sworn) advised us to contact the building rescue specialists.
This concerns, among other things, expansion joints that have been tiled over. He also expressed doubts about the proper installation of the level-access shower. He said that in two years the wall/corner will be brown and black.

Dear Mycraft,
please also take a look at my thread about the fragmented plaster strips. Nobody can "save" that anymore either. The facade would need to be re-insulated... just because of strips that don’t even cost €20. According to the expert, this is simply shoddy workmanship and a defect!

Oh, in the worst case, the tile will crack, which can then be replaced quite easily.

It would have been better if the tradesman had done a proper job from the start.

I paid for it.

As a layperson, you don’t notice many things. You enter the property and initially think – yes, it looks good…

You can no longer see that the waterproofing membranes were not properly installed with the fillet.

Having an expert supervise the construction process really makes sense…

But it’s too late now.

Of course, it would have been nice if the craftsmen had done a proper job. But you know yourself that in life, many things don’t go according to plan. There were also defects in my build and in the neighbors’ houses. However, everything was fixed by the general contractor, often without us even needing to report it... sometimes even years after moving in... Sure, there were disputes here and there, and you had to stand up for your rights, but often a factual discussion was enough.

So, go ahead and write down everything that went wrong for you.

I have looked at the plaster trims... of course, as they are, they make no sense... but it’s repairable since everything is still fresh... you don’t need to redo the entire façade, only the reveals.

So,

1. Downspout (repairable)
2. Plaster trims (repairable, although it may require extra effort)
3. Tiles and expansion joints (repairable: tile removed – adhesive cleaned off – new tile cut – adhesive and joint profile applied – new tile installed)
4. Waterproofing membranes—which ones? And where exactly? Roof, foundation slab?
5. Shower, more information needed here... pictures? Also any documentation of the assembly?
6. Anything else?

All of this so far is obviously not ideal... but I wouldn’t call it rubbish either...

I see it differently, Mycraft. I shared pictures with my family and friends – everyone was shocked, raised their eyebrows, and said that for a new build (...) this is junk.

Even the windows in my rental apartment look better!

An experienced craftsman could fix the reveal. I agree with you on that.

However, I seriously doubt that "our" developer will make it right again.

Today I found two big dents on the front door (dug out an old photo where you can also see it, great)... something like that really annoys me. Why plaster over the protective film?

Regarding the shower: I think just tiles on machine-applied plaster are not a lasting protection against moisture. There should be a waterproofing coating applied with a roller – right?

One more thing, but I don’t want to go into too much detail (that would be beyond the scope), and since you are an engineer...

Why would anyone want to build a chimney on 5cm (2 inches) of screed? Because the concrete slab was forgotten from the start. Fine. Then they break it all up and find that electrical cables were laid under the (planned) chimney. Then you also immediately notice that the welding membranes of the floor slab lie "sharply" against the Poroton blocks...