I’ve paid good money for a bathroom installation. This follows on from having an en-suite installed last year. Both involved replacing existing radiators with flexi pipe behind them with towel rails. When my towel rail was fitted in the en suite the plumber fitted with two very short pieces of pipe from directly behind the towel rail valves - a really nice fit. But my bathroom’s plumber has fitted like the first picture here with a large hole and lots of pipe visible - which I think goes against the point of a towel rail which you can see through. Am I in my rights to have expected a neater fit and get him to change? He says I should have specified at quote stage but it’s not something I specified to my en suite plumber. My expectation from looking at other houses and pics online is that the towel rail should be fitted like the second pic.
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Any decent plumber when quoting for the job would have brought this to the customer's attention when discussing what they want fitted. The customer is the layman the plumber is the professional, simple as that.
Personally i would have just cut the microbore in the wall and converted it inside to 15mm then brought it out in chrome, far neater finish and something that the customer is happy with.
In my opinion it is unacceptable to leave this like it is
Personally i would have just cut the microbore in the wall and converted it inside to 15mm then brought it out in chrome, far neater finish and something that the customer is happy with.
In my opinion it is unacceptable to leave this like it is
People have asked about the price. Did you supply ALL materials used on site except odd bit of pipework, screws, and perhaps some silicone sealant? Was there a written quotation or was the whole thing verbal? Most importantly: are you house or a flat, which town, and is there free parking directly outside?
Regardless of price, however, in the context of the overall project, I think a customer would reasonably expect an 'upgrade' to a towel rail to not have plastic pipe draped across at an angle (asymetrically, at that). I cannot think of many people who would want it as you have it and I personally would only have left it like that if that was clearly what we had agreed.
What I don't understand is why no mention was made of repainting or lack of it - this is the only bit that makes me wonder whether there was not a breakdown in communication that left the plumber thinking you were going to carry out work on the wall at a later state and therefore the towel rail installation is a bit temporary.
Regardless of price, however, in the context of the overall project, I think a customer would reasonably expect an 'upgrade' to a towel rail to not have plastic pipe draped across at an angle (asymetrically, at that). I cannot think of many people who would want it as you have it and I personally would only have left it like that if that was clearly what we had agreed.
What I don't understand is why no mention was made of repainting or lack of it - this is the only bit that makes me wonder whether there was not a breakdown in communication that left the plumber thinking you were going to carry out work on the wall at a later state and therefore the towel rail installation is a bit temporary.
Fit the towel rail higher (correct from a towel hanging perspective, but less great if it's the sole source of heat) and some people would think it looks weird. You can't win. I don't like the screw sticking out of the bracket though.
Can everybody just hold on a minute.
Yes we agree none of us would have done it that way.
But it's only half the story.
Was it a quick and cheap job?
I always say it's easy to pull apart other peoples work, and again it is poor, but is it a case of silk purse and pigs ear?
I'll go back to what I said before, communication, solves all problems.
Yes we agree none of us would have done it that way.
But it's only half the story.
Was it a quick and cheap job?
I always say it's easy to pull apart other peoples work, and again it is poor, but is it a case of silk purse and pigs ear?
I'll go back to what I said before, communication, solves all problems.
Well that's what we've been trying to establish. The OP has told us the price but has not been absolutely clear on what was included, or the situation, and whether a detailed quotation was provided, hence my questions in post 22. We don't even know if the existing floor was concrete or whether the plumber had to ply line the floor and provide ply, tile adhesive, grout etc.
Those two elbows behind the radiator valves could at least have been made at the same angle without it being extra effort or cost. So why has the plumber made no attempt whatsoever to make that existing pipe look as neat as it can? Nor does it make sense to fit a towel rail to un-painted wall. Which, as I've said, makes me think the plumber was considering the towel rail to be a temporary fit. I agree there's something that doesn't quite make sense here.
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Hi
The plumber was aware I would be painting. I always thought painting would be better done after the bathroom was installed. On the en suite we just about managed to get behind the towel rail to paint and will do again. I did ask if he could include decorating but he said he could not provide. The extent of the written quote was just an email as follows:
To fit your new bathroom suite including,
Removal of all old suite and disposing off site.
Turning the bath so the taps and shower are on the other side making the bathroom flow better.
Overboarding the floor ready for flooring.
All plumbing work
All plastering work
All electrics
New skirting boards
Tiling the bath area and behind the toilet and sink.
As you can see very little detail was provided. Note that floor tiling and replacement of extractor fans in this and our en-suite (to existing positions) was later added.
The floor was plyboard.
The plumber was aware I would be painting. I always thought painting would be better done after the bathroom was installed. On the en suite we just about managed to get behind the towel rail to paint and will do again. I did ask if he could include decorating but he said he could not provide. The extent of the written quote was just an email as follows:
To fit your new bathroom suite including,
Removal of all old suite and disposing off site.
Turning the bath so the taps and shower are on the other side making the bathroom flow better.
Overboarding the floor ready for flooring.
All plumbing work
All plastering work
All electrics
New skirting boards
Tiling the bath area and behind the toilet and sink.
As you can see very little detail was provided. Note that floor tiling and replacement of extractor fans in this and our en-suite (to existing positions) was later added.
The floor was plyboard.
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