I had someone repair my front brick porch. Is this job SO bad that I should refuse to pay the balance and tell the contractor to sue me if he wants the last $100 of a $450 job? I've never seen work this awful. I am tempted to sue him to see if I can recover what I expect to be a fairly costly clearnup of his botched job. How would I or someone I hired correct this abortion? Wire brushing? Powerwashing? Muriatic acid?
Thanks for any help you can offer.
TKS
YES YES YES, thats a terrible job
probably all you mentioned to make it look a bit better. get estimates on repairing that sloppy mess
OMG, that is horrid. I'd not pay as the first step. I'd give him the opportunity to make it right. If he does, pay. If he does not, take the next step to sue for whatever it will take to make it right.
I can't tell you how to proceed but I agree with the others, that looks AWFUL.
The only question is if it's horrid enough that he doesn't have to and shouldn't give the half-assed contractor a chance to fix it. If someone demonstrates total incompetence, you don't necessarily have to give them a chance to fix it. On the other hand, I guess he probably can't make it worse either, so maybe he should let him try.
Not sure how it would be in court. "Your Honor, I was not done yet and this guy would not let me finish and make it perfect"
I grew up in Philadelphia and saw many houses getting brick re pointed, including mine. None ever came close to looking like that.
I agree. He doesn't even have to say he didn't get a chance to finish it. Even if he screws it up, generally he's entitled to a chance to make it right. Probably what the OP should do, because he probably can't make it any worse. But where some contractor is totally incompetent and giving him a second chance could do more damage, then you have the right to just say no and should prevail in court. But as you say, it's far from a sure thing.
Agree.
repairing that sloppy mess
I am going to experiment with a few of those methods to see what works best. I am afraid it's going to cost me some bucks to get it done right. Someone I talked to today suggested sandblasting, but I had hoped to find someone who had actually had this problem to recommend some options. I don't want to do anymore damage than has already been done trying to fix the problem.
It's partially my fault for not supervising him more closely. Live and learn, I guess.
TKS
I've already paid out the bulk of the money. He came by for the rest yesterday and I told him he had to make it right or he wasn't getting the balance. At $350 it's almost not worth suing him. The reason I gave him the job is that he knows my neighbor who told me the kid really needs the money. He's done some very good landscaping work but brickwork clearly isn't his forte. So much for my good deed for the week. He sounded quite competent when we met. I should have been more careful but time was of the essence because the bottom of one of the porch walls had been so compromised by the salt this recently horrid winter required to keep the porch free of ice. So I don't think the wall is in danger of collapsing anymore, but it would have been nice if this kid had actually known what he was doing and used a sponge to wipe away the excess. The only funny part about the whole episode is the number of people both here on the net and my neighbors who have said, nearly in unison: "That's the worst job I've ever seen!" It's nice to stand out.
TKS
Funny you should say that. When I refused to pay the balance he said he would come back on Monday to fix it. His idea of fixing it was to do it with an angle grinder. I suspect that's going to make things a LOT worse, especially if he starts gouging out the brick surfaces. That's why I am trying to find out what the best way to remove the excess would be. I am tempted to try the powerwasher because it would be the least damaging the the bricks. I actually had some luck on the thinner areas with a scrubbing sponge which makes me wonder if he mixed the mortar correctly. I have a drill attachment made out of abrasive plastic that might work, and a long-handled wirebrush, too. I also have a wirebrush attachment for my electric drill that might work. But the idea of an angle grinder makes me really worry that he could turn this from bad to worse in short order.
TKS
this guy would not let me finish and make it perfect"
I think once a judge with even a particle of good sense took one look at those pictures he would know instantly this guy was incompetent and that it's not unreasonable for me to not allow him to try to fix it (especially with a flippin' angle grinder!!!!!!!). Especially when the cure (wiping off the excess with sponge) would have been so much easier to do when the mortar was still wet. Well, every once in a while you have to take a serious shanking to remember to alway keep your guard up. Mine's certainly up now.
Yep, if bad mortaring had artistic value, I would be sitting on a goldmine. Yours is the universal response.
TKS
Since he talked about fixing it with an angle grinder (doing God only knows what damage to the bricks) I think he's demonstrated that he's not a bricklayer or mason of any kind. It should be pretty easy to convince a judge of that because of how easy it would have been to wipe off the excess mortar when it was still wet. It's total, 100% all-beef, no filler incompetence. I may ask him to refund half of what I paid him or to do other work for free since I suspect he is judgement-proof. I also saw the the "aha" look on his face when I asked him why he didn't wipe off the wet excess. It obviously never dawned on him to do that until I suggested it.
Now the question is, what is the best method for removing the excess without destroying or marring the brickwork any more than absolutely necessary? I have high hopes for the power washer that has on previous occasions stripped paint, gouged wood decking and has otherwise demonstrated a powerful potential for removing things - sometimes not the things you actually wanted to remove.
TKS
It's nice to know it's unanimous - I got screwed!
TKS
Don't even THINK about sandblasting a Rug brick like yours. It will destroy the texture of the brick.
Set him loose with a dental pick and some mild muriatic acid
I'd start with a wire brush. He did such crappy job that it may have not been mixed properly and won't stick well, if you are lucky.
What's a Rug brick and what other options do I have? The surface mortar's dried (very white) but the mortar in the joints (what he actually managed to get it there - as it dries it shrinks) still looks damp. He's coming by to fix it with a grinder - which could REALLY destroy the texture of the brick!! - so I was hoping to give him a definitive way to deal with the problem. I am beginning to think this job was so atrocious there's no way to fix it without damaging the bricks in some way. I think the money's lost (as in he has none) but I might be able to get him to do some free landscaping in atonement for such a horrible job. And it really is horrible.
I posted this message on Homeowner's Hub the other day and still have no answers from anyone there. Boo!!! A quick answer might have allowed me to hose off the still damp mortar while it was still damp. I am mad at myself for not thinking about doing that until it was too late.
Homeowner's Hub did provide me with an easy way to post pictures though. Much easier than a lot of dedicated photo sites, in fact. And there was a good thread about Usenet which led me here to a lot of good advice.
TKS
There certainly was no prepping of the surface. I am afraid by dicking around with the Hub (and getting no answers) I waited too long and it has all set. We'll find out tomorrow. The last time I saw my wood handled wire brush was a long, long time ago. Tools that don't get used often seem to go "on the lam" like those two convicts did. I wonder if the brush got help? The search continues.
TKS
I've got both and I am beginning to that that's what it will take. Boy if this is the perfect case of how bad things can eff up if you don't do them right in the first place. When he started, he seemed to be very careful in picking and scraping out old mortar and applying new stuff but as the job progressed, the slathering of mortar "at will" became obvious as did the over-diluting the mortar for the last of the three porch walls as he probably ran out of mortar. Ironically, that last bit of incompetence might make the mortar easier to powerwash away, which is the method I think I'll end up settling on. Only Simon LeGree or a Marine drill instructor would make someone do it with a dental pick.
TKS
RUG brick is brick with a heavy texture which resembles - - The pile on a berber rug. Your picture shows it to be rug brick. I'd pressure wash it, possibly after picking out as much as possible by hand, then wash down with muriatic acid, and then rince it with clear water - but the secret is to do it TODAY since it is already too late to do it yesterday. Depends what mortar he used - if type S mortar (lime and portland) it continues to harden for months. If it a simple lime base, muriatic acid will remove it fairly well, If type S, it will be more difficult. Mix 10% muriatic - wet the brick -soak with acid - it should fizz - after a few minutes rinse it off and see if the mortar was loosened at all - pick off what you can, then reapply acid. Repeat as necessary untill clean. After the acid starts working on the mortar a stiff bristle brush can be used - but ONLY AFTER RINSING. Wear rubber gloves when working with the acid, and always add acid to water, not the other way 'round.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.