Please excuse my lengthy story......Help would be much appreciated. I'm having a bit of a nightmare with my PVCu doors in my extension. A local company with 30 years good reputation installed french doors with a cill and an upstand, when I specifically asked for level/low-threshold doors for possible access to a wheelchair user. After much toing and fro-ing, the company have agreed to replace the door frame with what they provide as a low-threshold unit (a threshold of 15mm - which is not precisely the level/low access I expected), however, they insist that they need to keep the cill which raises the threshold by a further 25mm, which is not satisfactory.
On speaking with their surveyor, he initially suggested that we could create a concrete threshold level with the internal floor, and that the low aluminium threshold could be fastened directly to that, but the company director insisted that this was not possible and we have to have a cill - even though we want to create a level platform outside the door. Their surveyor then suggested that a course of bricks could be removed, the dampcourse be moved down to this level, and a layer of concrete or brick added, so that the top of the cill will be at floor level, leaving only the raised low threshold protruding. I agreed that this was a possible solution just to get this over and done with, however, the director insists that this is an unwise solution (on our heads be it) "because of the height of the carpet - and what would happen if I put a mat there"???!!! (note I wanted a level threshold - other properties with truly level thresholds have carpets!!). When I insisted this would be acceptable (just to hurry things up) he refused my suggestion of our getting a builder to do the preparation work, and insists that his men will do the work - using mortar to bring the cill up to the required level after removing a row of bricks. I have insisted that mortar is not a suitable medium on which to stand a doo, and I wish them to use half bricks or concrete, but in our agreement letter, the director has mentioned only that they will 'make good' under the door, and is still insisting that we are making a HUGE mistake wanting the course of bricks removed in the first place. Bearing in mind the fact that they have made a totally cowboy installation of the existing door (another reason for our initial complaint (the frame is not fastened to anything suitable at the top, and the windows do not seem to have suitable packers and no foam to fill gaps)), I'm not happy.
Additionally, we've just removed an area of flooring beside the door, and found that the front wall of the extension on which the existing door is standing is so damp that plants are growing in there. The previous owners have built an external brick step up to this wall, which seems to cross the dampcourse, which we were hoping to replace with a level platform, possibly made from decking. The floor of the extension is concrete, then there is a 4 inch gap between that and the outside wall which we would like to fill with concrete but for the damp!! the wooden supports and floor originally in that location have rotted. Can we layer some more of the dampcourse membrane up the face of the bricks and then fill with concrete??
I'm going mad! the Director is insisting that I sign the letter so that they can proceed with the door replacement, but I just dont know what to do for the best! Please help! Regards Mara