What's wrong with this picture?
Discussion

OK, we are renovating the house we bought after returning back from Italy. So far, we have changed all doors and windows, and knocked the wall in-between the lounge/dining room, and bricked up the one doorway.
My wife works at a car rental company, and she told a customer what we were doing, and that we were looking for a plasterer to finish off the doorway, walls and fireplace. This customer said that he is a professional plasterer, and he’d come and give us a quote, and a good rate, because he always gets good discounts for rental cars.
We were happy with the price, and he seemed to know what he was talking about. However, as you can see from the picture, a blind man could have done a neater job with the arches than him! We have since (today, in fact) removed those eyesores and purchased a pair of metal lattice arch formers from Wickes.
He was meant to come today to finish off, but rang this morning asking if he could come tomorrow instead – and also asked for another £50 (We have already paid him £80 for materials – I suspect the true cost was about £30-40) – My wife said no.
Would you let this man continue plastering, or should we cut our losses and find another? Just savour the true workmanship achieved in that picture – makes you proud to be British!

Cheers…
It isn’t as though we are trying to renovate our house on the cheap either – we got the best windows and doors we could, we got all the proper materials and planning permission to open up the wall. My brother in law is a professional brick layer, so he did the brick work and inserted the steel lintel. My wife’s dad is a builder/carpenter (the plasterboard that is screwed in properly is his work, not the plasterers, who just glued the board to the brick work rather than screwing them in place!)
The only thing we were missing was someone with plastering experience – and we have tried a lot of plasterers to get quotes (again, money isn’t an issue), but none don’t seem to want to do it, so this guy seemed heaven sent at the time, and he said it a couple of day’s work at most!
We have since, as already stated, taken out those ‘arches’, ready for two proper lattice patterns – but trying to find a plasterer – a proper plasterer, is a nightmare!
It isn’t as though we are trying to renovate our house on the cheap either – we got the best windows and doors we could, we got all the proper materials and planning permission to open up the wall. My brother in law is a professional brick layer, so he did the brick work and inserted the steel lintel. My wife’s dad is a builder/carpenter (the plasterboard that is screwed in properly is his work, not the plasterers, who just glued the board to the brick work rather than screwing them in place!)
The only thing we were missing was someone with plastering experience – and we have tried a lot of plasterers to get quotes (again, money isn’t an issue), but none don’t seem to want to do it, so this guy seemed heaven sent at the time, and he said it a couple of day’s work at most!
We have since, as already stated, taken out those ‘arches’, ready for two proper lattice patterns – but trying to find a plasterer – a proper plasterer, is a nightmare!
Pagey said:
Errm!
Who fitted the plasterboard over the lintel?
It looks to be the wrong way round.
There is no wrong way round, white side out is for taping and filling with the tapered edge on the white side, makes no difference for skimming. OP this is a shoddy bit of boarding, I would tell him to sort it and if he can't get a good plasterer in to do it properly.Who fitted the plasterboard over the lintel?
It looks to be the wrong way round.
chris watton said:
Surprise surprise - he was meant to come today to finish off, and not a word from him - hasn't turned up! Some people really are scum.
Erm... Does this mean you were going to let him continue? Or do you know he didn't return by the empty punji stake trap out the front?!!Seriously, don't let him back inside unless it's to break his fingers!
freecar said:
Erm... Does this mean you were going to let him continue? Or do you know he didn't return by the empty punji stake trap out the front?!!
Seriously, don't let him back inside unless it's to break his fingers!
No - the wife has chucked all his stuff outside and left a message telling him to pick it up - had enough!Seriously, don't let him back inside unless it's to break his fingers!
chris watton said:
freecar said:
Erm... Does this mean you were going to let him continue? Or do you know he didn't return by the empty punji stake trap out the front?!!
Seriously, don't let him back inside unless it's to break his fingers!
No - the wife has chucked all his stuff outside and left a message telling him to pick it up - had enough!Seriously, don't let him back inside unless it's to break his fingers!
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