The issues raised by cogarch are serious and I’m amazed that the agent (if one was involved in the sale) didn’t pick up the fact that the facade had been rendered recently nor that an extension had been built.
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Sorry for the late response.
After consulting with some artisans and consultants we have identified the following defects, not just in the render:
- Poor quality of stone blocks where replaced
- Application of permeable lime render over impermeable cement render, leading to blocking of necessary aspiration by stone, together with loss of key and degradation of stone substrate
- Poor choice of material for sills (concrete) and bridging of drips in existing sills
- Inadequate keying-in of stone piers supporting lintel in new internal opening between salon and dining room, resulting in a pile of stones that are bowing over in the direction of the opening and gap opening up below the end of the oak lintel where it is deflecting so the area of bearing is reduced.
I have been told that these re not covered by decennial insurance as it is not a new building. However the vendor/contractor are subject to civil liability.
Because the house is in a historic zone the requirements of the Architectes des Bâtiments de France are very strict and a local tailleur en pierre has suggested that we ask them to look at it, after which they are likely to deem it as unsatisfactory, leading to the original vendor and contractor to be required to rectify it. Given the crap work that they have done in the past though I am not sure they are capable of improving it.
The failure of the vendor to declare the work in the Acte de Vente is of course separate from the defective nature of the work having been carried out, and I wish we had legal insurance to properly disentangle these issues.
We had deçennel insurance for 20years for the business and never did new buildings, always old and renovations and they were covered fully by it. Don’t know where you got that from but my old 450 year old property was covered by DI when I had major works done.
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