Replacing Yeti

[oldstan]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^   Ta muchly, XP.

[Fabcol]

Hi,

 

In July this year our seven year old Yeti 2.0L diesel SE L sailed through the MOT with a clean bill of health this done at the same time as the service carried out by DM Keith Wakefield who have maintained the Yeti from new as they did with our previous Fabia Monte Carlo; it's done a gentle well looked after 32,000 miles and I drive on the gears not the brakes.

 

With a clear MOT I was more than surprised to find an impending bill for new front discs & pads total of £352 had been recorded on the service sheet? A few days ago I checked Ferodo website for local  suppliers and visited A-Z Motor Factors here in Huddersfield; A two minute phone call and a bit of time with dirty hands has saved me £252; A-Z were brilliant and the Borg & Beck discs & pads came to exactly £100 over the counter.

 

They are now fitted and I took my time cleaning and greasing; the original discs were proving a real pain to remove they were rusted absolutely solid; in the end I visited YouTube; I'm an NCB trained mechanical engineer and given how tight these discs were I didn't want to use excessive force.

 

Just give a few heavy sharp clouts on the front face outer rim of the disc with a 4lb club hammer; hitting the disc a number of times in different places shocks the disc free; put the Torx screw back in loosely to save the disc flying off. It works a treat saving no end of hassle and frustration.

 

 

A new disc in place it's a shame to get it dirty.

 

The original discs in excellent condition.

 

With the original discs on the bench out of curiosity I measured with a micrometer; they are exactly 21mm thick; new discs are 22mm thick and require replacing at 18mm thick. 1mm wear in 32,000 miles if they were to wear equally over the next few years then  they would easily last for a further 50,000 miles. The pads yes they were worn but still had many thousands of miles in them. I've found a local independent service garage with an excellent reputation for future work on our beloved Yeti. The £352 I thought reasonable considering a main dealership's overheads what I don't think reasonable is replacing perfectly good used parts  with new.

 

I've posted elsewhere but we intend to keep our Yeti so I've also been rustproofing with Bilt Hamber products; all four inner wings and suspension now treated; I dropped the wing liners and have replaced the fixings using heavy duty zinc plated U nuts and also Stainless self tapping Pozi screws with stainless penny washers.

 

Very heavy duty U nuts.

 

U nuts in place.

 

 

I don't need to rustproof these they being stainless and I've got a good stock of these U nuts; Pozi self tappers and washers. These Pozi self tapping flange screws have a smaller flange the the T25 they replaced so penny washers made an even better job.

 

Worth posting again if I've already posted the pictures of the wing liner fixings.

 

Next job will be injecting the cavities with Bilt S50 rust proofing.

 

Just passing a bit of time before teatime; it's been another very busy day.

 

Kind regards, Colin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Carlodiesel]

Fabcol, another heads up for A-Z Motor Factors, used them a few times now.

Just ordered some Bosch f&r discs & pads for a BMW320D which I will be fitting next week. Good price too.

Just a note, when fitting new discs, a small fingerful of copper grease round the flange helps with removal at a later time.

 A smear of Mintex Ceratec  lub round the Pad ears and where they slide, helps stop the rusting & lubs to.

 

[Prezafab]

1 hour ago, Fabcol said:

Hi,

 

In July this year our seven year old Yeti 2.0L diesel SE L sailed through the MOT with a clean bill of health this done at the same time as the service carried out by DM Keith Wakefield who have maintained the Yeti from new as they did with our previous Fabia Monte Carlo; it's done a gentle well looked after 32,000 miles and I drive on the gears not the brakes.

 

With a clear MOT I was more than surprised to find an impending bill for new front discs & pads total of £352 had been recorded on the service sheet? A few days ago I checked Ferodo website for local  suppliers and visited A-Z Motor Factors here in Huddersfield; A two minute phone call and a bit of time with dirty hands has saved me £252; A-Z were brilliant and the Borg & Beck discs & pads came to exactly £100 over the counter.

 

They are now fitted and I took my time cleaning and greasing; the original discs were proving a real pain to remove they were rusted absolutely solid; in the end I visited YouTube; I'm an NCB trained mechanical engineer and given how tight these discs were I didn't want to use excessive force.

 

Just give a few heavy sharp clouts on the front face outer rim of the disc with a 4lb club hammer; hitting the disc a number of times in different places shocks the disc free; put the Torx screw back in loosely to save the disc flying off. It works a treat saving no end of hassle and frustration.

 

 

A new disc in place it's a shame to get it dirty.

 

The original discs in excellent condition.

 

With the original discs on the bench out of curiosity I measured with a micrometer; they are exactly 21mm thick; new discs are 22mm thick and require replacing at 18mm thick. 1mm wear in 32,000 miles if they were to wear equally over the next few years then  they would easily last for a further 50,000 miles. The pads yes they were worn but still had many thousands of miles in them. I've found a local independent service garage with an excellent reputation for future work on our beloved Yeti. The £352 I thought reasonable considering a main dealership's overheads what I don't think reasonable is replacing perfectly good used parts  with new.

 

I've posted elsewhere but we intend to keep our Yeti so I've also been rustproofing with Bilt Hamber products; all four inner wings and suspension now treated; I dropped the wing liners and have replaced the fixings using heavy duty zinc plated U nuts and also Stainless self tapping Pozi screws with stainless penny washers.

 

Very heavy duty U nuts.

 

U nuts in place.

 

 

I don't need to rustproof these they being stainless and I've got a good stock of these U nuts; Pozi self tappers and washers. These Pozi self tapping flange screws have a smaller flange the the T25 they replaced so penny washers made an even better job.

 

Worth posting again if I've already posted the pictures of the wing liner fixings.

 

Next job will be injecting the cavities with Bilt S50 rust proofing.

 

Just passing a bit of time before teatime; it's been another very busy day.

 

Kind regards, Colin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good work.

 

I said that Skoda health check form should be renamed a BGF (Business generation form).

 

If you had had them replaced at Skoda and insisted on the return of the old bits, you would have had a case with them.

[Fabcol]

Hi,

 

Many thanks for the tips Carlodiesel; yes well lubricated where needed after lots of cleaning first to remove rust and dirt; I spun the pins in the lathe to polish them before greasing; copper grease used throughout; one job I do want to do is to buy a bolt about 3" long the same thread as the wheel studs and cut its head off adding a screwdriver slot and removing the sharp edge; I can then screw this into the hub finger tight and hopefully it will make replacing the wheel a lot easier once the wheel is located then unscrew the new fixing; just an idea but these wheels tend to get heavier each time I handle them; it's worth a try. I use the wheel wrench supplied with the Yeti for removing and refitting the wheels but I've also made a 12" long extension out of steel pipe which is a nice sliding fit over the wrench handle; this is now full time in the car; when the service guys refit the wheels they tighten the studs so tight it's difficult to remove them without a struggle using the short wrench; every bit helps.

 

One thing I'm struggling with is judging brake master cylinder filling level; I'm hopelessly colour blind which doesn't help and the Skoda user manual doesn't help me; it's not the easiest master cylinder to access; no icon warning on the dashboard but I'll get it checked for peace of mind; I'm very keen when it comes to safety; seen in the pictures I have two trolley jacks and the wheel under the car.

 

Thanks Prezafab; I'm not throwing stones at DM Keith's I'll just not deal with them in future; I've never tried to cut costs but this brake job has been a rude awakening for me.

 

Ideally I'd have liked to use Ferodo parts but over 50 years ago owning my own garage business I often used Borg & Beck so am happy to use them. It's my first time using A-Z but I'm delighted with their service; one pair of the new pads had the wear indicator lead fitted; our Yeti doesn't need this so I double checked with A-Z via a phone call; just snip it off the manufacturer fits this to all new pads then if not needed it can easily be removed; as I say I'm very keen indeed regarding safety.

 

Having been treated like this I wonder if our discs would be replaced by worn out discs should I have requested their return then I'd have been non the wiser; customers shouldn't need to mark parts of their car for identification; I'll just walk away. I'd like a gallon of old used black engine oil and will visit the independent to see if I can buy a gallon to test the water; I mix old engine oil with diesel for treating our fences; it works much better than the products I've used in the past which I apply one year and the next year they are washed off; I like the smell of oil & grease it takes me back to my time in the pit.

 

Kind regards, Colin.

[J.R.]

Why did you go to the trouble of replacing perfectly sound and serviceable brake discs?

 

That shouldn't really be described as a monetary saving of £252 but saving yourself from being ripped off like all the others who believe what is simply a standard line added to an invoice "brake disks and pads 75% worn"

 

Re the cut down bolt for holding wheel in place while fitting real bolts, you will struggle to find one as its a non standard fine pitch, however there are loads of knurled and slotted ones on Ali-Express for much cheapness, mine came as a pair in a robust case, I gave one to my neighbour and use the space in the box for the locking wheel bolt adaptor, tool to remove plastic bolt head covers etc.

 

Using one works but having 2 makes wheel-changing much easier hence why they also sell them as pairs.

[Fabcol]

Hi,

 

Thanks for asking J.R.  I'd already bought the discs & pads so rather than just fit the pads I did both; I could have damaged the original discs getting them off because they were incredibly tight being rusted on then I can forget them for many years to come.

 

Thanks also for the information regarding the wheel stud size; it was just a thought but we have a local store called Danlett who do all things fasteners; https://www.bolts.co.uk/ I have both woodturning and metal turning lathes; I don't even need them threaded just a close sliding fit will do and I've got plenty of round bar stock so can make my own plain; threaded and even knurled in a number of designs. Two could well be better as you kindly suggest. Rain is forecast again for tomorrow so I could spend a bit of time in the workshop. I've also got plenty of thread gauges.

 

I do regard it as money saving though because had I not known just being a normal customer I'd have believed it and had the work carried out; anyway it's done; next week I think is going to be hotter so fingers crossed I can resume rustproofing; I want to complete the rustproofing as much as I can before winter kicks in.

 

Kind regards, Colin.

[Expatman]

5 hours ago, Fabcol said:

Hi,

 

In July this year our seven year old Yeti 2.0L diesel SE L sailed through the MOT with a clean bill of health this done at the same time as the service carried out by DM Keith Wakefield who have maintained the Yeti from new as they did with our previous Fabia Monte Carlo; it's done a gentle well looked after 32,000 miles and I drive on the gears not the brakes.

 

With a clear MOT I was more than surprised to find an impending bill for new front discs & pads total of £352 had been recorded on the service sheet? A few days ago I checked Ferodo website for local  suppliers and visited A-Z Motor Factors here in Huddersfield; A two minute phone call and a bit of time with dirty hands has saved me £252; A-Z were brilliant and the Borg & Beck discs & pads came to exactly £100 over the counter.

 

They are now fitted and I took my time cleaning and greasing; the original discs were proving a real pain to remove they were rusted absolutely solid; in the end I visited YouTube; I'm an NCB trained mechanical engineer and given how tight these discs were I didn't want to use excessive force.

 

Just give a few heavy sharp clouts on the front face outer rim of the disc with a 4lb club hammer; hitting the disc a number of times in different places shocks the disc free; put the Torx screw back in loosely to save the disc flying off. It works a treat saving no end of hassle and frustration.

 

 

A new disc in place it's a shame to get it dirty.

 

The original discs in excellent condition.

 

With the original discs on the bench out of curiosity I measured with a micrometer; they are exactly 21mm thick; new discs are 22mm thick and require replacing at 18mm thick. 1mm wear in 32,000 miles if they were to wear equally over the next few years then  they would easily last for a further 50,000 miles. The pads yes they were worn but still had many thousands of miles in them. I've found a local independent service garage with an excellent reputation for future work on our beloved Yeti. The £352 I thought reasonable considering a main dealership's overheads what I don't think reasonable is replacing perfectly good used parts  with new.

 

I've posted elsewhere but we intend to keep our Yeti so I've also been rustproofing with Bilt Hamber products; all four inner wings and suspension now treated; I dropped the wing liners and have replaced the fixings using heavy duty zinc plated U nuts and also Stainless self tapping Pozi screws with stainless penny washers.

 

Very heavy duty U nuts.

 

U nuts in place.

 

 

I don't need to rustproof these they being stainless and I've got a good stock of these U nuts; Pozi self tappers and washers. These Pozi self tapping flange screws have a smaller flange the the T25 they replaced so penny washers made an even better job.

 

Worth posting again if I've already posted the pictures of the wing liner fixings.

 

Next job will be injecting the cavities with Bilt S50 rust proofing.

 

Just passing a bit of time before teatime; it's been another very busy day.

 

Kind regards, Colin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I take it you have written to D M Keith Service Manager, with a copy to their MD, demanding an explanation as to why they advised new front discs and pads when the existing ones were perfectly serviceable? They owe you an explanation and you can tell them you were a loyal customer and ask if this is how they treat all their loyal customers. Interesting to see their response.

[J.R.]

9 minutes ago, Expatman said:

ask if this is how they treat all their loyal customers.

 

Of course it is, the its common practice across the whole VAG group, its quite likely that they all use the same accounting system and have the same standard coded items that are added to inflate the bill like washer fluid, brake cleaner, environmental disposal of old parts, covid dsinfection, brakes/clutch 75% worn etc etc, its someones job to dream up these things.

 

Any written complaint will just be added to the hundreds of others and maybe judged in a competition at Christmas!

 

The only thing that surprises me is that there are still people who have not heard of it and fall for it.

 

My chauffeur pal who sold me my first Octavia used to have the main dealer services up to a certain point, I think back then it was to keep the 3 year warranty, it probably wasn't true but he had swallowed it, he did any other work himself, he had changed the front brake pads the night before putting it in for service and had driven 1/2 mile on them to drop it off, do I need to explain further? I'm sure you can guess!

[Expatman]

13 hours ago, J.R. said:

 

Of course it is, the its common practice across the whole VAG group, its quite likely that they all use the same accounting system and have the same standard coded items that are added to inflate the bill like washer fluid, brake cleaner, environmental disposal of old parts, covid dsinfection, brakes/clutch 75% worn etc etc, its someones job to dream up these things.

 

Any written complaint will just be added to the hundreds of others and maybe judged in a competition at Christmas!

 

The only thing that surprises me is that there are still people who have not heard of it and fall for it.

 

My chauffeur pal who sold me my first Octavia used to have the main dealer services up to a certain point, I think back then it was to keep the 3 year warranty, it probably wasn't true but he had swallowed it, he did any other work himself, he had changed the front brake pads the night before putting it in for service and had driven 1/2 mile on them to drop it off, do I need to explain further? I'm sure you can guess!

Not so, I have had excellent service from my local Skoda main Dealer who have gone out of their way to save me money on repairs. On one mistake they made in a quotation for a repair they corrected the work done by an Independent totally free of charge to me. Dealers are generally independent of VAG and rely on keeping their good name in their community to thrive.

[idleness]

I wouldn't trust my local Skoda dealer further that i could throw it.

I use an independent just across the road from them

 

[Fabcol]

Hi,

 

Thanks for your suggestion Expatman regarding writing to the MD; I think looking at my recent experience I'd just receive a standard reply given to all customers; the best thing I can do is learn from my mistake in being so gullible and trusting;  I'll walk away rather than getting upset and annoyed; losing our business will hurt them more also we have friends with Skoda's who are now warned. Had I thought it to be a simple mistake I'd have gone in person to speak to the service guy in a respectful manner. We've also just paid for the two yearly brake fluid change; have they actually replaced it?

 

Sadly J.R. I've come to the same conclusion and wonder if a postcode is taken into account as to the amount of rip off?

 

I'll make it known to the independent when I visit I'm a mechanical engineer. Back in 2016 whilst giving our bungalow interior a full and comprehensive makeover we visited a fireplace company in Horbury Bridge called "Flames". Their guy came out to do the survey for the new high efficiency gas fire and he was impressed by work I've carried out over many years; I told him my background was mechanical engineering; his amusing and friendly reply was that he'd better let the installers know; two guys did an absolutely wonderful job being here for hours; I couldn't fault them or their work it's a pity others don't work to the same standards; anyone local I can highly recommend "Flames Of Wakefield".

 

The Yeti wheels being so heavy take a lot of effort to refit them so this morning I popped over to Danlett in Huddersfield and as you rightly pointed out J.R. the threads are an unusual size; I wanted a bolt which would have an unthreaded section but all they had was Hex head set screws;

 

I bought two these being M14x1.5x80 HEX SETS   DIN961  GD 8.8.

 

Back home I quickly modified them cutting the hex heads off leaving a threaded 55mm length; in the lathe I removed most of the thread to give a smoother length of 35mm; screwdriver slots were cut using a hacksaw and all sharp edges removed;

 

These will now screw into the wheel hub allowing the wheel to slide on; they are a very loose fit in the wheel holes but I don't think it will matter; I'm unable to try them due to our wet weather although next week is forecast dry and warm.

 

It's sad so few can be trusted these days; the new rustproofing spray gun arrived this morning but I'm unable to use it until the car dries not just on the outside but also inside the cavities which I think will take a lot of drying out; I want to complete the rust proofing as much as I can before the weather gives way to our very long winter.

 

Kind regards, Colin.

 

 

 

[Prezafab]

I think more and more Yeti owners are going to keep their cars in fine fettle.

 

There is a late model one advertised on a well known car website today for £21299. I asked my other half to guess the price (she loves her older Yeti in a similar spec) and she said £15k...

[Fabcol]

Hi,

 

I wonder what our environmentally friendly diesel Yeti on £35 per year road tax with 32,000 miles on its clock would be worth in London.

 

I'm in full agreement with you Prezafab; our Yeti is simply brilliant and a keeper; there's nothing new to touch it as an all round wonderful car.

 

I've just sent a polite email to DMK explaining we won't be dealing with them in future and why; it's time to move on being older and much wiser. It's going to be an independent garage in future something I never thought we'd have to resort to.

 

Kind regards, Colin.

[J.R.]

7 hours ago, Expatman said:

Dealers are generally independent of VAG

 

With as much freedom to do as they choose as a MacDonalds franchisee!

[Expatman]

Just now, J.R. said:

 

With as much freedom to do as they choose as a MacDonalds franchisee!

But how they treat customers is up to them. All I can say is that my local Skoda main dealer was more than fair with me - and it must have cost them £ hundred(s) to go above excellent customer service. Don't tar all dealers with the same brush!

[Fabcol]

Hi,

 

It must be a couple of years ago since I visited Rufforth Auto Jumble near York the only distance covered in the meantime had been to hospitals. Apart from the usual 50mph stretch on the M1 it was mostly 70mph both ways with cruise control engaged; what an absolutely delightful car our Yeti is to own & drive. I didn't want anything but I returned home about £60 less in the pocket with a load of goodies; I always end up buying urgent items I didn't know I needed.

 

Here's to many more years of Yeti enjoyment.

 

Kind regards, Colin.

[Fabcol]

Hi,

 

I've now found a trusted independent service garage; to check it out I visited on Tuesday; parking is restricted regarding space and inside the bays it looked very well used indeed not in the least posh. As I waited in reception a young lady was being told about a slight knock on the front end of her car but at this time don't worry too much; if it becomes worse then let us know and we'll sort it out for you; I was now already very impressed. My turn next; I asked if they could supply about two gallons of old dirty engine oil I'm happy to pay for it and supply a container;  have a word with so and so I'm sure he can help; I went to the guy pointed out and once again asked for the oil; yes no problem at all; I don't have a container with me but I'll call back.

 

At this point I asked if he could in future service our Yeti explaining the main dealer problem; he wasn't in the least surprised and said yes; next I asked if he could also rustproof the chassis area of the Yeti the under wings etc already done by me I said I can supply the Bilt Hamber. I was truly amazed by his reply; if you visit at dinnertime any day when the Yeti is dry you're very welcome to use one of the car lifts; this was a real surprise and I replied I'm not after favours I'll be happy to pay. Now he was interested because he

wanted to rustproof his own vehicle and intended to use Dinitrol so I've since sent him a link to Bilt Hamber website together with suggestion he view YouTube videos showing it being used.

 

I walked in as a total stranger and from first contact it was very friendly indeed nothing too much trouble and I feel happier the Yeti will be looked after in future knowing services won't be skimped. Pity I didn't know this nine years ago when I put my trust in the main dealer. Sorry no company name they are already full up with work. No fancy showroom no frills just good old fashioned car servicing by a well established company.

 

Kind regards, Colin.

[Fabcol]

Hi,

 

A quick update. I've collected 2 gallons of old engine oil this afternoon; when I asked how much I owed  it was free of charge in fact the guy was glad to get rid of it because it now costs to dispose of old oil; I can have as much as I like but this mixed with diesel at 50/50 will last years for the fences I want to treat; usually I brush it on taking ages this time I'll use a spray gun.

 

 

This is a bespoke fence I made about twenty years ago when I installed the new pathway; it's made to suit the slope and made from treated roof tiling battens costing very little indeed other than thought to design and time to make; each panel is secured by four hex head 75mm long turbo screws enabling the panels to be removed allowing a proper treatment.

 

 

The fence still looks like new because I treat it every three years or so. These panels cannot be bought; the acorn finials are wood-turned from the post top offcuts with oak capping blocks. Just adding this for interest.

 

I never want anything for nothing so I took along a box of chocs on the back seat of the car which were welcomed as I handed them over.

 

Kind regards, Colin.

 

 

 

[oldstan]

You probably don't need to be told but the mix of old engine oil and diesel is, apparently, carcinogenic. To be honest I mix creosote or (the newer version called creocote) with engine oil, be it old engine oil or a drop of new .... and brush it on my shed and side gate etc and I'm still here - but I'm not sure I'd be happy to spray the stuff on .... that might be a step too far, even for me.

 

I love creosote but, as we all know, you can't buy it unless you're a registered business that needs it and you can only, now, get creocote, which is probably far less effective, hence me thinking engine oil might make it a bit more long lasting.

[Fabcol]

Hi,

 

Thanks oldstan for your welcome concern; yes it's not the nicest stuff to spray but I intended to do it on our driveway out in the open wearing a respirator; to be safe though I'll heed your kind advice and brush it on instead which is my usual method of application; removing the panels mean I can fully treat them it just takes time; usually a full day.

 

Many years ago I tried Creoseal a Creosote replacement with good reviews; it washed off in the first year so now I use the old oil/diesel mixture which lasts four or five years and costs incredible little; I've also tried shed & fence treatments but modern health and safety regs has killed the best treatments like Creosote.

 

Kind regards, Colin.

[Fabcol]

Hi,

 

I did apply the diesel/old oil to the fence using a brush; a very messy but rather therapeutic job on a nice warm dry day but with heavy rain forecast the day after so I was in a bit of a rush; normally I allow each panel a few minutes to drip but needed to get the job done in the day hence the panels dripped then a pressure cleaning job was needed.

 

Seven panels so eight posts. Treating these posts highlighted today's tradespeople at least the the builder working (?) directly across the street; just as I started this builder arrived in his battered truck; I treated all eight posts; caps & finials taking just an hour; I felt sorry for this builder; he must struggle a great deal with his mobile phone; cigarette; food & drink he simply doesn't have enough hands in order to cope. He finally got out of the truck as I was putting my brush away; he went into the house then shortly after he drove away; In the afternoon the builder arrived once again but this time only spent three quarters of an hour on his backside in his truck. I wouldn't want him on our site.

 

Two weeks ago the skip lorry shattered the manhole cast iron cover in front of our garden wall on the pavement; these things happen and it was quickly replaced. On Monday this week here's what happened;

 

The new manhole covered not only shattered but the whole manhole structure now compromised.

 

CCTV is very useful; here's the lorry on top of the cover. This damage occurred in the morning; 3pm I became involved; I sent camera images together with CCTV slides to Myers the skip company; Myer's were totally unaware of this damage but they were brilliant thanking me and another skip wagon quickly arrived; it was hugely dangerous and the driver causing the damage didn't report it; the debris was cleared and as I type there's a big safety cover over the hole with a traffic cone at each corner. We wonder if the builder is on the clock or on a fixed price quote.

 

I'm sure we've made the right decision in keeping our lovely Yeti having watched EV's self destruct on YouTube; there are so  many things wrong with EV's but propaganda is playing such a big role in convincing people to trade in their often decent ICE car to go the EV route; where will it end.

 

Here's an EV in self destruct mode on a road I often travel;

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvIi2kIDy54

 

We'd replace our Yeti with another brand new diesel Yeti; if only Skoda would make a basic diesel Yeti without all the modern electronics we'd certainly trade ours in.

 

Just rambling because heavy rain is forecast and outside it's already a black hole although it feels very warm today.

 

Kind regards, Colin.

 

 

 

 

 

[skomaz]

I think many builders are like that - there's a house being extended and renovated next door to my mum - they've been at it two years so far and it's still nowhere near finished - no cladding to the external walls, driveway and gardens full of rubbish and materials, walls not rendered, paving not laid, roofing not finished.  The (second) builder is hardly ever there (the first went bankrupt).

 

Meanwhile up from us there's another house that has been undergoing similar work for about a month to six weeks and it's nearly finished

[J.R.]

3 houses being built in my street, 2 by the local firm doing most of the new builds, here you buy a plot of land and engage a builder who will flit between yours and other sites, the big developer sites like in the UK dont exist, they just create the plots, the roads, sewerage, water and electric to the edge of each property and sell the plot to someone who finds a builder or selfbuilds.

 

In over a year I have seen workers on each of the sites for a maximum of 9 days and most of them they have already cleared off by the time I pass in the early afternoon, the groundworks, foundations, floor slab, walls and roof timbers (all single storey bungalows) go up remarkably quickly with the right equipment and guys, never more than 2 guys and rarely more than one day on site for each stage, for example all the outside walls in one day because the cellular clay blocks are just stuck together with expanded foam.

 

One building has stopped at floor slab level and nobody sen on site for months, the other is roofed and "dried in" windows & doors fitted etc, since then radio silence.

 

The 3rd was done by a self employed Portugeezer and was going up in record time, unfortunately he was a scammer who provided false papers for business registration and the essential 10 year "assurance decennial" and he took the customer for €80k before they realised that the work was sub standard and would never be signed off, this house is also at the "dried in" stage but lacking roof tiles, just felted (membrane) and battened.

 

I am/was considering buying it at a ridiculous price (€60K) to put things right and complete it, on further inspection I find he had misordered the factory roof trusses so built all 4 walls in the incorrect position to accomodate it, the square area is correct but the length longer and the width shorter meaning the walls are not sitting on the foundations 😒

 

But it was built in record time!!!!!

[oldstan]

I fear we're all straying away from the topic of "Replacing the Yeti" .... and I was part of the deviation too - sorry.