Last month we commissioned SD Joinery, Cornwall, to make a kit for a den for our 2 daughters birthday. It has been a catastrofic disaster, with a local joiner and my carpenter father describing the construction as a death trap. Not all of the pieces have been delivered still, over 2 weeks after the first delivery, we have had to source some pieces our selves as he missed them off the design, there are so many things wrong and dangerous with it it is farcial. However he is refusing to refund us, has cut communication links and we have had to get trading standards involved. If any one can let me know what else I can do, firstly so that my daughters can have the gift they have wished for, and to stop any other children potentially being harmed by the quality of goods this company is sending out. I have about 20 images of shoddy and dangerous workmanship. But would be very grateful for anyones help and advice

Would be an idea to post a couple of images so we can comment.

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I did try, but will do so again. I'm new to forums and all I need is genuine help. These are a few photos I have many more, but not being an expert let me know what you would like to see

I was thinking more of a zoomed out pic, with all the joints and shoddy work in one image.

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we don't have all of the pieces so we can't put it together. This is it as it looks at the moment. We cant put the rails on as the decking isn't delivered, we can't put the roof on as there is only 1 joist and won't support the weight.

Rough ain't it.

Needs to be prepared timber at least, and I would have said treated as well.

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It's certainly not a thing of beauty. I am just totally gutted, and I don't know what I can do with out throwing huge amounts of money at it to get it usable, when the joiner has said that I will have to cover any costs to get it usable. If anybody has any ideas to resolve the matter please let me know, he won't even send the missing decking, even though he has admitted it is missing

My father is 70 years old, with a heart condition, he said if we got a kit he would put it together. Would be grateful of helpful suggestions

why did you start assembling it, when the quality of the timber supplied is obviously so poor


i would take it all apart and take it back to the supplier and demand a refund.


why not employ a local chippy and get him (or her) to make you one?

GUESSTIMATE;

2 days @ £200 per day labour for 1 bloke, + £250/£300 ish for timber & fixings = £650 to £700, and a far better job!

To be honest I don't know why we started assembling it, it was a week late being delivered, I guess we wanted to get the children's 'gift' assembled as soon as possible, and to a point is was naivety to, believing that someone couldn't send out something so bad, and it would be ok, with a bit of tweaking when assembled.

Re taking it apart, the joiner lives in Cornwall, we live in Southampton. He has all of the money and refuses to give a refund as he says it is good enough for his children, even turning up on his doorstep I don't believe would result in us getting our money returned. I have just really lost faith in people, I run my own business which involves me creating pieces from peoples drawings and I have never sent out anything which I am not happy with myself, I just assumed everyone had the same scruples

You'd be better just buying a small summer house from Screwfix/B&Q etc

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That looks atrocious to me.


If your Dad is a retired carpenter, could he not have given you advice and shown you how to do it.

I am sure with his help, especially, as you say you make things from peoples drawings, that between you you could have turned out a better job.

In most cases it is a matter of producing a material & cutting list and gone to a timber yard.

I would have used finished timber not sawn has he seems to have.


John

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It looks worse in the flesh. My father came over today to see what he could do, he thinks with a bit of tinkering and throwing more wood and money at it he can make it usable. Unfortunately he is now feeling bad that he thought that he wasn't up to making it from scratch, as he said he would have done a better job in his sleep, and I feel guilty asking him to sort it out when he has been ill. Original plans were that my dad was going to make it himself, had the girls excited about it and then he fell ill and we didn't want to let them down, hence getting a kit built that he and my husband could work together to build.

It was a case of birthday deadlines looming, a father who needed to concentrate on his health, and me trusting someone to do a job they had been paid to do. In hindsight I would have been better off getting my father to oversee it, specifying joints, wood etc, I just stupidly assumed that someone who says they will do a job, will do it well. I just want my money back so that we can get someone who knows what they are doing to provide my children with the present I paid for and they deserved

not good at all the roof will colapse with any weight 85% off the timber has been removed at the ends and the central support has to support 60% off the roof load

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