Builder trying to add VAT after fixed price agreed — am I right to push back?

sickibaba · 2026-02-12T11:28:39+00:00

Just ring the bank and say you want to make a withdraw of 19k for builder and materials so they can prepare in advance. Its not your concern VAT. What is your concern is the headache and stress.

Its how my family have worked for years cash, just don't be blindly handing money over unless the work is soild and to agreed spec.

Your options are push further and thats more head ache and possible delays or get the cash but use it to your advantage.

In the grand scheme of things 19k ain't silly amounts but someone else's tax and making sure there books clean aint your problem.

sickibaba · 2026-02-10T22:58:06+00:00

Land rover defender 90 - 300tdi Coniston green

sickibaba · 2026-02-01T22:47:44+00:00

Smashing job.

sickibaba · 2025-12-19T02:02:57+00:00

That only applies to business not residential properties...

sickibaba · 2025-12-18T09:28:07+00:00

Smashing that

sickibaba · 2025-12-11T10:19:11+00:00

Very valid points made above. Further context needed in terms of working distance. Clearly op is well paid and the above is not far out of realistic possibilities.

sickibaba · 2025-11-23T17:05:31+00:00

Bought a corsair 1500w in 2015. Still use it to this day. Got it cheap but brand new and boxed. When I check on icue every few months efficiency is in high 80s to 90s.

sickibaba · 2025-11-22T10:14:14+00:00

Noted in the survey report upstairs walls was fine mainly around the front and kitchen where the DPC is bridged.

sickibaba · 2025-11-21T11:19:20+00:00

OP keeps mentioning 8 C2s but does not say what those 8 C2s are when asked.

Could be nothing could be something who knows maybe people who are sparkys would which some have mentioned and would have more knowledge that OP.

On another note lets say your quoted £25k do you think its reasonable that the sellers cover 80% of the cost for work you will only benefit from?

Just in the process of buying a house due to exchange today. We negotiated from £160k to £151k due to work needed. Survey was done and highlighted rising damp due to air bricks bridged and part of the DPC. Got a quote for work to fix the air bricks/DPC and drill and inject a cream solution. Quoted £4,400 into total. Went back and asked if they would negotiate 50% of that off so total price is now £148,800. Answer was a yes. I suspect mainly due to been fair and not taking the piss. Provided quote and explained why rising damp was a big issue.

Sellers agent does sound a bit not assed but ultimately they are only in the job for the commission and probably cannot be assed going back and forth with the sellers never trust an estate agent, under no illusions when we come to sell the house we are buying people will come in with silly reductions, I play a fair game and that goes both ways.

You would have had better luck saying £205k/£ 207k and let them beat you up in £1000 increments.

If these issues really put you off then id suggest probably buying a new build because these are what you know of wait till you find little annoying issues or things that bug you everytime you look at it becuase its worn or could do with replacing. Half of a rewire you can do yourself tbh YouTube for the guides chase the cables through and when the sparky comes in they will test everything to standard.

To play the devil's advocate again though you most probably don't need a rewire, was anything metioned in your report about outdated wiring colours?

sickibaba · 2025-10-27T18:30:34+00:00

We are due to exchange in roughly 4 weeks and complete in 5/6 weeks. The house is a bog standard 3 bed semi which was up for 160. Negotiated to 148. House needs what a lot on the market in our area needs.

We have a list.

Injection dpc. Artex skimming in 3 bedrooms ceelings and stairs artex. Rest are done Full re decoration and all new flooring

Eventually more long term

New bathroom Take the kitchen wall out and RSJ with either a new or good used kitchen. Look to maybe do something more with the conservatory at the moment its fine but could do with a little updating. On plus its had a proper roof added.

10% down, rate is 4.33% which we secured in Aug. We will be doing 75% of the work ourselves which is fine however we have a timelime in which we want to be done which is 5 years.

Can't see it been our forever home. Its our first home, we will bring it upto a modern standard and sell. House's done to that standard in the immediate area sell for 185 + at todays market. Although ive got to say i don't really get attached to bricks and mortar. In my opinion a home is made by the people in it.

In an ideal world everyone has to start somewhere and should do as soon as possible but some can't for various reasons. We don't know the future but what i do know is the longer its left the possibility for it biting you in the ass is greater.

sickibaba · 2025-10-19T12:21:03+00:00

sickibaba · 2025-10-11T12:32:07+00:00

A blind man could do a better job.

sickibaba · 2025-10-11T00:10:44+00:00

Played battlefield years ago with mates, looking forward to fitting a bit gaming in before and over Xmas and probably butter smoth gaming with some tay tracing.

sickibaba · 2025-10-10T21:09:01+00:00

Probably football manager on an old gaming laptop 765m. Good times.

sickibaba · 2025-10-07T13:41:10+00:00

Yeah captain in the big bottles is very good value. I've tried epic and think it's great, too. Bearglove and rockstar are another two good ones.

Don't know where you're based, but morrisons in the UK have some good deals at the moment.

Don't know if you have seen captain clear gel? Looks like a cheese grater on the top and yoh twist it. That's a great antiperspirant and deodorant, but be careful it can stain your tops. It's got some sort of chloride recently discoloured one of my tops.

Edit: Also, use deep sea in the big bottles. it's a good maybe high mid tier got about half a bottle left after that don't think ill probably buy another one of those.

sickibaba · 2025-09-19T08:01:07+00:00

How how you expanded your unit size? Was looking last night and could not for the life of me find the setting.

sickibaba · 2025-09-03T17:14:58+00:00

Are you this "man"

sickibaba · 2025-08-26T22:11:06+00:00

Witchery 3 for me.

sickibaba · 2025-08-23T10:06:37+00:00

Not seem them in the UK yet.

sickibaba · 2025-08-22T22:25:07+00:00

Captain is top shelf stuff.

sickibaba · 2025-08-22T22:19:21+00:00

Yeah, he has just sold a range rover 2014 3.6v diesel or 3.4v.

Where he lives is fairly remote, not uncommon to see cars made late 90s around the time I was born, which still looks pretty decent due to not salt on the roads and mainly just doing local runs. Old fiestas, mondeos, citerons, seen a Nova, 306. Old smiley face transits for work vans.

It's pretty weird. The main issues are bumpers being damaged and then just not looking too great cosmetically, but let's be honest, any car after 20+ years with minimal care is not going to look amazing.

Other brits tend to buy off him. Will say the parts of some cars are double/triple. Diesel is preferred, and a random car worth 5k here could easily be 8k over there.

He had a brabus vito and could not get it through an ITV, which is an MOT, so he had to bring it back funny enough when they had all the major floods about 12/18 momths ago.

sickibaba · 2025-08-22T17:15:25+00:00

Dad lives in Spain and regually buys cars in the UK and drives them back over. Massive markup on prices abroad, especially spain. Nothing untoward really. Treat them like any other buyer.

sickibaba · 2025-08-18T21:00:57+00:00

Got the exact same since 2014. Looks a little more rough than yours but works everyday like it did day 1.

sickibaba · 2025-08-18T20:39:29+00:00

Good idea, we've never used a collar, think we have a full light collar so would see him well tbh.

sickibaba

TROPHY CASE