BURST PIPE AND RESULTANT DAMAGES CLAIM

ASSESSMENT

Black Bird Construction was contacted by the client’s insurance company to assess and conduct repair work. An assessment took place at the client’s property in Fresnaye, where various items were inspected and a quotation was then generated and accepted by the insurer and client. Below is a breakdown of what transpired during the claim and excerpts of the assessor’s findings have been included as a means to explain the various building work required to repair the damages. The scope of work has also been included along with photos of the damages before and after the repairs were completed. We hope you enjoy the post and if you would like to learn more about Black Bird Construction please feel free to contact us.

REPORT

Source of the issue:

The client first took me upstairs to view the source of the leak. The leak occurred behind the upstairs bedroom’s built-in cupboard unit. The only way for the plumbers to have gained access to the problematic pipe was to cut through the cupboard’s rear panel and rhino-board partition behind the cupboard. Once they had created the opening the plumbers were then able to repair the pipe.

Damages:

The leak has affected two areas in the home. The cupboard and partition wall upstairs and the ceiling below. I’ve broken up these two areas along with a list of the issues/damages affecting both.

Upstairs bedroom:

As mentioned above the leaking pipe was found behind the upstairs bedroom cupboard. The quickest option was to create an opening by cutting through the cupboard’s rear panel and then repair the affected pipe.

The solution to this would be to take out the cupboard and repair the rear panel. However, the client has requested that we neaten up the rear panel and create an access door. This is to safeguard the client from having to cut through the cupboard rear panel again. It’s a much better solution and it’s is far more cost effective doing this as well. We avoid having to dismantle and reassemble the cupboard, repaint the ceilings, attach new cornices. We will simply build a new door with hinges and a lock that will allow anyone access to the rear positioned pipes in the future.

Ground floor ceiling:

The ceiling was badly affected due to the amount of water that ran onto it. A large gaping hole has formed. This area of the ceiling will need to be removed and replaced with new rhino-board. Once the new boards have been installed, they’ll need to be skimmed and finally prepped for painting.

There will be a fair amount of painting work involved with this repair as the ceiling space is large. The ceiling is in the lounge but is an open plan layout with the kitchen and entranceway joining to the lounge. We always repaint the entirety of a ceiling and it’s cornices to ensure consistency in colour. This is the same situation here.

The walls have also been affected and will need a coat of paint. Especially once we are completed with the cretestone. As with the ceilings, a coat of paint from end to end will need to be applied to ensure colour consistency throughout the surface.

Another aspect is ensuring all property is thoroughly covered as there is a lot of valuable property within the vicinity of the affected area.

SCOPE OF WORKS

BELOW IS A BREAKDOWN OF THE REPAIR WORK CONDUCTED TO THE RESULTANT DAMAGES AT THE AFFECTED PROPERTY:

Ceiling repairs:

Clear area of all valuables.
Prep area for building works.
Remove existing/damaged ceiling board.
Supply and fit new ceiling board.
Skim new ceiling board using cretestone.
Ensure that the crack running through the adjacent boards is filled and skimmed.
Allow to dry thoroughly.

Create larger access trap:

Cut away existing ceiling board/trapdoor.
Supply all required materials.
Build new trapdoor.
Cut/mitre and fit coverstrips to opening.

Painting (Skirting boards):

Prep skirting boards for paintwork.
Fill, sand and apply 2 coats of enamel paint.
No need to be removed and refitted.

Painting (Ceiling):

Fill, sand and prep the newly installed ceiling board.
Apply 2 to 3 coats of high quality PVA paint to newly installed ceiling.
Apply 1 to 2 coats of matching paint to surrounding ceilings to ensure uniformity of colour.

Painting (Walls):

Fill, sand and prep bedroom walls.
Apply 2 to 3 coats of high quality washable paint (Dulux Double Velvet) to all surrounding walls.
Colour codes to be provided by the client.

Electrical:

Electrician call out.
Light fittings to be removed.
Light fittings to be re-fitted once the ceiling has been installed.
All electrical fittings and connections to be tested thoroughly once reconnected.

Cupboard repairs: