A County Durham couple have told how they have been left washing their dishes in the bath for NINE MONTHS after builders left them with a leaking pipe and no kitchen sink.
Bryan and Alison Simpson bought their new home in Consett in February 2021 and hired well-known local firm Pennine to build an extension to house their dream kitchen.
But the couple have now revealed their nightmare after being left living in a "building site" for almost a year - with the problems still not resolved.
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Bryan, a 62-year-old bus driver, told The Northern Echo how the original work was meant to take about four weeks to finish.
He said: “When the surveyor came around, they told us it would take about four weeks to finish the work. They started last October and it’s still not done.
“When they moved the pipes for the sink they put the stopcock in the concrete floor but it started leaking so now they’re going to have to dig up the floor to re-lay it.
“We’ve had no sink since January and we’ve been doing the washing up in the bath ever since - it’s back-breaking.
“We went for Pennine because we knew the name and thought they’re a reputable company, but we wish we never had."
Bryan and wife Alison, an NHS worker, say they have been living in a building site for nearly a year despite having parted with around £20,000 of their hard-earned cash.
The County Durham couple also say they had to have their new kitchen units sent back because the company they ordered them from couldn’t continue storing them after the delays to the build.
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Mr Simpson added: “I can’t explain the amount of sleep we have lost and how much stress we’ve had because over this.
“It has really upset the house and the family. We were looking forward to enjoying our new home but it’s just a house, not a home. We haven’t been able to decorate because of the dust. It’s not somewhere you want to come home to after work.
“We don’t even know when they’re next coming to fix the floor.
“We have already had one Christmas ruined and we don’t want another one ruined this year.”
Now Newcastle-based Pennine has committed to bring the build to a “satisfactory conclusion” after the delays.
A Pennine spokesperson said: “Upon commencement of the installation an old stop cock was found to be hidden behind a wall that was due to be removed, under the existing kitchen sink.
"We advised the customer that this would need to be removed and that it was not part of the originally planned works, as per the technical survey agreed and signed by the customer.
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"The customer refused to arrange and pay for the works to be carried out in order for ourselves to commence the remainder of the build.
"After a complete impasse, and in order to have the build completed, Pennine agreed to carry out these non-contracted works, and bear the cost of them.
“However, the complexities of the works involved has caused a delay in sourcing a plumbing sub-contractor to take on the works involved; notwithstanding, this also requires complex scheduling of other works to be carried out following the plumbing works, in which we are currently processing.
“Whilst we do appreciate the concerns of the customer following their original estimated lead time for completion; however, when matters are experienced that are outside of our control, then lead times can change.
“We always strive to provide a comfortable customer experience, and to go above and beyond in order to overcome obstacles we may face during construction, alas on this occasion the intricacies added to the build have affected our ability to meet the customer’s expectations.
“In the meantime, we will remain in contact with the customer in order to confirm a plan and schedule of works to bring the build to a satisfactory conclusion.”
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