Is My Drain Cover Still Mine ?

[CW1]

Hi,

Part of the garden revamp has involved swapping a concrete drain cover in the middle of an area of paving slabs for a metal one (that a slab fits into & hides, apart from a metal edge). It's costing me an extra £125 so can I sell the original concrete cover, or will the gardener expect to have it ? He hasn't mentioned it ...

Cheers

[rsvp]

I don't know the legality but if I'd have have, for example, a new front door supplied and fitted by a tradesman I would expect to still own the old door. Would imagine the same applies to a drain cover.

[rsvp]

typo....if I'd have had......

[CW1]

Thanks rsvp, that's what I thought. I've kept hold of the old paving slabs & bits 'n' bobs too & the gardener clearly wanted those, wondered if he's just assumed I wouldn't want the cover. I mean, what on earth could I possibly want it for ! ;) LOL

[Hopkirk]

Some people would be grateful to the tradesman for taking the old stuff away, as disposing of it would be difficult for many.

[CW1]

I agree 100%, Hopkirk, but if I can get a few quid on Gumtree for stuff that's perfectly reusable ... ;)

He made bit of a meal of getting rid of the shrubs, turf, & rest of the paving saying he had to get rid of it at 3 different tips. I've spent hours over the last couple of months cutting back the shrubs which saved him several trips (& probably disposal fees, which are more than likely included in his quote), then he wanted to put the rest in my wheelie bin even though he quoted to get rid of it ALL & won't be budged from the quote, "That's the price" he said. I was offered a "deal" on the new paving slabs but said (while he was there) "I won't see that [saving]" so went for what I preferred. I was going to ask him to get rid of a large rabbit run but I knew he'd want to charge extra.

[Hopkirk]

He sounds a bit of a Del Boy.

No doubt he would charge another customer a fortune for some of the stuff he takes away from you.

[CW1]

I know I'm probably making him look like that, & to a point p'raps he is, but he does seem good at what he does. It was quite strange from the start, where he won't deviate from his quote, but then he didn't itemise it. I could maybe insist I don't pay £125 extra for the new drain cover as it should've been in the quote. He just said when he came to start "Oh, didn't see that", but he won't knock anything off for not having to make the extra trips to the tip he'd have needed to if I hadn't lifted a finger. Only 2 of the 4 tradesmen who came round to quote ever bothered to actually send one, & they were quite close, & he was definitely the best of the 4, let alone 2.

And good luck to him if he can reuse any of the stuff he's taken away, it really was just rubbish, but if he could - yeah, I'm sure you're right.

[paddywak]

It's always a good idea to have things like this itemised,at my last house I had a lot of plumbing done which included the replacement of all the lead pipe.As I used to go sea fishing I had it specified that all the lead was to be left on site.The lads who did the job weren't very happy about having to unload it from the van and leave it.

[CW1]

Agreed, paddywak, but in this particular case he didn't see the drain & realise it'd need changing (though I could've kept the old one in situ, in amongst the new paving) until he started the job. He just said it'd be £125 to replace, didn't mention getting rid. Could have cost me for him to take it away too (!) OR the £125 could even include disposal ... there's a thought ...