CELG(4) HA 01

Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee

Inquiry into Home Adaptations

Response from : Kay

I have had an email from Contact a Family.  I have twin disabled children and we have needed to have adaptation to convert an integral garage into a wet room.

 

I was referred for this by occupational therapy.  As I was finding it increasingly difficult to carry my daughter up stairs to clean her after she had an accident.  It was causing me pain in my back, which meant I was not at my best to look after my children.

 

The assessment was very easy and quite quick.  The architect was very good and I did not really have to do anything with regards to getting council permission or any other thing like that.  It seemed that it only took a few weeks before the contractors turned up.

 

Initially this work went quick.  But there were signs that not all was well.  It was October and the contractors left big holes as a window had not been ordered.  A water pipe had been hit and this was the start of leaks.  A builder started to do plumbing and caught the beams under the floor boards on fire.  It took 3 years to finish and by the end we had 2 different building companies as the first was stopped working on our house as they had poor workmanship and a lack of care and attention.  They had used a circular saw to take up some of a hardwood floor in the hallway that was 30 years old.

 

Work that had to be carried out due to the lack of care replacing the hardwood floor and replacing 20+ foot of outdoor paving.  Work would be done and then have to be redone as it was poorly carried out.