wall structure help needed

[tigi]

i have recently moved into a ben bailey home which is covered by a 10 year nhbc. we have two children one 4 and the other 9 months and we wanted to have a stairgate at the top of the stairs. we bought a stair gate which just has rubber bits at each end that pushes against the wall. one evening upon going upstairs we noticed that the stair gate had fallen through the wall, we contacted the builders who came out and repaired the wall by cutting a bigger hole and putting a block of wood in fixing it with screws into the plaster 1 day later the block of wood has fallen through the void and we now have a whole the size of a brick. the builders have come out again and now denying they have to fix it all they will do is fill the whole in but advising us that we shouldnt put a stair gate up. They are saying its not a defect with the house and we should of put the stairgate into a joyce, the problem is the joyce is behind the door frame and 5cms away from the stairs so there is no were for the stair gate to meet the other side and then the next joyce is half way down the stairs. nhbc are also washing their hands with it saying that they wouldnt repair it either as its not a defect we shouldnt of put a stair gate up.

please help im a very frustrated mother who is now going to have to pay a builder to come out and take the whole board down and have a batten put along both joyces and replastered not to mention this will probably affect our nhbc

tigi

 

[clared112]

If It wasnt their fault then why did they come the 'fix' it in the first place! Really, they've made the problem worse and caused a bigger bigger than the one they tried to fix and they accepted fault in the first instance... I'm not all up on the contracts but there must be something to back you up if they admitted fault the first time round by fixing it?...

When they fixed it the first time did you put the gate back up again?

 

[tigi]

Hi ya instead of letting me move the gate when they replaced it in the first place they plastered over the gate and a day later it just cracked under pressure and when they came round this morning to fix it again they said that they shouldnt of fixed it the first time round they didnt have to and had done it as a good will gesture and took the wood with them leaving the massive hole. They have said that they will fill the hole in again as a good will gesture again but that a stair gate will never be able to be put up against the wall at all.

We are looking at having to get the wall replaced now for the safety of our children so that a gate can be put against it

tigi

 

[tigi]

You should be able to fix a gate to the wall, a pressure fit one may well not be suitable, depends how much you screw it into the wall as it just pushes against the plaster and will cause a hole. Why not buy a baby gate you fix into the wall itself, that way there will be less pressure on the wall perpendicularly and more horizontal forces which the plasterboard can cope with.

hi ya we orginally did this and bought the proper screws that went into the plaster and then expanded at the back of the wall but this didnt hold either.

 

[tigi]

Hi ya

Yeah have tried apsolutely everything the problem the builders have now left us with a whole the size of a letter box in the wall and we had a builder come out and quote us yesterday and the whole wall will need to be re-done now due to it being weak and re-skiming we are looking at £350 to fix.

 

[clared112]

They have said that they will fill the hole in again as a good will gesture again but that a stair gate will never be able to be put up against the wall at all.

tigi

i thought you said they will fix it...?

I would really look at the thickness and quality of the plaster board used like nem39esis said- You might be able to get them with that... ask NHBC what the standards are for plasterboard.

 

[tigi]

i thought you said they will fix it...?

I would really look at the thickness and quality of the plaster board used like nem39esis said- You might be able to get them with that... ask NHBC what the standards are for plasterboard.

They will fix it but just fill it with plaster it wont be suitable to re-put the gate up with therefore we have no choice but to get the wall taken down and re put up by a outside builder

 

[clared112]

The same investigator said that having a stud wall with 600 mm gap with a 9.5 mm plasterboard is acceptable. Howver if you read the NHBC standard the minimum thickness for plasterboard with a 600mm stud is over 12 mm.

This was on another thread.

I would recommend looking in the standards and making sure they have complied with NHBC standards.

 

[tigi]

This was on another thread.

I would recommend looking in the standards and making sure they have complied with NHBC standards.

Hi ya, yep they have put in 12.5 so they have complied with standards, the only battle i think I can raise is the fact that these were sold as family homes and there is no family that wouldnt put a stair gate at the top of the stairs and because there is no joyce to put one against you would just not be able to have one screwed into the wall or just pushed against the nhbc rules need to change to have a support put there just incase someone does want to put one there.

I have gone to the local papers, hoping that maybe the rules can be changed

 

[clared112]

It's a really good point but it could be an extremely tough battle... your best/ and cheapest bet is to span a bit of wood between the two studs where you will be putting the gate and you can either fix the gate to that or it can take the pressure. If they have fully complied with the standards regarding the stud spacing and plasterboard thinkness, hate to say it but, i dont think there's much you can do.

In saying that, if anyone has any other ideas or comments.....?