Passive House Design & Construction Decisions - part 4

In previous posts we've concentrated on technical design & construction decisions & issues. However as a self builder one of the principal issue you face is that you are not a repeat customer for the suppliers you are using. If you contrast  this position with that of a normal building contractor where there is an onus on the supplier to act true to their word as there is likely going to be repeat business in the future. In the current construction climate especially, many suppliers are hungry for business and willing to make commitments that may prove difficult or impossible to actually deliver on. Before going through a case study of one of the issues we've faced, its worth clearly stating that the vast majority of suppliers, tradesmen & professionals we've used have been excellent - delivering on commitments, have a good eye for detail & most importantly willing to stand over their work & word.

 At the end of the day, in a passive build or any other build, its not possible to write everything down contractually and there is an element of trust that what has been committed to by a supplier will be delivered. This is particularly so when a company is supplying a product which will subsequently be installed by others you hire - this means that all payment is due on delivery or indeed in advance. Put simply, that  means that once the delivery truck leaves the site then you have little bargaining power with the supplier.

A case in point to the date has been the supply of our monocouche render system by Parex Lanko ( a French company), supplied by REP Ltd. in Ireland as part of our wall buildup. Technically, the outer skin of the building consists of a ventilated cavity battened out out, a 9mm magnesium renderboard which is then coated in an approx 8mm monocouche render which is a self coloured plaster. Such a system is somewhat unusual in residential applications, virtually maintenance free, comes with a long colour warranty and should not require painting. We selected the product as one of the best on the market & proven in Irish conditions. The application of a coloured render / monocouche  is becoming more popular with the introduction of external insulation systems ( EIFS) in residential retrofits as a means of protecting the insulation & as a bonus is maintenance free as long as you are happy with the colour of the render.

First of all REP supplied and had  installed a different Parex Lanko  renderboard product to that what had been agreed during site visits and for which certification / agreement has been supplied. This was resolved to some extent as the documentation on what was committed to ( versus what was supplied to the site) was very clear. To be very honest, with hindsight,  this should have forewarned us.

Secondly, having visited a number of sites we chose a brilliant white and grey monocouche colour for the building ( bearing in mind that monocouche is a permanent coloured finish!). When the Parex Lanko monocouche was applied we suggested during site visits and in writing that the colour supplied was not that agreed & were dismissed as  needing to dry out / scaffolding shading / wind / aspect etc....Needless to say, 4 months later & numerous meetings/discussions later  REP agree(1)  that the colour of the house is not white and , (2) that we indeed ask for what white BUT.....having tested the bags of colour in France that it really wasn't their problem & they did their very  best. In short, we are left with a colour that we did not order & no bargaining power over REP to deliver on their commitment. None of this would matter at all if we wanted to paint the building afterwards, but given that the incremental cost of the Parex Lanko / REP monocouche is the price of a new car - then it really is a blow to us.

In summary , because we are not a repeat customers you get messed about. To be honest we are not sure how this issue will resolve itself with Paex Lanko/REP.Perhaps we should simply have demanded that the work be stopped on site  - i.e. down tools! -  until we were 100% sure that what was delivered was actually was ordered. The lesson is that it become difficult to remedy once installed & the  site guys just want to get cracking & finish up. Bottoms line is that cracking on is possibly not in your best interest.

In addition, this should clearly highlight the importance of keeping a good site diary, taking lots of photos / videos, making sure that issues are noted/ responded to in email & raised as early as possible.  Most importantly, if at all possible, retaining some of the invoiced amount ( or maybe even pay by credit card) until you are sure that what you have ordered & was committed, was actually delivered ( along with all its sub-components / accessories).

The experience with Parex Lanko/REP has not been a positive one despite the clear terms of payment & our order. As a self builder you are likely in transaction mode rather than repeat custom. It is likely that were we using a regular building contractor that the complaint would be taken more seriously / less readily dismissed. Again, given the current bidding / tendering climate, it pays to be a skeptical consumer no matter what seemingly well intentioned commitments you are given on site by a sales rep & get it down in writing where possible. Again, the vast majority of suppliers, tradesmen & professionals we've used have been excellent & would happily stand as references for them.