Could kick myself, how best to get a satisfactory outcome?

i have done something I have never done before and paid a workman 1/2 for a the job upfront (I must be going senile!)
The job was to remove an old brick fireplace and breakout the fireplace to the original (Georgian) fireplace opening and install a new hearth and a wood burning stove, the stove I purchased separately.
It was agreed to have a black limestone hearth. When the workmen arrived to start the job they seemed in a very bad mood so thought best to leave them to it!
After various moans from them about how hard the bricks were to break out etc, ie typical workmen moans they then laid the hearth without me seeing it. I thought it would be 1 solid bit along the front...wrong it's in 2 pieces and has a hideous sand and cement join in the middle (sunken). The hearth overhangs the carpet by miles and is covered in cement marks plus it has an indentation on the cement from where 1 of the workmen has trodden on 1 of their plastic protection mats which must have been sitting on the hearth.
They discovered the chimney pots we have are too narrow to take the flue liner so they stopped and will be coming back to finish the job after I sourced another pot of the right size to take the liner. Why the hell they didn't check the chimney pot size when they came to quote for the job who knows!
After they had gone I went to view the job so far, oh god is all I can say. The hearth looks terrible. The hearth is covered in cement marks and other marks. I have washed the right hand side purely with cold water and a sponge and the cement marks are still there (see photo3). Maybe there is a way of removing them? I haven't touched the left hand side as it is "evidence"that their protection mat was the cause of the dent in the cement. Why the hell didn't they use dye to colour the cement to at least vaguely match? All the quote say is to lay a black limestone hearth, nothing more or less. No idea why there is a huge overhang (see photos 6). The hearth is actually pretty level surprisingly but how the hell would a carpet layer be able to lay a new carpet?
They had said originally they would return to continue the job in a few days (as of 13th May).I emailed them to ask why the join was indented like brickwork and could they not have dyed the cement. Replied that they always do a sunken join. I will ask WHY when or if they return! Now I have indicated I am not a happy bunny they are not due back until 31st May!
If only I hadn't paid for 1/2 the job upfront I would pay them for removing the old fireplace and tell them to take their b awful hearth away but as it stands if I did this I would be paying a lot of money for a fireplace removal.
I haven't fallen out with these workmen YET and they don't know about the dent which they caused (see photo no 2). I will wait to find out how they intend to blame me for this!
Is it impossible to get a good job done these days? This job is being well paid for and not cash, all legit to include VAT. In all my years of doing many many projects I have never paid upfront for anything. Why I did this time who flaming knows....yes I do know I trusted someone to do a good job.
I am a complete moron!
Any suggestions of how best to proceed? I intend to ask nicely to have the pointing drilled out and have new dark grey dyed pointing instead and have at least 1/2 of the overhang cut off. If they refuse then I am not too sure how to proceed.

 

Blimey

Reckon if you trod on that overlap they would come off.

Looks like they forgot to bring a grinder to cut them to a better size.

As for matching the mortar to the stone, we do that, these are some mortar repairs to bricks that we did recently.

 

Without a detailed written specification, you're only left with rejecting defective workmanship. Get them to remove the cement ASAP (and just hope they haven't sealed the flags over it).

Is it an optical illusion, or does the hearth slope down to the floor, and if so why?

Cutting the front edge will be unsightly, it should gave been cut at the back before laying. But what width of hearth do you require in front? (and bear in mind that hot embers can fall from the inside of the door when it opens).

If your house is Georgian, is it listed? And if so do you require listed building consent to change a chimney pot?

This sort of situation is why I removed my own fireplace, fireback, rubble filling, built blockwork infilling (to reduce airspace around new inset stove), adapted suspended timber flooring, cast new concrete bed under location of new hearth, fixed new tiled stove surround and tiled hearth, and made good plaster around surround.

As the stove & flue installation must be by a HETAS acredited installer, I got somebody in for that, but it was done during their workforce's summer vacation so I undertook the labourer's role. He thought the quality of workmanship better than what most people paid contractors to do - if you want a job done well you have to do it yourself.

 

Good point about the listing Scrunge, don't want an unlimited fine and or a year in jail for Silu

Also occured to me they might want to take the valuable "undersized" antique chimney pots and replace them with some cheap new ones

 

Thanks @Zigs. So it's not just me that thinks the job so far is a bummer. How about popping up to fix said hearth? Only a few miles up the road (about 500).
@Scrungee if only I could still DIY everything needing done. I have been involved with renovating 3 houses over the years and if I wasn't on my 2nd set of hips and now getting my pension I would be doing this job too. I have built god knows all what in my time but anno domini and all that. I am slightly past scrambling about on roves hanging onto serious lengths of liner (house is 3 stories high). House isn't listed so no trouble with the pots altho the 1 I managed to get (out of junk shop) will need painting to match the others which are painted black for some unknown reason. There are 9 others altogether so not removing paint from that lot to match newly acquired 1! Agree the hearth does look as tho it is sloping but put a spirit level on it (yes I am quite a practical person) and it's not too far out. The Limestone SHOULD have been sealed BEFORE it was laid according to what I have found out through the internet but isn't. Guy doing the job is HETAS registered. In hindsight I should have got someone else to knock out the old fireplace and build a hearth, then get this wa.... in to do the stove bit. Hey ho we will see what he says when/if he comes back. Agree too that I should have asked for a more specified quote but not going to accept the indentation and cement stains made by their carelessness.

All the rubble from the fireplace was barrowed away by daughter and I to make a path with it so the guy didn't even need to load it in his van and dispose of it.

 

How far out, enough that the door (if not closed) could swing open by itself and drop hot embers on your carpet?

 

Good point @Zigs re antique pots. I may be green but not so cabbage looking in my old age. I have every intention of asking the guy when he returns to get the old pot off without breaking it. If we have had "words" reckon I've got no hope of that happening.Well aware of most matters to do with listed buildings having lived in 3 and renovated 1. Oh boy do I remember all the extra expense of renovating a listed building having to have metal rain ware goods, no double glazing etc etc. Years ago we lost a few old antique slates of a roof and some roofer who thought I must have been born yesterday thought I'd accept him stripping off all the Ballachulish slate (arguably the best slate there is)on 1 elevation and replacing it with Chinese stuff. He'd have made a fortune selling the slate he was intending to stripe of.Why do so many people just presume because I'm female I can't possibly know anything about the building trade!?

 

We already have a wood burner in another room @Scrungee so understand a bit about them.I'll go and read the installation manual of the new 1 and see if that says anything about suitable width of hearth. Failing that I'll measure the width of the stove with the stove door open to see how far it would project out.

 

I assume that, being informed what stove was to be installed, that in addition to regulations, they should have constructed the hearth to suit. Specifying 'installing in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations' is a fundamental requirement.

And I've just found confirmation of what I was told before constructing my hearth, that it can be laid over existing combustible flooring, including carpet! (although I constructed a full depth concrete bed under it except for a tiny projection of floor boarding to conceal the junction.

Hearth Regulations for Log Burners. SIMPLE and EASY to follow...

 

Just read through all of this and can understand your concerns especially about the chimney size; he should have checked before quoting and starting the job. I don't think it looks bad though. Re cement on the limestone. Vinegar and scrubbing is a way to remove the cement mess. The sooner it's done the more likely it will work.

 

Thanks both @Scrungee and @Redwing . I will go and read the link scrungee has supplied as forearmed is forewarned. I am not going to touch the hearth Redwing as if I do it will be bound to be my fault that it looks dreadful! I have had years of "it wasney me misses" when something has been broken/not right.I could write a book on the subject. 1 such occurrence which is apt being a gardening forum was when I specifically asked workmen NOT to spray some doors for woodworm anywhere near tubs of extremely nice VERY expensive Lilies which were just appearing. Yup you guessed right, they propped the doors up against the tubs and sprayed away. Result all Lilies dead and "we didney go near them" when tackled.......luckily I managed to take before and after photos so the company didn't have a leg to stand on as you could see the outline of the doors that had been sprayed by the tubs...doh!. Compensation paid but I'd waited 3 years for the Lilies to get big enough to flower and would have preferred to still have them than a cheque for replacements to be honest.

 

A quick update to those who have kindly given advice. I had a visit from a retired architect today about something completely unconnected to my slight dilemma. Asked his opinion on the workmanship of the hearth. What he actually said is unprintable. The hearth is NOT black Limestone but slate, friend did a test with vinegar, if the stone doesn't fizz it ain't Limestone evidently. The hearth is also not level enough to stop any stove rocking on the hearth and the architect has NEVER seen anything like the overhang to the carpet before. He is friendly with a big noise in Fife Council building control and is going to get him out to see it as well. Like @Zigs he reckons the overhang could easily break or come away from the bed of cement. It is very heartening to have someone who is really knowledgeable to agree with what I thought was a dreadful job and happy get some "big guns" involved should the installer be difficult. The architect thinks it would be best for the fitter to repay me what I have shelled out already minus an allowance for having removed the old fireplace, remove the hearth and take it away. Whether this can be achieved or not is debatable...hey ho any pleasure I was hoping to have by getting a lovely stove installed has somewhat vanished but at least I now have some good backup and someone to help fight any battle that will no doubt ensue..

 

I did wonder when you said black limestone? I've never come across such a thing, can't think how (geologically) how such a sediment could form.

Pity i'm not nearer Silu, i'd sort it out for you

 

Just looked it up, it's a nightmare

Pavingexpert - The Curse of Black Limestone

You'm better off with slate