Independent Decking Expert Witness Case Study

Independent Decking Expert Witness Case Study

An Independent Expert Witness report was required…

In this instance, the client had commissioned a ‘carpenter’ to design a construct a composite decking terrace in their back garden. During the works, the client started to have doubts about the quality of the work being carried out. It didn’t look square and parallel to the house, the gaps were not equal, and the cutting of the boards was less than conventional. You can see from the photos this was not going to plan.

Whilst the project was still ongoing, the client chose to reach out for advice. You too can get advice from professionals at either the PGCA, decking manufacturer or searching Google for an Independent Decking Expert Witness. You can then explain your doubts and send through photos.  From there you can get advice as to whether the installation is correct or not.

Something to consider is that you’ll find the majority of good quality composite decking installed correctly will be warranted for 25 years. Choosing to use a poor quality composite product or going with a “cheaper quote from a non-professional” for installation may mean you end up where this client found themselves.

How will an Independent Expert Witness help?

For this client, they were quickly informed by Karl Harrison that their composite decking was in fact not being installed correctly. They promptly asked the contractor to stop the installation. From here Karl discussed costs for him to provide an Independent Decking Expert Witness Report. Once agreed the client sent Karl pictures, quotes, designs specification and any other relevant documents.

With this key information, Karl’s next step was a site visit. On this site visit, Karl carried out a detailed inspection of the works carried out to date. With all the information and evidence needed Karl could now write a comprehensive Independent Expert Witness Opinion report.

With this thorough report, the client was now given a stable foundation to state their claim to the contractor. In this case, the contractor settled with the client outside of court. The client got all their money back. This took a total of 2 weeks from initial advice to settlement. All cases are different but usually quickly resolved with positive results with an Expert Witness Opinion Report.

Where to find Landscaping advice

You can seek advice and expert opinions on all elements of Garden and Landscaping works including hard landscaping, horticulture, materials, and how they have been constructed. If any elements of your landscaping project have given you doubt you can always ask for advice from professionals.