A tiling job gone wrong leaves Northland family nearly $30K out of pocket

A Bream Bay family is facing a $20,000 repair bill for an unfinished ensuite tiling job, later assessed as being defective.

Georgie Newland said the ensuite was unusable, despite the tiler being paid more than $9000 for his labour.

The incident came at a difficult time for her and her father, while they grieved for her mother.

While Newland will pursue tiler Corbin McKenzie from Exotic Tiled Spaces through the Disputes Tribunal, she wanted to warn other homeowners of what could go wrong.

She felt there were limited protections for consumers over such work.

Newland first engaged McKenzie in July to retile the ensuite bathroom in the Bream Bay home owned by her father, Graham Boyes.

The work was required after the previously tiled level-entry shower leaked, and was paid for using an insurance cash settlement. It included re-waterproofing and tiling the floor, plus tiling walls and installing fixtures.

Newland said her mother died unexpectedly before work started, making it an awkward time as she dealt with grief alongside the renovations.

Her first concern with McKenzie’s work came before the job was finished, when she noticed the new heated towel rail was installed crooked and too low, stopping the new vanity drawer from opening.

When Newland asked McKenzie to fix this, he told her the old vanity should be reused instead of moving the rail.

The Bream Bay tiling job was incomplete, with the heated towel rail installed too low, stopping the drawer of the new vanity (to be installed right) from opening. Photo / Denise Piper

Newland said this attitude made her take a closer look at the tiling and she found problems with the workmanship, including large gaps between tiles, damage to the cornice and concrete poured on the garden.

Further investigation found the gib board was not stopped before being waterproofed nor correctly screwed down before tiling. It was also unclear if the paint finish was correctly prepared before the tiles were fixed to the walls.

When Newland raised these issues with McKenzie, he stopped communicating and did not return to complete the work, despite her paying $9400 for what he invoiced as “works to date and remaining tiling”.

She also was not given the required warranties and producer statement for the work.

A later assessment by the Tile Association of New Zealand agreed the towel rail was not installed with “reasonable care and skill”, the gib board was not correctly prepared and the tiler had not addressed the incomplete work.

Georgie Newland says the tiling work was very messy, including concrete found to have been tipped into the garden. Photo / Denise Piper

“We agree that there are multiple failures to meet the basic requirements and would amount to an installation that would be considered defective.”

McKenzie did not respond to the Northern Advocate’s request for comment.

A transcript of all the text messages between Newland and McKenzie showed he said problems arose when changes were made to the shower design, meaning the ensuite door had to change, adding to costs.

McKenzie told Newland he had gone “above and beyond” to deliver a better room, including free labour.

He accused her of not allowing him to complete the work and holding his tools “hostage”.

Newland said she wanted McKenzie to rectify his work but, after finding faults, wanted it assessed as being done correctly.

The tiling work was messy and incomplete, with no evidence the paint finish was properly prepared before the tiles were adhered. Photo / Denise Piper

After multiple attempts to get him to pick up his equipment, she asked a friend to store his large vacuum as she couldn’t fit it in the house, she said.

Newland said because the work was not up to standard, the ensuite would have to be stripped back to the frame, leading to repair costs of $20,000.

The worst part was the emotional impact on her and her 73-year-old father as they worked through their grief.

Newland and Boyes have added to the home’s mortgage to fund the repair but she was concerned it would be hard to find reliable tradespeople after the incident with McKenzie.

She was now extra cautious, asking tradespeople to work to a written contract and scope of works.

Newland had filed an application against McKenzie in the Disputes Tribunal but accepted it could take a long time to resolve.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.