1. COMPANY INFORMATION
Southern Counties Marble & Granite Ltd
Evingar Trading Estate, Ardglen Road,
Whitchurch, Hampshire, RG28 7BB.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.scmgltd.co.uk
Tel: 01256 892309
Registered Office: 2 Old Bath Road, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 1QL
Reg. No.: 2026164
Directors: S Turner and K Turner
2. QUOTATIONS
2.1 Quotes supplied by Southern Counties Marble and Granite Ltd are based on initial plans or measurements submitted by the Customer or business or person engaged by homeowner. These are subject to variation from templates being taken.
2.2 Quotes are valid for 1 month from date of quote.
2.3 The price of the goods is the price stated in the Company's quote. Unless otherwise stated all prices are given exclusive of VAT which will be chargeable at the rate applicable at the time of delivery.
3. BOOKING AND DEPOSITS
3.1 On acceptance of a quote a minimum of 2 weeks' notice is required to book a templating date when the next available date will be offered. The period of templating date availability may be longer during busier times of the year such as Christmas.
3.2 50% plus vat deposit is payable on booking a templating appointment, this is 50% of the original quote, upon receipt of payment the booking is confirmed. Non-payment of deposit within 48 hours will result in the appointment being re-opened.
3.3 Any additional items templated or requested following the deposit payment will be quoted and if accepted added to the final invoice.
3.4 The balance of the invoice is payable 2 days prior to installation - non-payment will result in the fit being rescheduled to the next available install date following payment and will incur an abort and rebooking charge of £380.00. Payment can be made online with the bank details at the bottom of the invoice or by card payment calling the office.
4. DELIVERY
4.1 Any dates quoted for delivery of the goods are approximate only and the Company shall not be liable for any delay in delivery of goods howsoever caused.
4.2 The Company will endeavour to fulfil its agreed commitments to its customers, however due to the vagaries of the availability of materials used and their natural veining and having to be worked we can only offer an expected time.
4.3 The Company shall not be liable for failure to deliver the goods if the failure is due to reasons beyond the Company's reasonable control.
5. RISK AND OWNERSHIP
5.1 Risk of damage to or loss of the goods shall pass to the Customer at the time of delivery or if the Customer fails to take delivery of the goods at the time when the Company has tendered delivery of the goods.
5.2 Failure of taking delivery on scheduled date will result in next available delivery/fitting date being offered to customer.
5.3 Notwithstanding any other provision of these conditions, the property of the goods shall not pass to the Customer until Southern Counties Marble and Granite Ltd has received full payment for the goods.
6. MATERIALS AND NATURAL CHARACTERISTICS
6.1 Granite is by its very nature a very dense and heavy material and weighs in excess of 90 kilos per square metre. We therefore will not provide lengths more than 3m unless by prior agreement.
6.2 The Company also reserve the right to add joints where it feels necessary commensurate with health and safety guidelines and accessibility.
6.3 Materials sourced by SCMG Ltd are subject to their natural markings, veining's, variations in colour, crack, vents variations of colour, pitting and stuns. These can be supplied cramped, stopped or reinforced where necessary and no claim on this account can be made.
6.4 These are a natural material although Southern Counties Marble and Granite Ltd makes every attempt to avoid these where possible, or advise the customer of these concerns, no claim on this account can be made and Southern Counties Marble and Granite Ltd will not be held liable if they are found in the finished worktops/supplied pieces.
6.5 When samples have been submitted identical resemblance of the product supplied to the sample cannot be guaranteed, it is advised to view slabs prior to templating.
6.6 All thicknesses quoted are nominal and no liability is accepted for reasonable variations of whatsoever nature.
6.7 Quartz although manmade are also subject to slight colour variation due to productions and identical resemblance of these cannot be guaranteed to samples provided.
6.8 Most granite supplied by the Company is 30mm in thickness and most hobs supplied by manufacturers are in excess of this measurement.
7. LIABILITY AND CARE
7.1 Southern Counties Marble and Granite Ltd shall be under no liability in respect of any defect arising from wear and tear, wilful damage, negligence, abnormal working conditions, failure to follow our instructions (whether oral or in writing).
7.2 Care of materials will be provided on installation day.
8. WORKTOP CARE
8.1 Natural Materials and quartz are hardwearing surfaces these cannot be guaranteed to stain or damage resistant.
8.2 On the whole granite worktops are durable and hardwearing. They are not however indestructible.
8.3 They can scratch, chip and stain.
8.4 It is important to treat your granite worktop with the same care you would any other worktop, particularly because unlike other worktops they are very difficult to repair.
8.5 To avoid disappointment, and to prolong the life of your worktops simply follow these helpful tips:
- To prevent scratches avoid putting rough/abrasive objects across the surface of the granite.
- Light coloured granite can be susceptible to staining. Care should be taken when using oily, fatty, or strongly coloured substances on the work surface.
- Impregnating Sealers do not prevent physical wear or acid etching.
- Acidic spills such as wine, cola, vinegar or lemon juice, acidic drinks should be cleaned off acid sensitive surfaces as soon as possible.
- Standing or placing undue pressure, or strain, on a worktop can cause it to crack. This is especially so, in vulnerable or unsupported areas.
9. TEMPERATURE DAMAGE
9.1 Although granite can absorb large amounts of heat it is like glass and therefore can fracture with extreme temperature change.
9.2 So, avoid putting very hot saucepans on cold granite surfaces.
10. TOLERANCES AND INSTALLATION CONDITIONS
10.1 Templating / granite fabrication is not an exact science and slight tolerances in both overhangs and thickness are to be expected.
10.2 Our fitting team may also need to chop out plaster. Every care is made when conducting such operations, but the Company do not take any responsibility for live plaster falls, and it is the responsibility of the customer to make good these areas.
10.3 Walls are rarely straight and as such natural wall gaps may occur.
10.4 Brick or natural stone walls may have marginal uneven gaps due to uneven walls.
10.5 We do not undertake filling at the top of upstands, this falls within decorating of Painters Chalk.
11. CUT OUTS
11.1 Information supplied by the customer such as cut out dimensions, overhangs, splash backs, and positioning of cut outs given to the Company at the time of templating or subsequently given by other methods of communication is the customer's responsibility and no liability whatsoever can be taken for incorrectly advised dimensions.
12. CUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITIES
12.1 The customer should ensure that cabinets are secured firmly to the wall, are level and have sufficient braces.
12.2 It is also advisable to ensure the floor can support the weight.
12.3 When handling granite, the fitters are extremely careful, however no responsibility can be taken for damage to cupboard fronts or wall fixings, and we would advise customers to remove them prior to fitting and / or remedial work.
12.4 Damage may occur to surrounding area paintwork and again it is the customers responsibility to make good following installation - Every care is taken by our fitters to ensure the least damage possible.
12.5 Some flexing can occur on unsupported joints together with units or leg settlement from cabinet installation this can result in joins opening and repairs may be necessary and can be carried out by the Company if within a 3-month settling period. Beyond 3 month a rectification charge will be payable in advance of visit.
13. WORKTOP TEMPLATING TERMS
Templating involves a site visit where the templater will make a hardboard or digital representation of the required worktops.
Prior to our visit, there are a few things we will require in preparation.
Firstly, all kitchen base units should be fixed; securely, level true, and in their final position.
All related appliances should be on site ie. Hob, free standing cookers, sink, taps, waste disposal, pop up sockets, soap dispensers, pop up extractors and brackets for breakfast bars etc, absolutely anything that will affect the worktops should be on site so we can check them for size and fit to avoid problems further down the line.
If a template cannot be carried out when the templater is on site will incur a rebooking charge of £380.00.
Any boxing around pipework is required to be in place prior to templating.
Return after the installation date to fit upstands and tops following boxing being completed will incur a remedial installation revisit charge of £450.00 plus vat.
Belfast sinks should be fitted in the sink unit prior to our visit.
Undermounted sinks will be fixed under the granite by our installer.
If you have a particular view on where the tap, drainer built in hob, sink or freestanding cooker should be then please make this clear to our templater during the site visit.
Please note that our templaters/fitters do not undertake any plumbing or electrical work therefore all sink and taps need to be disconnected and reconnected by a plumber, hobs and cookers disconnected and connected by electrical or gas qualified professionals.
Proposed positions of joins may be discussed during the visit but can be subject to change.
Joints maybe altered due to slab sizes and length or runs of worktops, durability of transporting stone and manual handling into position.
At templating, our templater can advise you on any extra support, or work that may need to be carried out by your carpenter/kitchen fitter prior to installation.
You will be given time between templating and installation to have this work carried out.
Any works not carried out may result in a fitting delay.
It is crucial that the templating is carried out accurately. Therefore, we would like to stress how important it is that all the kitchen units, end panels, and any other furniture that will affect the way the granite is fitted should be fixed and in its final position and all top areas are clear and clean including any temporary tops, sink and tap removed prior to our templating visit.
The templater requires full access to template, digital templating requires the room to be empty of people any interruption to the beams causes a mismeasurement.
Any damage to SCMG Ltd equipment by non SCMG Ltd employees will be charged to the customer.
Customer or a representative ARE required to sign off the templates on the day so will need to be present at the appointment.
Any revisits to site, after the templating due to or because of changes affecting the worktops after our visit, will be subject to an additional templating fee of £180.00 plus vat and will have an impact on our production process.
Worktops are put into production following templating, any changes after templating are detrimental to the production possibly causing delays to installation.
Changes are only accepted in writing.
14. WORKTOP INSTALLATION TERMS
Once the worktops have been made to your specification, we will arrange a convenient time to install your new worktops.
The installation process usually takes half a day.
Customers must ensure that all worktops are clear of any temporary tops, sinks, hobs and taps prior to installation.
The room is clear for carrying access.
The fitter will survey site as he arrives and any of the above still in situ may result in the fit not taking place and an abort and installation revisit having to be arranged.
An abort fee of £380.00 plus vat is charged and a further install revisit booked.
Installation involves delivery of the worktops to site; carrying them in and placing them in position; levelling them up, using plastic shims if necessary, and gluing them in position using marble/wooden glue blocks.
We also seal around any under-mounted sink, using silicone.
Finally, we glue any upstands, splashbacks or windowsills into position.
Whilst we fit the stone and seal stone to stone any sealing around the top of upstands, cooker backs and windowsills is not undertaken by us and this is part of final decoration by the customer.
It may be necessary to do some cutting and polishing on site, as we often have to leave sections of granite to be removed once the worktop is in position.
Leaving the cutting until it is in position gives the worktop added strength during transportation.
We are stone masons and happy to fit granite worktops, upstands, and cooker backs.
However, there are areas we do not get involved with, for example, plumbing and electrical work such as fitting hobs or taps which are best left to qualified and registered tradesmen.
We are quite happy to liaise with other trades people and let them know what we require to produce the best results.
Note: On the day of fitting, we will require a clear room to fit the worktops.
The room should be left dust-free for a few hours after we leave, because some of the sealants will still be wet for up to 6 hours after the installation is complete.
Plumbers and electricians can then be contacted to fit taps and hobs at least 6 hours after we leave.
If an installation cannot be completed due to works not completed by customer and revisit is required, this will be arranged at the next available date and is subject to an abort charge of £380.00 plus vat.