Thistle Housing, for the record, expressly papering over the cracks

Day 932 since Thistle’s Major Works Programme Started
Now 600  days after Thistle’s E.ON contract failed on 30/11/16

Thistle Housing considers that their failed Major Works Programme is complete and everyone is happy, except that it’s not complete, won’t be (maybe) until September 2018 and that few residents are happy. Have you been consulted? Have you signed anything to your complete and utter satisfaction? Have you been told? Nope??? Thistle’s “communication strategy” at its best with its “transparent dialogue with residents” working as they want.

Just to highlight what the media think, there are some of the articles at the end of this report which have appeared in newspapers regarding the grossly inept, if not corrupt performance of Thistle Housing’s ill equipped senior management and their lapdog ‘dae as yer telt’ never changing Management Committee.

The media recognise and understand that there is a rotten core in Thistle. They have seen it all too often in other failed, self seeking housing associations run by the same type of money grabbing and sorely incapable people. The Scottish Housing Regulator has its eyes on Thistle. Similarly, Glasgow City Council is undertaking a review and audit of the multimillion pounds of taxpayer funds Thistle has squandered.

A litany of inept, unbelievable failure …and that’s without mentioning the lies

Not for nothing have these articles appeared in newspapers and yet, Thistle’s management think that they are not to blame and that the utter turmoil in which they have forced Toryglen residents to endure is of no importance. Well, it wouldn’t be. They don’t stay in Toryglen.

“Clerk of Works”? Right. The opinion of a sub contracted PAINTER who came onsite well after the work was done and who evidently knows better than a trained BBA Inspection Engineer. Not bad for a painter. Which one would you believe? Water test? Not done.

Water test? This was on 27 March 2017 with a cherry picker. Residents took endless images and monitored the work. No water, no testing. Thistle refuses to display test certificate. 

…and this is the gutters “performing as they should“. Gaps between roof and gutters where the rainwater floods down the building elevations. Despite a BBA investigation that gutters must be relocated, Thistle ignores all problems

Rainwater pouring down the rippling and frequently cracking roughcasting
The recent heavy rain once again resulted in rainwater pouring down building facades, rain not blown by any wind but by gutters in an incorrect position. The independent BBA report undertaken by a trained engineer stated that the gutters have to be repositioned. Thistle’s response? Their temporary contract worker, Paul Nolan, a painter, Clerk of Works? brain surgeon, rocket scientists? determined that the gutters were fine, in complete opposition to a trained individual.

“…(Paul Nolan) has never witness the rain missing the gutter and rainfall falling down the facade of the building.” How often and for how long have you seen it? The other day, Skoosh! No wind, at all, just heavy summer rain.

Grace McColgan, 31 October 2017 – Work not done then, work not done now as the painter said No!

Even today, Wednesday 25 July 2018, around 2.30pm, as below, they are still fixing the “performing as they should” gutters. Residents must have made it all up, eh?

Cracking Render and Roughcasting
In many examples, render and roughcasting were applied outwith Rockwool’s instructions (by foreign labour gangs) whereby ambient temperature must be not less than 5° Celsius and rising. Some houses now are having to be re-roughcasted AGAIN, some not for the first time.

Examples of the temperature taken whilst some properties were being rendered. (Yes, lots of information, hundred of pictures were saved throughout the programme, all hated by Thistle’s inarticulate and lumpish management).

The Independent BBA Report 
“Should the project retain the existing windows, it is generally noted that the existing sills have insufficient overhang to allow for sufficient shedding of water away from the face of the finished system. Should this be the case, then a new over sill profile can be installed. These should be cut to suit each window, and ideally have up stand wings, to enable the render to overlap and provide a weather tight seal. The sills should be installed so that there is a minimum of 40mm over hang from the face of the finished system. Refer to BS13914:1:2005. All junctions should be finished with a silicone mastic seal”

Note, ‘the existing sills have insufficient overhang to allow for sufficient shedding of water away from the face of the finished system. Should this be the case, then a new over sill profile can be installed“. Wasn’t done, as the painter said No!

Window Cills
The window cills were supposed to be replaced as the untrained, foreign, bottom dollar work gangs ripped out many of the existing granite concrete window cills and replaced them with bent pieces of uPVC fascia board. These bits of fascia board were meant to be overcills, as in over the existing cills, which have now gone. An expensive mistake which Thistle Housing and its chosen and equally failed partners, E.ON, have chosen to ignore as it will cost thousands to make good these errors. One wonders if there has been any extra financial considerations involved in this decision.

The Future
If nothing is done, in the not too distant future, there will be problems, problems YOU will have to endure and for which  residents will have to pay.

You have been warned

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