A LEADING Dublin architect had refused to pay “a single copper” off a bill for the tiling of his upmarket Dublin 4 home, a judge heard yesterday.
Barrister Mary Jo Butler told the Circuit Civil Court that builder Karl van Kan believed Tom Millar had sought to take advantage of his close friendship with his family.
Circuit Court president Mr Justice Matthew Deery said it was regrettable the former friends had been unable to resolve their differences and ordered Mr Millar to pay the full €14,500 claimed by Mr van Kan’s company and meet the bill for legal costs.
KVK Construction owner van Kan told Ms Butler he had stone-tiled Mr Millar’s bathroom floor and kitchen, dining, sitting and front rooms, as well as two hallways in his home on Eglinton Road, Donnybrook.
He said he had a verbal agreement made in the presence of quantity surveyor Leslie Cuskin to do the work on a labour-only basis for €75 a square metre.
When he turned up to do the work he had to grind down concrete floors which had not been properly prepared for tiling and had to purchase adhesive and grout, which Mr Millar had not supplied.
Mr Van Kan’s company, KVK Construction Ltd, Kitzbuhel, Bonabrocka, Co Wicklow, had invoiced Mr Millar for €14,553 but despite phone calls, texts, e-mails and letters had not received “a single copper”. Mr Millar told the court he had never agreed to pay Mr Van Kan €75 a square metre and suggested a proper labour-only price would be about €35 a square metre. He had no fault with the quality of the work.
Mr Millar’s partner, Margaret Lyons, said she had asked Mr van Kan on many occasions to give her a price for the work but he had simply repeated not to worry about it. She and Tom had been flabbergasted when they had received his invoice.
Judge Deery said he had been swayed by quantity surveyor Mr Cuskin’s evidence that the €75 a square metre deal had been made in his presence. Legal costs in the case are estimated at more than €10,000.