Builders and snag lists: In 2001 we bought a new house and, despite over 30 phone calls since June 2001 and 30 promises, the builder has never finished the snag list.

Two of our neighbours have sent him solicitors' letters which were ignored. We have several problems which were never addressed, the worst being water drainage in our front garden, no drainage pipes to drain from the back roof and missing slates on the front of the house. We don't wish to take court action but can we object to the builder's licence renewal and how do we find out when and how to do this?

There appears to be no such thing as a "builders licence". Builders can register with the Construction Industry Federation (CIF). But that's about it. Other than that, they operate in much the same way as any small business. As you and your neighbours are pro-active, in terms of sending letters, it's fairly safe to assume that your builder was not a member of Homebond (1850 306300), an insurance system that protects new homes against major structural faults for 10 years, otherwise you would have contacted Homebond directly. The fact that a builder is protected by Homebond is usually a big selling point and one that is advertised widely in the sales details. You could, however, contact the CIF (cif@cif.ie or 01-40660000) to discover if your builder is a member of that organisation. If it turns out that he is a member, then that professional body will, having considered the facts, contact him on your behalf.

At this stage it would appear that you have little option other than to consult your solicitor. Your case, the CIF says, "highlights the importance of having the works examined by a suitably qualified person thereby ensuring all remedial works are carried out prior to the closure of the sale". Basically, you should have employed an engineer, a chartered surveyor or an architect to examine the work and you shouldn't have handed over a final payment or completed the sale until the work was done. There's absolutely no point in making a snag list after the builder has packed up and gone with the cheque in his back pocket. Despite persistent reports of shoddy work on new homes, there still is a reluctance by buyers to do what buyers of second-hand homes do automatically, that is pay a few hundred euro to have the building professionally assessed.

Covering radiators

There seems to be a trend to cover radiators with either MDF or timber covers. I've seen them in DIY shops and they're quite cheap so I was considering putting them in our rooms. But surely they block the heat?

A radiator needs air circulating around it to work to its full capacity. When shelves over radiators came into vogue we were warned to leave a 50mm gap between the shelf and the radiator - the radiator has to be at least 35mm from the wall for the same air flow reason. A decorative casing over a radiator, such as the one you are proposing, can reduce output by 25 per cent or more, unless the cover allows a complete flow of air over all surfaces. Put one in every room in your house and you will almost certainly reduce the effectiveness of your central heating so you must weigh that up against the aesthetic benefits.

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• Unfortunately, it is not possible to respond to all questions. The above is a representative sample of queries received. This column is a readers' service and is not intended to replace professional advice. No individual correspondence will be entered into.