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[Misc] New-builds can be really shit







METALMICKY

Well-known member
Jan 30, 2004
6,844
Absolutely addicted to this companies ' snagging ' videos. Aside from the truly shocking standard of work that actually gets signed off it's the classic turn of phrase like " what winkel spanner" has allowed this to be so out of plumb or " yes sir would you like the apocalypse finish" on the electrics?"
 


ElectricNaz

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2013
965
Hampshire
Love these videos. We were quite lucky with ours tbf. Bellway were very good at resolving everything (eventually) so I'd say a snagging survey is worth every damn penny! Have heard that some others aren't as lucky with their developer though
 


Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
62,737
The Fatherland
I remember a builder posting on here about working for a big building company and detailing all the corners they cut right down to the fine financial margins of using nails instead of screws. Was quite shocking. This must have been 20 years or so ago though, seems nothing has changed.
 


Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
62,737
The Fatherland
As aside, what’s the life expectancy of these new builds?
 






Nicks

Well-known member
I used to be an Appointed Person for a Company that erected Timber Frame Houses, they are all the fashion now.
I wouldn't touch one that's erected in the winter as the timber floors will be nailed down when they are soaked from the rain and been stacked on site for weeks before, and once it dries out the cheap OSB boards on the floor will lift . That normally happens when the people have moved in and all the carpets are down.
The walls are well insulated but as for the rest of the house, no thanks.
 






Lenny Rider

Well-known member
Sep 15, 2010
6,020
My daughter bought one in Angmering, and we were lucky enough to have a friend who was a builder do the snagging list for her, it nearly ran to a page of A4, the developers have subsequently gone bust which probably speaks volumes.
 


Is it PotG?

Thrifty non-licker
Feb 20, 2017
25,488
Sussex by the Sea
A friend of mine bought one (£500k+) and there were quite a few snags. The worst ones being the shower on the top floor en-suite not being connected to the tray properly and resulting in water pouring downstairs first time, and the pointing. Both were sorted gratis amongst others, but to have the entire house repointed within five years was a bit odd.
 


B-right-on

Living the dream
Apr 23, 2015
6,735
Shoreham Beaaaach
I did work for someone who bought one of the newbuild houses up the top of Saltdean / Peacehaven (can't remember which) probably about 10 years ago. They were one of the first moving in, very much a building site around at the time.

They wanted an internal wall moving so took down the existing wall only to find the cavity between the sheets of plasterboard containing half a dozen empty cans of Polish beer. Żywiec for those interested.

So not only are the materials shite, but the builders are slightly worse for wear (apparently).
 




Insel affe

HellBilly
Feb 23, 2009
24,350
Brighton factually.....
We are sub contractors for a major building firm, and the state of some of the houses we go in are shocking.
I would never ever buy a new build from them ever, they love sending you "defect notices" about faulty flooring, we rock up and find out the flooring has lifted, because of a flood or they have taken the carpets up because of joist issues etc. Hardly a defect, they just try it on, so we have to check all the defects now, before we send operatives. We then have to send photos and an estimate to correct their "defects" or issues they or other trades have caused.

There are some good builders out there though, they tend to be the smaller house builder firms though, they use better quality products and trades.
 


Si Gull

Way Down South
Mar 18, 2008
4,690
On top of the world
A friend of mine bought one (£500k+) and there were quite a few snags. The worst ones being the shower on the top floor en-suite not being connected to the tray properly and resulting in water pouring downstairs first time, and the pointing. Both were sorted gratis amongst others, but to have the entire house repointed within five years was a bit odd.
This has been a recurring issue on our estate (oldest houses are 6 years old, last ones just being built). In general the plumbing seems to be sh¡t, leaking joints are commonplace. We had a leaking toilet, not noticeable (just a slow drip, and boxed in) until the floor went mouldy😬 Obviously, just out of the warranty period so had to shell out for new flooring🤬

I did our snagging and found a multitude of minor issues. If I bought new again I'd get a company in as they can go much further...e g. checking insulation (not convinced ours is as good as it should be for a modern construction).
 


Is it PotG?

Thrifty non-licker
Feb 20, 2017
25,488
Sussex by the Sea
Talking of other trades causing issues for others, the kitchen floor on the above house. Matey spent ages laying a quality Karndean flooring, took pride in his craftmanship apparently.

Then along comes matey 2 to install the kitchen appliances, drags them across aforementioned vinyl and rips it all to shreds.
 




METALMICKY

Well-known member
Jan 30, 2004
6,844
Love this one!

 




Nicks

Well-known member
We are sub contractors for a major building firm, and the state of some of the houses we go in are shocking.
I would never ever buy a new build from them ever, they love sending you "defect notices" about faulty flooring, we rock up and find out the flooring has lifted, because of a flood or they have taken the carpets up because of joist issues etc. Hardly a defect, they just try it on, so we have to check all the defects now, before we send operatives. We then have to send photos and an estimate to correct their "defects" or issues they or other trades have caused.

There are some good builders out there though, they tend to be the smaller house builder firms though, they use better quality products and trades.
Persimmon Homes by chance ?
 






hans kraay fan club

The voice of reason.
Helpful Moderator
Mar 16, 2005
62,769
Chandlers Ford
Talking of other trades causing issues for others, the kitchen floor on the above house. Matey spent ages laying a quality Karndean flooring, took pride in his craftmanship apparently.

Then along comes matey 2 to install the kitchen appliances, drags them across aforementioned vinyl and rips it all to shreds.
Our trade is not residential - more large projects, but this kind of thing goes on all the time, and slows every project. We photograph EVERYTHING we do, at EVERY stage, so we can fight our corner when some other prick breaks something we've completed. We're a very big company ourselves with a big legal department and near unlimited cashflow behind us, so we can afford to dig our heels in if a main contractor tries to take the piss.

Smaller companies are utterly at their mercy though - the MC will just withhold their payments until they re-do the work they'd already done once. I feel for them.
 


Lady Whistledown

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 7, 2003
47,641
My house was a new build when bought 7 years ago. The build itself has been fine, but the plumbing has been a bit shit over the years, with four separate instances of leaking hot water pipes, each of which has resulted in holes having to be cut in the ceiling to locate and repair.

The worst one was when one burst next to the boiler and flooded downstairs, about four months after moving in. I thought we'd get given dehumidifiers by the developer (Crest Nicholson) and told to crack on, but they were pretty good. Told us to go out and order new carpets immediately, and they paid for the lot.
 


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