New home - quality of workmanship

ben_m_g

Hi all,

We are due to move to a new home at the end of the month, all looks well and good apart from some minor annoyances.

Some might call me picky but spending money on a new build calls for a high standard of work.


One thing in particular is the installation of the water heater in the kitchen, this was the last thing to go in so we didn't catch it being installed.
The cabinet looks like it was put on with no care or attention and certainly not within the standard of the house.
It is actually lower that the kitchen cabinets and overhangs the work top by 6"!

I have called the sales office, my solicitor and spoke breifly to the hsbc people, although helpfull noone would give me an idea of if it would get fixed or what to do.

When i move in they will ask me to sign the paperwork to confirm that it is in good order, do i sign or accept the shoddyness of it all?

TYIA

phill99

ben_m_g wrote: »

Hi all,


Some might call me picky but spending money on a new build calls for a high

TYIA

You're being naive. Houses are built by the lowest bidder. Just because it's new don't expect it to be high quality.

Werdnal

My hubby used to work on construction, and when they handed-over new builds, there was always an opportunity to raise any issues. Infact, he often used to get the job of "snagging", ie going around the houses already sold and occupied, and putting right the little niggles the new owners had highlighted - often things like poorly fitting doors, jammed window catches etc.

If you are not happy, then make a list of the issues you have - dated and signed, and pass it to the developers requesting they are attended to. There is no guarantee they will attend to everything, but raise it all the same.

Skinto_7

The builder will give you a chance to snag the property, you can even hire construction professionals to do this for you, however pretty easy to do yourself, you should show them the list and agree when and what will be done.

Skinto_7

forgot to say, if you are signing anything, only do so with reference to the agreed snagging list.

Also if the site is still under construction you are probably best speaking to the Project manager in charge, i know from my days working with a house builder we were always happy to fix any minor defects that had been missed, if it goes to head office it can drag on for ages.

Remember the subcontractor's used by the house builder will be tied in to the company quality assurance so it wont cost the housebuilder anything to fix, so they should generally be happy to fix anything not upto scratch.

ben_m_g

Yes thats great, I have started logging issues for when we move.
Any comments as per signing the paperwork vs refusing to?
Water heaters arn't easy to move after moving in, just wondering what people think the odds are.

As far as being "naive" i chose a reputable builder that had recently won some big awards, talked to people already living at the site, visited a number of homes at varying stages of build and scoured the web looking for any complaints.
All stages of the build have been to an excellant quality, all feedback has been good.
I appreciate nothing is perfect, but i don't see anything wrong about demanding a high level of finish.

Good_Money

you should have the opportunity to go round and tell them all the faults.

I asked for kitchen sink to be changed as it was dented, also storage heater was dented, and other bits and pieces.

They also gave you another chance after 6 months in case there was anything else.

ben_m_g

Just missed your message skinto.
Thank you, I will bear that in mind when i'm asked to sign

Acc72

I have also heard that there are companies out there who will do the snagging list for you - based on the fact that they know where to look, what to look for and are better able to spot any defects that you may miss.

I don't know if anybody has any experience of using this type of company ?

ben_m_g

Yes,

If anyone has tried one of these companies, i would like to hear about thier experiances.
Also if anyone has managed to get a builder to fix minor / cosmetic defects i would love to hear that aswell.

As a follow-up, i recieved the nhbc pack and i'm still unsure of how these little issues are covered.

For those interested i put together a short list of annoyances:

Kitchen cabinet not fitted as per plan.
Utility skin fitted so there is no workspace.
Utility c/bords fitted against one wall - cosmetic.
Downstairs wc sink no centered to tiling - cosmetic.
Damage to external render 3 places.
Damage to porch.
Shaver sockets in bathroom fitted where cabinet would be.

Dolphin1

My DH and I bought a new house three years ago and we got a snagging inspector in a few days before completion. The report he produced was invaluable. It highlighted 102 concerns (cosmetic and non-cosmetic) and the site manager rectified most of them before we even moved in and all of them by the end of the first week of moving in. Although we had two years to report any snags ourselves, we would never have noticed a fraction of what the snagging inspector found.

I think that we were quite lucky though as the site manager was fantastic and did anything he could to keep us happy. Once we'd moved in, he did extra jobs for us including having the toilet moved in the upstairs bathroom so that we could get a tall standing bathroom cabinet in one of the corners. I would definitely recommend getting to know the site manager where you are moving to if you don't already. Ours could easily be bribed with tea and cake.

Hope to help.