Charles Church & Persimmon Homes

Georgesmum79

Hi all, I'm new here, have been reading a few threads occasionally and jumping in head first for the first time!

Most of the commentsabove apply to all new build homes, IME and I do think it is a bit unfair to pretend that that only CC/Persimmon houses have those:
All new houses will crack, it is inevitable as the house dries out and settles. I am in a Crest Nicholson house at the moment and only in my third year has the cracking settled down. Also, the soil base determines how much the house will carry on creaking: if your houses is built on clay it will have more movement in it. Nothing to worry about but do make sure you get a plot-specific environmental search.
All new build, standard-spec houses are small and have small gardens. garages are also small. My current Crest Nicholson garage is just about wide enough to get a hactch back car in: you wouldn't have a hope in h ll with an estate car.
All semis and terraced houses built from about the 80's onwards have very flimsy party walls: my previous house was built in 1993 (not sure by whom), and I could hear my neighbours snoring!! This is something you have to learn to live with unless you can afford a detached house or a really old stone building.
Any new house with plasterboard internal walls will be a challenge to fix anything onto. Not just CC/persimmon, but ANY new house. Again, something you need to accept or try and buy a house at least 70 years old or so.

I feel it is a bit unfair to claim that the above only affects CC/persimmon, when in fact this is what you will get with any new house.

I am hoping to exchange contract today on a new CC house: it is huge!! CC charge a bit more than Persimmon or others but you seem to get bigger rooms in return. I have been pretty satisfied with the service so far, and know a few people on the development who have also been happy with their new houses.

Some pointers below:
Huge house, ok-ish garden but south-facing with views of countryside.
Got £7 K off asking price with a lot of incentives, including all integrated appliances
Sales lady very helpful and nice to deal with, unfortunately she has just re-located and the older lady is a bit mad, but we c an tolerate her
Their double glazing is really good quality, much much better than in my current Crest house
They are buying my Crest house as part-x and are giving me market price for it. Part-x manager is really helpful and reliable and has agreed with my every request, including only marketing my house through my preferred agent.
Site manager is also very helpful and has already done us a few favours for no charge.
They have reassured me a lot along the way, including testing one of their garages to make sure my car will fit! They are also accommodating with the timing of the completion.

And no, they are not desperate to sell as the houses seem to be going very fast indeed.

On the basis of the above, I have no reason not to recommend Charles Church, and as I have done the whole new-build thing before, I know what to expect and the questions to ask. There WILL be snags, this doesn't worry me as I know that they will be fixed. I had to have several windows swapped in the first week of buying my Crest house, and the whole kitchen re-done (faulty worktop) about six months later: Crest came and fixed it all without a quibble, and based on the feedback of others on that development, CC will do the same (as they should/must)

If you can't live with snags, plasterboard walls, small gardens and garages, cracking walls etc. don't buy any new house from any builder.

Sorry, might sound harsh but only speaking from experience.

Ta ta!

Georgesmum79

ca55ie wrote: »

Article on the radio recently about couple who bought a Persimmon home (in the north -east I think) - garage wasn't big enough to fit their car in. Apparently a small car would fit in but then the driver couldn't open the door to get get out.

This is pretty similar to my Crest Nicholson garage: can get a small car and then just about get out, but can only open the door to about 45 degrees. Again, as land is at premium, this is what you will get on new estates. Let's not slag off just one builder, please.

Georgesmum79

Tenyearstogo wrote: »

I'm in an 8 year old detached Persimmon. No problems at all.

I'm not overly happy with the windows, they're not keep at keeping out noise but we live in a quiet area so it's not a hue problem.

Thanks for the feedback, good to hear this. Interestingly, the double glazing on the development I am buying in (from CC) is really good quality indeed. It is much thicker and sturdier than in my current Crest house, looks like the sort of stuff I put into my previous house and it cost a fortune! Also, the houses are incredibly warm, again, much warmer than my current Crest house which has got a breeze block frame, rather than wood

Jessica29

Georgesmum79 wrote: »

Hi all, I'm new here, have been reading a few threads occasionally and jumping in head first for the first time!

Most of the commentsabove apply to all new build homes, IME and I do think it is a bit unfair to pretend that that only CC/Persimmon houses have those:
All new houses will crack, it is inevitable as the house dries out and settles. I am in a Crest Nicholson house at the moment and only in my third year has the cracking settled down. Also, the soil base determines how much the house will carry on creaking: if your houses is built on clay it will have more movement in it. Nothing to worry about but do make sure you get a plot-specific environmental search.
All new build, standard-spec houses are small and have small gardens. garages are also small. My current Crest Nicholson garage is just about wide enough to get a hactch back car in: you wouldn't have a hope in h ll with an estate car.
All semis and terraced houses built from about the 80's onwards have very flimsy party walls: my previous house was built in 1993 (not sure by whom), and I could hear my neighbours snoring!! This is something you have to learn to live with unless you can afford a detached house or a really old stone building.
Any new house with plasterboard internal walls will be a challenge to fix anything onto. Not just CC/persimmon, but ANY new house. Again, something you need to accept or try and buy a house at least 70 years old or so.

I feel it is a bit unfair to claim that the above only affects CC/persimmon, when in fact this is what you will get with any new house.

I am hoping to exchange contract today on a new CC house: it is huge!! CC charge a bit more than Persimmon or others but you seem to get bigger rooms in return. I have been pretty satisfied with the service so far, and know a few people on the development who have also been happy with their new houses.

Some pointers below:
Huge house, ok-ish garden but south-facing with views of countryside.
Got £7 K off asking price with a lot of incentives, including all integrated appliances
Sales lady very helpful and nice to deal with, unfortunately she has just re-located and the older lady is a bit mad, but we c an tolerate her
Their double glazing is really good quality, much much better than in my current Crest house
They are buying my Crest house as part-x and are giving me market price for it. Part-x manager is really helpful and reliable and has agreed with my every request, including only marketing my house through my preferred agent.
Site manager is also very helpful and has already done us a few favours for no charge.
They have reassured me a lot along the way, including testing one of their garages to make sure my car will fit! They are also accommodating with the timing of the completion.

And no, they are not desperate to sell as the houses seem to be going very fast indeed.

On the basis of the above, I have no reason not to recommend Charles Church, and as I have done the whole new-build thing before, I know what to expect and the questions to ask. There WILL be snags, this doesn't worry me as I know that they will be fixed. I had to have several windows swapped in the first week of buying my Crest house, and the whole kitchen re-done (faulty worktop) about six months later: Crest came and fixed it all without a quibble, and based on the feedback of others on that development, CC will do the same (as they should/must)

If you can't live with snags, plasterboard walls, small gardens and garages, cracking walls etc. don't buy any new house from any builder.

Sorry, might sound harsh but only speaking from experience.

Ta ta!

Almost fell for it... :rotfl:

dgtazzman

Would that be Georgesmum79@persimmonhomes.com?

I do agree to a point that new builds are prone to have teething problems and these will vary greatly between different sites, but opinions were asked for and given, Persimmon's general track record does seem to below that of some other developers, while their prices tend to be premium, at least around Northampton.

Also, though the bedroom sizes of the Persimmon's build we're renting now is ok, some of the new ones they are building we've looked at have master bedrooms in the 6-7 m2 rage, in my book that's just about enough for a single bed. Some bedrooms are only 4m2, which makes me wonder if a bed would even fit in there. I know this isn't just Persimmons, but they seem to have these small room sizes in far more house types than other developers.

Another thing that has had a big impact on our decision to buy from Barratt's instead of Persimmon is the fact they only offer a 2-year waranty. Both Barratt's and David Wilson offer 5 years...

Georgesmum79

Hi,
Well, cheers for that, I thought this was an open discussion with adults, but clearly not so. I am quite happy to tell you all the things I love about my Crest Nicholson home as well and how fantastic their sales team was when I bought this place three years ago, and how the site manager went over and above to make me happy by sourcing a stain for my staircase specially for me (I hated their standard one), changing the landscaping from the plan to suit me, and even ripped out the bathroom tiles and re-tiled them because I had changed my mind, etc.....but I guess that would mean I work for Crest Nicholson as well. Would it not be a conflict of interest to work for Persimmon and Crest at the same time, maybe? Hmm....or perhaps you two are some small-minded idiots who enjoy generally !!!!!ing, moaning and whinging. I am happy to swap experiences with anyone who wants to know, but [EMAIL="tw@ts"]tw@ts[/EMAIL] need not apply. Over and out.

dgtazzman

Georgesmum79 wrote: »

I thought this was an open discussion with adults

Georgesmum79 wrote: »

but tw@ts need not apply

Yes, what a very 'adult' choice of words. The reaction reminds me somewhat of a 5-year-old having a tantrum, but maybe that's just me. Enjoy the rest of your evening, for all it's worth.

Georgesmum79

Having a lovely evening but thank you for your good wishes anyway I am sure it will get even better now.
Yes, that is just you I am afraid. I am glad I got a reaction out of you, just goes to show that you were only after one of those yourself.

I frankly could not give the slightest whether you slag off this company or not, as long as they don't go bust for the next two years and a few months I am quite happy. I don't much care for people who rain on the parade of someone else; we have been through hell trying to sell another house recently (which you will learn from my other posts) and now that things are finally looking up, I quite wanted to share my good experience of CC until now. If you don'tt want to know, simply don't read. Simples.

Tancred

Tabby2 wrote: »

There hasn't been much on any website recently in regards to problems with Charles Church and Persimmon, do I take it that their customer service and build standards have improved?

My in-laws bought a Charles Church home in the 1980s and have not had any issues. I've just bought one and the survey on it was pretty much 10 out of 10.
The rooms are not big, but that's the case with all modern houses. If you want big rooms then the houses are available but be prepared to pay top whack. My 3 bed detached house is 93 sq m, including hallway, landing, downstairs loo, en-suite and main bathroom. It's not big! Having said that, I've seen houses from the 80s that are even smaller.

One thing worth mentioning is that I did view bigger houses from the 60s/70s but they were all more expensive and in often very 'iffy' condition, requiring quite a bit of work, which even if cosmetic, I would rather not do. My Charles Church home looks, feels and smells like a new home should; if I need more space I'll have a conservatory built.

Thrugelmir

Bought a 1930's property over 6 years ago and still doing remedial work. So there's a lot to be said for a few cosmetic issues with a new property!