Persimmon New Build

Jon_B_2

I don't own a Persimmon, but know people that do and they really are the worst in terms of customer service and quality that is have heard of. It's not just minor snags, but proper serious issues.

I bought a new build with Bovis and touchwood everything has been OK. The customer service is actually very good and all faults have been rectified within a reasonable timescale.

Jon_B_2

Also Persimmon/Charles Church are one of the only builders that build the majority of their homes from timber frames, which whilst warmer than traditional masonry built homes are not perceived to be as good. Get a hole for water to leak through and you can only imagine the damage.

GBR78

Thanks for all of the input guys, it's very much appreciated.

I'm taking everything on board and, admittedly, it's worrying when you hear so many bad reports on the quality. I have one friend that has moved into a Persimmon development a few miles away and, although he has had some problems they have all been small and quickly sorted.....maybe our region of Persimmon is a bit more active?!?

We popped over to this same development last night as their showhome is the same style as the property we are looking at on the development near us. Despite being used to solid internal walls and typical 30's room sizes, this new build didn't seem to disappoint. We both liked certain elements of the layout, and think we could compromise on other parts that are missing - the bedroom sizes for one. The new build definitely has smaller main & second bedrooms, but its only negligible in the main bedroom. It made up for it by having a larger 3rd and 4th bed when compared to the 3rd bed in our current house. Downstairs we found the dining room considerably smaller, living room a similar size. The kitchen area was the part that shone though, being a kitchen/family room, and a space that we could see being very practical for us and the way we live.

Finish wasn't bad at all, despite the typical empty sound when tapping on the walls. Understandably, as a showhome, it had a lot of extras. We've not been sucked in by these and will be discussing how the standard spec will compare.

Coming back to the actual development we are looking at, well, part of it is also being developed by Bloor - although this side of it is much further along and only a handful of plots look to be remaining. We are also going to drop by there before the official Persimmon visit so we have another comparison. Does anyone have experience of Bloor builds?

rusty_f

We bought a Persimmon home at the end of last year. It was in a small development of around 18 houses. We got our stamp duty paid, but that was about it and they wouldn't budge on price.

We identified some issues before moving in which they rectified. Some to our satisfaction, some which weren't. We had a few more snagging issues after we moved in, and most of them were resolved quickly and with little fuss, albeit a little slowly because they apparently had a massive backlog.

One issue I had was with a sink which I had identified as cracked during the home check-in and what I thought had been replaced. Months of cleaning using ordinary bathroom cleaner started to remove the 'patch' they made to the sink so I emailed them requesting a replacement. It took a bit of a fight because I had emailed the site with the issue rather than filling our their forms, so they had 'no record' of the sink ever being an issue. Luckily I had the original email and it is now replaced.

Based on my sink experience, I would recommend that for every snagging issue you use their official forms and keep hold of them and any email correspondence - for the entire two years that they run their guarantee.

Overall, I've had a much better experience than I thought - I was put off by the Watchdog reports and the bad press initially but we went ahead anyway and are glad we have. Our home is spacious and feels very much like home now that we've made our mark on it. I think it really depends on which regional office deals with the site, and how big the site is.

Jon_B_2

GBR78 wrote: »

Thanks for all of the input guys, it's very much appreciated.

I'm taking everything on board and, admittedly, it's worrying when you hear so many bad reports on the quality. I have one friend that has moved into a Persimmon development a few miles away and, although he has had some problems they have all been small and quickly sorted.....maybe our region of Persimmon is a bit more active?!?

We popped over to this same development last night as their showhome is the same style as the property we are looking at on the development near us. Despite being used to solid internal walls and typical 30's room sizes, this new build didn't seem to disappoint. We both liked certain elements of the layout, and think we could compromise on other parts that are missing - the bedroom sizes for one. The new build definitely has smaller main & second bedrooms, but its only negligible in the main bedroom. It made up for it by having a larger 3rd and 4th bed when compared to the 3rd bed in our current house. Downstairs we found the dining room considerably smaller, living room a similar size. The kitchen area was the part that shone though, being a kitchen/family room, and a space that we could see being very practical for us and the way we live.

Finish wasn't bad at all, despite the typical empty sound when tapping on the walls. Understandably, as a showhome, it had a lot of extras. We've not been sucked in by these and will be discussing how the standard spec will compare.

Coming back to the actual development we are looking at, well, part of it is also being developed by Bloor - although this side of it is much further along and only a handful of plots look to be remaining. We are also going to drop by there before the official Persimmon visit so we have another comparison. Does anyone have experience of Bloor builds?

Chalk and cheese. Much better standard of finish and the price will reflect it. We looked and actually reserved a Bloor before we settled on our current Bovis, but got spooked by the amount of affordable housing surrounding our plot.

GBR78

That much difference??

We might be able to work something with Bloor as I think they're nearing the end of their side of the development. They're currently listing the remaining houses as Stamp Duty paid, and an email I received from them today said how 'availability and prices are changing daily' so there may just be a deal to be had......which would be useful as their 4 bed within budget isn't as appealing as the Persimmon one - for layout at least. They do look to include a lot of things that Persimmon are listing as extras under their standard fitment too, but I'm not sure if that's just for the remaining plots.

We shall find out more tomorrow I guess!

Jon_B_2

No, that is the facts. With Persimmon you pay less, but basically nothing is included but a substandard house. You'll get a higher spec with Bloor.

lee111s

Persimmon are poor houses. My first purchase was one and when I was doing some DIY, it shows up just how shoddy their workmanship is.

I'd never buy persimmon again. They're cheaper than the rest for a reason.

rusty_f

lee111s wrote: »

Persimmon are poor houses. My first purchase was one and when I was doing some DIY, it shows up just how shoddy their workmanship is.

I'd never buy persimmon again. They're cheaper than the rest for a reason.

Not all Persimmon homes are "poor". I have a friend who bought a Redrow home and has had a lot more problems with her house compared to my Persimmon home, e.g. some fundamental issues with the sewage connection. This makes me think Redrow houses are "poor" but I know it depends a lot on the house, the development, and the contractors so I wouldn't discount a Redrow house myself in the future.

lee111s

rusty_f wrote: »

Not all Persimmon homes are "poor". I have a friend who bought a Redrow home and has had a lot more problems with her house compared to my Persimmon home, e.g. some fundamental issues with the sewage connection. This makes me think Redrow houses are "poor" but I know it depends a lot on the house, the development, and the contractors so I wouldn't discount a Redrow house myself in the future.

That's all well and good, but I'd never buy another persimmon home.