David Wilson Homes appalling finish, customer care and management

Our_David_Wilson_Home

Totally agree.

We had a lot of snags in our previous home with a different developer but the site manager took care of everything very quickly and professionally, then checking standards when work was completed.

Trade have been very good here but it is the site manager (and his assistant in our case) causing the problems. Unwilling to book trade to attend issues after we have reported them to Customer care.

Customer care never have a clue what is happening:

Today as we have reached 51 defects/snags identified we received a letter from Customer Care subject: Unable to Contact.

No emails, no phone calls, but in their letter it states that as they have been unable to contact us they will be closing all issues unless they hear back within 5 days.

This was dated after all our recent correspondences and meeting with the regional Contracts Manager.

We also arranged an appointment with Sales today prior to this letter to view the plans of our plot and have now identified another two issues. May explain why David Wilson Homes have been unwilling to show us the plans since we moved in nor sent copies to NHBC as was requested by them.

Our_David_Wilson_Home

New Homes Expert on Twitter has created the petition below. Could someone please post as a link: https petition . parliament . uk/petitions/167660

Petition
Implement the 10 recommendations of the APPG Inquiry Into Quality of New Homes.

The poor quality of new homes is not new. (NHBC, Barker Review of 2004, Office of Fair Trading Market Study of Home Building in the UK October 2008, and more recently the APPG Inquiry 2016) Yet surprisingly, there has not been any legislation to force this industry to improve.

More details
Around 93% of new home buyers (at least 100,000 a year) report problems to their housebuilder. Defects that could and should have been prevented. The APPG Report is quite clear, the industry needs to be forced to improve both the quality of new homes and the indifferent service suffered by those buying new homes.

As a minimum, the government must implement the APPG Inquiry's “Key Recommendation” - the setting up of a New Homes Ombudsman by the DCLG within 3 months.

SuzieSue

Our_David_Wilson_Home wrote: »

New Homes Expert on Twitter has created the petition below. Could someone please post as a link: https petition . parliament . uk/petitions/167660

Petition
Implement the 10 recommendations of the APPG Inquiry Into Quality of New Homes.

The poor quality of new homes is not new. (NHBC, Barker Review of 2004, Office of Fair Trading Market Study of Home Building in the UK October 2008, and more recently the APPG Inquiry 2016) Yet surprisingly, there has not been any legislation to force this industry to improve.

More details
Around 93% of new home buyers (at least 100,000 a year) report problems to their housebuilder. Defects that could and should have been prevented. The APPG Report is quite clear, the industry needs to be forced to improve both the quality of new homes and the indifferent service suffered by those buying new homes.

As a minimum, the government must implement the APPG Inquiry's “Key Recommendation” - the setting up of a New Homes Ombudsman by the DCLG within 3 months.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/167660

Chanes

I've shared the link on other sites, I love new builds but these horror stories put me off and they are preventable!

Our_David_Wilson_Home

Thank you both.

norm_

Looking on your twitter that photo of the brickwork is appalling.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CspMXtmWYAA0cOi.jpg

What would have happended had you not agreed to complete, loss of deposit/reserve fee?

Our_David_Wilson_Home

Yes, we would have lost all the money including for upgrades paid in advance.

After exchange of contacts the site manager made it very difficult for us to see the plot but reassured us that with our 2 year warranty all issues would be resolved.

Days before completion we asked our solicitor if David Wilson Homes had breached contract due to a number of issues that we had become aware of – if this was the case could we legally not go ahead with completion.

They replied that before completion David Wilson Homes are contractually obliged to provide a copy of the NHBC Cover Note showing that the plot has been signed off, which they did.

NHBC have a lot to answer for because they should have picked up on all of the more serious structural issues that we have discovered and yet they went ahead and issued their certificate anyway. Their documentation has even helped us to prove to David Wilson Homes that they must undertake remedial work.

Our solicitor went on to say that David Wilson Homes were unlikely to agree to changing the completion date because the NHBC Cover Note had been issued.

Therefore David Wilson Homes would not be in breach of contract and therefore not obliged to pay any of our costs if completion was delayed.

In fact, if we had decided not to complete and this was not agreed by David Wilson Homes then we would be in breach of contract and liable for penalties and interest until completion side take place. As we were also having to rent temporary short term accommodation having sold our home, this would have made it even more costly to delay or pull out at that stage.

As our lender was about to send mortgage funds to our solicitor, and if completion did not happen as planned, our solicitor would then need to return the funds to the lender and we could then be subject to fees.

Our solicitor would then need to re-request our mortgage funds and need to give them the requisite 5 working days’ notice. The lender would also not agree to sending the funds back until they have confirmed receipt of the funds that were sent back to them and gone through their internal process.

Our completion date was even meant to have been earlier than this but there had been some delays which weren't even to do with DWH. I can't imagine what we would have had to move into if not for the delays.

So in a nutshell, absolute nightmare if you decide not complete once NHBC issue their certificate regardless of the actual state of the property.

MrsTinks

NHBC... for the record although they SHOULD inspect every build do not... they might check a few on a site and oddly the builders always make sure they show the better houses to the inspectors... And i have that from several builders/laborers/chippies/sparkys... I will never again trust an NHBC certificate and their assistance is also useless when it comes to getting anything fixed... Next time we buy a house I will hire my OWN inspector no matter the cost to assure me that every thing in the house is as it should be! grrrr

Our_David_Wilson_Home

Nine weeks without remedial work following our official complaint to David Wilson Homes.

Two weeks ago the Site Manager went through the issues with us and only disputed one item: in the plot plans which we recently went through with Sales, in identical neighbour's plots (identical house types), and in the show home, there is a radiator behind the entrance door. In our plot this has been put in an awkward position in the hallway. It's a minor detail but means that the only piece of hallway furniture we have from our last home cannot fit and is still in the garage.

The Site Manager produced new plans showing this change so we will have to pay for it to be moved and means more holes in walls and ceilings. The original hallway was one of the features that made us decide to pick this house type.

A post on another forum has me concerned now about the excessive banding we have at the side of property:


"So they don't look at the walls before then?
Disgraceful.
There are many CAUSES which should alarm you!
These include mortar mix variation, lighter colour means less cement, means weaker walls!
It looks like you have coloured mortar which they ran out of and carried on anyway with the block mortar (which may have been a different mix)
(this would also show how little they CARE about the quality of what they are building)
Frost or water damage (weaker wall!)

Tinting is a bodge and may not last. The right course of action is to re erect the scaffolding and rake out the lighter joints and re point with the right mortar!"


We currently have 53 snags / defects:


Exterior
– Planting missing
– Front garden ground level higher than damp course
– Damaged UPVC frame
– Mastic missing around window
– Red stained UPVC
– Mastic stained on all windows
– Excessive chipped brickwork (greater than 15mm in diameter)
– Excessive colour banding
– Loose patio slabs

Hallway
– Front door difficult to close
– Door threshold/bar between hallway and kitchen at angle
– Floor level drop
– Mastic poorly finished
– Two Amtico tiles damaged by trade

Cloak / Under stairs
– Door under stairs resistant to close and 5mm+ gap between door and head / jamb

Sitting Room
– Painter decorator to patch hole cut from ceiling and finish once pipe work is resolved
– Door 6mm+ gap between door and head / jamb
– Door irregularly shaved
– Excessive pipe noise in ceiling when using hot water

Kitchen
– Mastic missing in some areas
– Cooker hood and splash-back not fitted level, and not centred between wall cupboards
– Ceramic damaged by trade
– Cupboard mould in two wall units (NHBC will now be instructing David Wilson Homes to remove the cupboards so that the wall can be inspected, and also inspect for external wall insulation)
– Under units not sealed from exterior re. beetle infestation
– Large holes in plasterboard around electric cabling above units
– Irregularly cut plinths
– Damage to filler panel
– General damage to units
– Under-unit heater not working

Utility Room
– Door frame trim poorly finished, nail exposed and paint splatter on stone worktop
– Finish under sink: exposed plasterboard and large hole

Staircase
– Newel caps not fitted
– Squeaky step

Landing
– Airing cupboard door shaved at angle 11mm+
– Attic hatch damaged
– Pendant light bulb almost touches open door (no way to add a light shade)

Attic
– Electric cable hanging over hatch
– Patchy insulation (can see plasterboard ceiling and thermal breaches below) and rubbish left in attic
– Gable and ladder build: mortar missing in various; cracked block; restraining strap on one side of roof not running through to other side of blocks

Bathroom
– Shower grout cracking vertical and horizontally bottom row
– Over use of mastic around bath and bath panel not correctly fitted
– Creaking floor/side of bath

Bed 4
– Door 6mm+ gap between door and head/ jamb
– 2x thermal breaches in ceiling

Bed 3
– Radiator not visually level (and other radiators)
– 2x thermal breaches in ceiling

Bed 2
– Hinge blown and door not closing well

Bed 1
– Fitted cupboard handle razor sharp defect on lower side; some doors not level, and side panel gaps top and bottom
– 3x thermal breaches in ceiling

Ensuite
– Shower door not fully closing - on at angle
– Basin pipes loose from wall (not fixed as per bathroom basin)
– Ceramic tiles on window ledge not reaching window frame
– Door opening wrong way and blocking entire en-suite - should open into Bed 1 as per plot plans

marksoton

Our_David_Wilson_Home wrote: »

Nine weeks without remedial work following our official complaint to David Wilson Homes.

Two weeks ago the Site Manager went through the issues with us and only disputed one item: in the plot plans which we recently went through with Sales, in identical neighbour's plots (identical house types), and in the show home, there is a radiator behind the entrance door. In our plot this has been put in an awkward position in the hallway. It's a minor detail but means that the only piece of hallway furniture we have from our last home cannot fit and is still in the garage.

The Site Manager produced new plans showing this change so we will have to pay for it to be moved and means more holes in walls and ceilings. The original hallway was one of the features that made us decide to pick this house type.

A post on another forum has me concerned now about the excessive banding we have at the side of property:


"So they don't look at the walls before then?
Disgraceful.
There are many CAUSES which should alarm you!
These include mortar mix variation, lighter colour means less cement, means weaker walls!
It looks like you have coloured mortar which they ran out of and carried on anyway with the block mortar (which may have been a different mix)
(this would also show how little they CARE about the quality of what they are building)
Frost or water damage (weaker wall!)

Tinting is a bodge and may not last. The right course of action is to re erect the scaffolding and rake out the lighter joints and re point with the right mortar!"


We currently have 53 snags / defects:


Exterior
– Planting missing
– Front garden ground level higher than damp course
– Damaged UPVC frame
– Mastic missing around window
– Red stained UPVC
– Mastic stained on all windows
– Excessive chipped brickwork (greater than 15mm in diameter)
– Excessive colour banding
– Loose patio slabs

Hallway
– Front door difficult to close
– Door threshold/bar between hallway and kitchen at angle
– Floor level drop
– Mastic poorly finished
– Two Amtico tiles damaged by trade

Cloak / Under stairs
– Door under stairs resistant to close and 5mm+ gap between door and head / jamb

Sitting Room
– Painter decorator to patch hole cut from ceiling and finish once pipe work is resolved
– Door 6mm+ gap between door and head / jamb
– Door irregularly shaved
– Excessive pipe noise in ceiling when using hot water

Kitchen
– Mastic missing in some areas
– Cooker hood and splash-back not fitted level, and not centred between wall cupboards
– Ceramic damaged by trade
– Cupboard mould in two wall units (NHBC will now be instructing David Wilson Homes to remove the cupboards so that the wall can be inspected, and also inspect for external wall insulation)
– Under units not sealed from exterior re. beetle infestation
– Large holes in plasterboard around electric cabling above units
– Irregularly cut plinths
– Damage to filler panel
– General damage to units
– Under-unit heater not working

Utility Room
– Door frame trim poorly finished, nail exposed and paint splatter on stone worktop
– Finish under sink: exposed plasterboard and large hole

Staircase
– Newel caps not fitted
– Squeaky step

Landing
– Airing cupboard door shaved at angle 11mm+
– Attic hatch damaged
– Pendant light bulb almost touches open door (no way to add a light shade)

Attic
– Electric cable hanging over hatch
– Patchy insulation (can see plasterboard ceiling and thermal breaches below) and rubbish left in attic
– Gable and ladder build: mortar missing in various; cracked block; restraining strap on one side of roof not running through to other side of blocks

Bathroom
– Shower grout cracking vertical and horizontally bottom row
– Over use of mastic around bath and bath panel not correctly fitted
– Creaking floor/side of bath

Bed 4
– Door 6mm+ gap between door and head/ jamb
– 2x thermal breaches in ceiling

Bed 3
– Radiator not visually level (and other radiators)
– 2x thermal breaches in ceiling

Bed 2
– Hinge blown and door not closing well

Bed 1
– Fitted cupboard handle razor sharp defect on lower side; some doors not level, and side panel gaps top and bottom
– 3x thermal breaches in ceiling

Ensuite
– Shower door not fully closing - on at angle
– Basin pipes loose from wall (not fixed as per bathroom basin)
– Ceramic tiles on window ledge not reaching window frame
– Door opening wrong way and blocking entire en-suite - should open into Bed 1 as per plot plans

8 words.

For gawds sake just do a self build.

You've seen my previous posts regarding this yes?

If your [STRIKE]concern [/STRIKE]quibble is over +/- 5mm you are NEVER going to reach a resolution with a modern house basher.