issue with new build

Zales200483

Hello everyone

Thats my first post here so please be gentle:rotfl:

I am sure you heard that one before but i have an issue with my new build house and would appreciate any wise counsel.

Firstly, i have a laminate flooring in my living room. As the weather became colder i have noticed cold air coming from under the skirting boards!!! Checked with IR device and the temperature of the floor in those corners is up to 8 degrees Celcius colder than the floor temperature in the middle of the room and up to 12 degrees lower than air temperature!!!!
Not an expert but surely there is something wrong. I have air bricks but those should provide the circulation for the void under the floor and should not let the air to penetrate the walls.

Secondly, i was checking the air bricks this afternoon and noticed a sewage smell coming from two of them that are situated on the kitchen wall not far from waste pipes from kitchen. Is that something to be worry about?

Any advise and thoughts much appreciated.

Adam

Furts

The usual proviso applies here. One would have to see to know what is happening. A likely scenario is you have dry lined walls and drafts, and subsequent damp and mould, will be behind these. These drafts are coming out at skirting level. A follow on from this is you have heat losses, increased heating bills, and (possibly) a home that fails the Buildings Regulations when air tested.

The sewer smells are worrying. I am assuming you have a block and beam floor, and two scenarios come to mind. Either there is an open drain - worrying, but less so if it is surface water. But rodents will be the issue here. Or the back fill is organic matter which is rotting. You might say "bizarre" but I have a number of experiences of foxes under the floors and dead ones too. You could also have dead rodents.

J_B

As it's 'new build' ought you to contact the builder who (hopefully) gave some sort of guarantee?

Zales200483

Hi guys

I have already contacted builder and reported it.
To clarify, the fllor is concrete so i assume the smell comes from the void under and it is more stagnant like kitchen dishes if that makes sense and because it is on kitchen side i assume it might be a leak from kitchen waste pipes.

Can someone explain how the draft can penetrate the walls and get behind the plaster? Logically it should not be possible or should be?

Doozergirl

If it’s a cavity built house then it isn’t airtight. If it’s block and beam, then it’s even less airtight.

Building regs dictate for only 150 or 225mm (can’t remeber which) of insulation below DPC within the cavity.

The floor will have plenty of solid insulation under it and an upstand of insulation, but the join between floor and wall is a known potential weak spot for thermal bridging.

http://www.zerocarbonhub.org/sites/default/files/resources/reports/ZCH-ThermalBridgingGuide-Screen_0.pdf

You’ve probably got an issue as illustrated on what is page 17 on my phone, but page 15 in the guide itself.

Zales200483

Thank guys for all the advice, keep it coming. Much appreciated

Furts

Zales200483 wrote: »

Hi guys

I have already contacted builder and reported it.
To clarify, the fllor is concrete so i assume the smell comes from the void under and it is more stagnant like kitchen dishes if that makes sense and because it is on kitchen side i assume it might be a leak from kitchen waste pipes.

Can someone explain how the draft can penetrate the walls and get behind the plaster? Logically it should not be possible or should be?

Unfortunately if you are making a formal complaint on workmanship - which you should be and in writing - it is no good basing this on assumptions.

A concrete floor with air bricks suggests a block and beam floor, so my comments previously still stand. To this you can add flooding - this came to mind after my posting. It can, and does, happen.

Your walls and drafts depends on a key issue. If you have dry lined, that is plasterboard, walls then drafts are common. If you have plastered walls then not so.

At skirting level matters get complicated by cold bridging, sealing, membranes, radon and so on. This is regardless of your wall construction type. Hence here it is not possible to comment without seeing the situation. However if you wish to post photos of anything you may have revealed then folks here can offer suggestions.

Zales200483

Dear Furts

I understand your point. What i meant is that i have reported smell which itself is worrying. Surely it is now their thing to investigate and find out the reason why the smell occurs. I mentioned leak from kitchen waste pipe as an example. Bottom line is that it should be rectified regardless of the reason behind it.
The same stand with the drafts and cold spots. I can only assume that it might be something to do with the insulation in a place where the floor meets the wall but obviously it needs to be investigated by builder.
At the moment my goal is to have them around and acknowledge that indeed there is an issue there that needs further investigation. From mine experience, that part seems to be the hardest when dealing with developer.

Furts, i f you may indulge a layman, could you please explain to me how the air can penetrate the cavity wall anyway?

Doozergirl

Air can pentrate because cavity walls are not airtight.

You’ve also purposely got airbricks running through them to ventilate the subfloor so you actively have a through-draft under the floor.

If there’s a gap between the wall and the floor, then you’ll have a breeze there too.

Zales200483

quick update, had a site manager poping in, opened all the manholes, let the sink run and no joy. Possibly the pipe got disconnected or wasnt connected at all. Groundworkers coming tomorrow with prodes and will be trying to figure out what happened.

Doozergirl

Zales200483 wrote: »

quick update, had a site manager poping in, opened all the manholes, let the sink run and no joy. Possibly the pipe got disconnected or wasnt connected at all. Groundworkers coming tomorrow with prodes and will be trying to figure out what happened.

Eek! :eek: That’s kind of basic!