New home smaller than showhome

Gibby216

We recently bought a new build home. If was the same style of home as the show home so we expected the room sizes to be the same. We didn’t get to see inside our house until the day we moved in but we’re given the room dimensions prior to this. Because the house was the same style as the show home we never thought the room sizes would be different so didn’t check. When we moved in we realised that one of the rooms was significantly smaller. Do we have any come back on this?

davidmcn

What did your contract say about the specification of the house?

Alan2020

If I understand correctly the dimensions they gave you on the floorpan tally with the actual house you got, in which case your fault.
Houses are built on the land available and dimensions are not exact even if the design is broadly similar. Internal fit, aspect everything differs. Generally a show home is there to give an idea. I would check the plan and if its the case chalk it up to experience. Someone here might give better advice than I know.

markin

Put it up for sale.

Davesnave

The show home is like the "serving suggestion" on the box of a ready meal. What you see is not necessarily what you get; it's just an indicator of what the thing might look like....or not look like, in my experience!

I don't suppose your house came with all of the same floor coverings and fitments in the show home either.

The detailed spec of what you were getting was provided, covering the builder's legal backside, but they knew perfectly well that you might assume it matched the show home. Proving there was an intention to deceive would be very difficult indeed, so you just need to put this down to experience.

Remember, in house buying you have no friends, except your solicitor and any other professional you care to appoint and pay. You can't even count on the solicitor, if they come ready-packaged from the developer.

need_an_answer

When you say significantly smaller...how much total floor plan/footprint have you lost?

SmashedAvacado

I do t think it’s as clear cut as being your fault. Developers have an obligation it to mislead you. It’s arguable that they did. It’s not reasonable to have expected you to measure the show home and compare it to the measurement of the floor plans. Particularly if they indicated that what you were buying was the ‘same’ as the show home. It might be worth pursuing this.

PasturesNew

You have no comeback. At many stages during buying you had the chance to see/read and compare any differences - and then either reject it or try to re-negotiate (probably unsuccessfully).

Show homes are just a rough idea to show you the quality of the finish, how it might look. Many even use specially under-sized furniture so they look bigger.

LandyAndy

SmashedAvacado wrote: »

I do t think it’s as clear cut as being your fault. Developers have an obligation it to mislead you. It’s arguable that they did. It’s not reasonable to have expected you to measure the show home and compare it to the measurement of the floor plans. Particularly if they indicated that what you were buying was the ‘same’ as the show home. It might be worth pursuing this.

An obligation they are all too keen to uphold.

sal_III

If the room is significantly smaller than the show home, but matches the size on the plan that you must have signed on exchange, you have zero recourse.

If the room is significantly smaller than the plan you should discuss this with your solicitor, whether this constitutes a small or significant deviation from the plan. If it's the latter you might have some recourse.

Gibby216

Thank you everyone for your replies. Sounds like we will just need to put this one down to experience.