Poor Brickwork - Do I have a case? (Persimmon)

robatwork

Don't film it you're not Roger Cook. Be polite - what I did in a similar position with my Barratt's box was look the MD in the eye and ask him if he'd accept finishing like that in his own house. It's not a formal meeting so I doubt he'll sign minutes, but note down everything he said after the meeting.

clarkey01

So the construction director came out today.
==========================
'It's within NHBC tolerances' 
'It's down to the construction of the brick'
'....That's because this isn't a clay brick' 
==========================
We just went in circles and when I showed him a house with superior brickwork he told me they were comparable, straight-faced. 

He's promised they will come back and perform some changes but I really don't know how you fix this?
I've got the NHBC to come in March but I'm looking at getting an independent surveyor out from the lender

clarkey01

P.S id uploaded a 4K video of my brickwork but i can't post links yet :-(

ComicGeek

You said they changed the brick part way through the development. Might be worth checking your local authority planning website to check if they had permission for that - they probably had a planning condition relating to external materials which you should be able to view. Might be too vague, like 'red brick', but worth checking as sometimes the actual brick is referenced.

clarkey01

Morning ComicGeek, thanks for another avenue to explore. 
I've found out that the bricks are from Edenhall so I've sent an email along with the video asking what batch are mine from, is there a correct facing way for these bricks etc

Having slept on it I feel worse, yesterday the director for construction basically told me everything was fine but he was only coming out as I wasn't happy. It felt like I was talking to a lawyer, no direct answers, evading comparisons and making me feel like the problem is my expectations and not the house.

I'm trying to find the email address of Roger Devlin as he can't want this to go any further.

I'm generally quite laid back but I can feel this getting a hold of me now. 

ian1246

If they wont play ball, can you put signs up in your garden warning other buyers of what has happened & park your car(s) outside the sale offices with photos & a note/explanation in the windows of it.

As long as they are factually true, there's not a lot Persimmons will be able to do about it - and them loosing other buyers will likely hit them where it hurts & get them to sit up & take notice. Can they not put rendering over the bricks or something?

clarkey01

Hi Ian.
I did ask about Rendering as a possible solution yesterday but Persimmon said I'd need planning permission.
Right now my biggest priority is getting as much visibility to my brickwork via Youtube.

clarkey01

Quick update.

I had the area director call me up and confirm that he's agreed to a team coming out to work on the affected areas.
He genuinely seemed keen and what struck me is he's the first person from Persimmon who admitted 'there's work to be done, despite meeting NHBC standards'

I really hope it's more than a tidy up and the scope of work addresses my issues.

Right now I feel positive so fingers crossed and maybe I can talk more highly of Persimmon in the future? 

stuart45

I've had a closer look at the video by stopping it in places, and I'm not sure it does meet the NHBC standards, although it is much easier to give an opinion when on site. There are certain standards that you need to take accurate measurements for.

clarkey01

stuart45 said:

I've had a closer look at the video by stopping it in places, and I'm not sure it does meet the NHBC standards, although it is much easier to give an opinion when on site. There are certain standards that you need to take accurate measurements for.

Morning Stuart.

I had the construction directory out on Monday, seemed nice and knew his stuff but he was fairly adamant that from what he could see it was fine. He did give some way towards the end of the meeting in terms of admitting it 'wasn't perfect'. 

But I can remember phrases like ' The NHBC will come, stand 10 meters away and tell you it's fine'

I got a follow-up email which seemed a lot more positive, whether they didn't want to admit issues to my face is possible? but they were fairly good at rebuffing me with 'That's within tolerances'    '...That's down to manufacturing'        '..I can't really see any difference'    

The NHBC is coming out in March so I will update the thread then.

There's an updated 4K video in my signature