Surprise problems in your new home?

lookstraightahead

So far our new (old) house has a moth problem, hardly any water pressure downstairs, potentially mice but not quite sure yet.

there are loads of building issues but I did know about those !

Any nasty surprises when you first moved in?

scottishblondie

Oh so many. The main one was the new-ish extension. It was 4-5 years old when we bought, fully signed off etc. It really made the property as it is huge.

it also leaks like a sieve. 2 weeks after moving in we noticed a small wet patch. Within a few days water was pouring in and we found mould behind the skirting boards. Eventually we discovered the roof is badly designed with a pitch too shallow for tiles. We’re now finally getting the roof replaced at a cost of 25k+ having spent the last 2.5 years with a giant sheet of black plastic on the roof and buckets out to catch the water that made it in during heavy rain. 

There have been loads of other issues come up. A few honourable mentions - a wasps nest under the floor, a really damp wall due to a leaky boxed in drain pipe (hidden behind a radiator) and some really dodgy dimmer switches. Plus general poor workmanship during their refurbishment of the property.

We still love the house, but there have been so many unexpected issues and expenses.  The roof in particular really got us down in the beginning - the previously owners clearly knew there was a fundamental problem and covered it up - but this is the “forever” home so we just have to get on with it!

SallyCinnamon

We moved in a week ago and have moths too. We knew from viewing that power sockets were a bit thin on the ground, but underestimated the number of extensions we'd need to pick up before our electrician can sort us out. The main TV aerial point downstairs had also been cut, but thanks to YouTube we've managed to sort that one.  I think all of the other surprises have been pleasant ones thankfully and we really love the place.

Justonemorecupoftea

@scottishblondie we had a similar roof issue. Not on an extension, but the same issue with the tiles not being suitable for the pitch of the roof. Found out two weeks after moving in when it started raining inside.

SameOldRoundabout

Our house had stood empty for 18 months prior to us moving in, and before that had been tenanted and uncared for for 10 years. I can only assume the tenants were not happy with the landlord as we discovered they’d left raw bacon inside all the oven compartments (a lovely, quite expensive range that was beautifully clean outside) which even a professional clean could not get out as it was mouldy underneath all the elements 🤢

jacko74

I had endless insect pest infestations with a previous house I'd bought, to the point where I ended up giving up and selling it.

Mine also started off with a moth infestation as soon as I moved in and over the following 5 years before I sold I had ongoing problems with infestations of... Woodlice, Ants, Slugs, Cluster Flies, Woodworm, Carpet Beetles, Spiders, I even once heard a Death Watch Beetle tap, tap, tapping in the attic one night

I actually knew the house well prior to buying it as it was my mums and she had none of these issues whilst she owned it, when I bought it off her I had it fully renovated and I'm convinced that all the building work must have literally brought everything out of the woodwork.

lookstraightahead

jacko74 said:

I had endless insect pest infestations with a previous house I'd bought, to the point where I ended up giving up and selling it.

Mine also started off with a moth infestation as soon as I moved in and over the following 5 years before I sold I had ongoing problems with infestations of... Woodlice, Ants, Slugs, Cluster Flies, Woodworm, Carpet Beetles, Spiders, I even once heard a Death Watch Beetle tap, tap, tapping in the attic one night

I actually knew the house well prior to buying it as it was my mums and she had none of these issues whilst she owned it, when I bought it off her I had it fully renovated and I'm convinced that all the building work must have literally brought everything out of the woodwork.

These are black moths about an inch long - I went to bed scratching last night wondering where they had come from

MaryNB

Nothing major, just lots of minor inconveniences 

• Two leaks in the roof within the first month of owning it (bought in November). Fairly minor and haven't appeared since
• Three leaks in the garage roof, although they never appear at the same time, I'm guessing they're very dependent on wind direction
• If I leave the garage door open too long it drops - I've already had to replace the barrel bolt. 
• Skirting board missing in several areas which had been hidden by the seller's furniture
• They left me a wardrobe and two chests of drawers which I though were quite handy until I opened them and realised they were in a bad condition. 
• Going by older listings I had an idea of how old the kitchen was and thought I could get away with just changing the doors. Once I moved in I noticed how bad the carcasses are. Surprised they're that bad for an approx. 7 year old kitchen
• Burglar alarm doesn't work - first problem. I then removed the large box on the wall when I got a new alarm and realised they plastered around it. 
• On the electrical docs I got from the seller it said a 6mm cable had been installed for an electric shower (which the house doesnt have). Thought I could get it rerouted to the kitchen to get an induction hob. No idea where it terminates, my electrician couldn't find it and disconnected it so my house could pass the EICR. 

lookstraightahead

Well I'm just waiting for the next thing. We knew we had damp but there's just patched up work everywhere. I'm on the verge of thinking I made a mistake

scottishblondie

Justonemorecupoftea said:

@scottishblondie we had a similar roof issue. Not on an extension, but the same issue with the tiles not being suitable for the pitch of the roof. Found out two weeks after moving in when it started raining inside.

Ugh such a pain. Our builders have said it’s not uncommon. They told us a story about a young couple who bought their first house, 2 weeks after moving in water started coming in the kitchen roof. The neighbours later told them that the previous owners were repainting the kitchen every weekend to hide the leaks while they were trying to sell!

We also went to move the large (Ikea Pax) wardrobes in our baby’s new room, and discovered not only missing skirting board but that the carpet had been cut around them.

TadleyBaggie

It was back in the 80's...brought a new build from a small builder, one of three. After we had been in a month or so we saw a wet patch on a downstairs ceiling. Traced it to the toilet in the en-suite, on the inlet pipe the copper pipe had been connected to the plastic valve but had been cross threaded, which had eventually cause the thread to tear open. Tightening the fitting just made it worse. All of this happened on a bank holiday Monday before the DIY places used to be open.