Issues buying new build

stevoh

Honestly, I don’t know whether I’ve hit a certain age, but I drive on the roads constantly trying to dodge pot holes, see signs up for warm rooms because people can’t afford to hear their own houses, and see the corporate world doing whatever they want unregulated whilst paying zero tax, and I wonder what the hell is going on in this country. 

[Deleted User]

All British houses are rubbish compared to what other countries do. With very few exceptions the workmanship and especially what is laughably called the design is shoddy at best.

That the reality of British housing. Most people here have no idea until they really look at what gets built elsewhere.

stevoh

[Deleted User] said:

All British houses are rubbish compared to what other countries do. With very few exceptions the workmanship and especially what is laughably called the design is shoddy at best.

That the reality of British housing. Most people here have no idea until they really look at what gets built elsewhere.

And it’s not as if they’re cheaper either

Postik

stevoh said:

Yeah apart from the major issues, they hadn’t even attempted to hide shoddy workmanship. They’d left masking tape around the outside of windows and just put sealant over it, with the tape sticking out, there were air filters that just weren’t aligned up, so completely useless, kitchen cupboards completely misfitting . 

The damp on the wall was caused by the balcony which was clearly a major design fault on design I assume they’re rolling out all over the country. Drain covers in the street weren’t even in alignment with the holes, paving was already starting to deteriorate.

It's strange (and worrying) how sites from the same developer can vary so drastically. I think this is because of different site managers, but also because virtually everything is contracted out so I'm guessing it's pot luck who ends up doing the work.

The DW estate I live on is no way near as bad as the one you've seen. For all intents and purposes it looks immaculate and you would be hard pushed to notice the snags on my house unless you were a pro or you lived here for a while. Even then, there's stuff I've found which my wife would not have noticed even after 10 years, but I am very pedantic :-:smile:

In fairness you would find snags and bodges on an older house. It's just frustrating that building from scratch is the perfect opportunity to do everything right. But alas, the national housebuilders are not interested in perfection, only in making as much money as they can, as quickly as possible.

For these reasons, I think buying off plan is a bad idea, and that's how the majority of new houses around here are sold. They build them slowly, and only work on the ones where someone has committed to buy based on some foundations in the ground. If you end up with something like you've seen, it's tough luck if you've already exchanged contracts. Knowing everything I know now, I would only ever buy a house that I can see first.

The NHBC warranty also isn't worth the paper it's written on and it amazes me how people sleep soundly at night thinking that if they have the slightest issue the NHBC will come to their rescue, when they won't.

The fact that the housebuilders only offer their own 2 year warranty speaks volumes. The other 8 years is just an insurance policy which is weighted against you and designed to not pay out for most things.

stuart45

I noticed a change in standards in the 70's when the trade started using a lot more sub contract labour.

stevoh

Postik said:

stevoh said:

Yeah apart from the major issues, they hadn’t even attempted to hide shoddy workmanship. They’d left masking tape around the outside of windows and just put sealant over it, with the tape sticking out, there were air filters that just weren’t aligned up, so completely useless, kitchen cupboards completely misfitting . 

The damp on the wall was caused by the balcony which was clearly a major design fault on design I assume they’re rolling out all over the country. Drain covers in the street weren’t even in alignment with the holes, paving was already starting to deteriorate.

It's strange (and worrying) how sites from the same developer can vary so drastically. I think this is because of different site managers, but also because virtually everything is contracted out so I'm guessing it's pot luck who ends up doing the work.

The DW estate I live on is no way near as bad as the one you've seen. For all intents and purposes it looks immaculate and you would be hard pushed to notice the snags on my house unless you were a pro or you lived here for a while. Even then, there's stuff I've found which my wife would not have noticed even after 10 years, but I am very pedantic :-:smile:

In fairness you would find snags and bodges on an older house. It's just frustrating that building from scratch is the perfect opportunity to do everything right. But alas, the national housebuilders are not interested in perfection, only in making as much money as they can, as quickly as possible.

For these reasons, I think buying off plan is a bad idea, and that's how the majority of new houses around here are sold. They build them slowly, and only work on the ones where someone has committed to buy based on some foundations in the ground. If you end up with something like you've seen, it's tough luck if you've already exchanged contracts. Knowing everything I know now, I would only ever buy a house that I can see first.

The NHBC warranty also isn't worth the paper it's written on and it amazes me how people sleep soundly at night thinking that if they have the slightest issue the NHBC will come to their rescue, when they won't.

The fact that the housebuilders only offer their own 2 year warranty speaks volumes. The other 8 years is just an insurance policy which is weighted against you and designed to not pay out for most things.

Glad to hear that you haven’t had these same issues and yours seems to have been overseen by a decent site manager.

As the house I was looking to buy was signed off by the NHBC, I think it’s fair to say there are major regulatory issues in the UK house building sector 

MultiFuelBurner

That's who you should complain to DW homes and the NHBC who signed off the home with all those faults.

Some other poor sod will buy it.

stevoh

So I got the written survey back yesterday. It was damning of the entire development, stating, in writing that the house was not fit for purchase and is likely to develop severe issues in the next couple of years.

Just let that sink in. A brand new house, from a supposedly luxury house builder, that has been declared not fit for purchase by a chartered surveyor. 

I took it to show the lady who owns the other side (it’s a semi) last night, and she was very grateful.

She showed me the photos of her place when she moved in. I’ve honestly never seen anything like it in my life. Their new carpet was literally covered in rubble, there were piles of cigarette butts all over the place, holes everywhere. A huge hole down the side of the front door.  Gaps in the skirting board that they’d just thrown filler at. Honestly, it looked like a derelict building that squatters had just been evicted from.

She told me about her experiences in dealing with the company as a single mother, with the site manager belittling and mocking her. I was absolutely disgusted. Her neighbour had had the same experience.

Now I know I’ve dodged a bullet. I’ve lost time and a few hundred quid on a survey, but these folk have had their lives ruined.

How can this be allowed to happen?!!! 

Tiglet2

Thanks for the update - looks like you dodged a bullet there.  DW usually has a good reputation but from what you say, this development is shoddy all over.  Would you care to divulge which area it is in, so we all know to avoid?

Anyway, wish you and your family all the best in finding something more suitable so you can put this to bed and start over.

stevoh

Tiglet2 said:

Thanks for the update - looks like you dodged a bullet there.  DW usually has a good reputation but from what you say, this development is shoddy all over.  Would you care to divulge which area it is in, so we all know to avoid?

Anyway, wish you and your family all the best in finding something more suitable so you can put this to bed and start over.

I think the reputation may be propped up artificially. On further investigation, a lot of people are scared to speak up because they need to have some kind of relationship with the developer to try and get their issues fixed. Also, if you own a property and all your wealth is tied in to it, you’re going to be reluctant to tell everyone it’s got major issues