House Building

[#1]

How is it that there are so many complaints from those who buy new properties ?

Whilst I can understand that most new properties will have a few minor snags some seem to have a number of major problems.

With all the box ticking, inspections, building regulations and all the rest one would think that our skills at house building would be better than it ever was but this does not seem to be the case.

Simple question is why ?

[#2]

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gleneagles wrote:

Simple question is why ?

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"That'll do" - The standard in this country...

[#3]

because the people who do the inspections work for the same company that built them.
same reason why we have various schools get closed because they found problems with the walls - the company that built them self-assessed them as being safe.

plus, new houses are being built too quickly, thus corners are cut, quality is poor, and they need to sell them quickly to keep the turnover looking good.

the more relevant simple question is... why is that those who buy them don't notice all these issues BEFORE the sale completes? the buyer obviously isn't being very thorough with the surveys.

[#4]

It's why I like old houses, "if they've stood for't 100+ years, it were done right"...

[#5]

People don't care!

The brickies themselves are probably fed up of being "just a number" to their employers, when staff motivation goes down, so do standards. I suspect some of these companies probably have a high turnover of staff too. Then there was that secret black list of builders that had been in use for years... you can't operate something like that, blacklist thousands of decent workers and continue to suck in fresh experienced workers without running out of people. It would only be a matter of time before you're importing people into the industry that are clueless.

The houses we're in are just over a decade old. Last year the neighbours replaced their gas boiler. To do so he had to strip the kitchen wall out as the pipes are fitted into the wall. When doing so he had the shock of his life - two sections of gas pipe supplying the boiler were not even welded or soldered together - they came apart in his hands! The place had previously been a rental property and had gas safety inspection certificates issued every year 

Our place is subsiding, there is a big gap in the front door and the door frame is visibly crooked. The living room window sill has come away from the wall too and there are several other things i've noticed that the recent surveyor didn't even notice himself. Like I said, people don't care.

[#6]

@twocvbloke

Older houses are usually cheaper and have more room than many new built houses but they are usually more expensive to maintain in terms of heating and decorating.

First house I ever lived in was a semi built in the mid 1930's absolute rubbish of a house, pebble dash falling of the outside wall, chimney needing cleaning on a regular basis, septic tank often blocked, windows. were rotten, likely made of soft wood.

Second house built around 1900 was much better but expensive to maintain, well not for me as I was still at school so not all old properties are the bees knees

[#7]

@chenks76

People may not notice some major problems such as damp, drainage or other problems as they only become apparent when you have been in the property for some time.

Minor problems would be obvious but a lot of people buy houses based on the plan so buy before the foundations are even in, no doubt they are given assurances that any minor snags will be dealt with but once a firm has your money they do not want to spend time doing work that will cost them money and that goes for a number of companies not just building ones.

[#8]

About 25 years ago, my dad went to inspect a new build house for a family member & he managed to fill both sides of an A4 piece of paper with snagging faults.

Site foreman looked slightly sheepish when my dad revealed he was a carpenter & had been building houses more years then the foreman had been alive. 

He always said the best houses to buy where ex council ones as they wouldn't except any rubbish.

New build stuff is mostly all cheaply built rabbit hutches, they look nice on the outside but there cheap & nasty under the skin.

[#9]

You have some under paid workforce who will not give 2 pooops so you get a poor development, then you got those types who use cheapest materials ever to save pennys..... and all this means cheap poorly built homes

[#10]

Any new build will have a 10 year guarantee on it. If the builder won't fix any problems use the guarantee.

.

[#11]

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artmo wrote:
Any new build will have a 10 year guarantee on it. If the builder won't fix any problems use the guarantee.

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According to yesterdays TV programme some only come with two!

[#12]

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PowerLee wrote:

New build stuff is mostly all cheaply built rabbit hutches, they look nice on the outside

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Do they? IMO some of them look flaming horrible.

[#13]

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St3 wrote:

You have some under paid workforce who will not give 2 pooops so you get a poor development, then you got those types who use cheapest materials ever to save pennys..... and all this means cheap poorly built homes

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and in some cases...dangerous

[#14]

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gleneagles wrote:

With all the box ticking, inspections, building regulations

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Probably a lot more box ticking than actual inspection.

I watched the preparations for a big extension being built nearby. The foundations were dug, poured, connected to the sewer, before the building inspector arrived. I overheard the inspector say you should have waited. I did have a laugh when I heard him asking how deep the foundations were. As he happened to be looking my way I held my hands about a foot apart. I swear you could see him starting to sweat a bit.

[#15]

No matter what job you do if you are qualified to do that job you should be held accountable for the work you do or not do as the case may be.

By qualified I mean someone with a professional qualification who is either directly responsible for the work they do or responsible for ensuring or inspecting the work of others, such people are hardly likely to be on the minimum wage.