In this episode, we take a look at some more of our YouTube snagging video conversations which you might find interesting.
Let’s start this podcast with a conversation regarding the incoming water main into the house that is usually located under the sink or sometimes in the garage, which had expanding foam around it sealing the duct:
C/
Does the expanding foam eat into the plastic mains pipe? I thought I had read about that problem. Poor soul paying good money for that mess too.
A/
The chemicals in the expanding foam can degrade the pipe, I had a conversation with a Water By-Laws inspector who agreed, unfortunately, there is no hard document that states this, so it is difficult to push it. What the by-laws do say though is the pipe should be able to be replaced and sealing the ducting with expanding foam will not allow it to be replaced easily.
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This one speaks for itself…
C/
Disgusting! This leaves the customer with a mountain of remedial work not to mention the stress and hassle of it all. Lord only knows how long before all the faults are rectified. And they are having to pay a mortgage on that? Makes my blood boil.
C/
I feel sorry for some of our customers, buying a brand-new house with a large number of snags then having to fight with the developer to get them fixed, the whole system is broken.
C/
Whoever trained these cowboys there are good tradesmen out there but not that many, unfortunately. My late father who was a master bricklayer would turn in his grave at the standard of brickwork produced today and as a carpenter and joiner myself are disgusted at the dismissal standard of workmanship produced today
A/
I fully agree as a carpenter myself that some of the workmanship we see is disgraceful, part of the problem is apprentices are not shown how to do it properly because they are normally put with a tradesman who does not have the time to teach them properly, that is if they know how to do it themselves and because they are only interested in earning their wage. Gone are the days when you were indentured to a company as an apprentice and shown how to do it properly by craftsmen who had pride in their work and teachings.
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This is from another Surveyor:
C/
New build protections “From 4th October, people buying a new build home can benefit from increased protections in the event of any issues they have with their new home or disputes with their developer. It is hoped that a new code of practice, overseen by the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB), will put significantly more requirements on builders in terms of how they treat their customers and deal with any complaints, and a new, totally independent Ombudsman service will provide redress for customers in the event of a dispute” Surely the current system should be made to work and we do not require this new oversight!
A/
It certainly looks like a step in the right direction to provide protection to new build homebuyers, I have my reservations though as the majority of developers have a culture that will need to drastically change for them to comply with the New Homes Quality Board requirements. Time will tell, and I hope the New Homes Ombudsman has the strength to help homebuyers resolve their disputes. The Ombudsman might be shocked by the influx of complaints they will receive, and it will be interesting to see how quickly they deal with these complaints.
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This is a discussion about the bracing in the roof of a single-skin garage which was not touching the brickwork. There were quite a few people who jumped in on this one, it’s really good to see other people commenting. I enjoy what they have to say and it makes others comment.
C/
If the wall is a single-skin garage and timber bracings touched the brickwork they would surely then be susceptible to rot and decay from absorbing moisture if they were in contact with the brickwork. So in this instance is this not a good thing?
A/
No, they should be touching the brickwork to give added stability to the roof and pikes of the garage.
C/
Single-skin garage. Cheapskates
A/
Quite common on new developments for detached garages.
C/
Perhaps the bracing should also be isolated from the brick with some dpc material to stop moisture transfer into the end grain? Don’t think the standard here has been properly considered.
A/
Most detached garages we see are single-skin, we tell our customers not to put anything against the walls due to the possibility of water penetration. I have never seen a single-skin garage with dpc between the bracing and brickwork. if developers made the garages another 400mm wide they could build a cavity wall, which would be a much better job.
C/
It is correct that braces should abut masonry however in an instance like this the gap is effectively cosmetic as the side of the house is certainly not going to be moving and the roof is braced so effective enough as a standalone structure. The vanity unit, plastering and door casings are straight out of a horror movie.
A/
Yes, bracing should be tight against the brickwork, NHBC standards state: longitudinal bracing members should extend the full length of the roof, tightly abut gable and party walls and permit diagonal bracing to pass (they may be lap-jointed providing the overlap is nailed to a minimum of two trussed rafters) Keep an eye out for the video on the 17th for a horror movie.
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This is a conversation I have with a site manager. It started off about foam lagging being secured to boiler and cylinder pipework but went on to highlight the inconsistency within the NHBC:
C/
Expanding foam does have a place. However it should be used as a minimum. I’m a site manager and would never ask a plumber to clip pipe insulation/lagging.
C/
I would always ask my plumbers to cable tie the lagging to prevent it from falling or being knocked off accidentally.
C/
My NHBC inspector marked me down on it. That’s why I won’t do it any more.
A/
For pride in the job they should like it, this is part of the problem NHBC inspectors are inconsistent in their interpretation of the standards, at the end of the day you are the site manager and you set the standards on-site not the NHBC inspector. Keep doing it put your own mark on what you do.
C/
I completely agree. Inconsistently from one inspector to another is so frustrating from a site manager’s perspective.
A/
I know I have been there, I have also spoken to a number of NHBC area managers and our Regional Director offering to help during any of their training sessions to show them the inconsistency in their inspections and what they are missing especially at the CML inspection.
C/
There is 1 inspector in my area who doesn’t even get out of his car. For KSI and finals.
A/
That is ridiculous he needs to report to his area manager, I would get your contracts manager to mention it to his area manager he is helping no one.
C/
This has been reported. He got audited by his manager and it made no difference. I came across this inspector while on the tools 10 years ago and it’s still happening
A/
If he has been audited and his manager has not done anything about it then I would take it further and get your production director to have a quiet word with the area manager.
C/
I think that the consumer code being introduced will change everything within the housing industry. That will have to sharpen up the inspection process.
A/
I hope it does, the problem will be getting the culture to change within the house-building sector, starting at the top and the demands they put on sites to achieve budget and numbers.
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This conversation is from a video I posted of a poor house:
C/
Were the people who built this house p**sed up? This is horrendous
A/
This was a good house compared to the video coming out tonight.
C/
Omg. The miller estate in castle donnington, do you know anything about that? If that is happening to every home on the plots, are there not mass uproars? Or is it just the odd house that’s failed massively. Thanks again for sharing.
A/
Sorry I don’t know that site, the site the video was taken on had improved but this house was not good, the disappointing thing for me is I worked for Miller when the Miller family still owned it and we built some great homes and won a load of quality awards. Unfortunately, Miller is just like the rest of them regarding their quality. It is all down to the quality of the site manager to determine if you get a good house or not.
C/
That’s awful. The incompetent builders have no respect for the poor sods that will buy their home with hard earned cash. I’m sure they wouldn’t like it if it happened to them […] Buying new always scared me and I almost took the plunge, until I stumbled on your video. Are David Wilson any better
A/
All developers are the same, it really does come down to the quality of the site manager on the development you are thinking of buying. My advice would be to have a good look at the site, does it look clean tidy, and well organised if it does then the site manager is going to treat your home the same. On the other hand, if the site is a mess and untidy then that is how the site manager is going to treat your new home. Basically, it is a lottery however the New Homes Quality Board and New Homes Ombudsman should make a difference, but time will tell.
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C/
Absolutely atrocious workmanship, The site agent clearly has not stepped inside this house ever. The Site Manager deserves to be sacked for allowing this work and the so-called contractors who did the work named and shamed. Someone out there will know the cowboys who did this. This homeowner deserves to get a large paycheque from the developer for all the trauma this will cause. It is beyond time for the UK Government to make mandatory requirements for new builds and that would be for solicitors acting on behalf of purchasers to retain 25% of purchase prices in a client fund until all works are completed to satisfactory condition. If they fail to deliver what was promised, forfeit the 25%.
A/
That’s a great idea but we both know Government is not going to step in, let’s see what the New Homes Quality Board and Ombudsman can do to improve quality.
C/
The homeowner should take Countryside to court and sue the pants off them. This house IS NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE!! A tin of paint won’t put this house right. Remember the first commandment. HOW YOU DO ANYTHING IS HOW YOU DO EVERYTHING! I think this is the worst one yet Ian. Total embarrassment (or not) for Countryside. Do they even care?
A/
I was embarrassed for the customer and angry that this house had been signed off and handed to the customer. This just shows the greed within the industry and the attitude of getting them up, getting them in and we will sort it out afterwards. I agree this one was not fit for purpose and should not have been handed over.
C/
That’s an absolute insult to the homebuyers they should be ashamed of themselves but somehow, I don’t think they will.
A/
No, they won’t, but to be fair I have snagged a number of Countryside houses and they are not normally presented like this one.
C/
That house is actually offensive. How can the handover team look their client in the eyes when they hand that rubbish over?
A/
It was disgusting, this just shows the greed within the house-building industry, and shows Countryside has no quality checks in place, someone has signed this house off and allowed it to be handed to the customer in this state.
C/
Truly shocking.
C/
That is unbelievable, probably the worst one I’ve seen yet of your surveys. How did the SM & ASM go home on Friday and think that wasn’t going to come back and bite them. I get it, sales drive build programmes when someone reserves a plot and CML deadlines are given, but come on that was never going to be acceptable to anyone.
A/
I think they sleep well, no one cares anymore, what was disappointing for me was the site manager should have been at this house Monday morning with cleaners and a decorator and a whole load of apologies. Both the site manager and assistant site manager walked past the house a number of times whilst I was there with the customer and never made any attempt to knock on the door.
C/
Surely it’s about time laws were changed! You should be able to leave a deposit! On handover if You are not satisfied get a full refund! I do appreciate though it’s as easy as that!
A/
Why would they care when they have the money? They know trying to get things resolved is stupidly difficult and I suspect they hope to wear down the complaints by ignoring them or giving them the run around until the new owner fixes things themselves out of desperation.
C/
What a shocker. This builder should not allowed to trade or be allowed to join any trade associations. Also, the NHBC should be fined / struck off for passing this home.
C/
What I would like to know is who from Countrysides senior management had walked this house before the handover, and why had they allowed it to be in this condition?
C/
This has got to be one of the worst I’ve seen. Can you imagine going into to pick up a brand new car and they give you some touch up paint as a gift I feel so sorry for anyone having to buy a new build property today
A/
You would not take it out of the showroom if your new car was presented to you like this.
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Let’s finish this off on a positive note.
One of our surveyors did an inspection for a customer in Wotton Under Edge last year, It was a small developer. The house wasn’t too bad, but they hadn’t put any weep holes in the render above all the openings and had silicone sealed all the heads between the lintel and the render stop bead. This obviously went in the report. However, the developer disagreed that they had done any wrong, but the customer kept on at them. She even got the customer care guy from the company to ring our surveyor, unfortunately, every time he spoke to the customer care person, he just shouted over the top of him until in the end our surveyor said to him that it was pointless to carry on the conversation.
The customer carried on her claim and went to the warranty provider, she heard back from them to say they had agreed with the findings in the report and the work would be corrected.
This is the response from the Developers’ Director:
Good Afternoon
Having heard back from Insurers, I can see that they have instructed us to confirm they will pay for remediation of the Defect relating to the seal between the lintel and render, in addition to no visible weepholes.
We are happy to have our surveyor attempt to find a local Contractor for your approval, to remediate the above Defect for you.
Please let us know if you would like us to do this or if you have any preferred local Contractors you would prefer to use.
It pays off being persistent when you are right, stand your ground, do not always take the Developers word. Fight for your rights, we now have the new homes quality board and the new homes ombudsman in place which hopefully will help new build homebuyers get the redress they deserve
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This is some feedback from one of our customers following a snagging inspection I carried out for them.
Hi Ian,
Homes by Carlton were great, site manager came around and just said we will get all this sorted for you and apologised for the inconvenience it will cause!
They are going to try to group jobs to cause us the least disruption possible.
Thanks for your help.
This is great feedback from one of our customers and goes to show when you don’t inflate your snagging reports with nonsense the developer responds positively.
Check out some of the snags we have found on our YouTube channel.
We can take some positives away from this all, but not many! Our snagging services are here to help you get the new build house you deserve. Get in touch with one of our snagging professionals to find out more.
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