How S**t is your house
Discussion
Came back from holiday last week to my rental accomodation (3 year old build) to find the hot water tank had been leaking. One of the guy's had tried to use the tap to stop water flowing into the tank it's self but this is inaccessable as it is behind the tank it'self and you would need very long arms to reach it.
Failing this he searched the entire ground floor for a stopcock. Found a tap under the sink but that only affects the sink. a day later the landlord called a plumber who eventially had to smash his way through a tiled wall to get to the stopcock which is hiding in a bunch of insulation underneath the ground floor cistern. On top of this the stairs creak like nothing you've heard before. The electrics were on the blink before the flood and the mains connection is just sitting in the garage. The upstairs shower leaks in two places and all the upstairs floors shift when you walk.
Oh and while every other estate nearby has a fibre optic cable connection they didn't bother with the new houses.
I have heard people say new houses were poor quality but this place is a joke.
Failing this he searched the entire ground floor for a stopcock. Found a tap under the sink but that only affects the sink. a day later the landlord called a plumber who eventially had to smash his way through a tiled wall to get to the stopcock which is hiding in a bunch of insulation underneath the ground floor cistern. On top of this the stairs creak like nothing you've heard before. The electrics were on the blink before the flood and the mains connection is just sitting in the garage. The upstairs shower leaks in two places and all the upstairs floors shift when you walk.
Oh and while every other estate nearby has a fibre optic cable connection they didn't bother with the new houses.
I have heard people say new houses were poor quality but this place is a joke.
My new build flat was flooded a month after I moved in with water which came up from the toilet after the pipes were blocked with rubble from the groundwork causing half of my brand new wood floor to have to be ripped up. This was also the time I found out that they hadn't made an inspection hatch for the soil pipe so they had to cut a hole in the wall.
I also had repeated electricity cuts because the RCD/MCB kept tripping caused by a faulty thermostat on the boiler and I later found out that the header tank leaked so instead of fixing it, the builders simply switched off the water to it causing loads of problems with hot water.
The fire alarm also kept going off, partly because the break glass was right next to the light switch in the hallway and people kept hitting it by accident and partly because of electrical faults.
Oh, and the garage door broke.
I was fairly lucky in that the builders did actually fix things quite quickly but I hear some other developers aren't as good.
I also had repeated electricity cuts because the RCD/MCB kept tripping caused by a faulty thermostat on the boiler and I later found out that the header tank leaked so instead of fixing it, the builders simply switched off the water to it causing loads of problems with hot water.
The fire alarm also kept going off, partly because the break glass was right next to the light switch in the hallway and people kept hitting it by accident and partly because of electrical faults.
Oh, and the garage door broke.
I was fairly lucky in that the builders did actually fix things quite quickly but I hear some other developers aren't as good.
Edited by silversun on Monday 14th September 21:13
There's another problem with new builds. I'm no giant but I feel tall in new houses. I remember viewing one and while talking to the seller, had the urge to reach up and touch the ceiling... which I did without standing on tiptoes. 
Wait a sec. British workers can't even build a hand-built car well (I'm thinking Lotus and TVR); you want to risk upwards of £150k on something also built by British workers?
Wait a sec. British workers can't even build a hand-built car well (I'm thinking Lotus and TVR); you want to risk upwards of £150k on something also built by British workers?
Edited by ShadownINja on Monday 14th September 23:00
I once rented a brand new flat, I soon found out that I was expected to call in all the snags. It was one long year of wasted time and frustration. I had to take days off work and if the 'workmen' turned up at all, they wanted to mostly drink tea and chat, like it was their social life.
The worst example was the electrician who turned up to install an electrical socket in the kitchen (the original electrician forgot), and proceeded to rest all his tools on the kitchen worktop without placing a protective cover on there first and ruined the worktop which subsequently had to be replaced.
I once bought a brand new house and on the day I moved in and was shown round by the builder and expected to sign for the house. There was no kitchen waste, some carpet was missing, the fitted wardrobes were missing, some light switches were missing (light was there, but no way to switch it on) and a six foot wet patch on the kitchen ceiling. All this and the removal men outside waiting to move our stuff in.
This was followed by two years of constant phone calls and EVENTUALLY some Eastern European guy turning up to fix things as best he could (actually he was OK).
Edit: I now live in a house built in 1950 and it is solid, shower was very good in the new flat though.
The worst example was the electrician who turned up to install an electrical socket in the kitchen (the original electrician forgot), and proceeded to rest all his tools on the kitchen worktop without placing a protective cover on there first and ruined the worktop which subsequently had to be replaced.
I once bought a brand new house and on the day I moved in and was shown round by the builder and expected to sign for the house. There was no kitchen waste, some carpet was missing, the fitted wardrobes were missing, some light switches were missing (light was there, but no way to switch it on) and a six foot wet patch on the kitchen ceiling. All this and the removal men outside waiting to move our stuff in.
This was followed by two years of constant phone calls and EVENTUALLY some Eastern European guy turning up to fix things as best he could (actually he was OK).
Edit: I now live in a house built in 1950 and it is solid, shower was very good in the new flat though.
Edited by Vespula on Monday 14th September 23:23
t anymore. I've spent enough on it over the years replacing everything apart from the walls and some of the plaster. DaveL485 said:
Extremely.
I don't even want to detail it as i'll get depressed lol.
Needs-
Rewiring
Replumbing
New boiler/radiators
Carpets and floors- everywhere creaks
Every room needs replastering
Need new double glazing
All but 1 room needs decorating
Needs a new kitchen
Mine was similar (although not quite as bad, but needed a new roof too) - Victorian, 1860's.I don't even want to detail it as i'll get depressed lol.
Needs-
Rewiring
Replumbing
New boiler/radiators
Carpets and floors- everywhere creaks
Every room needs replastering
Need new double glazing
All but 1 room needs decorating
Needs a new kitchen
- Sigh**
However, while doing all of this, they found that the bones of the house were completely sound, from walls, to joists, to foundations.
So, once the work is done, should apparently all be good for another 100 years!
Put paid to my Gallardo plans, though
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