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Author Topic: BOVIS - Grass is an optional extra? Told last minute - £750!  (Read 12367 times)

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blueclouds09

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After almost a year of waiting to see our house, arrived for the walk through and saw the garden was an absolute state. We were told "oh because you had the stamp duty deal, we didn't give you a free lawn. A lawn will be an extra £750"

I paid the amount as I did not want to lose the chance of it being done before handover but at no point at all even when we were choosing optional extras like plug sockets were we ever told that grass will cost extra. It isn't a cheap house,  a 6-bedroom detached home so quite annoyed that grass is being charged for.

Any advice?


anthyboy

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Re: BOVIS - Grass is an optional extra? Told last minute - £750!
« Reply #1 on: July 04, 2016, 09:29:18 pm »
To be honest most house builders don't turf rear gardens as standard.

Whether you had a stamp duty deal or not is irrelevant. What matters is what you have agreed on and proof of? If you have it in writing or a brochure that your house will be turfed or it comes as standard they need to honour it.

If you read my post for Walker group (general discussions) you will see how I went about getting stuff sorted which might help!

What is a must whether you are entitled to turf or not is how they must leave your rear garden upon completion of your purchase. I have attached an extract from NHBC on what the builder is required to do in ref to your rear garden.

If you can get them to turf for free then take it, if not I would get my money back and pay it to a decent local gardener as for sure they won't do a decent job and your new turf will be dead in a couple of months at most!

good luck


New Home Expert

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Re: BOVIS - Grass is an optional extra? Told last minute - £750!
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2016, 07:50:36 am »
House builders are required under the Consumer Code for Home Builders to clearly state what you are buying and what is or is not included.  You may have a case for Adjudication.

That said, £750 for a 6 bed home is small beer!  You would be well advised to pay for your own contractor to lay top quality turf, after of course, Bovis have rotovated the topsoil and removed all weeds and builder's debris.  Any turf supplied by hosuebuilder will be cheap meadow turf, full of holes (or weeds) and couch grass that will eventually take over. I concur with Anthyboy - Bovis wont do a decent job anyway!

Be aware that the latest 2016 NHBC standards have reduced topsoil depth requirement from 150mm to 100mm.
New Home Blog - New Home Expert is committed to providing help and advice for people having issues with their new homes and difficulties with house builders as well as helping potential buyers reduce the risk of possible problems if they do buy.

blueclouds09

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Re: BOVIS - Grass is an optional extra? Told last minute - £750!
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2016, 12:12:37 pm »
Thanks guys - this is extremely useful.

As New Home Expert pointed out, we should know what we are buying and what is not included.

£750 indeed would seem like pocket change on a big house, but the principle of the matter is that why were we never informed that this is an optional extra!

Thanks again!

New Home Expert

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Re: BOVIS - Grass is an optional extra? Told last minute - £750!
« Reply #4 on: July 06, 2016, 06:58:25 am »
Rear garden turf is not usually included in a new house. It is similar to carpets which are not usually included in the price too, even though they both make a poor quality new home look much better!

The reasons rear garden turf is not normally included are:
1) It gives the buyers an option to set out their garden as they want it without having to didg up and dispose of turf.
2) Newly laid turf needs watering every day. It is hard enough running a site without having to visit back gardens to check the turf is being watered. Imagine just how many separate hoses would be required and a labourer's wages to look after it and stop over watering!
3) The turf grows madly in the first three weeks due to the fertiliser in it. It would then require cutting at least once a week and more watering.
4) It would probably die (due to buyers not watering it, then they come back and demand it is re laid for free.
5) There might be settlement in the garden due to made up levels or drainage trenches and soakaways requiring remedial work.
6) It would probably all die due to poor or insufficient topsoil and/or rubble and debris buried under it.

It is far easier to transfer all these responsibilities to the new home buyer.  There is no profit in grass!
New Home Blog - New Home Expert is committed to providing help and advice for people having issues with their new homes and difficulties with house builders as well as helping potential buyers reduce the risk of possible problems if they do buy.