Recent Posts

1

General discussion / Re: Subject Access Requests

« Last Post by New Home Expert on April 08, 2020, 01:09:42 pm »

Housebuilders have a habit of treating their homebuyer's Subject Access Requests with contempt.
Many are returned incomplete and/or redacted to such an extent as to be meaningless.

I am pleased you complained to the ICO and from my own experience, their response is somewhat tardy to say the least!  I think the phrase "Data that relates to you as an individual" would, for most reasonable people, also include everything in their homebuyer "plot file" excluding anything that either discloses the data of others or that which is commercially sensitive.

All data supplied should also contain details of e mails (even if internally - in-house) which name you and all written logs of any telephone calls.

The main problem here in my opinion, is the ICO don't have sufficient staff, of the right calibre, to follow through on the actual rules and serve only to bat away most complaints from individuals concerning  data protection.

On a personal level, I have, and still am,  trying to get Currys/PCWorld  to delete my personal details from their files and systems and in three years since my original complaint, the ICO have been of very little help if any.

On a more positive note the New Homes Ombudsman should be operational at some point this year however the Coronavirus Pandemic may be a convenient excuse for government and the industry to delay it yet further.

Not all housebuilders are as petty and pedantic as you can see from the photo.
You really should name your housebuilder.
I question exactly what they are trying to keep from you finding out!

2

Do It Yourself / Re: Copper pipes or plastic pipes

« Last Post by New Home Expert on April 08, 2020, 12:55:34 pm »

When you sat cast iron pipes I am assuming these are the soil vent pipes which are external in older properties.  If these are too remain external I would advise against plastic as they look bad and are not as robust as Cast iron. Just re paint it with metal paint.

If the cast iron is internal  be sure it is not a gas main in barrel. If it is the waste pipe then plastic would be a better option internally.

If these are heating and internal hot and cold water pipes then copper is by far the best.

3

General discussion / Subject Access Requests

« Last Post by IDT on April 07, 2020, 05:19:56 pm »

I'd be interested to know the basis for the statement "You can obtain copies of all the information your house builder has in their 'Plot File' that relates to you and your home. You have a legal right to this information under the General Data Protection Regulations (2018) (GDPR)."  on this page  - http://www.brand-newhomes.co.uk/making-a-subject-access-request.htm.

I made a request following the template letter and got back little more than copies of correspondence either from or to me, i.e. virtually nothing of interest.

The Information Commissioner has rejected a complaint I made about this, stating "You do not feel that all of your data has been supplied to you. However XXX have explained that all of your personal data has been provided. A SAR entitles individuals to ask for copies of their personal data (data that identifies and relates to you as an individual) – XXX have explained that some data relating to your house ... do not fall in to this category and therefore have not been included in your SAR."

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Do It Yourself / Copper pipes or plastic pipes

« Last Post by MrKeaton on April 06, 2020, 03:14:53 pm »

Hello,

I want to bring my elderly's mother house a bit up to date, starting with bathroom. She has huge cast iron pipes there which I would like to remove and change to something else. The question being should I invest in copper or plastic ones. Money does matter but if there are great benefits of having one over the other I will not be skimpy.

Any advice is welcome.

Thank you

5

General discussion / Re: Avant Garage..

« Last Post by Lucky on April 06, 2020, 02:12:35 pm »

Our garage is being painted at the moment and needs a few more small DIY tasks to make it good lol .  I am not sure on the rules of water proofing.  If there was an initial problem didnt the survey pick this up?

6

Snagging and defects / Re: Part E Resistance to Sound & DIY Sound Test

« Last Post by Maxell on April 05, 2020, 09:01:39 am »

The Builder will not be responsible for the cost of uplifting and refitting carpet . If the gripper has been nailed they will say the carpet fitter has damaged the riser fixings as they should only be glued in place .
The risers are plywood and screwed or nailed into the back of the treads , hammering gripper rods breaks this join causing the treads to flex and squeak . If there are any walls underneath the stairs it could be the stud work creaking .
Your fitter is right carpet is stretched over the gripper then cut but it is possible to refit without replacing just he wouldn't guarantee it .

Thanks

7

Snagging and defects / Re: Part E Resistance to Sound & DIY Sound Test

« Last Post by Midwest on April 04, 2020, 12:43:22 pm »

Thanks.

I'll try pass on the costs of lifting & relaying carpet onto the builder. But not unduly worried. Had originally logged the stairs as creaking, louder than the landing. But it had stopped at the time of inspection. Unfortunately, its returned but not as loud as before. Carpet fitter said stair carpet couldn't be refitted, as he needs the extra bit of carpet to stretch on the grippers. Would therefore need replacing, and he couldn't guarantee new stair carpet matching with landing; so if stairs carpet need lifting, the whole lot might have to be replaced.

Still can't get any definitive guidance on sound transference within a detached property.

8

Snagging and defects / Re: David Wilson Homes on-going issues

« Last Post by Maxell on April 03, 2020, 06:58:11 pm »

As you are still in warranty you should not instruct anyone to carry out works as this will give the Builder the opportunity to wash their hands of it. That said you could suggest the company to the Builder.

The company sounds like it has dealt with cracking noises like this before and will probably look to brace the joists to reduce deflection but as they said this comes down to experience. The noises on the video I would guess are amplified but they obviously understand the differences between the sounds and what they relate to.
All you can do is go back to the builder and ask they attend.

Good luck Maxell

9

Snagging and defects / Re: David Wilson Homes on-going issues

« Last Post by Stevenbarry68 on April 03, 2020, 05:10:16 pm »

Hi Maxell,

Yes I agree with you and understand what you are saying.

I personally contacted said company myself to seek more information as I was/am thinking the same way as yourself and they seem to be one of very very few I can come across on the internet.

I expressed my doubts of wether or not my issue was exactly what they are saying it to be...

They said in similar words that distinguishing the difference between a creaky floor, creaking stud wall or loose joist hanger is easy if you have the experience of working to resolve those distinct noises, just the same as the noises produced by micro cracking. The noises micro cracking produce are very unique and easy to diagnose, but only if you have the necessary experience of resolving that issue.

They also claim to have been resolving this issue for a number of years now so that makes me have a little faith in what I have been told.

10

Landscaping and Gardening / Re: Rock garden in spartan conditions

« Last Post by New Home Expert on April 03, 2020, 01:37:12 pm »

Good for you.

In these difficult times with Coronavirus restrictions, it may prove difficult to get the materials and plant s you want and need.
But I think the best place to check out is Google, which will have lots of images of rock gardens and the stone you can use for the effect you want.

As for plants again this would depend on what you yourself actually like, so do some searching online "rock garden plants"