'"> ');

Recent Posts

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 ... 10
1
Priced Beyond the Stratosphere, Deluded Beyond Belief

White Stork Vale Downsview Avenue
Storrington, West Sussex RH20 4PS

In my opinion, Croudace have priced basic 3-bed semis with laminate worktops and pocket-sized gardens as though they’re Berkeley Homes. They are not.


Don’t bother with part-exchange. In my experience they’ll string you through the whole process and pull out anyway. We went to market instead and had our full asking price within a week. Funny that.

No flooring included as standard. If it’s not on the spec sheet, forget it. At this rate you’d have to haggle for a door hinge. Good luck getting a straight answer about what is included anyway.

Don’t expect incentives either. Most developers offer around 5% to soften what is, in my opinion, the almost inevitable year-one depreciation on a new build. Not here — not on a slow-selling site anyway. You either pay full price or qualify for a specially selected plot. Out of the kindness of their hearts they may cover your stamp duty — but stone worktops? Laminate for you, I’m afraid. In my opinion, there is an imaginary queue of buyers in Croudace world that doesn’t appear to exist in the real one.

We negotiated a deal through the on-site office staff — apparently the regional manager was too important to speak to the public directly, yet had no problem signing off the deal and then taking it away the next day. When we asked for a call to explain, that was refused too. The same deal had been offered on a different plot two weeks prior. In my opinion this wasn’t a mistake — it was arrogance. What frustrates me most is the complete lack of basic decency to pick up the phone and explain, or simply honour what was agreed. I suspect head office never heard about this one.

The significant social housing element — much of it local authority — is in my view deliberately buried under greyed-out plots on their site plan. Not exactly front and centre in the brochure.

Interestingly, Plot 4 — a larger house than the ones being sold at £525k — is listed separately by Saxon Weald as a shared ownership property at a full market value of £450k. So in my opinion, you can get a bigger house on the same development for less. Make of that what you will.

Local estate agents will privately tell you the pricing is completely detached from the local market. After six months, barely anything has sold. That’s not the economy — that’s a developer who, in my opinion, has confused perception with value. For context you can buy a semi with a garage in the local area for around £400k (based on my research)

In my opinion, Croudace don’t want to sell houses — they want to find someone who doesn’t know any better. Don’t be that person.

For context, this is a condensed version of a three month journey with this development. We were mortgage approved, chain-free, and simply asked for a 4% incentive package in what is, by any measure, one of the worst housing markets in recent years. In return we were, in my opinion, lied to, gaslit, and made to feel like idiots for simply trying to buy a house. It was almost as if they thought they were doing us a favour. They were not.
Steer clear. But if you ignore this and go anyway — we warned you. We wasted three months so you don’t have to.

And if anyone from the Croudace board happens to read this — I would be more than happy to discuss our experience directly.

As a buyer, you will always be wrong. Their view will always be right, even when, in my opinion, they are making it up as they go along. I would not consider buying a home from this company again.
2
NHBC Warranty / Re: Leaking roof NHBC have accepted the claim
« Last Post by Caz37 on March 23, 2026, 12:14:17 pm »
So it looks like I'm finally getting a new roof.
Work carried out by NHBC.

Honestly the whole thing has been a nightmare.
Complained to ombudsman 3 times.

I am wondering what sort of warranty I should be getting with the roof?

NHBC are saying 2-6 years.
3
We have now been in our Jones Home (Emerson Group) for just under 2 years. Over the last couple of months we have noticed that there is creak/crack in the flooring upstairs, when walking on it. We knew this was to be expected, with it being a new build home.

One of our back bedrooms we use as a junk bedroom, from moving in. We have now tidied this up and decorated it, and this is where it came to our attention that the noise from the flooring in this room was the worst.

It then came to our attention that some of our neighbours have had the same issue and they have either reported this to Jones Homes or the remedial work that is required to fix this, has already been completed.

I have reported this to Jones Homes and they have now come out twice to look at it. During the last visit, it was recommended that significant work is required to fix this issue. To do this, they will have to take down the ceilings downstairs, so that they can access the joists of the house, in order to fix it.

To do this, we will need to move out of the house for approximately 10 days. This has come as a bit of a shock.

Since the visit, we have put some questions forward for Jones, as obviously moving out of your home for an extended period of time (except for holidays of course), is a big thing, and the logistics of it are not always as simple as you think. Luckily we do not have kids to consider, however, we do have 2 dogs.

The questions we asked Jones Homes was the following:-

1.   How long would the work take, and will we have any access to our home during this time?

2.   It is likely we will have to pay for alternate accommodation, what are the terms of their assistance in the cost of this? (if there are any). One thing I was asked, do we have any holidays booked. Well we do in October; however we have plans in place for somebody to come stay at our house to look after the dogs, as we do not want to put them in kennels. Unfortunately, the person that is staying does not have the accommodation to take the dogs on at their house, so October fix isn't an option. If we have to go away again i.e. somewhere in the country, then as most people, we have not budgeted for an additional holiday.

3.   We have recently completed some decorating in our living room, and one of the walls we have decorated has wallpaper. The cost of this wallpaper was £75 per roll and it took approximately 4 to 5 rolls due to the pattern repeat. This is likely to be damaged during any works that take place. We want to know, if we will be compensated for this. If so we want to use our decorator who originally put the paper up, due the job that he did?. Also, once the repairs are done and everything is back to normal, you could consider adding something fresh to the decor! For example, fancy walls wallpaper (https://fancywalls.eu/) could help you transform your living space and give it a fresh new look after the repairs are completed. Whether you’re looking to add a statement piece or simply enhance a room, their range of designs can give your space a unique touch!

4.   My TV and Soundbar are mounted to the wall. During the visit, they said that these will need to be taken down and they would prefer that we do it. This TV was mounted by a local company, which cost me £110, as they feed the cables through the wall, to under my stairs. I think it is only fair that if I have to do this, then I get the same company back  in, to de-mount the TV and Soundbar and subsequently get them back to re mount them, once the work has taken place. Is this fair?

5.   What happens to our furniture during the works? Small items can simply be put up stairs, however, couches and bigger items  this isn’t as simple.

6.   Do we have snagging rights once the work, once it has been completed

7.   Is there any compensation for the inconvenience of this issue? This a huge upheaval to have to leave your home for 2 weeks, and is it unfair for us to say that we should be compensated above the cost of alternate accommodation?.  This work is due to no fault of our own, it is obviously something to do with either poor workmanship/materials, to say that other people on the estate have encountered the same issue.  We of course, still have to pay our standard bills, whilst we are not in residence, which again is due to no fault of our own. Is it unfair to seek some of sort of compensation for this.

Does any of the above seem unfair, and is there anything else that we should be seeking clarity from them on, in regard to this?.


To me, nothing you’re asking for seems unfair, and I think you’ve raised some important points. Here's a quick breakdown of what you might want to consider:

Work Timeline & Access: It's totally reasonable to ask how long the work will take and if there will be any access during that period. Since you're being asked to move out, understanding the logistics is important to manage expectations.
Accommodation Assistance: Given that you're required to move out due to issues that are not your fault, you should definitely ask about compensation for alternate accommodation. If you have a holiday already booked, it’s worth clarifying how this might impact your situation. Additionally, if there are additional expenses involved in another temporary stay or moving your dogs, they should help cover those costs.
Compensation for Damaged Wallpaper: You’ve invested in high-quality wallpaper, so it’s fair to ask if they’ll cover the cost of replacing it if it’s damaged during the repairs. Asking for your original decorator is also a reasonable request, especially if you’re hoping to get the same level of work and care in the repair process.
TV and Soundbar Removal: It’s totally fair to expect the same company that mounted your TV and Soundbar to be responsible for removing and re-mounting them. You’ve already paid for professional installation, so why shouldn’t you get the same service to ensure it’s done right?
Furniture Storage: Asking about how to handle your furniture is a good point. You’ll need clarity on whether they will assist in moving large items or if you’ll need to make those arrangements yourself.
Snagging Rights: Make sure they’re clear about any snagging rights you have once the work is done. You should have the right to ensure everything is properly fixed and that any further issues are addressed.
Compensation for Inconvenience: Moving out for two weeks is a significant disruption, and it's definitely worth asking about compensation for the inconvenience. You've paid for a product (your home) that isn't living up to expectations due to either poor workmanship or materials, and they should take responsibility for that inconvenience, above and beyond just accommodation costs.

Overall, it doesn’t seem like you’re asking for anything unreasonable. If they can’t offer adequate compensation or answers, you might want to look into seeking advice from a consumer protection agency or legal counsel to ensure your rights are protected.
4
NHBC Warranty / Re: Chimney DPC - Missing Lead Tray?
« Last Post by New Home Expert on December 27, 2025, 11:39:02 am »
The lead tray is required on the chimney to stop water getting in below.
Go into your loft space and check for damp blockwork/brickwork near the chimney.

If all is OK, I suggest that it may be the gutter that is blocked, and is full of water being blown into the fabric of the house at the corner.
5
It could be anything to be realistic, so you need to get the builder/warranty provider/HA involved and they carry out an investigation and remedy it if required.
The running banging noise, could this be a treadmill next door?
Have a word with them.
6
Snagging and defects / Re: Micro cracking floor/creaking
« Last Post by New Home Expert on December 27, 2025, 11:30:21 am »
I would suggest the joist centres should be closer even if the design is correct. The larger the flanges the more load bearing (less bouncy) the floor. Herring bone strutting may help and may have been missed.
7
General discussion / Re: charred wood deck
« Last Post by New Home Expert on December 27, 2025, 11:25:32 am »
Bit of advice, If you don't want to get banned, STOP posting commercial links on this forum!
8
Do you really want the house builder to arrange the test?
Marking his own homework?
As for independent testing companies, Google it!
9
General discussion / Re: Cracked Foundations on new build!
« Last Post by Godsg1991 on December 24, 2025, 01:09:35 am »
What happened in the end.with this.??
10
NHBC Warranty / Chimney DPC - Missing Lead Tray?
« Last Post by cmcc147 on November 20, 2025, 12:00:30 pm »
I am living in my current property since 2018 and as such I am now in the NHBC phase of the warranty for any new major issues.

In my initial builders warranty period however I reported an issue with water ingress to our master bedroom during periods of heavy wind driven rain.  The builder made efforts to sort the issue when it occurred. It would sometimes go long periods without the issue presenting but would always crop up again. I have had other reputable contractors inspect after losing faith in the builder and with the exception of a few suspect tiles being replaced the issue still occurs in adverse weather. Water seems to present on my gable end wall truss and run down in to the corner of the bedroom where it shows on my ceiling.

One of the contractors that attempted to source the ingress advised that it could be due to the lack of a lead tray DPC in the chimney (not visible).  I can't find a copy of the NHBC standards for 2018 but is it likely that this would have been a building control requirement and as such something the NHBC may enforce the builder to rectify or do themselves if it is in fact missing?

Basically where I stand at the minute is:

*I advised the builder, even though it has been a long time that I contacted NHBC and they said I need to chase him to look again since it was reported within the 2 years.
*He surprisingly agreed and said no problem he will take a look (yesterday I called him and hasn't been in touch yet to look at the issue but seemed genuine)
*I'm preparing for the possibility of him wiping his hands of it and having to contact NHBC so I'm trying to gain knowledge on the subject.

Any info on whether the lack of a lead tray could contribute to the issue im describing and whether this is a requirement or just best practice would be greatly appreciated.

Please ignore the dry verge cap sitting out in photo, it has since been clipped back on. Water is presenting in the area circled.

Thanks



Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 ... 10