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Author Topic: Brickwork on a new home  (Read 13679 times)

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Larwood32

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Brickwork on a new home
« on: February 18, 2019, 04:29:06 pm »
Thanks for looking at my post.

Buying a new home and got to have a quick look yesterday but to me it looks like different bricks have been used. If you look at the pictures 2 at the back and 1 at the side there seems to be a large dark area so my questions:

1  Is this normal
2  Would you accept this
3  If not what can i do

Thanks


New Home Expert

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Re: Brickwork on a new home
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2019, 08:37:50 am »
Totally unacceptable.

The bricks should have been mixed so no banding occurs.

Trouble is the housebuilder will offer to have the bricks tinted (painted) by a specialist (brick doctor)  in an attempt to blend them in.

I would not legally complete until these areas are taken down and rebuilt.

Get your solicitor to act for you.
Who is the housebuilder?
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Larwood32

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Re: Brickwork on a new home
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2019, 12:50:11 pm »
Hi Many Thanks for your reply

Its J S Bloors - I have exchanged contracts because I had to part exchange on my house with them. Completion date is 30 April 2019

We are having a walk around with the site foreman on 4 March. I will bring it up then.
Is it a big job to replace them?
What if they say we will tint them or nothing?
It looks terrible in real life we noticed, it straight away.  We only went up on Sunday to have a look to see how it was going and the gate was not locked so we walked in, so we took the photos. 
We did notice that a few houses were like this but not as bad as ours.

Thanks Again 

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Re: Brickwork on a new home
« Reply #3 on: February 20, 2019, 08:26:17 am »
Do not wait until 4th March.  Write to Bloor right now, today and tell them you are not accepting brickwork like this. 
Reject tinting as in this case it won't work and will just delay the inevitable re build.

Yes it is not and easy job, would probably take about two weeks to do properly and scaffolding will be required. It will cost Bloor Homes a couple of thousand, but then they should have properly supervised this at the time.

It is NOT your fault and you should not allow them to force this below standard house on you.

Be very aware, that several Bloor buyers have indicted to me that they are not very proactive in sorting defects with homes after they have all your money!

My advice is to have the home professionally snagged and inspected BEFORE you legally complete.
If the outside is this bad, how bad is the inside?

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Larwood32

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Re: Brickwork on a new home
« Reply #4 on: February 20, 2019, 11:01:33 am »
Many thanks for all your advice much appreciated.
I will contact the sales person at Bloors and i will keep you up to date on what happens

Thanks again 

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Re: Brickwork on a new home
« Reply #5 on: February 21, 2019, 07:42:15 am »
Don't waste your time with site sales.

Write, or get your solicitor to write to the regional office.
until you legally complete (pay all the money) you are in control.
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Larwood32

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Re: Brickwork on a new home
« Reply #6 on: February 21, 2019, 07:47:16 am »
Many thanks again just one thing how do you tell if the bricks have been changed and not tinted ? cheers


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Re: Brickwork on a new home
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2019, 07:46:41 am »
If it looks that good what does it matter.
Believe me, tinting in this case wouldn't work.

Look for debris on the ground and new mortar being a different colour.
Dust on the brickwork from angle grinders etc.
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Larwood32

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Re: Brickwork on a new home
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2019, 07:52:38 am »
Yes will do cheers. I have emailed my solicitor but shes on holiday at the moment school holidays back on Monday - I will let you know how I get on thanks again

Larwood32

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Re: Brickwork on a new home
« Reply #9 on: February 25, 2019, 02:24:58 pm »
Afternoon I received a call from the site foreman and he's told me that the bricks are very wet still as  they were left out during December with lots of rain and will dry out over the next couple of months and be ok.  Do you agree or is he fobbing me off?

My mate who does concrete flooring said I can take his damp tester up and check those bricks against the dry ones and there should be a big difference - if not he's bullshitting -  do agree with that idea?

Thanks

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Re: Brickwork on a new home
« Reply #10 on: February 26, 2019, 08:16:59 am »
You are being fobbed off - big time. The bricks in the wall will be the same moisture content. Gravity over a short period would mean saturated bricks would dry out, plus the surface would dry the first time the sun was on it. Then the wall would be white with efflorescent as the salts in the clay were drawn to the surface.

If that is not sufficient, there isn't a bricklayer alive or dead that could lay saturated bricks, which is why on mist site they are covered to keep them dry.

In your next post, you should actually name the idiot that suggested this!

In addition, write again to their head office and tell them not to take you for a fool!
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Larwood32

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Re: Brickwork on a new home
« Reply #11 on: February 26, 2019, 11:17:14 am »
Thanks for the reply  and I agree with you - I am still waiting to hear from my solicitor and I have contacted NHBC to ask them for advice as well.  The solicitor I am using , is one they recommend in exchange for £2,000 worth of extras.

I am also meeting the site foreman who rang me on Monday, and will print this advice off and show him. He told me he's been a bricklayer for over 25 years before he became site foreman.  I won't complete until is right and if I had not of exchanged contracts I would pull out , I don't need all this hassle.

Thanks for all your advice and I will keep you up to date  cheers

Larwood32

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Re: Brickwork on a new home
« Reply #12 on: February 26, 2019, 06:38:26 pm »
Just a very quick update heard from my solicitor waste of time this is what she put:

"Please refer to my report letter dated 12 October and refer to Clauses 1 and 4 of the contract regarding the construction of the property and completion".

Read it made no sense to me so emailed her back to explain telling her I am a miner not a lawyer  - see what she come back with.

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Re: Brickwork on a new home
« Reply #13 on: February 27, 2019, 07:14:09 am »
As soon as I read that you used the solicitor that Bloor Homes recommended/suggested in return for £2,000 in "extras" (these are always overpriced and poor value anyway) I could see you would have problems delaying legal completion.

You will need to be very firm with "your" solicitor. Tell her that if she does not follow your instructions or advises you to legally complete with your house as it is, you will report her to the Law Society for breaching SRA rules on conflicts of interest.  That should get her to sit up.

I expect there is a clause in the sales contract  (which you signed at exchange) saying that you must legally complete within two weeks fo the home being finished.

I would also tell your solicitor that you will be getting the local press to cover the story of your brickwork and the antics of your solicitor if you do not get the home you were sold.
It is probably worth getting the photo and story in the press right now!

I've made a start for you here

I would also think you should consider getting an independent solicitor, unrelated and unconnected to Bloor Homes,  to represent just your interests and support you.

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Larwood32

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Re: Brickwork on a new home
« Reply #14 on: February 27, 2019, 08:07:45 am »
Wow many thanks again I don't know what I would have done without your advice.

Yep you are right house due to finish 16 April completion date 30 April 2019

She did say she would let Bloors solicitors know about my concerns  and I have that meeting with the site foreman on Monday to discuss it and we see what they say.  I did email her back saying I don't understand, please tell me where I stand I await her reply.

If no joy with either I will escalate like you say papers and reporting her to the law society. 

I keep you updated when ever I hear anything

many thanks again