Colour variation in brickwork

[RichardP]

I am currently in the middle of purchasing a new build property from a well respected national developer. I have exchanged contracts and am due to complete at the end of March. I have recently been to see my property which finally has a roof and part of the scaffolding has been removed so the brickwork is visible at last. This has exposed two areas of visibly darker brickwork where it looks like the the bricklayer has not mixed the batches he took the bricks from. I may be mistaken and the darker bricks are wet because they have recently been laid (approx. 2 weeks ago) but to me this is unsightly and I would like to know if it can be remedied.

I have attached two photos of my property so you can see the areas that I am concerned with, as well as an image of the brick being used (Ibstock Windsor)

IMG-20160209-WA15.jpg shows the front of the property with the darker area in the top left hand corner.

IMG-20160209-WA17.jpg shows the side of the property with the darker area extending around the window for several courses.

Please can you help? Does it look like the brickwork is wet and I am unnecessarily concerned or is there definitely a colour variation? If there is a variation is the darker colour a permitted variation of the brick used? From the sample image of the brick from the Ibstock website this does not appear to be possible because any variation would be lighter or redder and not darker as seen in the photos. However, if this is an expected variation, does it look like the bricklayer failed to follow the guidelines set out in the British Standard Code of Practise for use of Masonry BS5628 Part 3 to avoid the occurrence of 'banding'? Finally, can anything can be done to remedy the brickwork? Do I have a case to insist that the developer remedies the brickwork prior to completion? For reference none of the other properties being built with the same brick have this problem.

Thank you in advance for any assistance that you can provide.

[New Home Expert]

First of all I would hardly agree that Bellway Homes are a "well respected national house builder"!
They are sometimes known as Hellway Homes by their own customers and rated only four stars by them.

With regard to the brickwork in the photos, the dark bricks are due to poor mixing as you say. It is sometimes possible to tint the bricks so they blend in, but the area to the left of the top floor window as this is near the top and a relatively small area and the scaffold is still up I would suggest you demand Bellway take it down and re build it properly with a bit more care!  If only the
brickwork was as good as it looks in Ibstock's brochure!

The top bricks will be wetter than others as they were last to be laid and get the rain soaking in to them. (I doubt that well-respected" Bellway Homes covered the brickwork overnight!

As for the gable all I can say is I wouldn't accept it but I doubt Bovis will do anything more than agree to get it tinted by a Brickdoctor in the summer and then forget all about it!

You might like to check that your DPC is at least 150mm above finished ground level and that your airbricks venting under the ground floor are not too low (level with the ground or worse, or buried.)

In fact I would suggest you have the home professionally inspected and snagged BEFORE you legally complete. Contact Martyn Maxwell at Brickkickers.co.uk

Oh and you might like to read this. http://forum.snagging.org/nhbc/2077-nhbc-butchered-my-roof.html
It is about a Bellway buyer who bought a home with weak mortar and the wrong specification of bricks. He eventually had to move out as it was not safe to live in his home!
He had to sign a "gagging order" but I gather the NHBC bought his house off him and it was demolished by them and probably re built!

[RichardP]

Thank you for your reply New Home Expert.

I didn't actually intend to reveal the developers name and only realised this morning that it is shown in my photos!

Anyway, would removing the bricks at the front of the house have any effect on its structural integrity? As for the larger area on the side around the window, I doubt it is possible to do any structural here (correct me is I am wrong) so tinting may be the only option. Have you had any experience of this being done and are the results satisfactory?

One concern I have is that the darker brick is not correct brick type (Ibstock Windsor). I appreciate that brick colour will vary from brick to brick and between batches but if you look at the rest of the house as well as nearby houses none of the bricks are dark. For what it is worth I have e-mailed Ibstock for advise on whether this is an acceptable colour variation. Is there anything else I can do so I have something to go to Bellway with to strengthen my case for them to remedy the problem?

Finally, thanks for the other points you have made. I was thinking to get a professional snagging company involved anyway so I will contact Martyn for advise.

[Admin]

Brick colour varies due to the length of time each batch is in the kiln, the clay used and the position in the kiln ie how hot the bricks get. Other reasons are a coating of something on the mould.

It is easier to make a light brick darker than a dark brick lighter.
Brick tinting is a cheaper "bodge" for the housebuilder  than cutting the brickwork out.
Structurally, all the brickwork is holding up is other brickwork. The roof and floors are supported on the blockwork inner skin.

If I was the site manager on that site I would want these areas taken down and re built.
It will be there for all to see for many years!  On one of my sites I had a whole rear elevation on a terrace of four town houses taken down as it was built using blocks (to be tile hung)  not bricks as required.
Wrong is wrong. There is no justification.

Just e mail your photos to the regional office MD and tell him you want it taken down and re built.
You don't need to justify it as it is plain wrong.
NHBC Standard 6.1.19 states:
"Bricks from different batches should be mixed to avoid colour patching"

Finally, you should always name the house builder.
Failure to name and shame will mean they will just carry on, building poor quality and others will suffer.

[RichardP]

Thank you Admin,

Would it be better to approach the local site manager to give him the option to remedy the problem first before escalating to the regional MD? (By remedying I mean replacing the brickwork as suggested and not tinting)

One concern I have is whether this remedy will delay the completion date. We are due to complete at the end of March and my mortgage offer is valid until 9th April. Can internal work continue whilst the external walls are being worked on?

[New Home Expert]

You may be interested to know that Brickkickers has told me that over the last two years this has been a common problem and that they have lots of photos of same and worse.

You can give the site manager 7 days to start the work and tell him if he doesn't you will escalate it to the MD. My guess is, he won't do anything.

No doubt if or when Bellway Homes fail to complete the house by the date they said they will blame it on the re build delay. Work could progress on the inside as the roof will not be affected. In any case, it should only take a week. 

Are you saying that the mortgage offer is more important to you than getting the brickwork right?
Or are you after some from of compensation for you to accept it as it is, saving Bellway the time and money doing the job properly?

[RichardP]

My wife spoke to the site manager yesterday and he has acknowledged that the brickwork is not right and said that he will get the brickwork tinted. Should I accept this or insist that the bricks are replaced? As you pointed out, at the front of the house replacing the bricks should be relatively easy as the affected area is at the top. However, on the side the affected area is below the gable and I don't know what they would have to do to replace the bricks. Stupid question time, would they have to take the whole wall down from the top (gable) and then rebuild or would they cut out the affected bricks. Either way, what would this do to the structure of the house?

As far as my mortgage is concerned: I mentioned this because the offer I have expires on 9th April meaning that I would need to get a new offer at a less desirable rate (costing me a lot more money) should completion not happen beforehand. I was trying to ascertain whether a remedy would delay the completion date, which you have indicated it shouldn't.

[New Home Expert]

I said they would say they would tint it!
Then once you are in and they have all your money they will do nothing at all.
Now is the time to take it down and do it properly.
Tell him tinting is unacceptable.

Regarding the gable elevation, they may be able to do it in sections cutting out an area each day. If it was me I would take it all down, much easier to bite the bullet.

The NHBC will say the Standard says "should be"  not  "must be"  so I doubt they would insist on it coming down.  But it isnt right.

If the builder delays completion for whatever reason and you suffer additional expense, the builder should reimburse your additional expenses under the Consumer Code for Home Builders.

[RichardP]

Thanks again New Home Expert,

This whole thing is so frustrating!

Just so I am sure before I approach the site manager myself, will either of the approaches you have mentioned (cutting out areas of brickwork and replacing the bricks or taking the wall down and rebuilding) affect the structural integrity of the house? Sorry to ask this again but I would like to be armed with all of the facts so I know what I am requesting is possible and can be done without delaying anything.

[New Home Expert]

Everything is possible in building. If it is wrong it can be taken down and done again. As I said the structural loadbearing is done by the inner skin blockwork.  The outer brick skin is weatherproofing and adds stability.  The gable could be cut out in sections, especially as the window lintel can be easily propped in the opening.  Whether this causes a delay who knows!  Probably, knowing how bad housebuilders operate, but in the end you will want and need it done properly and carefully.

You can't tint dark bricks lighter. You can only paint them. Any warranty offered on tinting will safely expire long after Bellway's responsibilities end.

Just another thing you should be worrying about.
An "end March" legal completion does not leave a lot of time to actually finish your home.
That's under 7 weeks. 35 weekday working days to be precise.
Works remaining:
First fixing: plumbing - 1 day, electrical - 1 day and carpenter including fitting windows and staircase - 2 days
Plasterboarding:- Tack ceilings - 1 day  Stud partitions 1 day, dryline walls - 3 days, jointing - 3 days.
Second fixing: Plumbing - 4 days, electrical 2 days carpenter - 4 days, Kitchen - 2 days
Wall Tiling - 2 days, Painting and decoration - 7 days
Finals all trades - 2 days, Cleaning 1 day, silicone and site snagging - 3 days
and whilst all this goes on inside, paths, driveway, fencing, turf and landscaping, electric, gas and water connections and meters.

The days above add up to 35 days!  Some trades can overlap which may bring it down to 28 days but that really is the absolute minimum required to finish building your home. It also assumes that each trade will be available and turns up on site as soon as their work is ready. No doubt Bellway are also building several other homes with similar completion dates. 

That is not to say it cannot be done quicker. You could double up on the trades and work nights and weekends, but do you really want a "Challenge Anneka" -  "DIY SOS" home?

Quite why there is the rush I don't know. The Bellway financial year end is 31 July! 
It is always better to under promise and over deliver, but all the housebuilders don't know anything about good customer relations.

[gagazzo]

Sorry for reviving this topic.
I have a similar problem, can anyone offer advice?
I went to see my new build house yesterday and saw this.
Can it be rectified?

[New Home Expert]

Yes the bricks can be tinted in by a specialist if it is not being caused by wet bricks and dry bricks contrasting.

[gagazzo]

Thank you.
And what if it is?

[New Home Expert]

Bricks will dry out and not get as wet when the home is finished.
You could always use Thomsons water seal when the bricks are 100% bone dry in the summer heat.
But the builder  won't do this.

[gagazzo]

Ok thank you, the photo was take the day after a heavy rainfall so I had a feeling that it had something to do with that.
I asked the builder and was told that they would have a look and if it is wrong it will be rectified.