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Author Topic: Problems With Morris New Home  (Read 43029 times)

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madmag676

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Problems With Morris New Home
« on: December 07, 2013, 10:11:39 am »
We have just moved into a new build and have been having a few problems so have been doing some research and came across this forum.
We will probably lean on you for some information going forward, as we are currently in the 'being fed a line' phase with the builder.

Dave & Rachel


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Re: Problems With Morris Home
« Reply #1 on: December 09, 2013, 08:30:05 am »
Welcome Dave and Rachel,

Did you have your new home professionally inspected and snagged?

All you have to do is ask if you want some advice.
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madmag676

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Re: Problems With Morris Home
« Reply #2 on: December 19, 2013, 05:50:04 pm »
We have bought a new Morris Homes house and very nice it is too.
We are having some problems and to be fair, there is one large (to us anyway) and the rest are all small but build up.

Anyway, the big problem for us was that a couple of days after moving in, the morning after the bairns had had a shower there was a lot of water on the ceiling in the living room. It turns out the waste water pipe in the shower had been connected but not secured with the screw. In itself not a problem but a few weeks before we moved in we had a wander round the house and noticed brown marks around the tape on the ceiling and suggested to Morris that there was a leak and we were told that it was all fine. On the day we moved in someone came around to stain block those brown marks as they were still showing through the  paint.

Not a problem with the water leak, they say, let it dry out and we will stain block and paint it.

We have some friends in the business who said the plasterboard really should be replaced so we spoke to British Gypsum to find out the best course of action and they said that if it was 'moisture resistant' all is well and good, if not it really should be replaced.

We asked the question if it was and are still waiting for a reply. We have had a couple of their directors around and one of them said, 'if it was my mum I would be happy to paint over it'. Now my missus and her mum where there and her mums opinion is 'well i am your mum and i would want it replacing'.

A number of snags as you would expect but what it is the general consensus about the plasterboard. Our greatest worry is in 5 years time when they have left site, having a problem with mould and mildew where the water has been as we have seen it in many other houses that have had a water problem and don't want this in ours as missus has asthma and we have two young kids.

Dave

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Re: Problems With Morris New Home
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2013, 09:01:20 am »
I find it strange that British gypsum would suggest the plasterboard should be replaced just because it has got wet as a result of a small leak.
The brown marks suggest the water from the leak has now dried and providing the plasterboard is still intact, not crumbling of "blowing" it should be perfectly alright long term.

The use of a "stain block" paint - this is usually just common undercoat - to seal the stain to stop it bleeding through the re decoration is quite normal.  Morris should not have left this until you were actually moving in to attend to it though!  Worse still they left it to you to see in the first place, rather than the site manager snagging the home properly.

Mould and mildew can only exist with ongoing damp and moisture and a lack of ventilation.
If the original leak has been properly and permanently fixed you should have no further problems.
Provided you notified Morris IN WRITING of this issue, there will be a record and should there be any future problems with this area, it will still be covered under the NHBC warranty, even in five years time.

Finally "a number of snags as you would expect"  well actually no!  
No new home buyer should "expect" to have a number of snags in their new home.
New homes should be properly snagged by the house builder so they are as near perfect as they can be.  
You wouldn't get a fuel leak or oil leak in a brand new car, so why is this expected and accepted in a new home costing 15 times more?

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madmag676

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Re: Problems With Morris New Home
« Reply #4 on: December 21, 2013, 11:24:57 am »
Cheers for the response.

It has made me a bit happier. We have written to them about that, so they have got it in writing, hence the reason for a couple of their directors coming round.

We are waiting for a letter to come back from them but we were only working off other people's advice so another take on it is always good.


madmag676

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Re: Problems With Morris New Home
« Reply #5 on: January 13, 2014, 06:57:59 pm »
Yay. Small victories ;D
Morris said:
"With regards to the ceiling staining due to the leak from the ensuite, although I do understand your concerns and the advice given on replacing the effected plaster board, having inspected at the areas in question there were no signs of any defect or bulging to the ceiling, we therefore feel that no re-boarding is required to this area. The issue has been noted on our system, and if should you encounter any further issues with this area it would be covered under our 2 year warranty, but Morris Homes will also cover to the end of the NHBC warranty.
With reference to the decorating works which have been carried out to the areas where the stain block has been applied, this has flashed with the existing ceiling paintwork and therefore re-decorating will be undertaken to the complete living room ceiling."

They are also going to change the media plates that dont work with Virgin media as well to ones that, apparently, do.

Also, a scratch that we found on the kitchen worktop that they are unable to fix means they are going to change the whole kitchen worktop.

General question to anyone that knows. We have got 3 inspection covers in the rear garden and one in the front but they are all plastic. I stood on one as it is part of the main slabbed walkway around the garden and heard a crack. Is that supposed to happen and is plastic the standard.

As a good will (we haven't asked for it but it overcomes some of their error in putting 3 coaxes from the attic to under the stairs cupboard) they are ' to supply a booster switch and new media panels and modulator.They will also fit the back box and plate where the cables come through the wall in the under stair cupboard.'

But what is a booster switch for?

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Re: Problems With Morris New Home
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2014, 09:19:30 am »
It is good that Morris have responded as they have done.  At least you now have some peace of mind.

Plastic manhole covers are quite common. They can be nearly as strong and have the advantage that they don't rust.
The crack you heard could be caused by several things, including the plastic cracking which is more likely in cold weather! The chances are it was just the glue in the IC raising piece or the frame but only you have heard how load it was!  take the cover off and have a look fro any cracks.

A booster, boosts the signal from the aerial so that all co axial cables will receive the maximum signal available.
It all sounds a bit Cat 5 and beyond my expertise.


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madmag676

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Re: Problems With Morris New Home
« Reply #7 on: January 15, 2014, 08:50:10 pm »
Cheers NHE. We have had Cat5 put in but it is separate to the media plates (we were told we would only be able to have the Cat5 if we had the media plates that has proven to not be the case. Good job we didn't pay for them).

Strangely there are 4 co-axial cables in the attic.
Three go to under the stairs where we have had the cat5 terminated to go to a netgear switch to route it around the house. No-one seems to really know why there are three routed down. Someone tried to tell us it was for IPTV but we didn't ask for them and certainly not 3. The fourth we hope is what the terrestrial TV will be able to get routed around the media plates.




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Re: Problems With Morris New Home
« Reply #8 on: January 17, 2014, 10:57:29 am »
You should not have been mis informed about having Cat5 only if you had media plates.
No doubt they make money from those buyers that do pay extra for this.
Normally (in the olden days!) there was one co axial TV cable in the loft, for each separate TV point in the home.
Now it's all NetGear, Routers, Cat5 media plates etc.
Even so, some house builder's have a problem getting the basic electrical installation right!
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madmag676

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Re: Problems With Morris New Home
« Reply #9 on: January 17, 2014, 07:38:57 pm »
Some of it has been close but not quite like that

madmag676

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Re: Problems With Morris New Home
« Reply #10 on: January 20, 2014, 08:49:21 pm »
This new home buying thing is all about the ups and downs.
So the sparky comes out to sort the media plates. We get told "provide a modulator on to the system which will then make it compliant for the Virgin network, there would be no cable alterations for this solution".

Marvellous thought us. Guy turns up with wifey at home, puts a box down stairs connected to the TV box and another on the TV upstairs. We can now watch the same channel as downstairs.

Huh?   No?

That is not what we were told that was getting done. He has also now removed the media plate in the upstairs so he can connect the wire to the television upstairs.

Huh?  No?

No cable alterations we were told. Also removing the media plate means we cannot now connect to the terrestrial aerial loop for Freeview because he has removed it.

Huh? Eh? I want to go home. Bugger this is my home now.

Getting frustrated now.

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Re: Problems With Morris New Home
« Reply #11 on: January 21, 2014, 07:10:40 am »
It is a pity that the house builders don't employ sub contractors who employ people that actually "KNOW" what they are doing!
The only way you'll get this sorted is to get a TV specialist out and send his bill to Morris Homes.
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madmag676

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Re: Problems With Morris New Home
« Reply #12 on: January 21, 2014, 05:52:53 pm »
According to his card he knows what he is doing. Shame it is not what has actually been asked for.

Anyway, we have a nice new painted ceiling now in the living room after today. Hopefully the glossy bits will dry matt the same as the rest of the ceiling.

Other little jobs have been done around the house now by some very nice chaps who work for them so the missus is a wee bit happier  ;D

madmag676

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Re: Problems With Morris New Home
« Reply #13 on: January 25, 2014, 04:49:10 pm »
 :( Meh.

So I get a 48 element high-gain antenna and loft mount kit from B&Q and after nearly falling through the roof hatch a couple of times its in.

Find the amplifier that is in there and nice chap has left me some coaxial cable and a connector on the UHF port. Bonus. Strip back the cable and connect it up and come down stairs and before I start getting too fancy I connect up my TV to the only output socket for the TV that is left. It doesn't work. Double check the coaxial cable to make sure there is no braid on the core and that the core is actually seated all the way in. Yes its OK.

Buggereth thinks I so get the small TV that is upstairs and try it in all the other rooms with TV points.
Bugger Buggereth. None of them work!

Oh well. Rachel has got a hot line to Morris Homes now.
No-one else in the office seems to be allowed to talk to her, it has to be one of the bosses so guess she will be on the phone to them again.

One thing that concerned me when I was up in the attic was that when it was dark, I seemed to be able to see through the membrane on the roof. Well is was a sort or erie blue. Is that suppose to be so?

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Re: Problems With Morris New Home
« Reply #14 on: January 27, 2014, 08:35:55 am »
First of all it is a pity that house builders don't include a loft ladder as part of the house!    They are essential, especially in an emergency.   You should have bought one in B&Q while you were there, they are not expensive well worth the £30 or so.  Or a loft light in some cases!

Fitting a TV aerial is not that simple.  The aerial needs to be pointed in the right direction to get the best signal.
professional fitters use a meter.  You may be able to buy one from Maplins.  You could have got your aerial there too!
It is unlikely that all the coaxial cables are faulty and I suspect it is the aerial direction.

The underfelt you have is a special breathable type "Spanflex" is one.
They are better because the whole roof can "breath" and in the event of a fire, unlike roofing felt which melts and drips alight spreading the fire, these new types do not. In addition, they are not degraded by sunlight.

If you can see daylight the roof can breath. 
If you can see daylight in one particular place you may have a tile missing or slipped.
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