New Home Owners And Snagging Forum
Advice on buying a brand new home => Snagging and defects => Topic started by: DC001 on October 21, 2018, 01:36:11 pm
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Hi
I've recently bought a new build flat constructed by William George Homes, and there's consistent impact noise from above - I can hear loud footsteps, internal doors closing/slamming, loud bangs etc. and it's very disruptive to my sleep/quality of life. It seems as though there's some kind of vibration problem as at times the noise causes glasses in cupboards to shake etc, and is definitely much louder than would be considered 'normal'.
I've not got too far with the site manager so far; I was originally quoted the Robust Details compliance (E-FT-3), and although I've kept pushing the issue and he's acknowledged the sound is louder than expected he's only looking to make minor changes (i.e. change the doors so that they don't slam, ask neighbours upstairs to take off shoes etc). The flat is not covered by NHBC but by Checkmate, and is just over 1 year old.
From reading through the forum it appears as though my next step would be to request an independent acoustic sound test, however I'm unclear how to do this, as most of the companies offering this online seem to do so for construction companies. Are there any firms that anyone would recommend? And would I be expected to pay for this, or is this considered something that the building company are legally required to provide?
Are there any other steps that I could take to try and resolve this?
Many thanks for any assistance
Dave
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From what you have aid, I would presume the floor is of timber construction. You may also had a timber frame block.
Just because a site manager says he built to robust details, it doesn't mean that your home was or that these details were correctly followed. It is so easy to "miss" a gaps around pipes theorught eh floor, isolation strips etc. What the housebuilder should be doing is investigating where the sound is getting through and resolving it. Adjusting door closes and telling the neighbour upstairs to wear slippers isn't going to solve this.
Yes the home should have acoustic testing. You can get this done by searching Google and paying for it. Whether you can ever get the money back from the builder is another matter. Not all acoustic test companies will work for your housebuilder or the warranty provider so ask, and get the one you feel is most independent.
As for your warranty in my opinion Checkmate is probably one of the worst a new homebuyer can have. My advice is to push the housebuilder as much as you can in the first two years top sort this out.
I don't anticipate Checkmate being interested in helping you.
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Hi
Many thanks for your reply earlier. Given the concerns about the warranty I've been trying to resolve this with the builders who have been reasonably communicative and offered to do work to my bedroom ceiling to resolve the issue, but this didn't resolve the problem.
As such my next step is the acoustic test that you suggested earlier; however the builders (who also own the property above) are being very difficult about providing access to perform the test. Is there a legal requirement for this to happen, or would I have to go through the warranty provider (who may prove as useless as you suggest)?
Thanks again
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I think you can guess WHY the builder that owns the flat above doesn't want to allow access.
Get your solicitor to write to the Managing Director to say that if access is denied, it will be inferred that this is due to their knowledge of probable missing sound insulation and non-compliance of Building Regulations. They can then suggest they will escalate the matter to the next stage ie take legal action through the courts.