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Author Topic: Minor issues with new build home  (Read 25646 times)

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New Home Expert

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Re: Minor issues with new build home
« Reply #30 on: August 09, 2019, 11:43:23 am »
1) Nail pops are a defect and should be sorted by the housebuilder.
2) Yes get your house snagged and inspected before the 2 year period is up.
3) Yes ceramic tiles must be laid of marine ply. If they are not you get what you have cracked tiles and grout.
4) It should not be you cutting holes and inspecting joist to find the cause of the problem if should be the housebuilder or NHBC. If you do this you may find they allege you caused the problem.
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cmcc147

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Re: Minor issues with new build home
« Reply #31 on: August 09, 2019, 12:16:32 pm »
I am in the process of trying to find someone reputable in Northern Ireland to carry out a snagging inspection.  I don't suppose you could recommend anyone?  It would be great if I could find someone like the company recommended on here that follows up with a service of aftercare and issues a copy of the survey to the builder as well.

Tim Fee Snagging Inspector

Maxell

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Re: Minor issues with new build home
« Reply #32 on: August 09, 2019, 01:10:37 pm »
The screw pops need to be an excessive number,  I would say more than 10 in a room.
The filler needs to be removed and the screw tweaked up before refilling.
If the scews are not tight to the boards this will also cause creaking of the floor above .

cmcc147

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Re: Minor issues with new build home
« Reply #33 on: August 09, 2019, 06:20:24 pm »
Been trawling these forums looking through common issues and seeing if any of them relate to me. One which caught my eye was the issue of weak mortar as it is obviously quite worrying and seems widespread.

The finish of my property on the exterior seems to be of a high standard with no cracks or mortar chipping etc. I took a sharp key and twisted with a lot of pressure in a discreet area and was able to get it in approx 11mm before it would not penetrate any more. Is this acceptable?


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Re: Minor issues with new build home
« Reply #34 on: August 10, 2019, 06:27:07 am »
Time will tell. It would probably be deemed acceptable by the NHBC and housebuilders though!
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cmcc147

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Re: Minor issues with new build home
« Reply #35 on: August 11, 2019, 09:47:05 pm »
Time will tell. It would probably be deemed acceptable by the NHBC and housebuilders though!

The area I originally tested this as above was at the back of the garage It is a double garage detached from the house but shared with neighbours (wall separating between).

The mortar on the actual house itself was barely able to be penetrated at all using the same test on 5 different areas (high and low) so that was reassuring.....I think.

cmcc147

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Re: Minor issues with new build home
« Reply #36 on: August 22, 2019, 12:37:18 pm »
I finally got round to getting my house snagged over the weekend just passed.  It seems to have been a worthwhile as it has identified numerous issues which I can hopefully now have resolved over the next 8 months before my builder's warranty runs out.  There were 105 snags identified.  I took a bit of time and split these in to categories which I have listed below in to sub-sections to hopefully make it easier for the builder to strategically work through.

There were numerous issues identified in the report which were recurring hence the high number of 105 and also a few minor ones which I have been able to rectify myself so these are not listed below.

Could you advise if the below list is one I could reasonably expect my builder to completely fulfil? 
I am awaiting the printed report to be sent to me then I will be approaching the builder to get a plan put together.  I have attached a few photos for reference of some of the key issues.

Builder to do:                     
Bonded bead insulation in gulleys - remove this and inspect all gulleys      
Rain water pipe at back gate entrance - re-centre not in middle of gulley      
Rear soil pipe clip only partially fixed - only has 1 screw fixing of 3      
Rear outside tap - missing fixing               
Drainage inspection chambers x 3 all missing screws to secure         
Garage door - missing fixings x 1 at each side            
Garage window sill running off level                
Internal garage wall tie down not properly secured to wall at top      
Downstairs WC sink white waste pipe is leaking. (when sink filled and drained bubbles appear at join)
Kitchen extractor fan hose - gap where hose enters wall needs filled (can see daylight)
Finial at peak of garage needs centred               
Main bathroom extractor is venting to the loft and not exiting the house      
Water ingress to master bedroom - to be investigated (recessed joints couple with bonded bead cavity insulation??)
                        
Loft Insulation:                      
At wind bracing/binders this is only complete in single layer (should be double)   
Incomplete insulation out to eaves also               
Gap in second layer - daylight visible and other areas with no insulation laid   
                        
Floors/Floorboards:                  
Creaking floors in main bedroom, landing and rear bedroom (translating to crackling ceilings)
Needs investigation - should not creak
Stairs creaking when walked on               
                        
Sealing/Pointing:                  
Seal around external sink waste (where this enters the brickwork)      
Seal around boiler external blow off pipe (where this enters the brickwork)   
Seal around waste pipe at rear to left beside patio doors (where this enters the brickwork)
Gaps inside garage pointing - back wall, large area at back left.      
Living room window sill - pointing crumbling left hand side         
                        
Joiner:                        
All internal door handles not properly secured - no through bolts used and various handles coming loose
All internal doors to be checked that they close without catching door frames and they are latching fine.
Check all internal doors are not rattling when latched         
Kitchen door hall side - excessive gap when closed (warped??)      
Architraves cut short x 2 (need replaced/painted) Downstairs WC and inner kitchen door
                        
Window cill board in living room not secure - can be moved up/down easily   
Rear bedroom cill board - off level by 9mm            
Master bedroom cill board - off level               
                        
Painter:                        
Poor/bubbling paint finish kitchen back wall near heating controls      
Dowells at newell posts top and bottom of stairs need rubbed down repainted - untidy/rough
                        
Kitchen Supplier   :                  
Kitchen Cupboard doors fouling despite being adjusted fully (corner cupboard to lower left of sink)
Edge of laminate worktop at patio doors coming away (needs 'ironed' or reglued)   
                        
Tiler:                         
Chipped tile at top of main bathroom shower unit - has been filled with grout to mask this issue
                        
Fireplace/Stove:                     
Woodburner setup unfinished to chimney ceiling and large gaps leaving it untidy.   

Questions:                     
Inspect weep vents above windows - are these the correct way round for traditional masonry build? (fitted as is standard for timber frame house)
Base of outside window frame - should this gap be sealed with silicone at the bottom as it is on the garage?   




cmcc147

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Re: Minor issues with new build home
« Reply #37 on: August 23, 2019, 02:04:55 pm »
I have attached a photograph of one of the 'issues' found in the list above.

1) The windows on the house have silicone round the sides of frames but not at the bottom.  The garage window does have sealant around the bottom of the window frame.  Should this be sealed? The surveyor mentioned there may be a bed of mastic in behind reducing the need for sealant but he couldn't be sure.
This picture also shows the bonded bead cavity wall insulation in my gulley.


New Home Expert

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Re: Minor issues with new build home
« Reply #38 on: August 26, 2019, 10:45:22 am »
The housebuilder should do all the snags on the snaglist.

The bottom of the window should be sealed but the window is too far forward or cill too far back as cill upstand is flush with front of window making sealant difficult.

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cmcc147

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Re: Minor issues with new build home
« Reply #39 on: November 24, 2020, 06:47:22 pm »
Bit of an update....

I am now well outside the two year warranty and managed to get most of the issues sorted out with the property.  Looking back it was money well spent on the snagging survey which allowed me to get a lot of the issues sorted while the builder was still required to do so.

I did however have to report the creaking flooring issues in the master bedroom and 'crackling' ceilings below the master and back bedroom to NHBC. After a resolution meeting they ordered the builder to sort the master bedroom.

Fast forward to today and the floor has been sorted (replaced) in the master bedroom with negligible/acceptable noise from above. However there is still the crackling noise beneath both rooms when someone is walking in the room above.

Have there been any developments in sorting this micro cracking issue and am I likely to be facing a losing battle requesting the builder or NHBC to come back and sort this? The man sent out to the resolution meeting deemed the master unacceptable and the back bedroom as acceptable due to noise only being heard from below.

Chris

cmcc147

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Re: Minor issues with new build home
« Reply #40 on: November 24, 2020, 09:56:20 pm »
On a related note. Do the gaps in the photos attached look normal? The carpet was due to be refitted tomorrow so could be pulled back easily and upon doing so I noticed the large gaps beneath the skirting. This is evident in most of the walls around the perimeter of the room and I dont recall it being like this before the works carried out to replace the floor.

They have also actually attached the carpet gripper rods the wrong way round. 🤦‍♂️

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Re: Minor issues with new build home
« Reply #41 on: November 25, 2020, 07:21:16 am »
First of all the gripper rods should have the nails leaning towards the wall and these do look the wrong way around.

Regarding the cracking noise to ceilings, it is better if the floor and skirting are isolated as they are so the floor is able to move without creaking by being restrained.  It also gives room for the floor to swell if it ever got damp/wet.

The cause and "cure" to cracking ceilings is detailed in this link.
JOINT STATEMENT 

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cmcc147

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Re: Minor issues with new build home
« Reply #42 on: November 25, 2020, 07:32:18 am »
Thanks for the reply New Home Expert.

I was worried as it looked like the builder may have bodged something as I didn't recall being able to see pipes in this area as you can in the photos attached.  You have put my mind at ease though if it's not something you deem to be a problem. I know this wont be visible when gripper rods are fixed and carpet fitted properly which is something i'll be asking the builder to reimburse me for.


cmcc147

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Re: Minor issues with new build home
« Reply #43 on: January 18, 2021, 08:09:04 am »
Has anyone any experience with this suggested cure below for the microcracking (cracking ceilings) issue that seems so common now?
https://www.cura-home-care.co.uk/portfolio-item/micro-cracking/

As I mentioned before I had the flooring lifted and relayed in my master bedroom in November and it has sorted the noise from above to be an acceptable level.

The cracking noise from the ceilings still remains in the kitchen and lounge when someone is walking above. If the ceilings are pressed from below firmly the noise can be recreated so the issue I am facing is 100% the microcracking of the plasterboard ceilings.

The cracking ceilings in these two rooms were reported inside the two years and the issue still remains now I am outside that period.  I wonder whether they will fob me off and say this noise is acceptable given that the noise from above is no longer as much of an issue.




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Re: Minor issues with new build home
« Reply #44 on: January 20, 2021, 12:14:48 pm »
This in my opinion,  is just another quick fix that will not cure the problem,  probably just a couple of carpenters who have found a niche to earn a bit of money.
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