Snagging help

[Daveo1410]

Evening,

We recently moved into our new home and I am after some advice on the exterior brickwork. For me there is excessive banding and they haven't mixed the brickwork correctly and the mortar hasn’t been properly matched as there is a noticeable band around the house from back to front.

I did mention this to the builder who said they don’t offer tinting but after a year you wouldn’t notice it, yet everyone I speak to advise it isn’t the case. Any feedback or other pointers on the exterior would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Dave

[New Home Expert]

I wouldn't worry too much about the mortar colour variation at this stage. The rainwater downpipes were bot fitted early and the brickwork has got soaked.  Expect salt staining throughout this winter and spring, worse in cold weather after rain.

The brick colour variation is bad especially on the gable and this should be tinted. If the builder "doesn't do tinting" then they should replace the bricks with those of a similar colour to the rest of the house. My guess is all of a sudden they will do tinting.

Also strange is the fact that your brickwork has a movement joint slap bang in the middle of your house front and back.  I wouldn't have accepted that either. It should have been at the party wall, preferably in the middle of the terrace.

I hope you got the house professionally snagged.  Who is the housebuilder?

[Daveo1410]

Sorry for the slow reply.

We had a number of defects and also a number of further defects caused by tradesman who dropped gloss on the carpets, LVT etc that we are still having to argue about 5 months later.. We're still waiting on the defects we reported in November of last year to be rectified.

We did get back a professional snagging survey today which is 6 months in but more to protect us. He highlights the expansion joints and they aren't properly filled as well (image attached). Also the main ridge beam in the loft being green and mouldy, site said it's nothing would you agree? Also the extractor going into loft stops just above the insulation, the housebuilder said it recirculates so isn't required to be attached to anything.

Lastly one of our biggest frustrations is the mastic finish on the house is poor. They did our back door again yet 2 months on is falling off and pulling plaster in the walls, yet I have been told it's movement they won't fix it again. Also they fixed the mastic on the stringer but only in areas so have two different colour lines and still falling off in areas and junctions as you can see in the picture really poor. and have gone pink.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

[New Home Expert]

Internal gaps should not be filled with mastic (silicon) but painter's caulking. Reason being you cannot decorate over silicone.
These areas will normally re crack over time and the NHBC new homeowner's handbook says this should be expected and taken care of during periodic re decoration. Every home has this issue new and old.
That said the gaps shouldn't be THAT big!

The timber on the ridge is OK as it is treated and that is the staining. It is only there to provide a fixing for dry ridge tiles.

The extractor in the roof MUST BE connected to the outside air via ducting and terminal tile or through a soffit vent. If is is recycling, why is it in the roof. Turn it on and you should feel the air coming out of the open pipe in the roof space.

External movement joint in brickwork should be sealed with mastic. This one isn't sealed at all.

If the "site" consider any of the above is acceptable or OK,  I suspect you really do have a badly-built house.

Finally, don't apologise for the late reply.
A THANK YOU you would have been good though, as would you naming the housebuilder as I asked!