AIBU - Complain to housing developer that sofa doesn't fit in our house?

[binkyblinky]

Oh wise women of mums net, I need some advice please!

We recently moved into a new home on a brand-new development. It is a three story townhouse and the lounge is on the middle floor.

On moving in day we discovered that our sofa would not fit up the stairs and into the lounge. It is not a large sofa it is a modular sofa, the end units went up fine but the middle section which is a corner unit would not fit. The staircase is so narrow that we had to take apart the tops of our single Ottoman beds to get them up the stairs as well. This is in a large family home.

There are four identical homes to ours on the estate and every other person in those homes has had the same issue, with our neighbours sitting on beanbags for three months. The beanbag neighbours have had three sofa deliveries, all unsuccessful at getting up the stairs.

I feel angry that I had to throw away part of my sofa. The show home has a massive Corner unit in it. We were not advised when we moved in that staircases was so narrow and that we would have trouble fitting furniture up them.

If we were to team up and complain to the housing developer about the poor design, and that four families have been left with no seating, Would we get anywhere? Is there anything that we could do to ask for monetary compensation to buy sofas that you assemble at home? The other three families currently have their sofas in their kitchens while they try to solve this problem. It's ridiculous, being sold a £400,000 house And not being advised of this issue.

I can't see how they should say it is our fault, when they show home clearly written misrepresents the size of the furniture we required. Wisdom needed, thank you

The difficulty of getting furniture up the stairs in a townhouse has been going on for years! It’s not just one developer. You have to have a sofa where the back comes off in pieces so always check this before moving into this type of house otherwise you’ll need to buy a new sofa.

Or just take the window out.

If the developed used scaled down furniture to misrepresent the size/options you may have a case. I'd give it a shot.

Otherwise - a nice recliner sofa? I won't go back to traditional sofa, it's recliner all the way for me, for comfort but also because it comes in 2/4 parts easy to fit through the doorway. If that doesn't fit up your stairs then you have an issue and yes potentially a stronger case too...

I had a new suite delivered and the delivery men said they had to take back about a quarter of their sofas as they just wouldn’t fit in people’s houses, in spite of people being urged to measure first. I suppose they just measure the floor area and don’t think about doors, stairs and corridors.

Is there a bannister? Can that be temp removed? I know to bribe who just did this.

*someone not bribe!

@LostToucan

I think we'll see new-builds getting ever smaller as developers try and shoe-horn ever more houses into sites.

Planning authorities set minimum densities (number of dwellings per hectare) to meet housing targets.

They set minimums, not maximums. And councils daren't refuse to increase density, because they'd only lose at appeal. Under current guidance the emphasis is on numbers because of the housing shortage.

Unfortunately, the flip side of using the private sector to meet the vast majority of housing need is that new housebuilding is largely governed by the profit principle and they tend to maximise the density and minimise the cost.

If you compare a modern-day new build to some of the better high-density, low-rise municipal development from roughly the mid-60s to the mid-80s, the modern stuff is rubbish by comparison. It can be done, but it can't be done cheaply.

My late parents' council house, built approx 1980, had 3 good sized bedrooms, large lounge and kitchen, bathroom and downstairs lavatory/utility, and a garage, all within a relatively small footprint. It was like a Tardis. But you could still get their massive mid-century bedroom furniture upstairs without any trouble.

I dont understand the ''pivot'' reference.

@Spidey66

m.youtube.com/watch?v=n67RYI_0sc0

If you don’t want to click link type Ross pivot into google.

@C152 I had one of those. Actually three over the years and different houses.

The first one I dropped the incredibly heavy arm on my big toe and half ripped off the nail. The builders on site got the spare keys and came running in to see why I had let out such a blood curdling scream.

I never did pay for assembly though - learned a tough lesson

We bought a home with the lovely, large leather sofa left for us.
As we sit on it we often debate how it was put in our room.
The windows are certainly not large enough and neither is the doorway.
It's one of life's mysteries.

@LakieLady

The emphasis is on density is to fulfil the Government’s new house requirements though. Councils set minimum housing densities in local plans in order to meet the requirements for new housing in their areas - the national planning framework requires Councils to avoid low density housing where there is high need for new homes.

Maybe house builders can top the 70 dwellings per hectare base case for urban development or 45 per hectare base case for suburban set out in local plans? That’s certainly a lot more than I was working to when I was working on the design of new build estates in the 1980s.

There are also national standards for the internal space of new homes, so in order to meet those kinds of densities you will expect to see more terraced and 3 storey dwellings.

I don’t disagree that new build quality can be variable, I’ve also worked on a lot of older properties that have had serious issues of their own. I do think the “Help to Buy” scheme had really only benefitted house builders.

And, as PP have pointed out, all ages of buildings have access issues - awkward staircases are not confined to new builds. I’ve helped haul furniture through first story windows in Georgian townhouses and new builds and everything in between.

You’d have conniptions if you’d ever lived in an older Dutch house.

Have you seen the post about personal responsibility? YABU.

@Youllbeoldertoo

Ah ok....not a Friends person myself.

@Spidey66
That’s why you didn’t get the joke.

Townhouse owner here. We have a large French window at the front. Neighbors took the railings off the front and used the sofa delivery truck to get height to shove it through the windows. We bought a sofa from IKEA that fits in a car boot.

@Youllbeoldertoo
Probably, yeah

@LakieLady

I disagree, my brother has a 70's ex council house and it's shoddy quite frankly whereas our 12 year old house is far better in construction and so heat efficient

In a country where we accept the concept of "box room", ie pay full price for a bedroom too small to accept a standard size bed, let alone a side table and wardrobe, you have no chance!

Could you complain to the developer who sold a "bedroom" too small for a double bed? Of course not, it's up to you to measure.

I find the concept outrageous, don't get me wrong, but on the other hand if I sell my house I don't expect the buyer to have a valid complain because he thought if my furniture fitted perfectly, so would his!

If the developed used scaled down furniture to misrepresent the size/options you may have a case. I'd give it a shot.

scaled-down, or ... a smaller size fitting better?

A lot of new build homes are pretty shit in this regard, including ours. The furniture has to be 'buildable' to get it in or out successfully. Sucks.

We've lived in our first-floor flat 20 years and have a large sofa and 2 solid-wood wardrobes that came up the stairs (using the 'pivot, pivot!' method). Last year the management company enclosed the stairwell and there is now a wall outside our front door with a fire door at an angle. We will never get this furniture out now - our kids can work out what to do when we kick the bucket, window out and a cherry picker probably.

What you need is a mid century reupholstered sofa bought from either eBay or Etsy. They are light and compact, will appreciate in value and are stunningly beautiful.

Disclaimer: Am shamelessly promoting my business, reupholstering mid century sofas/arm chairs

@MrsBobDylan

What you need is a mid century reupholstered sofa bought from either eBay or Etsy. They are light and compact, will appreciate in value and are stunningly beautiful.

Disclaimer: Am shamelessly promoting my business, reupholstering mid century sofas/arm chairs

But do they come in a size large enough for a person of 5'6" to lie down (or two adults of roughly the same height to curl up at opposite ends) and have a seat depth of about 70cm?

(If so, please PM me a link!)

This is entirely your responsibility to get furniture into your home.

20yrs ago my parents had to get a window out to get the sofa in their house. It was their choice of sofa and their choice of house.

Sorry because I understand its frustrating but new build or not not every piece of furniture is not going to fit into every house.

But do they come in a size large enough for a person of 5'6" to lie down (or two adults of roughly the same height to curl up at opposite ends) and have a seat depth of about 70cm?

And room for the cat to stretch out mid-sofa?!