To ask which new build houses you would avoid

[bridgetreilly]

Looking for a house and there are several new build developments we’re interested in, but I’m finding it hard to get honest reviews. Are there builders with truly awful reputations that I shouldn’t even bother looking at?

And, conversely, has anyone got experience of a good quality new home that you love?

Hello OP

I've had two sets of friends buy new-build Persimmon homes in completely different parts of the country.

Unfortunately both sets have had terrible experiences, with over 150 snags each, which are taking many months to resolve. For example, one set had severe drainage problems with their back garden, leaving it like a bog and completely unusable. First of all Persimmon agreed there was a problem and excavated half the garden to expose the underground pipework. It was left like that for four months, then they wrote saying they denied responsibility after all and refused to do anything more. Took another six months and the expense of solicitors to get a result. Friends now have a garden, but they are still unhappy with it.

I personally like older houses, but if I was going for a new build I'd look out for small independent builders rather than a large chain. They tend to be more expensive, but the build quality is vastly superior. The developments have fewer houses with larger plots and the properties don't all look the same.

Good luck!

We have a new build Bellway, have been in for 2. 5 years. Live in North East.

Build quality is shockingly bad, we haven't a straight wall of 90 degree corner in our house. The brickwork is terrible, 4 neighbours have had their house repointed. We have had multiple new doors, windows moved, a neighbour is currently waiting for her staircase to be removed and put back in. Awful!

I worked for them for 3 months just as I moved into the property and learned a lot that opened my eyes.

Bellway in the Midlands would be worth buying a home. The regional head of customer care in the Midlands hates people so much that he has instructed his team to get things right from the outset and fix any complaint before it reaches him.... So the feedback from that region is generally really positive.

To be fair, having bought this house I wpiod never buy another new build.

This is all super outing but I never say anything exciting on here..... But we have received some money back from the builder due to the list of problems in our home and are about to take them to small claims court about another issue!

We're in a Persimmon home and have had no problems. The only complaint I have is that they don't make the gardens with proper top soil and we have very difficult to deal with clay with rubble underneath. It's a struggle to get things go grow and I like gardens so it is frustrating.

I like the house, the room sizes are good for the price and it's well insulated.

Not builders but I would find out about the land it's built on before I consider one. Near us they are building on everything, locals avoid them because they know the history

We live in a Higgins new build in central London. The quality is amazing. Cannot hear a peep from neighbours (we are mid terrace). The finish is superb. We are private buyers not help to buy though.

All of them

I wouldn’t look at. Bellway, Persimmon at all. I’d be careful about Barratt, Taylor Wimpey, Linden and Cala. You need to see what’s included in the price too, because some don’t include white goods, flooring etc.

Berkeley Homes are more expensive, but include more in their basic offer. Bear in mind that there will be snagging in any new home, so there might be some minor things to put right.

I think small local builders are probably best, but that’s not easy. Do look at parking, local amenities, balancing ponds, landscaping etc.

I wouldn’t buy a new home again. Good old Victorian brick built houses for me next time !

We bought a new Berkeley home about 20 years ago and were very pleased. Any snags were dealt with without argument and the build quality was very good.

www.facebook.com/groups/232694117092003/

Wouldn't touch Taylor Wimpey - they've built a whole estate full of faults a few miles from me, and my friend who lives almost opposite swears they've infilled by about 10-12' higher than they should have to build (on a flood plane)

Really helpful, thank you. Any more experiences/observations all welcome. One of the developments we’re considering is St Modwens. Any thoughts on them?

Imo I honestly wouldn’t touch a new build with a ten foot barge pole. I’ve never heard any good things and personally I wouldn’t risk it.

I wouldn't touch Persimmon with a barge pole. They don't just cut corners with building; some of their homes are actual death traps with fire stopping incomplete/absent.

All of them. There are snag companies out there that find sooo many problems in new builds, regardless of the building company. Stay clear OP

Also, some have restrictions AFTER you move in. I’ve read of people who sign a contract to say they won’t have a van outside, they won’t use their garage for a car due to damp, they won’t have pets for a certain time (I think until warranty is up and they then don’t pay out for damages!)

Has anyone had experience buying an almost new home? We're considering a 6 year old "new build" and wondering if we're likely to experience problems with it.

Avoid Cala. We are still arguing over the snagging after 2 years. We have 100s of defects including one that caused a major flood. One of their snagging contractors was terrible and sprayed paint over the carpets and our furniture and Cala are dragging their heels about putting it right.

We went with a small builder. They fixed all the snags.

The thing about a new build is the feeling that someone hasnt had their paws over it or crap DIY, or added onto and not in keeping with the overall house.

Our last house was big but it was never warm, I promised myself I would never live in a cold house again. We threw money at it but it often let us down. There was always something that needed fixing, everything was so expensive and being in the SE the trades interviewed US before they agreed to work on the house (or didnt turn up!).

Ours is only a very small development and is in keeping with the rest of the area so we are very pleased.

Also be aware that most developments require you to pay an annual contribution to the upkeep of the communal areas of the development (roads, green areas etc), on top of the usual council tax.

We dont make an annual contribution...

Now the 6 year old house I might consider. The cracks would have settled and you could see the house 6 years on.

From my experience on our estate (and having looked at a few developments) Avant are shit, Harron are shit, Persimmon are the absolute pits and Taylor Wimpey are actually great. We’re in a TW and it’s been fantastic. No major issues, a few tiny ones over the years which have been fixed very quickly.

Look at Trustpilot and see if the company have a Facebook page and look at the comments.
St Modwen have a Trustpilot score of 2.4 which is poor but it's worth looking at the comments and trying to work out if they are justified!

I would never consider not buying a new build tbh. Would never take the chance on an older property.

There’s a Taylor Wimpey development near me (south east). The houses look nice but they are so much smaller and more expensive than other older properties around here. The parking isn’t sufficient, the gardens are tiny and there are also concerns about potential flooding.

Personally, I would only buy a new build if there was no other option available.

My last house was a new build by Bloor - it was lovely! I heard all the new build horror stories but it was well built, finished to a high standard and had loads of character - I miss it!