Page 6 | AIBU - new build houses are AWFUL

JenniferMelfiSoprano · 27/08/2023 08:27

honeyfox · 26/08/2023 22:23

I'm not in the UK but we've been in a new build since 2018 and it's been great, no problems. I actually know the architectural technician who designed it, she lives nearby and would love to have been able to afford one.

Oh god. Architectural Technicians shouldn't be designing homes.

😂 and yet they do. And they frequently call themselves Architects.

For anyone looking at self build- check your designer is RIBA or ARB.

(Architectural Technicians don't even HAVE to have a degree fgs! I work with plenty who have had no normal education and know fuck all about building regs!)

StatisticallyChallenged · 27/08/2023 08:29

R4ID · 27/08/2023 07:37

My new build is gorgeous. I don’t know why people feel the need to come on here and make generalised rude statements like this.

As an example, what’s the difference in buying an older house and putting in a new kitchen and buying a new build and putting in a new kitchen? I’m

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Same here, I've got tonnes of imagination and my house is far from a soulless box.

Sure, if you move in and leave it with white developer walls and pop in nothing personal it might be soulless - but the same is true of any house. We came from a period property, but a leaky sash window isn't imaginative or soulful. Plenty of the properties around us were small, or drafty, or had damp and mould issues. They were almost universally expensive to run.

When we came to move we were looking for a period place originally but everything in the area we wanted needed a massive amount of work- some rooms were big (e.g. living rooms) but lots had rabbit warren arrangements at the back with small kitchens, utilities, pantries, store rooms etc which would have cost a fortune to modernise. Single glazing, damp issues etc were also utterly normal. I could imagine what to do and even pricee up works on a couple, but in our case the new build we bought had a far better layout to start from and was about the same price to purchase (and didn't need a fortune spent on it)

And we redid our kitchen too. We didn't buy off plan, the house was complete before we ever saw it and included a kitchen I wasn't a fan of. The room sizes, layout etc were otherwise great so knowing we'd replace the kitchen at some point was the compromise. Don't see the issue.

There's shitty little shoebox newbuilds, but there's also equally shitty older properties.

Chickpea17 · 27/08/2023 08:31

Sugarcoatt · 26/08/2023 20:04

You seriously bought a Bellway home. Do you not know their reputation?

She just ranting until her house is renovated.

Oldraver · 27/08/2023 08:33

paradoxicalfrog · 26/08/2023 20:16

"The walls aren't plastered, just painted plaster board - so zero internal sound insulation,"

So its internal walls are stud walls - not plaster over block? These will be difficult to redecorate, soft and will dent easily and problematic if people want to hang shelves on them, and as you say, will have poor sound insulation.

I don't think walks have been plastered for over 30 odd years in newbuilds

Ours is 25 years old this year and while a major wall in the centre of the house is block not stud, it is still not plastered but board

All the outside walls are block but also boarded, dot and dab dry lining they call it and finding the right fixings had been a nightmare

ladygindiva · 27/08/2023 08:40

PenelopeTheShroudWeaver · 26/08/2023 19:42

It really depends on the house builder

Ours is great and our snagging list was all really minor issues, which they put right as soon as we asked

You get what you pay for (usually)

Edited

My new build house is fantastic, really not had issues to speak of at all. It's a cheap shared housing house. The estate over the road is Taylor wimpey, the houses are way more expensive than mine, the occupants are leaving in droves because they are so shoddy. I don't think it's the price,it's the morality of the company.

JenniferMelfiSoprano · 27/08/2023 08:43

SgtPercyTwentyman · 26/08/2023 22:12

My godfather was a builder. "Never buy a house built after the Second World War" was always his advice.

Always found it good advice.

What an odd man 🥴

Cotswoldbee · 27/08/2023 08:45

allthegoodgirlsgotohell · 27/08/2023 01:27

I just feel like new builds are for people with zero imagination.

Obviously a post to goad people into responding so ok.............. 😉

A NB gives you plenty of scope to be imaginative.
No having to live with "improvements" done by previous owners, you get to choose your own kitchen and bathroom designs (well we did anyway), every room a blank canvas and then we get into the garden where with a bit of time and effort you can create a fantastic, relaxing space. 😘

Scaraben · 27/08/2023 08:46

OP I think your problem is with Bellway not new builds. And the amount of shit quality soulless older properties I've lived in is unreal! The same old conversions to open plan and redone kitchens out of catalogues.

We moved from a victorian "period property" into a new build twice the size. It costs half in utility bills - yes, recent ones. Super cosy, all the bedrooms are bigger and we've been able to upgrade to 3 King size beds still with loads of space for seating areas etc. in the bedrooms. My kid's ensuite is bigger than our old family bathroom.

Our old steeply terraced "mature" aka full of weeds and weird 1950s onwards structures garden has been replaced by an enormous flat space that in a single year I have grown vast quantities of fruit and veg in, with plenty space for a play area, seating etc.

We have space for 4 cars on our drive and charging the EV is a breeze.

Our mortgage has increased by 150 a month. We had one snag they were quick to come and sort.

And it's not a small niche developer either.

Cotswoldbee · 27/08/2023 08:50

SomeCatFromJapan · 26/08/2023 21:43

Does anyone have a bespoke/self built new build, like where you've purchased the plot and taken it from there?

That is a self build, watch Grand Designs. 👍
Love Kevin Mac but watch the earlier ones before they started focusing on overly large, outrageous properties.

vroc81 · 27/08/2023 08:52

Vettrianofan · 26/08/2023 20:25

It can't be any worse than a Persimmon!

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Yes is not the new builds - there are many that are built fine but the developers and the sites - to be fair this goes down to a regional level so even on the builders mentioned above there’s disparity between their regions. So a bellways house in the south is not comparable to one in the west for example… we see the differences working on their sites.

AndIKnewYouMeantIt · 27/08/2023 08:59

JenniferMelfiSoprano · 27/08/2023 08:43

What an odd man 🥴

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When people say this it's normally someone who was saying it in the 1980s and 1990s when roomy inter-war semis were 50 years old. It won't be long before they're 100 years old and maintenance is somewhat more expensive and necessary.

Cotswoldbee · 27/08/2023 09:10

SgtPercyTwentyman · 26/08/2023 22:12

My godfather was a builder. "Never buy a house built after the Second World War" was always his advice.

Always found it good advice.

Ah yes. 🤔

My first house was a 1930's 3-bed semi.
Solid walls (no cavity), slate roof (un-felted so it was as draughty as hell), fireplace in every room (which took up space and made it cold), tiny kitchen and bathroom and a coal store under the stairs that defied redesign into a usable space.

My grandparents Victorian terraces.
No foundations (dig down under the walls and they were sitting on soil), thin wooden walls between adjacent houses, open loft spaces allowing access to the whole terrace, small kitchens (which were at a lower level than the rest of the house) and to have an inside toilet/bathroom you lost a bedroom.

My parents house (built 1955) was spacious, well designed & built which meant it lent itself to easily being extended. It was also on a large, desirable plot.

Sweeping generalisations do not an argument make and having experienced first hand all the above, I am happy in my well designed and built NB.

8misskitty8 · 27/08/2023 09:34

There’s a new build estate a few minutes drive from me.
Every time we drive past we can’t believe how many more houses have finished being built or in the process of being built since we last drove past (maybe once or twice a fortnight) They just seem to be chucking them up.
The main road running past the edge of the estate which has been there for decades as it leads to the city bypass floods all the time now.
It sometimes has to be closed due to the level of the water. Only started happening since the houses started to be built.

StatisticallyChallenged · 27/08/2023 09:40

8misskitty8 · 27/08/2023 09:34

There’s a new build estate a few minutes drive from me.
Every time we drive past we can’t believe how many more houses have finished being built or in the process of being built since we last drove past (maybe once or twice a fortnight) They just seem to be chucking them up.
The main road running past the edge of the estate which has been there for decades as it leads to the city bypass floods all the time now.
It sometimes has to be closed due to the level of the water. Only started happening since the houses started to be built.

They go up very quickly - I watched phase 2 go up here - but that's because they arrive on site as kits so they go together on site very quickly. A lot of the work is basically done in a factory first.

Here they were really strict about the drainage; our estate has several SUDS ponds so that it doesn't cause flooding or overload the existing drains.

SheldontheWonderSchlong · 27/08/2023 09:40

Weren't a lot of Victorian terraces the shitty new builds of their day? Shallow, inadequate foundations, no soundproofing, tiny outdoor spaces, too close to the neighbours etc.

Cotswoldbee · 27/08/2023 09:49

People comment on how they are thrown up so quickly, our development is 300-homes and they are releasing about 35 per year. At the beginning however a greater number of affordable & social housing was built to get it started.

When we reserved our plot was just foundations but we did not complete for another 12-months which of course meant we could watch it being constructed and choose all our options and finishes.

Spaghettine · 27/08/2023 09:54

SheldontheWonderSchlong · 27/08/2023 09:40

Weren't a lot of Victorian terraces the shitty new builds of their day? Shallow, inadequate foundations, no soundproofing, tiny outdoor spaces, too close to the neighbours etc.

No, the Victorian terraces we have now replace bylaw terraces. I don't think these were ever shitty.

It's not like back in 1880, all the other houses had central heating, vast driveways and plush carpets. They're old houses and exactly what you'd expect for their time.

The fact that these houses are all 100+ year old shows that they're not shitty. They're so malleable and classic (but not to everyone's taste)

iamwhatiam23 · 27/08/2023 10:03

My ex was a builder and this really doesn't surprise me op! The things he used to tell me that were done/ not done is shocking! Also the work ethic on these big sites is a joke, many trade's turn up after all nighters on drink and drugs and swan off whenever it suits them! Its always amazed me how they get away with it, it would never be tolerated in any profession I've ever worked in.

JenniferMelfiSoprano · 27/08/2023 10:07

StatisticallyChallenged · 27/08/2023 09:40

They go up very quickly - I watched phase 2 go up here - but that's because they arrive on site as kits so they go together on site very quickly. A lot of the work is basically done in a factory first.

Here they were really strict about the drainage; our estate has several SUDS ponds so that it doesn't cause flooding or overload the existing drains.

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The speed of the UKs construction is MUCH slower than that of Europes. German construction is lightning fast 😁

Richmondgal · 27/08/2023 10:10

hooplahooper · 26/08/2023 19:36

I am currently living in a BRAND NEW Bellway home - renting while I renovate my childhood home. I was excited to live in something new enough to be zero maintenance while dealing with my own big Reno project...

But holy HELL it's been an awful eye opener for me. I've lived in 11 houses across three countries as an adult - 5 of which I have owned + sold - and I have never come across such bad build quality before. Some of the (many) entry level issues (which the landlord has repeatedly
flagged with the builder to no avail) include:

The walls aren't plastered, just painted plaster board - so zero internal sound insulation,
the tiling is wonky in all rooms
the windows don't seal,
half the doors don't catch on the hinges without considered effort.
the laminate kitchen counters aren't sealed at any joints
the front door hinges are loose
the electric car charge point doesn't turn on
The stair railings aren't secure
there is black mould everywhere from a leak (now stopped, but mould not attended to)

I'fe lived in new builds before overseas - I know there are always snags, but everything about this house feels like corners are cut + quality is compromised.

I'd let it go - I don't really care for me, I'm moving into my own home in 8 weeks - but I'm raging on behalf of my lovely + hard working neighbours here - who have got enormous mortgages on these poor quality structures.

I posted about it on my personal stories and have heard all sorts of even worse horror stories about new builds by Baratt Home, Persimmon + Taylor Wimpey as well. It seems universal that these huge developers are building low quality, parasitic dormitory towns on (often) greenbelt lane - and making astronomical profits from them (650m for Bellway last year..!)

With such gigantic profits - they could be building better quality homes if they wanted to. But they don't. And the government is clearly so caught up in meeting housing targets they are turning a blind eye.

I am RAGING. I am grateful I don't have to live here forever - and furious on behalf of the millions of people that deserve so much more.

YABU - let it go, they're not so bad you terrible snob. People are happy with their homes + can make their own judgements

YANBU - hard working people deserve more + there has to be a way of holding these big companies accountable for prioritising profit over quality homes

You are being ridiculous
raging fgs
i live in a lovely new build by Millgate homes

JenniferMelfiSoprano · 27/08/2023 10:11

Spaghettine · 27/08/2023 09:54

No, the Victorian terraces we have now replace bylaw terraces. I don't think these were ever shitty.

It's not like back in 1880, all the other houses had central heating, vast driveways and plush carpets. They're old houses and exactly what you'd expect for their time.

The fact that these houses are all 100+ year old shows that they're not shitty. They're so malleable and classic (but not to everyone's taste)

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Yes but you don't realise how many Victorian houses got demolished due to poor construction........because........TA DA!....they aren't here anymore.

Whole terraces at a time!

Out of sight, out of mind....

Richmondgal · 27/08/2023 10:13

The childishness of
every single thing is the govt fault is monotonous
obviosly by someone who has never run a business
no one has to buy anything
incredible

Redraddisho27 · 27/08/2023 10:21

My father lives in a 1960s house, it suffers awfully from damp and mould as does the whole estate (ex council homes). The garden was also full of rubble under very little earth. I think there has always been poor house building.

Spaghettine · 27/08/2023 10:22

Yes but you don't realise how many Victorian houses got demolished due to poor construction........because........TA DA!....they aren't here anymore.

By law terraces and some others sure. The ones standing today were never shitty new builds though. They're just old houses. Old houses that can be renovated and sell for upwards of £1m in London 🤷🏼‍♀️

JamSandle · 27/08/2023 10:22

I think newer stuff (across the board) tends to be rushed and poorly made.