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Property/DIY

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Original poster

...to ask has anyone brought a Barratt Home and not happy with it?

33 replies

Waynestratford · 07/07/2021 19:04

Hi there, this is my first post. I am going to buy a new home and wondering if I have to purchase from David Wilson Homes or from Barratt Homes. Could anyone kindly give me a bit of constructive advice.
Thanks!

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Original poster

Waynestratford · 07/07/2021 19:07

not brought, it's bought

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mrscatmad31 · 07/07/2021 19:11

I think they are the same company but I may be wrong. We bought two different Barratts houses and had small issues with both, they weren't great to deal with either but I think it's the same with all house builders! We bought them because we needed the new house schemes to get on the ladder (and then go up it slightly!) Now in an 1960's home and wouldn't have a new build again

PinkiOcelot · 07/07/2021 19:15

Our Barrett home was 4 when we bought it, so I think any issues must have been ironed out by the time we got it.
My friend bought a Barrett new build and had lots of problems with it. Barrett weren’t great on customer service either. She’s lived there for about 5 years now and all is fine, but she was stressed for a long time.

Original poster

Waynestratford · 07/07/2021 19:28

Do you know the house is a timber frame or a brick build? Thanks!

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Wrotten · 07/07/2021 19:38

David Wilson is the premium brand out of the two. So it depends on your affordability.

PM where and I will let you know if it's brick or timber frame (I work for one of these companies).

Orf1abc · 07/07/2021 19:44

David Wilson is not a premium brand!

I bought a DWH property and it took them seven years to fix all the faults. The after service has been atrocious.

Almost all their properties have a service charge attached too, so you'll be paying over the odds for substandard service forever. If you want more information look at the Home Owners Rights Network on Facebook.

Original poster

Waynestratford · 07/07/2021 19:44

Hi Wrotten, it's in Milton Keynes Woburn Downs.

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Original poster

Waynestratford · 07/07/2021 19:46

Thank you very much Orf1. I will look at that on Facebook.

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Orf1abc · 07/07/2021 19:48

The service charge on that will be a killer. You'll be paying towards the upkeep of all those green spaces.

Ligglepiggle · 07/07/2021 19:52

There’s a problems with new builds group on Facebook which has lots of posts of complaint which might be worth looking through.

Original poster

Waynestratford · 07/07/2021 19:55

Hi Ligglepiggle, thank you very much.

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Original poster

Waynestratford · 07/07/2021 19:59

How about Bellway Homes? Is it better than David Wilson Homes?
Thanks!

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MiloAndEddie · 07/07/2021 20:23

Out of those I’d go DWH, Bellway then Barratts. However, not a hope in hell would I buy timber frame.

Original poster

Waynestratford · 08/07/2021 00:31

Hello Milo, thank you for your advice.

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Catdogmum · 08/07/2021 00:35

I’ve had an awful experience with Bellway. My garden has been a swamp for the past 2 years and counting. About 50% of homes on our estate in same boat. Would not recommend at all.

Original poster

Waynestratford · 08/07/2021 20:36

Hi Catdogmum, Thank you for your sharing. How about Bovis? Or, do you know which home developer is good/stable in quality?

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Original poster

Waynestratford · 10/07/2021 11:30

Hi there, do you have any comments about Bloor Homes?

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Thelnebriati · 10/07/2021 12:01

The safest thing is not to buy a new build, but to look for one that at least 5-7 years old.
And do you due diligence on the site, what did it look like in years gone by? Was it known for flooding or subsidence?

igelkott2021 · 10/07/2021 13:33

We bought a new build home from Barratts back in 1999. It was ok, we had a few teething problems but nothing major.

However, I think build quality in the UK is very poor and I'd be very reluctant to buy a new-build again, unless it was from a small local builder that took some pride in their work as well as wanting to make money. Also the whole leasehold house thing.

I agree buy one that is 5-7 years old and make sure you look very carefully at any local flood plains. Near me some houses are built on stilts because they are on a flood plain (and it really is, I went for a run around there this week and it was a swim-run after all the rain we'd had - no exaggeration, I was up to my knees at times). Developers and councils are so keen to make ££££ they are quite happy to build and allow houses on flood plains.

igelkott2021 · 10/07/2021 13:36

I think Bloor are better than Barratts but I only know their developments in Totnes in Devon (which are flats not houses) , I don't know what they are like inside or whether there have been problems with them. If you buy a flat you need to be careful about the cladding thing if it is a bit older, and many of the newer ones have problems with temperature control and people are struggling to cope with the heat in them especially in new build tower blocks in London.

Original poster

Waynestratford · 10/07/2021 16:31

Thank you very much for Thelnebriati opinion. I will try to look for such a house.

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Original poster

Waynestratford · 10/07/2021 16:37

Thank you very much for igelkott sharing your personal experience. I agreed that developers and councils are so keen to make £££.

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Lagomtransplant · 10/07/2021 16:38

Does anyone have experience with Taylor Wimpey? The estate I was haunting keeping an eye on before covid is showing signs of releasing the new phase, to say that I'm tempted is an understatement.

Littleroundone · 10/07/2021 17:08

I am in Barratt home and we've been fairly lucky, a bit of minor snagging but all got fixed. However depends very much on the site manager at the time..the site manager we had when bought was good, however my neighbours in the later phases have had some shocking issues. Some of this is down to poor site management. We have relatives who stay in a Taylor Wimpey estate , similar issues to us and they are going through the snagging list just now. Doesn't seem to be much different than Barratt.
Depends very much on who is managing the site at the time of your build and whose subcontracted doing the actual works. The onsite plumber here was awful, I wondered if he was an actual time served plumber whereas the joiners have been excellent. Some houses will be better than others even in the same estate.

TurdCrapley · 10/07/2021 17:17

We live in a Bellway home and it's been so shit. Cracks everywhere, they're big but not big enough for them to fix. We had a leak that was due to shitty plumbing when the house was built, they wouldn't do anything. The service charge for maintenance of the estate is a joke, they leave the grass for so long that it's completely overgrown and a mess. You can't put anything in the attic, it voids your warranty if you do and it somehow damages it. Unlikely but would you take the risk? So storage is shit too.

Basically, they're just badly built, pop up houses. We regret buying new so much and especially with Bellway.

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