Thoughts on new builds........

[Gavin John Hyde]

Been to quote for some work today and the house is a new build.
Built by Linden Homes. At first glance looks good but when you stop and look a little closer you see several of the walls inside are not straight that there are big curves and deviations in them. when you look down on the accessories, there is gaps big enough to slide a 50p down behind in the middle due to the curvature... put a spirit level on wall to check for a tv bracket and on one wall i can put my little finger behind the level at one end as the wall is so warped.
They installed aerial points in lounge and master bedroom but told them cable is in attic, for you to connect an aerial... Linden dont supply one, but the best bit is that due to being in a low enclosed area surrounded by excavated mounds and other buildings, the signal is so poor everybody is putting up sky dishes but some houses cant get a line of sight, so no sky either!
Linden dont lay the back gardens anymore it seems, left them a pile of slabs and said for you to decide how you want it.
the most damming from my view is an outside tap, which is directly outside behind sockets, thought to myself a bit iffy... took socket off wall and behind the plastic back box in the plasterboard wall I can see the joint and pipe, so in the event of a leak or dodgy joint the water will be spraying into the back of the socket!
proves my point, never buy a new build house....
whats the worst thing you have seen on a new build?

 

[Deleted member 26818]

The ones I worked on were luxury types with umpteen lighting circuits, 3 or 4 just in the living room, electric curtains and what not.
Everything controlled from a screen or your smart phone/tablet.

 

[Joshua]

Echo that totally. I do a few new builds each year, but they are one off jobs each time. My price and my standards are far higher than what the big developments around here are after.

Definitely don't pay enough considering how much they sell for. Last job I was on they were paying £420 for a 2 bed high spec flat, it was possible to do 3 a week but not the neatest work I've done to be honest. But they get what they pay for.

 

[Midwest]

I'll let you know.

I've just bought a new build, after living in a new build for the last 30 years. House before that was a new build, and the house before that was an existing property, that the previous owner had attacked it with his trusty DIY skills, that cost me some pretty pennies to put right. Only had one problem with me new builds, which was put right by the builders.

My latest one has metal stud & track partitioning on the first floor, I'd preferred wooden stud work, but hey hoe.

I'd asked for the back garden not to be landscaped, so I could do it properly myself, as previous properties had bricks, scaffolding etc laid under the turf. Had to sign a wavier, to allow the NHBC sign off to go ahead.

Got a shed load of mastic, to remove from the bottom of the skirting, installed to achieve the pressure test, before we can fit the flooring. It also has some annoying trickle fans in 'wet room's', which will need 'adjusting', so we can sleep at night without the constant whirring.

If you behave yourselves, I'll post a pic of the CU etc.

 

[telectrix]

Just 1st fixed an annexe [the size of a 3 bed semi] and all the stud work has no cross noggins, asked about it for wiring and was told not needed.

i'dagree with that cross noggins are unnecessary. the are put in to stop the stud timber moving laterally. once the board is fixed, the board itsef serves that function.tin hat.

 

[marconi]

It does not auger well for a big nationwide building programme to provide 'affordable' homes. Personally, where there is a demand I'd favour offering grants to folk to renovate those empty older properties in some towns and cities. I'd then have approved pre-vetted contractors and tradesmen/women in a catalogue, renewed every year, for these folk to choose from to do the necessary work.

 

[Midwest]

There comes a time when some very old existing properties, have reached their shelf life. Bricks & mortar can't exist forever. But with a range of different ownership, how do you knock down a whole street.

I've been back to my parents old semi, built in the 1800's. The old neighbours had been previously bought by someone and slightly refurbished, but my parents side has been bought by a developer, and is unoccupied. The two houses are on a very large plot, prime for redevelopment. Wonder how long the neighbour will hold off for, before he gets a too tempting offer.

 

[telectrix]

Bricks & mortar can't exist forever

if constructed well, they can. 120 years with this:

 

[Midwest]

But that wasn't built by George Wimpy.

 

[telectrix]

and this lot has been around since pete999 was in his pram:

 

[marconi]

Re #24 - Rumour has it that Pete999 provided the site electric arc lighting to allow 24 hour working which was powered by Leyden jars and thousands of slaves rubbing fur cloths along ebony rods. Inspired thinking methinks by him.

 

[telectrix]

archaeologists have just discovered the sockets he invented. obviuosly 3 phase.

 

[Intoelectrics]

I was on a newbuild last year where the sole plates of the stud walls hadn't been fixed before boarding and you could push the walls and see them move

Not uncommon, I was at a new build site once where the tiler was scratching his head on how to lay some floors. At first i thought he must be new to the job. It turned out every single room was miles out of square which meant no matter how he lay the tiles they looked pi**ed up. One hall way entrance was so bad it had 5 tiles across at one end down to 4 tiles across at the other. It supposed to have been a long parallel corridor

 

[Midwest]

and this lot has been around since pete999 was in his pram:


View attachment 43230

Yeah but the locals have been owners haven't been ******* around with them for 4,500 years and they didn't use mortar.

 

[Dave OCD]

i'dagree with that cross noggins are unnecessary. the are put in to stop the stud timber moving laterally. once the board is fixed, the board itsef serves that function.tin hat.

I just think for the minimal cost and time involved that it's much better to have them Tel, it's a long vertical bit of plasterboard to just be fixed top and bottom and nothing to stop the vertical timbers warping.

 

[leep82]

When i first went into self employment last year i was asked if i was interested in some price work on a new build site, i lasted two days!

Had some drawings to look at prior to agreeing to the work and was aware of the 1st fix price. It seemed tight but doable.

Arrived on site to be told i would be starting some 2nd fix work. It was a 3 bed detatched property and the price was ridiculous i would have had to 2nd fix 1 a day to make any money and that would have meant no breaks.

On top of the ridiculous price i had to contend with evey back box covered in plaster, wrong measurements for downlights, meaning that when they were drilled out they hit joists and in one case a noggin that the plumber had put in to carry his pipes, ( this was literally smashed out of the way, not by myself, so the required depth for the downlight was achieved) and half the lights not even wired.

I was told the consumer unit should take me around 20 minutes and not to worry as all the others look like rats nests anyway. I finished in a day and a half and told the bloke i wouldnt be doing anymore for him. They just want things thrown in and i couldnt/wouldnt allow myself to install in that manner.