New build - snagging/warranty headache

[NickGaters]

Hi All,

Sorry this is a bit of along read. but would anyone with any building/building dispute experience mind casting their eyes over this for me please? I'm trying my best to make it as easy as possible for these guys to understand just what's wrong with a warranty replacement of a shower I have in a new-build. All caused by a leak last July which to be fair the builder is working with me on (slowly) - but their tradespeople are letting them down big style (well one trade in particular) are just awful, slapdash and no attention to detail.

I created some notes with timeline and images of it all in a PDF.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1--L...ew?usp=sharing

Does this make sense, do the pics properly illustrate why this is an awful bodge etc?

in my view a plumber can plumb, but fitting an actual bathroom is a superset of that skill. These guys just don't appear to have it.

Thanks in advance.

[Franky Four Fingers]

I cant offer any help other than to say yes it makes sense and wow!
Nothing surprises me with new builds, my lad is going through something similar at the moment with about 20 rather large problems, one being they didn’t seal the bath properly and the water has gone down the back, rotted the floor boards and now eating its way under the dividing wall and rotting the bedroom wall behind the bed. Quite astonishing when my lad removed the bath panel to find that the centre bath support wasnt even screwed down to touch the floor. The chap that came out to re-seal it only chopped out a small section and then used a different coloured sealer. You really couldnt believe the levels of bodgery ive seen over the last few months. If i was to achieve the same level of care in my profession I wouldnt have a pot to piss in.
Hope you get it all sorted

[adigra]

Yeah, what a mess. That's a nice combination of incompetence and a lack of any kind of pride in their work. One team/same people should really be doing the whole job, not this piecemeal, one hand doesn't know what the other is doing, type of bodgers.

It all makes sense, I'd just remove that "of" in the "If they had of done this before" in your third highlighted paragraph. Sorry to be a pedant!

I hope it gets sorted. I've never had a new build, but at this point I'd be looking to hire my own people and have the developers pay (which is probably wishful thinking on my part).

[JasonM]

There’s a guy on TikTok etc that is a pro snag inspector and some of the stuff he posts for new builds is crazy, not just small oversight stuff but often major and dangerous bodges and fundamental issues.

[NickGaters]

I cant offer any help other than to say yes it makes sense and wow!
Nothing surprises me with new builds, my lad is going through something similar at the moment with about 20 rather large problems, one being they didn’t seal the bath properly and the water has gone down the back, rotted the floor boards and now eating its way under the dividing wall and rotting the bedroom wall behind the bed. Quite astonishing when my lad removed the bath panel to find that the centre bath support wasnt even screwed down to touch the floor. The chap that came out to re-seal it only chopped out a small section and then used a different coloured sealer. You really couldnt believe the levels of bodgery ive seen over the last few months. If i was to achieve the same level of care in my profession I wouldnt have a pot to piss in.
Hope you get it all sorted

Cheers for that, really just a sanity check as I'm writing it while still a little steamed up!

Yeah, what a mess. That's a nice combination of incompetence and a lack of any kind of pride in their work. One team/same people should really be doing the whole job, not this piecemeal, one hand doesn't know what the other is doing, type of bodgers.

It all makes sense, I'd just remove that "of" in the "If they had of done this before" in your third highlighted paragraph. Sorry to be a pedant!

I hope it gets sorted. I've never had a new build, but at this point I'd be looking to hire my own people and have the developers pay (which is probably wishful thinking on my part).

Cheers, corrected. Pedantry is good. Nothing worse than escalating and complaining while spotting a typo or English SNAFU

There’s a guy on TikTok etc that is a pro snag inspector and some of the stuff he posts for new builds is crazy, not just small oversight stuff but often major and dangerous bodges and fundamental issues.

I watch a lot of those. Some shocking stuff going on out there. We've been lucky thus far (up to this issue) after having three new builds. Never again though. Fixer upper next time for me.

Most annoying thing for me is having to wait. I've had fixer uppers before and I can install bathrooms and kitchens myself. Only reason I've not done it this time is I wanted to maintain warranty and save a few hundred quid on tiles.

When the warranty is up on this house I'll be moving on or if I do stay I'll just be happy to fix stuff myself or engage my own contractors for essentials.

[oldoakknives]

Most new builds these days seem to be thrown together by subbies who don't seem bothered about the standards from what I've seen. Seen two show houses in the past that were more like adverts for the TV show Cowboy Traders.

[Mj2k]

Unbelievable lack of pride in doing a job properly there, and the fact it has taken so long. Wow.

Best of luck getting it resolved in a timely fashion now.

[Mj2k]

Most new builds these days seem to be thrown together by subbies who don't seem bothered about the standards from what I've seen. Seen two show houses in the past that were more like adverts for the TV show Cowboy Traders.

I do enjoy a good bodged show house.

[hogthrob]

It seems the default house builder MO these days is to do a rubbish job, and put it right if the home owner complains. There is a growing number of "snagging companies" helping home owners. Here's a random one I Googled https://www.snaggingcompany.com/


Another company, who are active on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZNYO7lrYs7I?si=486odpjIBaI1BoYR

[JonRA]

I'll echo the comments about the use of subbies being widespread - our current house was a new build and had numerous minor and major problems. They eventually all got put right but it was a real pain getting the stuff done. I am retired, so waiting around for various trades to not turn up wasn't quite as bad as if you'd had to take the day off work.

In the end, I stopped dealing with Customer Service and got the area manager involved. Our main hassles were also bathroom related - two had to be almost completely redone (we moved out at the builders expense for three days to let them get on with it and then completely clean the house for dust afterwards).

Our previous house was a new build but that had just one minor problem that was fixed quickly.

I'd say that it's worth pushing to get the job done right, even if that means disruption. I'd also go higher up the chain if no-one is coming to the house, inspecting the work and agreeing a plan to correct it properl

[JasonM]

If I was buying a new build , I think I would make it very clear to the site manager that I would be having a professional inspection post build or at certain phases of the build , I don’t know if it would help but might make a difference.

[oldoakknives]

I do enjoy a good bodged show house.

The thing that amused me was how they expected people to part with c£600k on the basis of a house where doors didn't fit and close properly and the general fit and finish was p poor. Still, they all sold so I guess peeps aren't as fussy as me.

[Faiz]

There’s a guy on TikTok etc that is a pro snag inspector and some of the stuff he posts for new builds is crazy, not just small oversight stuff but often major and dangerous bodges and fundamental issues.

I follow that page on Instagram, hard to believe people can do such work and sleep at night. I wouldn't be able to live with myself putting someone's life at risk with some of the shoddiness that they post.

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[learningtofly]

It seems the default house builder MO these days is to do a rubbish job, and put it right if the home owner complains. There is a growing number of "snagging companies" helping home owners. Here's a random one I Googled https://www.snaggingcompany.com/


Another company, who are active on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZNYO7lrYs7I?si=486odpjIBaI1BoYR

Good grief - just looked at a sample report. I can't think of any money that would be better spent.

[higham5]

If I was buying a new build , I think I would make it very clear to the site manager that I would be having a professional inspection post build or at certain phases of the build , I don’t know if it would help but might make a difference.

Hi Jason great idea , unfortunately not possible if you buy from a major home builder. We were only allowed to measure for carpets two weeks before completion. Lots of guys on our estate have engaged snagging companies but….they are only allowed in post completion.

Having been in a new build for three and half years and been through a fair amount of snagging ( including upwards of £10k in rectification costs by the builder for the garden alone) I would comment as follows.

1) Thesnagging lads employed by the builder said there was a budget for snagging every property, they are quite happy to work upto this budget , then noticeably slow down. On our site I recon the budget is £10k. Just under 3% of the sales value.

3) The home builder has an entire team with 73 plate vans working on snagging, they have zero interest in root cause, its their job to rectify building errors.

3) Lastly and most importantly, the site managers have all the responsibility but no authority! They can identify bad block work, but when they approach the brickies over poor quality they are told to “ speak to the boss”. The site managers are the sh1t in the sandwich, hammered by sales for new builds on time and chasing sub contractors who are managed by their boss often 40/ 50 miles away , managing multiple locations.

An example of three above , our site is a medium site 200 homes, there are two interior painters who move from house to house as the second fixes are being completed. Chatting to one of them he advised his boss has 400 painters on the books, so if the site manager gives him any grief the subby just gets re deployed and the painting stops!

Ive seen a site manager painting a house at 7 pm on a Friday night on their own! This sums it up for me. The days of a local builder and site foreman with either “cards in “ tradesmen or with a very tight group around them has gone. Our developer is running a 2000 home site , with multiple trades only ten miles away. Imagine how reliant and beholden they are to subcontractor brickies electricians etc.

Apologies op this doesnt help your plight but it may inform others who are about to embark on buying a new build.

[NickGaters]

That’s really useful insight into the business behind the treatment ^. Certainly aligns with my experience I’m going through at the moment.

[JasonM]

Hi Jason great idea , unfortunately not possible if you buy from a major home builder. We were only allowed to measure for carpets two weeks before completion. Lots of guys on our estate have engaged snagging companies but….they are only allowed in post completion.

Well, that sucks.

[Neil.C]

I only purchased one new build - our first flat - wouldn't do it again.

Second hand all the way for me since then.