House rendering

Jase · 11 Jul 2018 at 18:07

I'm possibly buying a new house later this week, it's a new build but on viewing I'm not sure about quality. Inside needs attention in places but it's the outside that doesn't look good. The rendering (think that's what it's called) is very patchy and appears to be the same on most of the houses.

As I know nothing about building, before I see the builder does this look normal:

It may be that it's a starting point or something but no other new house I've seen so far looks like this especially what looks like a dividing line down the middle. I know they will correct things until I'm happy but just want to get my expectations right and know what can and can't be done.

Cheers

rexehuk · 11 Jul 2018 at 18:13

Just looks like an expansion gap bead.

If his render starts failing, it won't wreck your house too.

The bricks in the window sil... look weird, are they slanting?

Jase · 11 Jul 2018 at 18:28

No that is the house I’m looking to buy, it’s a detached house that is in the middle. If it was separating 2 houses I could understand but it not.

edit: updated with full photo

blueboy2001 · 11 Jul 2018 at 19:49

It’s an expansion gap - without it the render will be prone to cracking. The finish could be much better, but trades on new builds tend to be bottom of skills barrel. They might fill it with a silicone type stuff to improve the appearance.

You don’t want render that’s been touched up or patched - it never looks right.

Jase · 11 Jul 2018 at 20:09

blueboy2001 said:
It’s an expansion gap - without it the render will be prone to cracking. The finish could be much better, but trades on new builds tend to be bottom of skills barrel. They might fill it with a silicone type stuff to improve the appearance.

You don’t want render that’s been touched up or patched - it never looks right.

Actually just been told that is what it is and the houses are being redone as not up to standard expected.

sovietspybob · 12 Jul 2018 at 09:43

Like said you need expansion gaps in render but surely they'd make it symmetrical :confused:

that just looks terrible

My house is rendered with K-rend and it's got a few joints but they're spaced evenly (most behind the drain pipes) so it doesn't look so weird.

Jase · 12 Jul 2018 at 10:23

sovietspybob said:
Like said you need expansion gaps in render but surely they'd make it symmetrical that just looks terrible

My house is rendered with K-rend and it's got a few joints but they're spaced evenly (most behind the drain pipes) so it doesn't look so weird.

OK well at least it's not just me that thinks it looks terrible then

I'll see the builder on the weekend, not sure what the solution would be but don't think I'd be happy to buy in that state.

thezappa · 12 Jul 2018 at 10:44

I would be absolutely astonished if they re-rendered even one side on the basis you don’t like how it looks.
Taking it off is a total pain and time consuming, then they would have to call the rendering company back to re-do it.
They might offer to tidy it up but you would likely get a mismatched colour.

PiKe · 12 Jul 2018 at 10:54

If it doesn't allow water through, leave it alone.

I have a problem where my blockwork is showing through my render, under extreme weather, the water is also making its way through to the inner wall, now that is reason to have it re-rendered.

SupraWez · 12 Jul 2018 at 11:00

I would not be happy with that either.

LeeUK · 12 Jul 2018 at 12:36

What's going on with those frame things around the windows? Upstairs left and right and down stairs right have a frame at the top and sides while downstairs left only has it at the top. Plus the little window above the door has no frame at all.

Iron-man · 12 Jul 2018 at 12:55

if your interested in buying you have to be happy with it so let them know what you don't like and if they don't sort then walk away, Agree with Lee though above not sure what is going on with odd frames round some windows

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 12 Jul 2018 at 13:01

LeeUK said:
What's going on with those frame things around the windows? Upstairs left and right and down stairs right have a frame at the top and sides while downstairs left only has it at the top. Plus the little window above the door has no frame at all.

Look like they are there to add character to me, bottom left is a bigger window though

For reference on the character, some houses near me have what look like bricked up windows in them, like some much older windows from the old window tax days. They add character from the outside, there is literally nothing different in the block layer (its just full blocks)

Iron-man · 12 Jul 2018 at 13:36

Whilst they maybe trying to add character surely you would want the frame around the outside of the window to go round them all rather than round 3 and then just across the top of the 4th window?

ChroniC · 12 Jul 2018 at 22:42

You don't need an expansion gap in render. What is everyone smoking. It looks more like they've done a thin coat over the brick without a scratch coat and it's sunk into a brick expansion gap.
Terrible work.
Horrible colours.
Horrible windows.

Don't buy its stinks of the rest of it being as badly built.

Jase · 12 Jul 2018 at 23:15

ChroniC said:
You don't need an expansion gap in render. What is everyone smoking. It looks more like they've done a thin coat over the brick without a scratch coat and it's sunk into a brick expansion gap.
Terrible work.
Horrible colours.
Horrible windows.

Don't buy its stinks of the rest of it being as badly built.

This is exactly what I was worried about and I agree about the colour also, I was going to ask them to repaint it white.

I'll see them on the weekend but think maybe best to go with gut feeling/first impression which wasn't good. Will be a shame as location and plot is good.

DarrenM343 · 13 Jul 2018 at 18:09

Makes me feel better about my "many problems" new build.
That looks **** to be frank.
Knowing the problems I've had and still have, if the render is crap I'd be so afraid of what else will be bad.
Mine is a private new build (not a new build on an estate by a national builder) and have forgotten all of the issues I've had with it. Still love it though but my thinking of "by a new build as less to go wrong" has been proven as complete BS

. Always owned older properties in the past
I cannot understand why a new build house is not near perfect really....other than of course greed kicks in and everyone in this country wants to make as much as they can with relatively little effort. I mean it's not as if we're paying peanuts for property is it? At least give us quality to go with the pricing.

if I buy a new build again I'd work out the cost of the plot, how much it cost to build the structure of the house and offer them that value+ some profit

, and assume there's a chance I may need to gut the internals.