Shocking New Houses

wolfie138 · 19 Dec 2017 at 08:07

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42396938

i've be griping about build quality for a couple years now w/ people at work, about our offices and from stories i've heard about new estates going up in the area, but i didn't realise things were as bad as this.
"A survey by the House Builders Federation this year suggested 98% of those who had bought new homes reported defects to their builder within a few months of moving in, with 41% reporting more than 10 problems."
absolutely ridiculous, this would be unacceptable at any level, never mind something you've paid £325k for.

Kronos · 19 Dec 2017 at 08:26

I was for many years a van driver who delivered to building sites all over the Borders of Scotland and unfortunately the quality has gone way down. If you are thinking of buying a new build take someone with you who has a lot of experience in this field as most folk will miss many many faults.

I had a girlfriend ask me to look over a studio flat and I was both amused and appalled by the quality of work. Being a studio flat the bed folded up into a cupboard the only problem with this that when you opened the cupboard door it hit the ceiling light, how this was missed is still a mystery.
But you then have the off level kitchen unit doors, gaps round sockets, skirting not flush with the floor, leaking copper the list went on.

Rroff · 19 Dec 2017 at 08:27

Not just the building industry - I've noticed a marked decline in the standard of work and attitude towards work in general over the last few years.

dirtychinchilla · 19 Dec 2017 at 08:28

I'm not even remotely surprised. The house builder may care about the quality of the build, but the subcontractors certainly don't give a ****.

Bassmansam · 19 Dec 2017 at 08:40

Rroff said:
Not just the building industry - I've noticed a marked decline in the standard of work and attitude towards work in general over the last few years.

Example?

wolfie138 · 19 Dec 2017 at 08:57

Bassmansam said:
Example?

road repairs are the obvious one, going be personal driving experience!

Scam · 19 Dec 2017 at 08:59

Yet that guy from Persimmon was happy to take a £100m bonus last year. Crazy.

Kronos · 19 Dec 2017 at 08:59

Bassmansam said:
Example?

I can give you one, in my last job the some of the delivery drivers felt that getting round their run quickly was far more important than offering a decent standard of customer service and thought nothing of having a day off for a cold, cough or their girlfriends birthday. So much so that the company bought in a monthly bonus scheme, payable at Christmas which was pretty much a reward for coming to work every day of the month, not that it had much effect.

Kiyoshi · 19 Dec 2017 at 09:03

Bassmansam said:
Example?

You can't be serious? You think the general standard of work and attitude to work these days is good?

Tom_ed1987 · 19 Dec 2017 at 09:12

I agree with the broader point that new build houses from the big firms are far from built well, & due to that & the planning constraints the developers are forced to build to I certainly wouldn't buy one, however worth mentioning that the majority of the defects reported by the 98% will just be typical snagging type stuff - peeling plasterboard tape, loose skirting, drying cracks, wonky sockets etc rather than more serious stuff such as incorrect ground levels causing damp, which I'd hope is fairly rare.

I know it's deeply unfashionable these days to fix problems yourself, but the bugs coming in under the patio door could have been fixed with a £1 tube of silicone sealant & 5 minutes.

dowie · 19 Dec 2017 at 09:15

Kronos said:
I can give you one, in my last job the some of the delivery drivers felt that getting round their run quickly was far more important than offering a decent standard of customer service and thought nothing of having a day off for a cold, cough or their girlfriends birthday.

I think plenty of elderly people and others with suppressed immune systems would be rather grateful that the delivery driver didn't turn up with a cough or a cold.

Freakbro · 19 Dec 2017 at 09:19

dowie said:
I think plenty of elderly people and others with suppressed immune systems would be rather grateful that the delivery driver didn't turn up with a cough or a cold.

Just get them to deliver it through the hermetically sealed air lock they must have to protect themselves from absolutely everyone who is carrying germs and viruses then.

Bit of a silly thing to say tbh.

dirtychinchilla · 19 Dec 2017 at 09:22

Freakbro said:
Just get them to deliver it through the hermetically sealed air lock they must have to protect themselves from absolutely everyone who is carrying germs and viruses then.

Bit of a silly thing to say tbh.

Really? There are plenty of people who definitely do not wish to get your illness, whatever that is. Contact from a contaminated parcel may well be enough. Particularly given the time of year when colds are most prevalent, where immune systems are likely to be at their worst.

dowie · 19 Dec 2017 at 09:22

Freakbro said:
Just get them to deliver it through the hermetically sealed air lock they must have to protect themselves from absolutely everyone who is carrying germs and viruses then.

Bit of a silly thing to say tbh.

Why is it silly? Your post is a bit of an ignorant thing to say tbh... thousands of elderly people are killed by flu and respiratory diseases every year.

Ayahuasca · 19 Dec 2017 at 09:24

dowie said:
I think plenty of elderly people and others with suppressed immune systems would be rather grateful that the delivery driver didn't turn up with a cough or a cold.

Yep let's just keep many of the already lonely elderly folk completely shut off from human contact :cool:

dowie · 19 Dec 2017 at 09:25

Ayahuasca said:
Yep let's just keep many of the already lonely elderly folk completely shut off from human contact

What does them being lonely have to do with the post I made? Think a little.. how does a delivery driver not turning up for work mean they are shut off from human contact? They're still gong to their delivery albeit by another driver or a day later.

Freakbro · 19 Dec 2017 at 09:26

dowie said:
Why is it silly? Your post is a bit of an ignorant thing to say tbh... thousands of elderly people are killed by flu and respiratory diseases every year.

Yea, I can imagine all the delivery drivers saying to their bosses "Sorry Boss I have a cold, I'm not coming in to work today because I may have an eldery or immunio suppressed person on my round today" :rolleyes:

If the receipient is that worried about their immune status then they could get the parcel delivered to a family member and you can extrapolate that statement to everyone in the service sector, it's just unfeasible.

Ayahuasca · 19 Dec 2017 at 09:27

dowie said:
What does them being lonely have to do with the post I made?

Well, you seem to be suggesting older folk with weak immune systems should just be shut-ins for the entirety of the winter, maybe we can start dropping parcels down the chimney for them.

wolfie138 · 19 Dec 2017 at 09:29

Tom_ed1987 said:
I agree with the broader point that new build houses from the big firms are far from built well, & due to that & the planning constraints the developers are forced to build to I certainly wouldn't buy one, however worth mentioning that the majority of the defects reported by the 98% will just be typical snagging type stuff - peeling plasterboard tape, loose skirting, drying cracks, wonky sockets etc rather than more serious stuff such as incorrect ground levels causing damp, which I'd hope is fairly rare.

I know it's deeply unfashionable these days to fix problems yourself, but the bugs coming in under the patio door could have been fixed with a £1 tube of silicone sealant & 5 minutes.

if i'm paying £325k for a house there's no way on Earth i should HAVE to fix it myself.

dowie · 19 Dec 2017 at 09:30

Ayahuasca said:
Well, you seem to be suggesting older folk with weak immune systems should just be shut-ins for the entirety of the winter, maybe we can start dropping parcels down the chimney for them.

not that isn't what I've suggested, perhaps try responding to what has actually posted rather than projecting

Freakbro said:
Yea, I can imagine all the delivery drivers saying to their bosses "Sorry Boss I have a cold, I'm not coming in to work today because I may have an eldery or immunio suppressed person on my round today"

you're not really thinking about this very well - Kronos has already pointed out that drivers phone in sick with a cold or a cough etc... he's criticising something they already do and I'm pointing out that it is actually a good thing that they do it

If the receipient is that worried about their immune status then they could get the parcel delivered to a family member and you can extrapolate that statement to everyone in the service sector, it's just unfeasible.

no it isn't, if you're sick then don't come into work... it isn't exactly rocket science and your illness doesn't just affect people with compromised immune systems (though they are going to potentially have a worse result if they catch it)