I’m a surveyor – six signs your new-build was done cheaply and will have problems

A home purchase is, for most people, the single biggest purchase of their lifetime. So you like to think that your expectation of what you’re buying lines up with the reality of what you’re sold. But unfortunately, in new builds across the country, mistakes are being made and corners are being cut – all for the sake of finishing a build on time. The number of complaints made about new build homes has more than tripled in the space of a year, according to the New Homes Ombudsman’s annual report, released last month. John Cooper is a former tradesman who started the Swansea-based New Home Quality Control. He and his team of surveyors spend their working hours identifying “snags” (defects, unfinished tasks or faults) in new-builds, making sure they don’t get caught out by shoddy, or even deceitful, workmanship. “There is more pressure than ever on tradesmen to get things done rather than done well,” John explains. “The development company gets people in to produce a certain number of houses and they need those finished, completed and sold within a set time. If those tradesmen don’t meet their target, they will not have another job to go to. So there can be cut corners.” Shorts Ahead, he shares the most common problems that they come across in their work, and advice for what to look out for yourself when buying a home. Dodgy ventilation “A weep vent is a standard addition in new build walls: it’s a vent between two bricks into the cavity between the building’s inner and outer skin that allows moisture to leave and air to vent the space. These are important because over time moisture will build up and eventually penetrate the internal walls, creating mould. But my company discovered that rather than installing proper ones, tradesmen were installing fake ones: a tiny piece of pipe in the brickwork that you can just pull out. “This is the type of thing we see on a daily basis. It’s not done because of poor quality workmanship; it’s outright deceitfulness, and it’s still happening today. “The frustrating thing for homeowners is that they won’t see the consequences for 10, 15 years, as it takes time for the damage to build up. The developers will be long gone by that point, which is why they think they can get away with it.” Fire doors and barriers “We definitely see more issues with brickwork and carpentry than any other area. For example, the issue of fire safety is down to the carpenters. Fire doors are legally required for blocks of flats and HMOs, and in domestic houses that have three or more stories, or a loft conversion. But carpenters are paid the exact same amount for fitting a fire door and a standard internal door. When it’s all about speed, the fire door criteria gets overlooked and things like the gaps between the door and frame are too big, or the self-closing mechanism don’t get installed properly. We often find buildings are not fire safe. Cavity barriers and fire barriers are important passive safety systems that stop fire and smoke spreading through gaps in the building. But they can often be poorly installed, or even left off entirely: there was a big issue a few years ago with bricklayers removing fire barriers so they could install their bricks more easily. Gaps in woodwork “A big indication of quality of work is in the carpentry joins. When you’re fitting the architrave (the moulding around door and window frames) and skirting boards and so on, a good carpenter will ensure that their joins at the corners will be watertight. But to save time, carpenters are cutting once and if it doesn’t fit they’re then leaving it so that the painter can fill the gaps. “Back when I was a tradesman 30 odd years ago, we would all work together – I would make sure that the carpentry work I did was 100 per cent ready for the painter to have an easy job painting. No filling, no sanding; it was my job to do that for him. But nowadays it’s every man for himself, and they pretty much don’t care.” Wonky brickwork “If you’re looking at a new build property, you should look carefully at the brickwork. Look at how the air bricks are installed [a perforated ventilation brick designed to prevent moisture build up] and get a surveyor to check if they’re done properly. You should also look at the walls from different angles: look at it side on to see if there are any bellies and bumps; look at the size of the mortar beds and perps [perpendicular edge of brick] between the bricks to make sure they’re all consistent; and look up the wall to make sure the brickwork is all in line. I’d even buy a little spirit level so I could see where we’re at with it all. “There are certain parameters that are just out of tolerance [the permitted limit] and beyond that they’re structurally unsound. That definitely needs fixing. I always say to my customers that you may think you want to leave it – you don’t want the cost of fixing it and don’t see it as an issue. But it will cost you eventually. Say you want to sell in the future but the buyer hires us: they will either ask you to fix it yourself or knock money off the asking price. That leaves you in a position where you either take the chance and return it to the market or you take the loss.” Lazy, litterbug builders “When you’re looking for a new build property, do some research, ask some questions, phone snagging companies, speak to people who’ve bought properties from that developer and ask their experiences. There are properties out there that are in good shape but they’re only going to dwindle away. “Find out about the builders and how they conducted themselves. There are tradesman who leave bottles of wee under the bath or under the insulation instead of going to the portaloo; or leave behind cans of drink and rubbish. These are all a sign of tradesmen who just don’t care.” A developer should respond to feedback “We have customers that cry to us on the day of moving in about how bad things are. It all depends on how a developer reacts to the snagging survey, which means its the developer that can make your new build purchase experience fantastic or not. “This is why it’s important to do some research. Look into the site manager, see where he’s worked before and what houses he’s done. Take your time and don’t jump into a purchase. Speak to some residents on site and see what their experience is. Speak to snagging companies too about their experiences with different developers. There’s always going to be issues because you can never find a perfect house. It’s impossible. But how the developer reacts when you point out issues is what matters – if they respond well, it’s a good sign.”