In general, ok but build quality could be better (Barratt Homes)

Member Name: syllopsium

Product:	Barratt Homes
Date:	06/07/06 (1322 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Decent price, lovely location, mostly ok after fixing snag list

Disadvantages: sound proofing poor, insufficient sockets, uneven floorboards

In general, Barratts provided me with a new house with few problems for a reasonable price.

However, the soundproofing (in a house built in 2001/2 before the new soundproofing laws came into effect) is definitely not as good as it should be. The house as a whole could be somewhat more solid - if you have heavy plant machinery outside the house will shake. There were various issues with sorting out the bathroom, including a bath that dropped in height, the front door handle has a tendency to fall off and the Potterton boiler is unreliable. The carpets aren't exactly hardwearing, either.

The sales assistant was great, and the people that came in to fix it were on the whole excellent (it did need a bit of chasing to sort out the bathroom..).

There's a few other things too, but on the whole it's fine as long as you take care of the following (give me a break if this is obvious - it was my first house)

Within the first few years Barratts will sell the leasehold to another company, who will not allow you the early payment discount Barratts did, and increase the freehold price to silly levels (3K+ - I think not). If you want the freehold sort it out when you buy the house..

Try and pay extra for floorboards, not the huge slabby chipboard alternatives.

Buy extra sockets - the default supply is horribly inadequate.

If it's possible, don't accept the horrid white PVC kitchen sink. It stains easily and is very difficult to clean.

The Potterton boiler might be a bit temperamental - may be worth seeing if a more reliable manufacturer can be used.

Summary: Reasonable house, but sort out extras and freehold straight away