House Builders in general

Recently just had some extension work done in the outside of my house. Had a new kitchen,bathroom and a front room done. Hired two builders to get the job done in a month. The first thing you need to know about some builders is they work slow. They charged me 100 pounds per day for doing the work both of them which came to a cost of 200 pounds. Also some builders work slow and also want you to provide them with the food! I think they charge too much all they do is come late at times and put their loud music on. I had to tell them twice in the morning to keep the music down on a Saturday morning at 8 am. Some of them also do not work when you watch then and be ...  Read the complete review

Poor you!! Our builder ceased trading... NHBC have still to replace the roof and windows (they ask for reports but fail to act upon them). We don't have internal leaks (well we did have to sort out the dishwasher but in the scheme of things, that was minor!) but the windows and doors let in rainwater and animals - bees nest in the doors and you can hear everything from all the toilets... We have a large 2 storied window deemed 'dangerous' by an independent inspector and a lack of calculations about same window (3.5m long) from the council. The DPM is missing in places. The light switches don't work consistently - the only thing that NHBC have sent anyone to mend (3 days and still not right!). What are we meant to do?

This is a first opt! I have decided that buying land and building my own house will be far more cheaper and more profitable in the long term. However I'm interested to hear anyone's opinion or those who have actually gone through with it. I find the quality of houses on the market of poor value and over priced especially in the south. So anyone out there who has had experience with buying land, getting planning permission, builders, living on site. Let us know your views and advice. Sorry short opt! ...  Read the complete review

This article is about the risks of buying a newly-built house. Occasionally I may veer into rant mode, but please forgive me on this occasion, as this is a wide-ranging article which contains consumer advice and a cry for help to our politicians. After all, I felt so strongly about this issue that I wrote a website about it (but more of that later). In December 1998 I bought a newly-built three bedroomed house from Wilcon Homes on a new development in South Manchester. I was attracted by the convenient location and the obvious benefits of "chainbreaking" that come from buying a new house when you also have one to sell. Never did the quality of the ...  Read the complete review

Be warned: directly down below (southwards, six o'clock) there lurks a very boring opinion. You may run now, if you like, I'll understand. What should you look for when you're thinking of buying a new house? You know: not a new house but a 'new' new house, a brand spanking just-built new house? You've all seen the horror documentaries on TV – all that terrible workmanship, dangerous, careless bodging – is it really THAT bad? Well, it really does depend on exactly what it is that you're looking for. What should you know about housebuilders? Or rather, what should you know about the houses they build? Let's ...  Read the complete review