Mike4 wrote:"Log In or Register", it says, to read the article.
I'm reluctant to do either but being cynical, this will be just another body whose real interest underneath the media waffle is to protect the interests of the house builder from the small proportion of their customers with unreasonably high expectations. Sell the same house to three different buyers and each would come up with three totally different snagging lists, such is the nature of the Great British consumer. Builders can't win when it comes to 'build quality'.
Another factor is a house of a given top line spec (e.g. three bed detached in satellite estate near Reading) sells for almost the same price whether built using the best of everything, or the cheapest spec and the lowest cost labour available. So why would a builder build up to a standard when every pound he spends on doing it well is a pound slashed from his profit? Far better from a commercial POV to build as cheap as possible with every possible corner cut then field the snagging list after selling it.
Just my jaded POV having been in building trade most of my life. AND half a bottle of Henry Weston's Vintage Cider!
Mike,
Before I start may I take strong issue with you please ... where's the other half of Henry Weston's - don't tell me you're going to drink that too. It's at times like this that I loathe the internet
Seriously though - apologies for the rubbish link. it worked fine for me when I linked from my web browsers search, but as you say the links not quite as successful
So try this please
New Homes Quality BoardI'll see if I can find some more links which perhaps help - you can keep your cider
Build quality isn't as subjective as you suggest. Between the NHBC Building Standards, Building Regulations, Robust Details, Codes of Practice and BBA (British Board of Agrements) and British Standards there is sufficient to determine the quality of build.
For example and I'm sure this as poor an example I can think of ... A mild steel galvanised roof strap holding down a wall plate is (iirc) required to be fixed at 2m centres, unless the roof weight and requirements has been "engineered" then the engineers calculations will determine centres. Each strap should have (iirc) a minimum of three fixings to the blockwork and the lowest fixing should not be more than (iirc) 3 holes up from the bottom. They should be plugged and screwed, not nailed. I believe (iirc) the strap should be a minimum of 1200mm long. So each and every part of a new home does have a standard to achieve.
However, if one strap out of the 50 on a roof had only 2 screws, not 3, it's highly likely it wouldn't fail structurally.
Take care
AiY