Bungling builders used COSTA cup to fill a hole in my dream £270,000 newbuild – the list of bodged jobs is endless
A DAD was left outraged when he discovered his builders had used a Costa cup to fill a hole in his dream home.
Justin Lee Anderson found the cardboard cup wedged into the wall of his £270,000 newbuild in East Lothian, Scotland.
The author also discovered his heating was “hooked up backwards” meaning the thermostats weren’t controlling the correct floors.
And his bathroom extractor fan was connected to a tube just “hanging” on a screw in the attic.
The dad-of-five said: “I’ve heard horror stories from so many neighbours. Loads have similar problems of extractor fans venting into their attics.”
Justin bought his house from the national home builders Persimmon in 2019 and has spent the last three years battling to have a string of building work problems sorted.
He described the ordeal as a “terrible experience” and claims the failures are not unique to his property.
“One house has had a section of render just fall off. We even heard from a former Persimmon employee that the company refer to our development as a ‘failed estate’ because of all the complaints,” he said.
The issues stem from contractors being given too many houses to cover in a day leading to “rushed, incompetent work,” according to Justin.
“There is a presumption of competence given to housebuilders which is just wrong and allows them to get away with shockingly poor standards without any real consequences,” he said.
He added: “Nobody’s properly inspecting this work. Contractors are paid piecework and given too many houses to cover in a day, so they end up leaving rushed, incompetent work to be “picked up in snagging.”
“Planning committees can’t legally refuse a planning application from a builder as long as that application meets regulations.
“There is no consideration of the builder’s record of competence. So they can build as many terrible houses as they like and keep getting planning permission for more.”
He is calling on the Scottish Government to give homeowners the right to demand higher standards and ensure developers are held to account when they screw up.
The motion to support the creation of a housebuilding ombudsman and to give planning committees the right to reject planning applications from builders with a dodgy record is now part of the Scottish Greens party policy.
Musselburgh councillor Shona McIntosh, Scottish Greens, said: “There need to be better protections for home buyers and the Scottish Government must get on and work with the UK government to set up an ombudsman as an urgent first step.
“The planning process should be better equipped to ensure standards, whether that is with better powers of enforcement,
“stricter conditions on quality control and environmental impact, or ultimately, to be able to refuse or withdraw permission from contractors who have been sanctioned by the ombudsman.
“All these options need to be on the table if we are to protect consumers and build homes that will last for future generations.”
How to deal with building work problems
Citizens advice recommends you do the following if you encounter issues with your builders:
- You should take up the problem with the trader who arranged the work, even if they ‘sub-contracted’ (passed on) all or some of it to another business.
- Gather any paperwork and receipts.
- Take photos to use as evidence of the problem.
- Make notes about what’s happened, including dates and times.
- If you can’t come to an agreement you can use and “alternative dispute resolution”, which is a way of solving disagreements without going to court.
Justin added: “I sincerely hope we can get this on the books.
“We need more houses, especially more affordable housing, but they have to be built to a decent standard, and there’s currently not enough in place to ensure that.
“Homebuyers need more support and protection from the government.”
A spokesperson for Persimmon said: “We are disappointed that Mr Anderson did not receive the level of service we strive to provide and we apologise for the inconvenience he experienced.
“While we have not been made aware of any issues with the property since 2022, we are committed to addressing any concerns brought to our attention.”