The NHBC – Friend or Foe?

Quote from NHBC Report on our upstairs floors….

“A 2m and 1m level were used to gauge the deviations in the evenness of the floors and measurements taken. Under our requirements the floor decking is required to be suitable for the intended use. There are specific measurements detailed in the NHBC’s document, a consistent approach to finishes, however these figures are only recommendations, not requirements, and should only be used as a guide.

The nature and extent of any work necessary to remedy minor variances from the tolerances given should be appropraite to the circumstances. In this instance although a few of the measurements taken exceeded the guide tolerance, the amount by which they deviate is not considered to be excessive”

The guidelines state a floor should be level with in

Outside
1. Drive access- Curb (Pavement)- wrong placement at left hand side for low/angled curb – Move left (Causing damage to both car valances.)
2. Garage front door handle/lock loose- missing parts inside and threaded bolt is jammed.

3. Garden – Grass. Not tamped flat before laying. Footprints across front garden. Remove footprints and fill gaps.
4. Earth on pillar head at front. Clean off.
5. Path to front door. Spillages and mess. Clean.
6. Front right hand side drain pipe. Broken bracket. Replace.
7. Front door- Silicon /frame sealant around the wood above the door has gaps. Seal.
8. Front door step. Clean off sealant/cement or replace.
9. Front door- Multiple dents. Inside and outside. Fill & paint. Paint on glass. Overspill. Clean. Paint on metal work and trim. Clean.
10. Front door lock often catches during unlocking and locking (no other lock does this). Replace. Door handle loose and worn. Replace.
11. Rear Garden – Soil levelling required to remove gap between ground and fence at rear.
12. Rear Garden- Rear fence gap at end of fence at the right (side nearest road and wall/fence detail). Fence gap.
13. Rear garden fence- raise to give privacy so people walking cannot see straight into the patio doors and garden.
14. Electric meter box door cracked. Replace door.
15. Kitchen sink drainpipe not sealed outside rear. Also connected ubend pipe joint under Kitchen sink loose (collar tight but not sealed/gripped onto pipe). Fix pipe seal/grip into place, then seal outside gap.
16. Under bedroom 4 window. 2 weep vents missing and gap in frame sealant.
17. Hole in mortar next to patio door top right where hole was drilled for light cable. Fill & repair.
18. Hole next to patio door seal top left (outside). Fill and repair.
19. Hole under cloaks window where mortar, which was attached to sealant, has crumbled.
20. White marks on all pillars (mortar lime?). Clean off.
21. Gloss paint all over brick work – Clean off.
22. Brick mortar pointing. Fix all holes all over house. Improve all poor pointing.
23. Slab retaining wall to right hand side of house. Concrete base visible. Fill to cover (stone chips).
24. Rear right drain pipe- not aligned flows onto ground/foundations- Adjust/ fix piping to allow drain correctly.
25. Eaves- way along right hand side wall- Grill misplaced. Fix
26. Kitchen hob fan vent, right hand side outside wall – replace. Loose and broken.
27. Everywhere- All exterior metal work. Clean paint and stains off.

Snag list for Plot 304 (page 2)

28. Garage and utility doors are discoloured (rain). Various dents in doors. Fill and repaint.
29. Door Frames. Paint discoloured and flaking. Gaps and areas not painted. Fill and paint.
30. Kitchen side window missing sealant missing under window ledge. Top right gap in sealant.
31. Cement and mortar stuck to patio doorstep. Remove.
32. Bathroom extraction vent- outside rear at eaves. Hose not connected to vent, venting into the attic. Move to correct position and fix in place.
33. Eaves, left hand side towards rear- Gaps next to grill fix and repair.
34. Cement/seal around GCH boiler vent- fix, clean up and fill.
35. Gas point metal cover (drain bedding point) screws not fully bedded. Fix. (NOW FIXED).
36. Gas entry box. Large gap/hole in brick wall. 1 brick deep 2 bricks wide. Fix/replace brickwork.
37. Electric meter box. Poor brick peice filling & gaps under box. Repair/fill.
38. Garage side door- inside glass and door handle. Lots of paint overspill. Clean.
39. Downstairs cloak/toilet top window vent damaged. Replace.
40. Front door frame inside and outside. Nails heads & holes/cracks in wood – fix/fill and paint.
41. Lead flashing above garage not attached to wall. Repair.
42. Garage roof tiles (red peak tiles) not seated correctly. Fix.
43. Garage side door- gap on inside above door frame- seal
44. Garage concrete floor. Broken at front left side. Fill
45. Garage drain gutters clean out tile pieces, rubbish, etc.

Inside
46. Everywhere- All metal work, paint spill. Clean or replace.
47. Everywhere- All electric sockets/switches – clean. Threaded screws/metal box lugs – replace boxes/lugs/screws as necessary.
48. Everywhere- All paints spill, onto fixings, radiators, kitchen cupboards, tiles, walls, metal work, frames or anything else. All overspill clean/repaint.
49. Everywhere- All plaster/filler/mortar/sealant stains & lumps on walls and wood sand, fill, clean & paint.
50. Everywhere- Floors (out with NHBC spec in many areas): All DOWNSTAIRS concrete floors uneven and unlevel fix/screed. UPSTAIRS chipboard floor uneven/unlevel in many areas. 1) Top of stairs and towards back of house (landing, bedrooms 3 & 4, toilet) downwards slope. 2) Bedrooms 1 & 2 large dip (2 beams) front to back of house direction. 3) Bedroom 1 further short dip downwards to wall at front of house side from high spot (correct level) beam. 4) Any other unlevel or raised/dipped areas found. All upstairs major faults appear to lie running front to back of house across beam heights.
51. Everywhere- Paint mess (lumpy/uneven/unpainted areas). Sand and repair/paint.
Snag list for Plot 304 (page 3)

52. Everywhere- Upstairs chipboard floors all holes – dig out caulk and wood fill caulk sealant will just sink again).

53. Everywhere- Plaster/edge taping where marked or seen to be incorrect ceilings/walls/corners carry out repairs.

Hall and Stairs
54. Paint on cloak door. Gloss drips. Sand & paint.
55. Cloak doorframe and door catch. Wall/plasterboard misaligned. Door catches into plaster wall- move plasterboard wall back & re-finish.
56. Smoke alarm not flush – fix.
57. Wood trim, wall under stairs – large gap between wall and wood.
58. All of stairs wood (not steps) – Needs sanded, filled and primed and all repainted. Holes and knots, areas not painted, gloss runs, excess sealant, gaps, lumps, backs of spindles not painted, chips out of the wood, areas missing wood, rough finished areas, poorly finished throughout. (! Told that banister needs to be removed 1st to allow wall behind to be refinished).
59. Gap between banister and wall missing restraint to hold firm/solid (present in other whitebeams).
60. Upside down skirting used at landing floor at base of railings Replace with a piece of timber, or put small/slim rectangle trim along long edge & wood fill end piece. (Do not put trim on end piece.)
61. 2nd step loose, bangs/clacks when moves – Fix solid.
62. Plaster lumps on wooden steps & edges. Remove.
63. Door handles on squint, 1) hall to kitchen door, 2) hall to cloak door,

Landing
64. Top step – Nail heads lumps, sunken caulk gaps (dig out caulk and wood fill caulk sealant will just sink again), MDF to chipboard join unlevel.
65. Loft hatch wooden surround support (in loft) – Attic timber supports for hatch – Not fastened in place at the front of the house end – move, readjust placement and screw securely in place. (Do not nail/screw timber support at rear of house end – I will be replacing this in near future). Then reseal loft hatch surround.
66. Various plaster wall cosmetic issues- marked
67. Artex ceiling – tape join showing – marked. Fix taping.

Living Room and Dining room
68. Livingroom/hall door- paint over plaster splashes – sand and paint.
69. Twin elec socket (next to telephone point) – gap in plaster – repair.
70. Light switch & elec/tel/aerial faceplates with threaded/damaged screws and back boxes. Replace. Aerial next to window lhs screw. Left hand double elec at same corner. RHS. Fire elec socket RHS. Double elec at arch LHS.
71. Paint touch up – coving above the window (living room).
72. Living/Dining – Radiator scratch touch ups.
73. Window shelf. RHS. Plaster fill/touch up under shelf.
74. Plaster/paint touch up to left of fire.

Snag list for Plot 304 (page 4)

75. Uneven floor. Concrete lumps.
76. Dining room. Wall touch ups- sand/paint/fill all lumps of plaster painted over and other blemishes.
77. Dining room patio door wood stained surround and adjoining surfaces (dark stained wood surround, magnolia emulsion walls, white painted metal patio doors): 1) Prepare all mess/sealant/overspill/wood and paint (sand then prime/undercoat) surround with white gloss (stops all overspills/mess from showing up would look neater, easier) OR 2) Fix/remove/repair mess and sealant at top RHS corner of inside patio doors – plaster/ filler/ paint/stain Redo. All paint & stain overspill on the patio door surround and walls and patio doors clean/fix/repaint. (We would prefer number 1).
78. Ceilings in both rooms uneven finish – needs refinished and repainted.

Kitchen
79. U Bend connection under sink loose- fix (see 15).
80. Paint overspill on kitchen units and worktop and other surfaces clean.
81. Plaster gap/mess under side window.
82. Plaster/paint repairs. Various marked. Sand and paint.
83. 2 elec sockets- loose /threaded screws- dishwasher socket and double socket next to it.
84. Cupboard door. Walk in cupboard. Does not close.
85. Kitchen/ dining room doorframe gap at right hand side between wall and frame (in Kitchen). Frame split. Fix/repair all door frame problems.
86. Kitchen roof a mess. Refinish (marked) and paint.

Utility room
87. GCH heating bracket for controls section not in position – needs removed and reseated. Also paint spill remove.
88. Extraction fan – Plaster/ paint mess. Clean or replace.
89. Light fitting. Plaster mess. Clean.
90. Kitchen entrance wall small piece of skirting missing.
91. Gap for x2 appliances too small (less than 1200mm). Skirting has been removed & worktop bracket made smaller. Plaster/paint gap where skirting has been removed (without using available space needed for appliances) and paint end of adjoining mdf skirting.
92. Blue cover on stainless steel sink- should have been completely removed. Remove all blue film from taps base and sink edges.
93. Elec light switch (at kitchen end) loose, threaded screw/light replace damaged parts. Replace faulty/damaged parts.
94. Floor uneven/unlevel and sunken area next to door. Fix/repair.

Cloaks
95. Door closes on hall wall (see 52).
96. Window vent clip – one does not stay open. Replace/fix.
97. Floor uneven.
98. Plaster cosmetics – Ceiling & walls various marked.

Snag list for Plot 304 (page 5)

Bedroom 4
99. Door Jams. Adjust.
100. Elec Socket – Loose threaded screw- fix/replace.
101. Squeaky floorboard fix.
102. Hole in floor. Refill with wood filler (see 49).
103. Plaster/paint various cosmetic marked.

Hot Water Tank Cupboard
104. Requires cleaned out – solder/plaster/dust.
105. Screw heads/gaps/holes/marks on plaster walls/ceiling – various marked.
106. Wood front facing (below tank) and inside door – Holes & plaster/artex Requires sand/fill/paint.

Bathroom
107. Hole in chipboard floor – Fill with WOOD filler (remove any caulk if present).
108. Flimsy bath panel- loose. Can this be made watertight Is there a baton behind Please leave we will fix/replace.
109. Gap/hole round toilet pipe in floor. Fill With wood filler.
110. Plaster/paint- various marked.

Bedroom 1
111. Bulkhead. Unsightly look & finish. Emulsion painted chipboard with thrown together trim instead of properly finished and edged gloss painted timber. Either (1) replace chipboard with timber (or even MDF – at least thats flat and reasonably strong) and trmi/paint OR (2) Replace bodge job large wood trim at angled plaster join to chipboard top & refinish/fill/paint all of bulkhead wood. (also see 126).
112. Floor uneven.
113. Window ledge (sill) gaps & plaster work underneath.
114. Chip in windowsill. Window sill untidy. Sand and repaint.
115. Plaster taping – RHS of window & bulkhead- repair.
116. Tapes loose where marked. Repair.
117. Plaster/paint marked.
118. Elec wall plates screws, boxes threaded x3. All between door and en-suite.
119. Telephone point wiring. Phone does not ring. NOW FIXED.

En-Suite
120. Shower control surround Moves (and is not water sealed). Off/On and temp controls very tight adjust.
121. Toilet not secured. Moves forward. Secure.
122. Brown marks in bottom of en-suite toilet, inside (when moved in thought they were stains from previous usage, but have never gone away).
Snag list for Plot 304 (page 6)

123. Sewage access point not flush fitting remove obstructions & refit.
124. Plaster/paint touch ups as marked.
125. Plasterboard at and around sockets above bulkhead sockets/wall angled and sockets face towards each other, whole area weak, not supported, moves when using sockets, damaged gap between sockets when touched. Replace/support/reinforce plasterboard.
126. Beading at edge of floor. Remove and fill gap with flooring/timber.
127. Plaster/paint finish. Marked.
128. Bulkhead- unsightly mess. (see 109).

Bedroom 3
129. Door Jams. Adjust.
130. Tel point does not ring. NOW FIXED.
131. Plaster/paint touch ups – marked.

Also
132. Skirting: Living and Dining rooms: As agreed: To be cut to size, fitted in place (pinned with few nails – so easy to take off again), and gloss painted (not caulked/sealed/glued). Approx 19 Metres of skirting, NOT including wastage).
133. Skirting: Hall & Bedrooms 1/2/3/4: As agreed: Skirting lengths to be supplied for replacing existing skirting when removed. Approx 65 () Metres, including wastage (51 Metres, NOT including wastage).
134. Alarm wiring for (x3) door sensors (front door, rear/side door, patio door) from doors opening edges positions, to alarm box wiring loom in kitchen cupboard.
135. We have had problems with the RCD in the garage consumer unit tripping recently when using our washing machine. I have used a basic socket wiring tester on the outlet socket (passed) and moved the washing m/c to the tumble dryer socket the RCD still tripped. We are calling an engineer out to check the washing machine. Please have the wiring and RCD unit checked out also.

Scratchables

Livingroom Window
1. Gouges out of frame (i/s)
2. Scratch on window (i/s)
3. Blue marks on frame (i/s) clean off
4. 3 scratches on window (o/s)
5. Scratch on window outside
6. Plaster mess and hole under window ledge (i/s)

Patio doors
7. Paint on handle (i/s and o/s)
8. Scratch on inside frame
9. Brown and magnolia paint overruns between wooden frame and wall and UPVC
10. Frame top right corner mess (i/s)
11. Hole in patio door frame- covered (i/s)
12. Scratch on window (i/s)
13. Scratch on window (i/s)
14. Scratch on window (i/s)
15. Centre bottom frame metal chipped (o/s)

Kitchen 3 Panel window
16. Gouges out of frame (i/s)
17. Scratch left window frame (i/s)
18. Handle Scratched
19. Blue Marks (i/s)
20. Scratches middle window (o/s)

Cloaks Window
21. Sticky marks (i/s)
22. Part of vent does not open (i/s)
23. Vent clip missing (o/s)

Bedroom1 Window & Kitchen 2 panel window (where specified)
24. Gouges and Scratches (i/s)
25. Blue marks (i/s)
26. Scratches on right hand side window (i/s)
27. Scratches on bottom of frame (i/s)
28. Black mark (o/s)
29. Blue/Black Marks left side top (i/s)
30. Under window ledge plaster and hole
31. Kitchen 2 Panel Window- Plaster and hole
32. Kitchen 2 Panel Window- No paint on plaster
33. 4 scratches (o/s)
34. Above window PVC shroud is bent and broken

En-suite Window
35. Scratch on window frame (i/s)
Scratchables page 2

36. Blue Marks (i/s)

Bedroom 4 Window
37. Plaster at ledge (i/s)
38. Blue Marks (i/s)
39. Window vent clip missing (o/s)
40. Scratch on Window (i/s)
41. Multiple scratches (o/s)
42. Window ledge scratch (i/s)

Front Door
43. Multiple dents at top end (o/s). Couple more elsewhere
44. Glass frame gap X 2 (o/s)
45. Gloss paint on all metal work
46. Gloss paint on windows
47. Frame hinge side nails damaged wood
48. 3 dents (i/s)
49. Gloss drips (i/s)

Utility Door
50. Lack of gloss near handle
51. Discoloured paint. Needs to be repainted.
52. Doorframe. Flaked paint- bare wood all around frame.
53. Multiple Dents (o/s)

Garage Side Door
54. Discoloured paint (o/s). Repaint
55. Dent (o/s)
56. Window- paint all over (i/s)

Garage Front Door
57. Lock parts missing, difficult to close door. Threaded nut Missing.

Kitchen Worktops and Units
58. Paint overrun and splashes on most units
59. Far upper left cupboard. Damage on the side.
60. Extractor Hood- Stains. Flexible, loose extractor hood.
61. Far right upper cupboard. Chip out of.
62. Far right worktop edge chipped.
63. Far right drawer does not shut because oven should have been fitted further left.
64. Far worktop edge near d room covered in paint.
65. Plinth chipped far left.
66. Bottom right cupboard near d room. Bottom corner flap lifting up.
67. Far right near d room. Plinth gap.
68. Cupboard left of oven. Corner damaged.
69. Right hand side plinth damaged.
Scratchables page 3

70. Cupboard left of oven- dent
71. Dishwasher space- Plinth loose
72. Sink- Scratched
73. General- Rubber feet required for drawers and cupboard panels to match cupboard level for flush fitting.
74. Cupboard under sink shelf bracket not fitted correctly & split. Replace.
75. Worktop Scratched next to sink.
76. Kitchen floor- concrete lumps

Utility room
77. Missing skirting piece, to left of sink.
78. Chipped plinth corner
79. Is Hot and Cold taps on bath wrong way round
80. Bath Panel loose\movement
81. Gap round toilet waste pipe in floor. Should be filled. (Not with caulk or acrylic sealant.

En-suite
82. Shower tray corner loose and not sealed.
83. Toilet Cistern lid scratched
84. Waste wall box hatch not sitting flush.

Internal Doors
85. Most upstairs doorframes gap of inch on one side of the frame. Carpet laminate should hide this.
86. Bedroom 3 door jams at bottom
87. Bedroom 4 door jams at the bottom
88. Bathroom tiles covered in paint/ silicon
89. Cloaks doors- Gloss runs and plaster on the door.
90. Cloaks wall door not built placed correctly. Door catch digs into wall.
91. Kitchen door to hall. Door catches at bottom.
92. Kitchen cupboard door. Catch does not hold
93. Living room door. Plaster over door.