Many of us will know that buying a property is a huge investment of both money and time. As such, when you purchase a brand-new home, you wouldn’t expect anything to be wrong with it. However, it appears that some newly built homes in East Devon have been causing multiple problems. It seems that the Government have been advised to prioritise a new system to help organise the complaints which are received against new poorly built houses, as there seems to be so many in the East Devon area.
A few weeks ago, councillors unanimously voted to call on our government to fulfil their initial pledge made in February 2018, to help assist these homeowners and treat them as a priority.
Cllr Douglas Hull, who proposed the motion at the East Devon District Council meeting said: “There are so many badly new built houses in East Devon and it is getting even worse.
We have to have houses we can be proud of in the region, and we have to say that enough is enough. We need to think about the people who end up buying second rate houses.”
He then went on to mention that some of the new houses have been built so badly that small children can actually rip out the cement from the walls with their fingernails.
Cllr Eleanor Rylance said: “We have a quality control issue with a lot of the houses, and then we have a problem with people who are renting from a housing association who don’t feel that they can complain as they will lose their house.
Cranbrook is developer led but some developers are prone to get people to buy the property before everything is done.”
During the meeting, no particular developers’ names were mentioned, but it has been confirmed that Persimmon Homes have begun to carry out fire safety barrier inspections in Cranbrook after some of the new homes built were missing them.
Of course, purchasing a property which has so many underlying issues is incredibly frustrating for the owner, but even more so from a safety perspective. As such, this is why the role of a structural engineer on new build projects is essential. With their expertise, they will ensure that their designs satisfy pre-determined criteria based on safety and overall structural performance.
For large scale construction works such as a new build development, a structural engineer will have a lot more impact and influence on the project and will be required to spend longer reviewing the site. Their role in this will include multiple visits to the site as well as meeting with everyone involved to ensure that they are fully aware of the ongoing project.
The structural engineer would usually proceed to prepare detailed drawings, calculations, specifications and method statements as required, depending on the size and complexity of the development project.
Here at Martin Perry, we are experienced structural engineers in Devon and the surrounding area where we offer contract administration services in addition to the provision of our design services. This can include writing schedules of works and detailed specifications, analysing tender returns, preparation and issuing tender packages, and overseeing the works once a contractor has been appointed.
With this, we usually make regular visits to the site and deal with any issues that may arise to ensure that your project is completed within the allotted time frame and within your budget. If you have any questions about the services we offer, then please do not hesitate to get in touch on 01579 345777.