We bought our new house last year from the Highland Small Communities Housing Trust. Complicated process we own 65% of it, has a rural deed of burden attached giving them pre-emption rights should we sell they get first choice to buy it back. They used an architect to design the house, a main contractor who also subbed out some of the work.
The house has suffered frozen pipes continuously in the downstairs- supply and central heating. They tried to remedy the problem in the summer but it has made no difference.
The problem stams from the fact it's on small(200mm) stilts on pad foundations. Box section flooring pre-fabbed off site. The underside has poorly fitted ply sheets which allow air into the floor space, poorly fitted mineral wool insulation, the pipes are 100mm from the bottom(not the top as the trust have tried to say) and only have very badly fitted 15/13mm thermaflex insulation. The architect originally had the house designed with plumbing above floor level but this has turned out to be a very expensive cost cutting exercise for them, deciding to put them in the floors. I said to them that by boxing off the area immediately below the floor it would make no difference whatsoever as air would still be drawn through the floor where any services were through the joists etc and this has turned out to be exactly what is happening.
The trust are trying to say this is our problem and we should be taking ownership of the house now- I say it's way beyond the realms of snagging this is a combination of poor design and terrible workmansip.
They will drag their heels but the only solution is to replumb the whole downstairs as was originally designed- above the floors in the living space.
Who the hell can I turn to to ensure this is sorted? Trying to keep things amicable but I could swing for them. Is this insulation sub standard? A bloke I know says the pipes should have 15/25mm insulation at least and tight fitting kingspan below and warmcell above should have been used so there were no gaps whatsoever- but he also says putting pipes in the floors in the Cairngorm Mountains is madness.
The Builder is NHBC registered does that mean even if negotiations break down with the architect/trust I can pursue them through NHBC? Should I involve Building Control see what they say?
The bottom line is that they have sold us(and our 3 neighbours) houses not fit for purpose whatsoever. The second phase of the project is about to start and lo and behold they have decided to drop the stilted house design and go for traditional founds. That in itself is surely a clear pointer to the total disaster that our floors are.
Someone please help!!!!
The house has suffered frozen pipes continuously in the downstairs- supply and central heating. They tried to remedy the problem in the summer but it has made no difference.
The problem stams from the fact it's on small(200mm) stilts on pad foundations. Box section flooring pre-fabbed off site. The underside has poorly fitted ply sheets which allow air into the floor space, poorly fitted mineral wool insulation, the pipes are 100mm from the bottom(not the top as the trust have tried to say) and only have very badly fitted 15/13mm thermaflex insulation. The architect originally had the house designed with plumbing above floor level but this has turned out to be a very expensive cost cutting exercise for them, deciding to put them in the floors. I said to them that by boxing off the area immediately below the floor it would make no difference whatsoever as air would still be drawn through the floor where any services were through the joists etc and this has turned out to be exactly what is happening.
The trust are trying to say this is our problem and we should be taking ownership of the house now- I say it's way beyond the realms of snagging this is a combination of poor design and terrible workmansip.
They will drag their heels but the only solution is to replumb the whole downstairs as was originally designed- above the floors in the living space.
Who the hell can I turn to to ensure this is sorted? Trying to keep things amicable but I could swing for them. Is this insulation sub standard? A bloke I know says the pipes should have 15/25mm insulation at least and tight fitting kingspan below and warmcell above should have been used so there were no gaps whatsoever- but he also says putting pipes in the floors in the Cairngorm Mountains is madness.
The Builder is NHBC registered does that mean even if negotiations break down with the architect/trust I can pursue them through NHBC? Should I involve Building Control see what they say?
The bottom line is that they have sold us(and our 3 neighbours) houses not fit for purpose whatsoever. The second phase of the project is about to start and lo and behold they have decided to drop the stilted house design and go for traditional founds. That in itself is surely a clear pointer to the total disaster that our floors are.
Someone please help!!!!
