New Build cold, help!

[stuckintheclarts]

I have a new build 2 bed bungalow semi in a windy exposed location on the estate and since moving in October 2022 it is really cold, but oddly it is difficult to pinpoint the problem.
The windows don't appear to be leaking as blinds don't move. There's no window vents, so must have been ticked off before new regulations.

If I am lying on my bed I can feel penetrating cold through the bedding. It does seem colder low level below bed height. Son in his bedroom feels the same. Yet if I get a tealight candle it barely flickers anywhere in the property.

Radiators get red hot.

I notice there's a gap under skirting where sealant is removed to fit carpets.

As it is more noticeable on windy days, May 2024 I am wearing a hooded top in bed but the bedroom temperature is 18 degrees early morning, so imagine how much worse in winter. I can feel cold on my chest lying down.

In the living room at certain times on a cold winter day you can feel it under knee level, bathroom at ankle height.

A plumber doing a repair to bathroom toilet said he could feel it in the bigger bedroom at floor level and suggested a breach in the cavity wall. But how would that make it cold at low level.

To me though it is every room, but worse in the bedrooms with the two outside walls. I am thinking it is related to the air bricks. Another guy said there's something on the back of the vent that stops the air rushing straight through and sometimes it is removed when fitting.

Anyone got any advice. They are sending a window fitter to have a look tomorrow, but I am not convinced it is the windows.

I've had a few new builds and lived in old houses, but nothing like this!

 

[Koolpc]

Checking with a thermal imaging device may help locate any cold spots.

How many vents are there?

Do they go straight from outside to inside?

I am assuming the house is well insulated?

 

[stuckintheclarts]

Three on my small bedroom, 2 on front and one on gable end. No, can't see vent from interior so not straight through. House appears well insulated, unless not done correctly. Thermal imaging is a good idea. It's a mystery, but it is definitely a problem. Thanks for your input.

 

[^woody^]

Cold is subjective. Does this just feel cold or are you saying it can't be heated up to be warm?

Have you actually taken measurements in all rooms at different times of the day to validate whether it is actually cold?

The direction to the rooms and windows face, and window sizes impact how warm tooms may be.

 

[stuckintheclarts]

I suspect it isn't subjective if everyone who visits feels the same. The thermostat in the hall is 4ft from bedroom yet bedroom is 3 degrees colder. Yet 20ft away the much larger living room reads the same as the thermostat in the hall. The carpets around skirting are cold underfoot. It's worse on windy days. Much worse on cold windy days. Hence logic suggests a problem. It's a new build bungalow and should be air tight and warm, not feeling like a window has been left open in another room. I've lived in a number of properties including 6 new builds to Victorian and old council houses, so know there is definitely a problem.

Of course a cold room can be heated up but if it takes 10 times longer to reach the same temperature as a larger room, then there's a problem.

House Builder's own contractor thinks there could be a breach in cavity because he could feel the same and suggests thermal imaging camera for cold spots.

As I first mentioned the sealant removed then below is interesting.

Housebuilders Are Cheating Part L Air Leakage Testing

Not every new home is required under Part L to pass air leakage testing. Of those that are, many often fail and are bodged by builders to achieve a pass.

www.new-home-blog.co.uk