Stewart Milne

[malcolm22]

I must admit to being concerned about these oversail problems, although I think I saw them adding brickwork below ground level at plot 9 to carry the walls. How it was attached to the concrete base when the excavations were filled with water is beyond me.
CallumD and I have several mentions of the soil at Stewart Milne, but I have not posted anything here about my garden.
I thought they were going to fix my problem (50 - 150mm of topsoil over packed hardcore), but as usual they change their minds at the last moment. Now they are going to try rotavating and de-stoning it again. Are they going to try and whip it up to several times the current volume? It's the packed hardcore which is the real problem. I'd be lucky if there's enough soil to grow lettuce in much of it. I'm a keen gardener and don't want grass everywhere!
For a laugh, I shall try to post a photograph of my neighbours garden. He had a few inches of 'topsoil' removed at the weekend. See how well it drains now? Nearly half of the ground is underwater!
I have come to truly regret buying a house from this crowd. There were a few posts on this forum for Stewart Milne when I reserved in April last year. The number of posts and viewings of them should give you some idea. Take heed!

[malcolm22]

Colin,
Thanks for the advice. I hope CallumD gets in touch with you.
Anyone who reads this part of the snagging forum will know that the soil at Linburn Grange is not good (atrocious is probably the best description). I've been complaining about the soil level in my garden for nearly four months and still no action (there is only 50-150mm maximum over hard packed hardcore).
But this company is all about no action, unless thay think they have given you too much land. Then hordes of workmen appear to take your fence down before you've really had time to think about it. I've just experienced this..........
Oh Stewart Milne can be really trying, and show no concern for their buyers once they are in the house. Be warned, it's one hell of a rough ride.

[CallumD]

Malcolm - will try to catch up with you on Friday (got your letter - been one of those weeks.... I don't work on a Friday so hopefully I'll get time to pop round & introduce myself!). Sounds like we have lots in common.

Whilst I am on, just wanted to say hi to site man Andy - apparently he reads these forums to see what us lot are moaning about!

[malcolm22]

Colin, thanks for that. Seems like throwing even more money at the problem is the only way forward?

Nearly two weeks on, and precious few of my snags have been fixed. It seems that when A tells B to fix some of the snags, B finds that they cannot do all of them in one day. The next day, person A doesn't bother to check before telling B to do something else. Not too hot, this. As someone else said before, two steps forward, one back. A number of items are returned to my snagging list, although A has probably noted that they are done.

None of my major snags have been fixed - A has told the supplier to do them (seven weeks ago) but nothing has been done. Person A thinks he has completed his part of the job. No way. Why do they think they can tell buyers that they will fix snags within three weeks when this appears to be totally outwith their control?

Give us your money. Yeh, I was stupid enough. A shame too, right design, right location. Just the wrong quality of housebuilder with atrocious customer care.

Gardens here are a laugh. Some people have hired mini JCB's to break up the 'soil'. Seriously hard stuff, this clay. Slips away from you when it's wet, sets like rock when it's dry.

What I really object to is that they delayed my entry for 7 weeks (which cost me £2500), and still they didn't get it right!

People looking at a completed house (still for sale) at the weekend. Wonder whether they noticed that the woodwork around the garage isn't fully painted? Can't say that they hide their poor quality, so folk still pay good money even when faults are obvious!

I've heard we are now on our third site manager this year? Good, eh?

[CallumD]

Just a quick note to say that there was indeed a problem with the foundations & the part that was sitting on wood is to be replaced by steel - that will prevent any future problems. We have already approached SM but were basically told to get lost as they are not going to go round digging up everyone's gardens to see if there is a fault or not - just the kind of reply that was expected. At last, we got our soffits painted - it has only taken 11 months & by a bizarre coincidence it was done the day after we threatened to go down the NHBC dispute process if they didn't get it done (so perhaps there is a way forward....)

I have the window people coming out next week (at last) for them to look at the french doors in my lounge. We have had to stuff them with kitchen roll for months because of the drafts (I actually found I could see daylight through the bottom of the doors so they came round & squirted mastick in the holes - even when Lawrence the joiner was doing it he said it was a complete waste of time & how right he was!). Lets hope the window people speak more sense than the site folks.

You're right about the soil. I was digging up my garden at the weekend (well its actually one of these communual parts but I got so fed up waiting for it to be landscapted that I did it myself) and I could make a whole set of crockery out of the wet clay! Either that, or you break your wrists when you hit a dry spot. I've been in the house for 11 months & all the times that I have done the garden I have only ever found 1 worm - even the wildlife doesn't fancy Linburn Grange

[Colin Jack]

WARNING

CallumD,

Please, please, please be very wary of this changing wood to steel solution. If the problem is what I think it is then please seek professional advice. I fear that this will be another botched solution to a more serious and hidden problem. Has Stewart Milne mentioned anything about 'corbelling' or 'less than one third of the wall width'. If so the problem is oversail. This is one of the reasons I can't get my completion certificate because the oversail on my Bett Homes / Gladedale property is well over the acceptable limits of any technical standard.

If these are timber kit homes the question is - how much does the timber kit oversail the underbuilding? The NHBC tolerence is a maximum of 12mm. I have quized them many times on this maximum but they refuse to respond to me. If the external wall is oversailing by say 30mm - how much is the timber frame oversailing???? Bearing in mind that it is the timber frame that is the structural element, if it is oversailing by 30mm then the timber frame has only two thirds of the support it requires.

This could be one of those situations the Scottish Executive warn about:

'BUILDING REGULATION NOTE Note No 1/94

3. The Ombudsman feels it is absolutely essential for individuals to obtain proper independent professional advice, since the temptation to take short cuts and minimise costs can prove extremely expensive in the longer term. The many complaints received were linked by a common thread that each had relied on the fact that the local authority had issued a building warrant and completion certificate and believed that these provided a guarantee of standard of workmanship.'

If you, or anybody else, want to speak privately about this please send me a personal message with an e-mail address.

This oversail problem is going to be a big part of the www.agladedalenightmare.com website, currently under construction.

www.abadbett.com

[ngpaton]

Hi

We decided to do an extention on the back of our house and on starting it was horrified to discover that the concrete lintels which support the house are supported by mud....!! My husband is in the building trade and told me to get in touch with SM immediately who just on Thurs past sent a structural engineer round. Seems as though we have the same problem as the plot with the conservatory? Whose house is this, as looks as though we have something in common!?! It is scary that if we never started digging the foundations for the extention would never have known about the problems underneath and probably would be facing expensive repairs bills at some stage.

Would appreciate speaking to anyone regarding comments regarding our house, plot 9.

Thanks

[malcolm22]

I watched them build your house, and think there may be other problems lurking. I'm having work done at 22 at the moment, and am pleased to relate that I don't have the oversail problem.
Best of luck.

[ngpaton]

Things are already getting worse......! Have found another lintel at the back of the house which is not supported by anything - hollow underneath which is [I][I]really concerning. Not only that but have also discovered that we have a burst pipe under concrete floors!?! How much worse can this get? The whole back of our house has not been built sufficiently, what is the rest like??? Lets see how we get on over the next few days.