Creaking floors and vibrations

New Build Inspections

Hanan

New Member
Hi
Anyone specialist could help me please.
I moved to a new built house of 5 bedrooms (two floors and ground floor). After 3 months the floors started to creak a lot creating unbearable noise so one can wake up if someone else is walking on the top floor or the floor below. There are also vibrations around furniture and walls and the bed on the second floor vibrates when vehicle pass.
I gave up from contacting the builders who insist that this is normal because I have a timber floors. They got a structural engineer who works for them to say the house is structurally sound. One time they lifted the carpets and tried to screw floorboards but the floorboards were already fixed so their trials did not solve the problem. I was reading about joists deflection and mentioned that to them but there was no way with them.
I got the NHBC involved and they organiser a resolution meeting but that day some of the areas did not sound creaky while others were clear. I have also an ensuite bathroom with a floor that creak and click as if there is a train running on it if we walk in the bathroom.
I am waiting the NHBC report but the builders at the end of the resolution meeting were not happy and they said they will only fix the areas of what the NHBC will specify. We are still under the one year liability. Also I have to mention that they mentioned that they do not know where is the problem or how it can be fixed. E.g. I have a whole landing area that creaks and they said there are many joists under and they do not know which one. Unfortunately the freak in this area was low on the day of The NHBC visit and after the visit it became loud and noisy again
I really give up and fed up but I am insisting to take my right as we spend almost half a million for this house purchase and I do not know to whom I should complain. Also it became a personal issue as the builders are cheating me and are trying to let me feel that I am crazy and these things are normal and I should be thankful because there are many other houses that are in structurally sound and these creaks are normal in every house.
Any advise please and also how can I get an honest inspection or surveyors! I tried but I was told that they will need to open the ceiling but if I do that the builder might claim that I did work in the house and loose my insurance. They did that to one of my neighbors who installed a suspended wall and they told him you modified the house.
By the way we are 9 houses built at the same time and only my house has this problem. Another house had only one room creaks but much much less than my problem.
 

Doh1

New Member
We bought ours in 2014 from one of the large builders,, (similar price to yours), ours got worse gradually until it sounded terrible after 12 months, cracking and popping sounds when you walk about upstairs, could be heard very clearly when in the direct room below.

We had ceilings rescrewed three times, the peremiter of ceiling to wall joints cut (to separate them) and finally resilient bars/new ceilings, non of these made any difference and the cracking noises still exist. We only managed to get resilient bats fitted as we found some investigation of nhbc and an acoustic company to determine the root cause, theses recommended the resilient bars be fitted, but didn't work for us.

We have been very distracted with it all, they just don't know what is causing it, reading online it's a common issue with new builds.

I can only assume it's the I beam joists, there must be some deflection which is causing the glued joints between the I beam section joints to make a 'crack' noise.

We've given up now as we going to sell up soon!
 
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