Taylor Wimpey reviews

[NewHomeExpert]

Oh Dear - Timber frame apartments!
Fire and Timber FrameProblems with timber frame new homes

You may also like to read and print off the Hadfield1905 21 February 2012 post for when Taylor Wimpey come to see you with their explanations and justification for doing next to nothing.
In it he (clearly a Taylor Wimpey employee) states:
"George Wimpey and former George Wimpey apartment designs used timber frames, whilst Taylor Woodrow and former Taylor Woodrow apartment designs used bricks/ breeze blocks. The insulation and sound proofing in former George Wimpey apartment designs were therefore not as good as the Taylor Woodrow ones. Ask your Sales Executive before Reservation what the walls in your chosen apartment are made from. In terraced homes, George Wimpey did not build breeze blocks right up through the loft, as it stopped at waist height in the loft; whereas Taylor Woodrow built all the way up to the roof timbers so the sound was better proofed and it was a safer house in case of a fire. Going forward, Taylor Wimpey will use the former Taylor Woodrow standards of insulation and sound proofing."

Sound Insulation in timber frame apartments is always a problem and difficult to 'design out' even if the design IS properly followed (and checked) in the first place. So many little details, if not properly implemented can let sound through. If sound can get through so may smoke, even fire!

House builders like timber frame (unless it burns down during construction!) because it is quick and cheaper than masonry, it certainly isn't better for new home owners!

 

[chocoholicat]

We had a visit yesterday from the production manager and they drilled the ceiling to make sure the floor above was as per Robust details and it was. But he was concerned about our issue with noise impact and gave assurances that he would now go back and discuss with the technical department to see what could possibly be done. My husband feels that the problem lies with the use of chipboard which is unsupported and therefore creates a drum like effect when the floors are walked on. But it appears that the use of chipboard is industry wide presumably because it is so much cheaper than plywood. How is it allowed and why does it appear that our complaint is news to them?

 

[NewHomeExpert]

No one can completely ensure and see if the floor/ceiling has been built to robust details by drilling a small hole.
All they have confirmed is that there is some inulation material in the ceiling void.
Even if they made a large hole, they would need to remove the insulation, and even then would not see how the floor covering has been made up and fitted without taking up a section of floor too.

It is not the chipboard material itself that is causing the problem, but they way the floor has been installed.
The flooring must be "supported" on cushion mounts on top of the joists so impact sound is reduced.
Failing this a floating floor can be used made up of layers of insulation, dense plasterboards and finally the chipboard. This is supported but is not fixed.
It is unlikely that either would cause a drum effect.
Special attention is required to ensure that skirtings are not fixed right on top of the chipboard (to stop noise vibrations being transferred to the walls) and the small gap being sealed with a special mastic.

A PLC "Production Director", should KNOW what and how the homes he is responsible for building are constructed!
Either he does know and is just fobbing you off, or he is completely ignorant. I have met quite a few over the years, so I suspect it is the latter!

As I said, "Taylor Wimpey will fight this at every turn hoping that you will just give up" You have just experienced an expected inconclusive round one of the process!
Round two will be when you get a letter from the Technical Director saying thay the home has been built and complies with robust details and regulations.

 

[chocoholicat]

No news to you probably but we have found Taylor Wimpeys lack of Customer Service skills quite shocking, unless of course they have been deliberate delaying tactics! Since last posting, a sound test had to be arranged but the tenant above refused TW's request to enter his property to conduct the sound test. We asked him down to our flat so we could explain the situation to him and he finally agreed to it. The first test was aborted because the tenant had been called away but we met the sound engineer who said that he would only take 4 readings from each corner of the room above, on carpet and it was likely to pass. Warning bells rang then and we kick ourselves now for not arranging the sound test ourselves. We contacted UKAS about the right way to conduct a sound test and they were very helpful and gave a list of recommendations which we passed to TW who said they would be adhered to and they offered complete transparency whilst the sound test was conducted. This included taking at least half of the carpet up, removing furniture, readings from all over the room not just corners etc etc. We were surprised that TW had managed to ok this with the tenant as he was a reluctant participant. On the day of the test my husband went upstairs to thank the tenant but he would not answer the door! The sound engineer came with TW's site manager, Production manager and a helper. My husband requested the sound engineer take a couple of readings from the center of the room and he very forcibly refused, we were taken aback a bit by his attitude. My husband went upstairs assuming that he could see how the room was being set up, the tenant refused him entry which was then endorsed by the Production Manager!
At every step we have had to chivvy them along with emails to Redfern to which we never get a reply but it does prompt some action. 3 weeks after the test we finally got out of TW the fact that it had passed - no surprise. Next week the Production DIRECTOR will be visiting us to "conclude" the matter. Are we supposed to think , 'oh the floor passed so that must mean everything is ok and the impact noise that drives us crazy doesn't actually exist'!! You are right, they do actually come across as ignorant. We don't believe the test was carried out fairly, they got the pass they wanted and now feel off the hook. We feel the next step is NHBC but don't feel that confident we'll get anywhere, what do you think? We don't really want to go to Watchdog, don't think there's any chance now that the tenant above will agree to another sound test that we would arrange. Any ideas?

 

[NewHomeExpert]

It is very strange the tenant above you is so obstructive.
Have you done anything that may have caused this? (complained about his noise?)

Doing a sound test with carpets laid lol. What are they like?
Looking for a "pass" anyway they can get one!

You won't get a reply from Redfern. No house builder CEO wants direct contact with unhappy customers!
Perhaps he feels the £2million a year he gets is not enough!
Yet in quite a lot of other industries the CEO (or his assistant) will reply directly with a course of positive action.

The sound testing would have been done to particular guidelines.
I doubt the engineer would take kindly to being told how to do his job!

Next step is to ask for a copy of the sound test results and certificate.
If you are unhappy you can complain to the NHBC but they will only act under the warranty if the standards have not been met.
A sound test pass would indicate no action required.

You should go to BBC Watchdog.
Others are having exactly the same experience as you. Check this out "Dangerous Wimpeys"

 

[chocoholicat]

We made it quite clear to TW when we started this that we were not complaining about the occupant above and when we invited the tenant down to our flat to explain the situation, we assured him that the complaint was not about him personally. That we believed the floor above us is defective and that our complaint is against TW and he understood that. In fact there was a slight improvement with the noise after our chat and we thought, what a good bloke, he's trying to walk lightly - like we have to do for the lady below us who also suffers with noise from our floor. He told us something of his recently changed personal circumstances which are causing him a lot of stress, but something changed on the day of the test and he's no longer walking lightly. They have given us a copy of the test result and we have forwarded a copy to UKAS as they said they'd be interested in seeing it. We have just suffered a horrendous weekend as the tenant has had his 2 young children staying with him and the noise has been constant. I have begged my husband not to go up to confront the tenant because it would probably get nasty and things are bad enough already. If you've never suffered the effects of excessive noise, you just cannot imagine what it does to a person. I want to just get the estate agents in tomorrow to give us a valuation so we can sell up and go. Have you any advice for our meeting with TW on Thursday?

 

[NewHomeExpert]

You could check out the Dangerous Wimpeys link in my last reply for a start.
This chap already had his visit!
Despite large gaps in the structural floors the flat "passed" the sound test and has been also built to "Robust details" - according to Taylor Wimpey!
They also apparently made a statement along the lines "what quality do you expect for the price"
The buyer told me "he may not have used those words but that was the meaning"

All I canb advice is stay firm and resolute and dont give an inch. Taylor Wimpey will be going there 'en-masse' to bully you, with the full intention of doing NOTHING about this problem as it will be expensive to sort out.
I would suggest you record the meeting, so you have an actual record of what they say.
You can then use this to put pressure on them later on.

 

[chocoholicat]

Sorry, I hadn't mentioned that I had looked at Dangerous Wimpeys. Also, you just have to google 'Taylor Wimpey sound insulation' to find a catalogue of complaints.
You're right, this would be a massive job to put right and highly unlikely that it could even be done without the co-operation of the tenant or maybe even the owner, so what is the answer? I keep saying to my husband that we need to decide what we actually want from TW ( I know getting it is a different story!! ) Have you ever heard of TW actually doing the right thing by customers with legitimate complaints? TW have a new penthouse for sale on our site that hasn't sold, but it's about 50k more than we paid for this, is it possible they'd consider a deal? Or have you ever heard of TW buying back a property as one complainant asked in an email to Peter Redfern?

 

[NewHomeExpert]

You are quite correct. I have never heard of taylor Wimpey ripping down ceilings and/or floors to improve sub-standard sound insulation levels.
Then again, they wouldn't want it made public knowledge.
This is another example of the way company behaves!

By the sound of it (no pun intended!) you would ideally like to move somewhere else/get your money back.
It has been known that some housebuilders have bought the house back from buyers and a small re location allowance to move on.
Mind you things normally need to become very serious and expensive and/or the buyers need embarassing information on the house builder!
You could mount an online campaign against Taylor Wimpey. Perhaps a blog/website and regaulr social media posts about their attitide to you their customer. No harm in pestering Pete Redfern either - he should be sorting this out for you.
They may then decide that it would be cheaper to silence you - either by fixing your sound insulation or buying you out!

 

[Simonemma]

I would just like to say that Taylor wimpey agreed to do a part exchange on my house. Everything was going perfectly, we were moving in, reservation fees paid, searches done...we even had our own carpets fitted the day before we were due to move in.
At half 5 the night before I finally received a call from their site sales office to say they were not going to proceed.
They can't tell me whether my reservation fee will be refunded and can't explain what is going to happen to our carpets that are now in their home....to which they will probably sell them as an extra to the next people.
As far as I'm concerned we have been scammed and left high and dry with a debt of over £5k
My advise to anyone out there is to stay away from these charlatans... They are not who they say they are

 

[NewHomeExpert]

Taylor Wimpey cannot do this.
I presume the reason is they found an issue with the part-exchange otherwise what reason could there be Gazumping?
So much for "Help to Buy"

You can claim all your expenses back from Taylor Wimpey using the Consumer Code for Home Builders Dispute Resolution Scheme.
But first you need to have Taylor Wimpey refuse to pay, so write to them asking for a full refund of everything including the reservation fee. Tell them that if they do not give a full refund you will be making a claim using the Consumer Code for Home Builders.
Taylor Wimpey should have given you a copy of the code on Reservation, if they didnt thats a breach straight away! You can download a copy from the page in my sign link below.
If you do have make a claim, don't forget to add (the maximum allowed) £250 of "inconvenience" and the registration fee of £120 to your claim.

 

[PhantomTCL]

Hi, we are 4 weeks in to our new build... the road to getting was traumatic enough and we could write a book about it.
Anyhow, after our 7 days visit and a comment from the site manager "its nearly dinner time, are you done yet" led us to book our 28 day visit in the morning, as he will need all day.
He has now cancelled the 28 day visit, as they havent rectified any of the faults yet.

To a couple of issues, apparently garages are not water tight.... so all my possessions in there which are flooded out are not TW responsibility.
When I say flooded, I mean flooded. We bought a house on a hill to not have this issue. Upon this statement from TW, I went home, asked a neighbour if I could photograph their garage.... which is all nice and dry.
TW have just sent me this statement: -
"Just to confirm, a garage is built single leafed. Any single leafed build can potentially penetrate water during the types of weather conditions we have experienced recently. So in answer to your question, TW are happy to confirm that single leafed garages such as yours will allow water ingress due to it not having a cavity etc so they are not water tight."

Next... for the past week we have reported a leaking juliet door - which is a bedroom.
Still nothing, they are leaving it till the 28th January !

Arrgghhh... in despair.

 

[NewHomeExpert]

Nice that Taylor Wimpey site Manager put his dinner before the firm's customers!
So much for the "dedicated site manager" Taylor Wimpey's website goes on about!
So 28 days on and still issues. Why am I not surprised?
It is a great pity that those that buy Taylor Wimpey and other new home buyers do not find this forum and my website BEFORE they buy their new homes.
Perhaps new home buyers with issues could promote them on social media Facebook and the like?

Garages are not watertight? Well they are single skin so they get damp and that is acceptable.
It is not acceptable for water to enter the garage under the door (unless there was a neighbourhood flood.)
Taylor Wimpey should have realised this when they were building your home and either changed the levels or fitted an ACO drainage channel in front of your garage door to prevent water getting inside!

I am not a big fan of so-called "28 day" snagging.
For a start your new home has a warranty for two full years not just 28 days, so Taylor Wimpey can be called back throughout this period if anything goes wrong.
Secondly, the 28 days snagging should not mean EVERYTHING is left until you have been living there for 28 days.
As you say, water is coming in your Juliet doors now, it can only get worse and cause more damage (to carpets etc) the longer it is left.

So much for Taylor Wimpey's dedicated site managers!
Its too late now, all you can do is COMPLAIN IN WRITING and keep on complaining until you are 100% happy.
Never give up, never accept anything you are not happy with.
If the site manager is indifferent tell him you are going to COMPLAIN about him to Taylor Wimpey's CEO Pete Redfern. peter.redfern@taylorwimpey.com
He should be made aware of your experiences anyway if Taylor Wimpey is ever going to be minded to TRY and build better new homes and give their own customers a better aftercare service.

Taylor Wimpey's Customer Service Manager is
michelle.grant@taylorwimpey.com
Don't expect much from her though!

Finally, don't forget to give Taylor Wimpey a dreadful score in the "HBF Customer Satisfaction Survey" all new home buyers should be sent 6 to 8 weeks after moving in.
All housebuilders, Taylor Wimpey included, like to bang on about their "five star rating" so tell it like it is everyone!

 

[PhantomTCL]

Allow me to elaborate.
The garage is one being loaned.... as mine is not finished. The one loaned is next door to mine, therefore only thermal block on one side.
I wasnt told and didnt realise that this was porous until it was too late.
The door hasnt flooded the garage, the wall has!
The fact they are taking no responsibility is infuriating.

I have copied Michelle to my last email about the leaking doors... not that I received any response yesterday from anyone at TW.

Thank you for your advice, I will persist. My car is currently parked in the sales car park with signs inside explaining all the issues to potential customers.
I am having a banner made for the outside of my house... customers have to pass to access a showroom.

I will compose an email to the CEO with copies of all the emails... if its ever resolved.

 

[NewHomeExpert]

You completed on your home without all the property being constructed and finished?
This is strictly against all the rules of CML final certification.
In fact it is mortgage fraud and Taylor Wimpey are part of it.
Money has been lent on a property that is not worth the full valuation at that time.
The only explanation is the NHBC inspector was lied to by the "dedicated" Site Manager as to which garage was with the property.

Unless there are gaps in the mortar, I am surprised the garage has "flooded"
Single skin brickwork is standard practice and the NHBC standards acknowledge that damp can come through the wall if it gets saturated.
Your best bet is to apply two coats of Thomsons Water Seal in the summer once it has dried out.

Car in sales car park and Banner on your house are excellent ideas and will get the desired response from Taylor Wimpey quiet quickly. Try Twitter too.
It will be better to write to the CEO Pete Redfern now rather than when everything is resolved.
It's OK to write to him more than once!
In fact why not bombard his Inbox with loads of e mails today and you will get a reaction on Monday!

 

[Bear Scotland]

Bought off plan with TW last May, and moved into our new home over a month ago.

Throughout the whole process we found the customer service very good - the sales executive talked us through the options and we visited a few house owners on site to chat through their experiences and to view the finished article, so to speak. We met the builder and again he talked us through a lot of the technical design and build of the house. Only real disappointment is we didn't manage to negotiate too much off the price, as this development is in final phase, relatively small and selling really well so I guess they didn't feel the need to drop the price - a token £5k was offered which we took.

We did spend around £9k on upgrades to get the place how we wanted it (£3k of which we negotiated that TW would pay) - some options are very costly though and can be done much cheaper (£65 a downlight???) so we did these separately ourselves, but things like the outside tap and lights etc make sense just to get them to do, rather than drilling through external walls later. We didn't bother paying for turf out the back, which I do think should really be included as part of the deal.

In the lead up to the completion date we were kept up to date and our move date actually came in 2 weeks, which was ideal for us as we were keeping our previous property and renting it out to tenants.

Since we've been in, we've had all snags dealt with very efficiently, with only a couple of minor things still to be put right. We went with professional snagging company to ensure as many issues were found as possible and I'd highly recommend this - we'll worth the money and they found things I would never have known to look for!!

I know this goes against the grain of most others on this site, but it really have found the whole experience pain free, and the house itself is everything we dreamed it would be and more.

 

[NewHomeExpert]

Perhaps your experience was because it was a relatively small site built over quite a long time.
The £5,000 off and £3,000 "discount" on your expensive £9,000 upgrades may have also contributed to your happiness!
It was good you used a professional snagging company. How many things did he find wrong with your home?
If it had been well-built and properly inspected and snagged by Taylor Wimpey there shouldn't have been many! (less than 20)
You have been in over a month" and still have outstanding issues? That's not very good either!

Still you are a happy Taylor Wimpey buyer - about as rare as dry land in Somerset!

Be careful when you praise!
You may not feel the same in six months, especially when the site manager has left and you have a serious defect like a water leak.

 

[Bear Scotland]

Duplicate post!!!

 

[Bear Scotland]

It was good you used a professional snagging company. How many things did he find wrong with your home?

We had 17 in total, one of which was caused by me when moving in - scuff to the wall on stairs! Doh!!

If it had been well-built and properly inspected and snagged by Taylor Wimpey there shouldn't have been many! (less than 20)
You have been in over a month" and still have outstanding issues? That's not very good either!

Hmm, not very good indeed! The hold up is with manhattan kitchens, who supply the kitchen units. Some slight discolouration on a couple of wall unit carcasses. Like I say, v minor and order has been placed for replacements, so I'm not complaining!!

Be careful when you praise!
You may not feel the same in six months, especially when the site manager has left and you have a serious defect like a water leak.

Lol, no need to ask if you're a "glass half full" or "glass half empty" kinda guy huh?!?!

Oh as a ps, I should also mention it's worth getting to know your site manager really well, we met him 4 times before completion day and now have his mobile number. We phone him direct with queries etc rather than via the sales executive/customer service.

 

[NewHomeExpert]

You will find that [some] site managers are very good and want to help fix any problems with the homes they build as quickly as possible.
The customer care departments and staff are removed from the problem and you are little more than anuisanxce to them.
Clearly you have a very good house as the Professional Snagging Inspector only found a few items.

However, in my experience, you are the exception as most people have no end of issues with Taylor Wimpey and the quality [or lack of] their new homes.