Looking at a newly built house with a professional look, the results of the actions of the developer, which were carried out in a hurry and in a quick pursuit to enrich themselves at the expense of others, are always striking.
Few people think about this, but how can you name the case when there are two twin houses at a distance of no more than 1 m from each other, both built in 3 months at best? The private trader does not care about the future life of you and your family in this house, respectively, and it is quite logical that he did not care what materials he used in the construction. And this makes itself felt after six months or a year.
... and then the developer just stops picking up the phone ...
Good afternoon, dear guests!
I didn't manage to briefly enclose all the information in the article, and at the same time, I did not want to overload it, so I will be glad if this material is useful to you.
In the articles, I have already mentioned my wife, who works in a real estate agency - in the sector of buying and selling private houses.
She receives a lot of complaints from the current owners who bought a new house from a private developer in a month, and in six months, and in a year. There was even a case - a lady called two years after the purchase and began to pour out her soul, why did you sell this to me ...
But, all agents offer options, and the choice always remains with the future owner. The agent is not a professional in construction, in order to advise something, he can only clarify some issues, including the state of documents and the functionality of the location of the house - about shops located nearby, about schools, about bus stops, about kindergartens and etc.
In this article I will try to bring together the problems faced by the owner of a new house built exactly for sale.
In reality, the problem is a mountain, among them there are both small and large. Here, I would like to talk about the global shortcomings that come out over time and that require large infusions, since the little things can be corrected with your own hands, and you need to have a hand in large-scale work professional.
I would like to make a small digression:
there are not many on the market, but they are - bona fide private developers who take pictures of each stage and build conscientiously (they need to prove to the buyer that the construction was done with high quality). When buying, it will not be superfluous to ask for a photo report of the construction of a house, from where you can find out about the quality and time of housing construction.
Let's move on to global technology mistakes ...
Walls
1. When using materials that are moisture-consuming, a technological break between masonry and finishing must be maintained. There can be no question of a house in six months (Moisture-intensive materials absorb water well in the process construction and keep it for a long time: brick, concrete, arbolite, chip concrete, etc.), otherwise, plaster in places begins to move away.
2. Multilayer walls are developers' favorite walls. The first layer is a beautiful brick, the second layer - it is not known what is hidden behind the first, since everything is plastered...
Very often there is a violation of technology and no one takes into account the thermal conductivity of materials. If there is no sensible builder familiar, then it is important for the buyer to know the material of the walls and to request the technology for using this material at the manufacturing plant. They always have routings for different situations.
For example: a wall made of aerated concrete / foam concrete with facing bricks must necessarily have a ventilated gap, otherwise mold will be provided in a year! Ventilation can be seen through pre-provided holes in the base of the building, under the roof and above the windows:
Basement
If there is a basement, then you definitely need to know in what sequence the work was carried out. The waterproofing circuit must be closed over the entire area of contact with the ground (in priority - elastic materials). Compounds like cement-based penetron do not have a good effect compared to bituminous materials.
Due to poor-quality insulation, dampness and various creeping insects, midges and mosquitoes appear in the basement, which soon appear in the living quarters of the house (an indisputable fact).
Foundation
Here, no one will let you check either the depth or the bearing on the ground. In most cases (if there is no photo or video material) it is a "pig in a poke" because it is hidden in the ground. You do not know if the technology was followed according to the project and the quality is only tested by time. But, by indirect signs, one can judge about it - if the above-ground part of the house from the basement to the roof is made with high quality, then it is very unlikely that the same team violated the technology of building the foundation.
Plinth
1. The lack of high-quality waterproofing base-wall or foundation-base is very deplorable! One layer of roofing material is not suitable, there should be at least two of them. Correcting such mistakes is very expensive - in such situations it is better to turn around and leave immediately.
2. A classic mistake: 2-3 leveling rows of bricks are laid on the concrete foundation / plinth. This is the house - house on "rotten" legs. After a while, the backing brick, under the influence of frost / thawing cycles, will turn into dust.
There is a separate article on this on my channel: Houses on "rotten" legs
Window
An unscrupulous developer will never put good windows in a house for sale, usually cheap installation is done by a blunder.
Thus, the windows will clearly show how the developer treated the construction. In a good scenario, the window profile will be at least 4-chamber and the installation will be performed with a vapor barrier material that hides the foam around the perimeter.
How to find out the number of cameras? - By profile thickness!
- 3 chambers: from 57 to 60 mm;
- 4 chambers: from 64 to 67 mm;
- 5 chambers: from 70 to 76 mm;
- 6 chambers: from 85 to 90 mm.
Finishing
Homes are sold incredibly at the rough finish stage. And this is not because it is better for you, but because the screed and plaster hide all the flaws!
Roof
The roof, like the foundation, is a "pig in a poke". Visually, even for a professional, it is very difficult to assess the correct installation of the roofing pie. If this is an attic, as a rule, a cheap membrane and insulation are used there.
If finishing is not done from the inside of the house from the side of the vapor barrier, then it is important to check the most insidious roof joints, from where the wind can blow: roof and gable abutment, roof abutment and Mauerlata:
It's a good idea to find out where the roofing was purchased. Take a small piece of metal (you can always find a piece at the construction site) and find out from the seller how high-quality this material is.
Also, with a mansard roof, the thickness of the insulation should be at least 200 mm. (depends on the region> 200 mm.)
The worst thing is when films and membranes do not correspond to their functionality (instead of a membrane (waterproofing) - vapor barrier and vice versa).
P.S. from the author:
A lot of information and a lot of situations on non-compliance with building standards, in every you can get to the bottom of the house, but there is always a way out ...
Before buying, you do not need to take the whole family to inspect the house, as is most often done. First, hire a professional, foreman, builder friend - who will be able to assess the structure with an experienced eye. Choosing a ready-made house for sale is very difficult. The probability of buying a reliable house is very low, but low, because we have a low culture of individual construction. Also, there are few of those who are ready to pay a lot of money for quality! What to do, mentality :-))), I want it good and cheap!
Profitable proposition?
If the situation is such that a private trader offers you to buy a house in the place that you really like and the house is really you arranges, despite the fact that you will need to invest a certain amount on rework, and the final cost will still be cheaper than building a new house - then consider it advantageous offer! After all, construction is time, but if you are ready to wait a year or two - please! The choice is always yours!
For my part, I always recommend taking a balanced approach to all risks!
Thank you for your attention and really appreciate that you had the patience to finish reading the article!
Acquaintance with a private house on the secondary market. The first "bells" so as not to waste time on inspection
In fact, the foundation does not only bear the weight of the house. Why and what is the foundation for?
Why, when removing the sewage system, it is impossible to do without a long sleeve, with a diameter of 1.5 times the working pipe (3 reasons)