Common new build issues

After a decade inside housebuilder customer care teams across Devon and Cornwall, the same handful of issues come up on almost every development. None are catastrophic. All are fixable. Most are best addressed once the warranty has expired, when the work can be done properly rather than quickly.

Modern sanitaryware uses thin beads of low-modulus silicone that move with the bath or shower tray. Original beads are often applied poorly, trap moisture against tile edges and fail within two to three years. The fix is full removal back to substrate, sterilisation, and reapplication in one continuous bead.

Caused by inadequate adhesive coverage or movement in screed below. A hollow tap test tells you which tiles have failed. Affected tiles need lifting and rebedding with the correct flexible adhesive, not regrouted and hoped for.

Almost always nailed-down chipboard or timber treads working against joists as moisture leaves the structure. The fix is screwing, not gluing or wedging, into the joist below, often through the carpet with the correct fixings.

Through-coloured render develops fine cracks and lime bloom in the first three years. Cracks under 1mm don't need attention. Larger cracks need cutting out and reinstating with a matched colour. Lime bloom washes off with a specialist render cleaner.

Verge tiles and ridge tiles are the usual culprits, particularly on west facing elevations exposed to coastal weather. Modern dry-verge systems can loosen as fixings shrink. A roof inspection every five years, with rebedding where needed, prevents storm damage and water ingress.

Internal doors swell and shrink seasonally. Easing the latch edge, not the hinge edge, and rebalancing the hinges usually solves it. External composite doors that bind in summer often need hinge adjustment rather than door replacement.