As title really, it’s a 3 month old new build so Barratt will fix everything that needs fixed (eventually… 🙄 )

But I don’t know what should really be replaced and what just needs a lick of paint.

There has been a small leak through the shower seals which has gotten under the vinyl floor and onto the wooden floorboards. It has now managed to seep through and has caused some small damp patches on the kitchen ceiling.

I’m assuming the vinyl floor will need ripped up to dry upstairs floor boards.

I’m also guessing floor boards might need lifted to inspect kitchen ceiling.

I’m thinking though that if it’s been slowly seeping for a while, then the ceiling is probably pretty damp through, and the damp patches we’re seeing just coincide with a joint in the plasterboard. There’s no evidence of this though, the ceiling around the damp patches seems fairly rigid and no staining.

I want to get the maximum out of Barratt while they’re still on site, but I also want to be reasonable, as I’m sure demanding a whole new kitchen ceiling if it isn’t required will just result in ball-ache.

Anyone got any tips?

Ta

(I’ve actually been super reasonable so far, I’d highlighted the leak from the shower about 2 months ago, and so far all that has been done is somebody came in, slapped some cheap paint on the stains on the wall, managing to get paint on the bath-tub and floor in the process, then left).

New floorboards, new flooring, new plasterboard and plaster on the ceiling possibly some damn retardant on the joists. All refinished to as new standard. Shower fixed to stop the leak.

If Barret won’t do it, which they probably won’t they’re shite claim on the insurance.

Hmm, thought as much, thankfully they actually phoned me today (unrelated) pleading for me to fill in and return my NHBC survey, think I’ll be holding on to that for now… 8)

Correct me if I’m being stupid here, but putting it on my insurance will just result in higher premiums no? Need to check wording re: damage as caused by leaks also…

To be fair, they’ve been OK with snags so far, I mean, someone did a terrible job of trying to fix the original leak but Barratt apologised and got the site manager round to take a proper look, so at least they’re still trying to do the right thing… 🙄

Escape of water is a popular claim so usually has its own excess of £350+ so ideally you’ll get the builders to fix it.

Hmmm, scrap that. Seems as though I can only post the first line of my reply to your OP. Which is a shame because

Don’t leave me hanging like that SA! 8)

I’ve learnt the hard way with these big building companies. Whatever the NHBC is (can’t be arsed looking), it sounds important, don’t sign it, don’t sign it even if they do 90% of what you expect to remedy and then promise “if you don’t mind signing it now, but we’ll be back tomorrow/Monday when we’ve picked up x to finish off the odds and sods”. Don’t sign it (or anything else you might have as leverage) until it’s absolutely 100% resolved and presented to you absolutely as you’d expect and, in your case, until you’ve had a few showers, leave the shower running for hours maybe, unless you’re on a meter. Don’t even sign anything if they promise to come back on Monday and just tidy up /do little finishing jobs / wipe off mucky finger prints etc etc. Bstrds the lot of them.

Usual sh*te from housebuilders!

It will probably be the same problem i see in most cases, no sealant behind the shower screen profile. The tray gets fitted by plumber, tiler or joiner install tiles or wetwall, plumber then fits screen and silicone seals the tray up to the frame, leaving the bit of tray behind the profile with no silicone. That’s where it leaks from. Tray should always be silicone sealed the full length before frame/screen is installed.
Then they will try to fix it by squeezing a tube of silicone on the inside of the shower frame, which will just make it worse. The frame should be silicone sealed on the outside so any water that gets into the frame drains back into the tray.

I wouldn’t think there will be lasting damage after 3 months and a small leak, will probably just need a bit of drying and some touching up when fully dried.

Got it in one Supremebean, that sounds like exactly what is happening.

Re: drying, should I expect them to lift floorboards or open up the ceiling, can’t imagine damp plasterboard would dry very well in an enclosed void…

Do I need to worry about mould?

It’ll dry out pretty quickly. I certainly wouldn’t go rushing to replace the ceiling on insurance

Re: drying, should I expect them to lift floorboards or open up the ceiling, can’t imagine damp plasterboard would dry very well in an enclosed void…

Do I need to worry about mould?

No, i probably wouldn’t bother lifting the boards, it will dry out quite quickly once shower is sorted. It really will be a small amount of water that has got through if the wet patches are small.

It will dry out before mold will form.

ETA: The vinyl should be lifted though to aid drying.

Good, thanks guys, I want to force Barratt to do a proper job so it helps if I’m not insisting on unnecessary work!

Vinyl already lifted, by me, resulting in a 2 inch tear at the edge. Any chance I could claim that was caused by the damp or is that one on me?

Vinyl already lifted, by me, resulting in a 2 inch tear at the edge. Any chance I could claim that was caused by the damp or is that one on me?

All on them.
You wouldn’t have been lifting the vinyl if they had done a proper job in the first place.

Vinyl already lifted, by me, resulting in a 2 inch tear at the edge. Any chance I could claim that was caused by the damp or is that one on me?

No harm in trying to claim but i doubt you will get any joy.

Hide it and tell them you had to throw it out because it was soaked. 😉

Get the builder to fix it.
Do not send in NHBC questionnaire until work has been rectified. In fact threaten to send in a damming report of their inability to fix it if they drag their heels over the repair.
If they delay contact the NHBC and demand rectification. The standard of new build is appealing and should be termed minimum standard housing or lets see how little we can do to get our money.

Tell them you had soaked vinyl? Can vinyl get soaked through? I thought the while point of putting it in a bathroom is because it’s waterproof.

Do you have a mate who’s a builder than can have a check over it for you to see what needs doing? It’s impossible to judge on a forum.

Yes some vinyls have a spongy layer on the underside which sucks up water. Seen it plenty times, it’s part of my job. The tray leaking would have allowed water ingress between the vinyl and floor.

Vinyl is water resistant, not waterproof.

Supremebean’s previous post about not sealing the inside of the screen profile is bang on the money; water makes its way into the profile then runs down the gap between the tray and the wall. Almost all screens are incorrectly fitted like this.

Supremebean’s previous post about not sealing the inside of the screen profile is bang on the money; water makes its way into the profile then runs down the gap between the tray and the wall. Almost all screens are incorrectly fitted like this.

I tend to agree, but… a surprising number of enclosure manufacturers now call for silicone NOT to be applied behind the profiles. I don’t agree and usually silicone behind and then to the front of the enclosure to tile and tray.

as its a new build are you sure is actually floor boards about 6 inch wide or chip board which is cheaper and easier to install, if chipboard it should be green to show its water resistant, otherwise it will swell like a weetabix and have about as much strength as a rice crispie brownie

Caberdek chipboard, not green, although apparently ‘moisture resistant’.

No sign of any swelling yet, it dried pretty rapidly once uncovered, although I realise that doesn’t count for much.

Caberdek technical specs don’t give anything away, if they said in clear print ‘boards exposed to water to moisture need replaced’ etc etc then it would be easier to insist they replace.

Will reserve judgement till Friday when ‘the mastic guy’ visits…

My take on that Blazing Saddles is that you’re not to seal the threshold/tray on the inside so that water in the profile can drain back into the tray. The wall profile channel needs sealed inside at the base before the screen goes in.

Wondering if they did it right in the other bathroom… 😕

Vinyl feels like it’s lifting slightly at the corner closest to the shower, but there’s no other evidence of a leak…

Made the mistake of moaning about it at the watercooler this morning. The guy I was chatting to immediately related how much hassle and money he had to go through with the pre-owned house he had bought. Obviously that’s to be expected with pre-owned, but the point he was making was that we had both paid similar amounts, and that the perceived ‘advantage’ of a new build isn’t that it’ll be built perfectly, but simply that it is more affordable for first time buyers, and even if we end up spending our own money rectifying Barratt’s mistakes, we’d still be quids in.

I understood what he meant even if I haven’t relayed it very well here, in practical terms even if we end up forking out to get things fixed properly, we’re probably still quids in compared with buying the fixer-upper which would have been the only ‘pre-owned’ home we could afford…

Doesn’t mean I won’t chase Barratt for everything, christ knows how much profit they’ve made selling us a quarter million pound identi-kit house in a field next to a motorway, hasn’t stopped me firing off an angry complaint to Barratt’s customer care team either 😀