If you live in the wacky world of Taylor Wimpey, if you have new windows fitted because of a year and a half of leaking windows, and then those windows also leak, then it doesn’t relate to having your windows replaced.
Go figure.
Nice work all involved, nice work.
The regular pattern of a few steps forward, a few steps back is getting extremely tiring. Just as we start to venture to believe that Taylor Wimpey and Wood Newton have turned a corner and are going to finally settle the remaining issues before our 2nd anniversary in the house, and they let us down again.
This time, it would seem, it’s a case of chasing new money over looking after current customers that has put our plans down the pan.
One week ago (last Thursday) we were scheduled to have a number of remaining issues resolved. Things like having some poor fitting glazing replaced, finishing the balcony work, replacing compromised Trespa panels, sorting out (hopefully) our wet skylight area and generally snagging all the work that has gone on since last November/December.
The day before work was due to take place, a Wood Newton representative contacts us to say they can’t do the work due to “pressing issues” with the new builds. Completely out of order, but what can you say “No, do it like you said you would?”, like that would make any difference.
Anyway, we were told they’d be in touch next week (this week) to reschedule. Completely, sadly, beleagueringly predictably there’s been no word since. So here we are, a week since work was due to take place, and yet again we’re in the dark without a clue as to if and when they will fix things.
We’ve always said, be honest, keep us informed, and life would be so much better, we’d feel much less stress, and things would just be nicer…
The silence is deafening.
It feels like one step forward and two steps back here at Oxley Woods. The dishonesty and craftiness of the people building and selling these properties never ceases to amaze me. Once again I am physically shaking with rage and upset, and thank goodness I have this blog to let off steam!
After cutting short and damaging the carpet my late grandfather gifted to us (having been pre-warned of it’s financial value and emotional significance) Wood Newton and Taylor Wimpey between them appeared to rapidly backtrack on their assurances that any damaged flooring would be repaired or replaced.
It took a lot of pushing, but they agreed to go with the advice of the carpet suppliers. Who we’ve found to do a great, honest job.
AMCO, who fitted the flooring, assessed the damage made to our flooring on all levels of the property. They felt they could stretch the wool carpet where it was left short and fraying on the top floor, but that the first floor lounge carpet (our “best” carpet) would need replacing as the strong stripe and material (pure wool) would not allow for it to be stretched into the gap that was left between carpet and door frame.
We’ve been chasing to get this done for some time, but after a phone call to Wimpey today by my wife it turned out they didn’t know that AMCO had quoted for this to be done.
So my wife called AMCO to find out why. We’ve been waiting a long time, we’ve been back since December 2009 and it’s April 2010 now!
After talking to Abi and Wood Newton (and I believe Wimpey) representatives together, it seems a Wood Newton manager had a quiet chat with the salesman from AMCO and told him DO NOT QUOTE on replacing our damaged floors, they don’t want to do it, and to only quote on possibly replacing our Son’s damaged floor.
That’s right, if AMCO are to be believed (and why would they lie to quote for LESS business?) Wood Newton explicitly told them to NOT replace our carpet. Despite the fact they know how upset we are about the damage caused and the fact they promised to return our home to us in the condition we left in their care, which includes with carpets that fit and are not damaged!
Here’s the carpet in happier times: Sunrise in the Living Room.
There could be more than meets the eye to this. But I personally doubt it.
It’s not been long since we moved back into our home at Oxley Woods. The newly installed windows are a vast improvement over the old. Personally, I prefer their appearance, but most importantly, so far, they’re proving weather proof! We’ve had rain, we’ve had snow, we’ve had wind… and so far so good, the water has remained on the outside of the property!
So, for the first time since June 2008, it seems our Taylor Wimpey and Wood Newton constructed eco house is water tight!
Unfortunately, it’s water tight, but still, in the case of one room (and the skylight area, of course), still rather wet.
Our Son’s bedroom is at the front of the property. It has a corner window, the same design and orientation as the kitchen on the ground floor. Unfortunately it gets wet. Very wet.
A couple of days ago I grabbed some photos, it wasn’t actually anywhere near as bad as it can be. Below show his bedroom window, our daughters window in the neighbouring room, our bedroom window, and finally the kitchen window for comparison.
As you can see, there’s quite a dramatic pool of water in our Son’s bedroom.
This is not unusual. It’s been very bad since we moved back in, and following a meeting on site here at Oxley Woods last week with Wood Newton and Taylor Wimpey we’re not even sure what’s going to happen. It seems they don’t really know what the problem is (sound familiar) and why this particular section of glass is suffering so much, when all others around it are not. It’s not a hot room in the winter, and it’s not unique in it’s style/position (other than elevation, it’s much the same as the kitchen, which by rights should be the “damper” of the two rooms.
Our son doesn’t breath more than myself and my wife combined, or even probably much more than our younger daughter in the next room. We don’t hang things on the radiators… there just seems to be a problem with the glazing in his room.
We really hope this gets resolved as soon as possible, as water on wooden windows cannot be a good thing, neither can the damp in a children’s bedroom, and the fact the water runs down the recently painted walls, leaving run marks as it goes, certainly isn’t pleasant at all.
Meanwhile, if you have any suggestions as to what could be causing this, please feel free to comment below, as we feel we need all the help we can get to resolve our problems right now!
In July 2008 we reported an issue of a warped fridge freezer door. That’s eighteen months ago. During that time, several doors have been sent to the site by the supplier Symphony, apparently all also warped, or warping. This has been ongoing the entire time we’ve been in the property.
We spoke about this once again towards the end of last year. Apparently Wimpey were going to talk to their head buyer and sort this problem once and for all. It did seem they were taking it seriously, but as I said, from our point of view it’s been a year and a half of living with an increasingly warped door, a faulty product, and we seem no closer to getting it fixed.
The fact that Symphony appear to be continually supplying the builders with replacements that are also faulty is neither here nor there from our point of view. We paid our money to Wimpey and it is, of course, their responsibility to make sure we get wait we paid for, a product of suitable quality.
Anyway, this is what the door looks like, at the top from both sides, and at the bottom. Quite a difference I”m sure you’ll agree.
Anyway, last week (January 2010, remember, this problem has been present since July 2008!) we were told once again about Taylor Wimpey talking to their head of buying talking to Symphony to get this sorted. The same thing we were told over a month ago?! I’ve no idea what’s been happening in the mean time, but this is another example of us waiting… and waiting… and waiting… and putting up with a substandard product, and here were are, a year and a half down the line, and it feels like we’re getting nowhere fast.
Maddening.
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