Solihull family's £470k new-build home that turned into 'nightmare'
When Jane and her family bought their new-build house for just under half a million pounds they thought they were getting their dream home. The property, on Crest Nicholson's Blythe Valley estate near Solihull, promised "beautiful" living.
But what ensued was a a "soul destroying" nightmare, compared to "living in a caravan" and leaving the family of five locked in to a property full of defects with no end in sight. Nestled on the edge of the M42 and beside Blythe Valley Business Park, it offers a slice of countryside living just minutes from Solihull.
With a smart gym and spa, coffee house and supermarket a stone's throw away, you couldn't want for anything more. "It was meant to be our dream house....it was all meant to be new, basically a house where myself and my husband could cut down our hours, we could maybe go away for long weekends, and it's just shattered us, and we're both stressed to death" Jane told BirminghamLive at her kitchen table.
When the family moved in, they were met with holes in the floor, smashed glass, a window hanging off its hinge among other issues, which they say have not been resolved. Jane accepts there are a normal amount of snagging issues with a new build house, but says 15 months in some of those issues have still not been fixed, or have worsened.
Jane said she has emailed Crest Nicholson nearly every day, and visited the site manager and sales office a number of times. Crest Nicholson told BirminghamLive they are "working to resolve any outstanding issues" with Jane.
The pictures below show the current state Jane's house is in. Some of the pictures are from before the issues were fixed, these have since been seen to.
Jane says the majority of issues continue to persist, and she is in contact with Crest Nicholson every day to get it sorted. A Crest Nicholson spokesperson said: “We are aware of the homeowners concerns about their new home and are working with them to resolve any outstanding issues. Technicians are booked to undertake remedial work on the property in the coming weeks and we will continue to respond to any newly reported issues, making arrangements, where necessary, to make good on those considered to be defects that require our attention.”
