Family claims £600,000 dream new build house has turned into 'living nightmare'

24 July 2023 , 23:35

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David Walker in front of his scaffolded house (Image: Swindon Advertiser / SWNS)

A family claim their £600,000 dream house has turned into a "living nightmare" - comparing it to living on a "building site".

David Walker, 52, thought he and his family had secured their long-term home when they moved in last April.

But, instead, he says the new build in Devizes, Wiltshire, has been plagued by problems.

David says his family have had to move out three times since buying the house, so work could be done.

And the situation came to a head in January 2023, when the developers put up scaffolding to address some of the issues.

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David, a builder himself, has had enough - and wants Ashford Homes to sort the faults out for good.

The firm said it was "currently directly addressing isolated issues" on the development.

The family have compared it to living on a "building site" (Swindon Advertiser / SWNS)

David said: "There are major issues with the house because of poor workmanship.

"There are no wall ties, insulation is missing, the floors aren’t level and we’ve had leaks.

"Everything that could possibly go wrong has gone wrong, it’s absolutely horrendous because we’ve got no natural light and we can’t do anything in the garden.

"We can’t have friends round or entertain, or even put the washing out because it’s just banging all day."

David says he has been forced to move his family out of their home three times while works were carried out, and had to stay with his mother.

He is frustrated at the lack of help he has received from Ashford Homes and claims it has been "a constant fight" to get problems resolved.

It cost £600,000 but it's turned into a 'living nightmare' (Swindon Advertiser / SWNS)

He said: "I expected this to be our dream home, but it’s been nothing but a living nightmare."

David added that there is no end to their ordeal in sight, claiming a date has not been set for the completion of the works.

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A spokesperson for the developer, Ashford Homes, said: "Ashford Homes is currently directly addressing isolated issues that have been identified at our Maton Close development.

"Whilst certain aspects of the build do not meet the company’s exacting standards, all properties have been inspected and signed off by Building Control and benefit from a ten-year structural warranty from a leading provider who have also inspected and signed the property off.

"Ashford Homes is proud of its long-established reputation and has worked closely with this particular resident, engaging with them in remedying the issues, and we look forward to completing the remedial works to the high standards that both we, and our client, rightly expect."

Adam Aspinall