Yes please!!!! I have seen some pretty bad things on thermal imaging of new builds, like disastrously bad.

Questions - Would this constitute enough of a fault to make a complaint to the builder? And if such a complaint was made would it stand up?
Is there any standard by which such a result could be judged to be either faulty or adequate workmanship?

Sorry, but what's the second picture actually a picture of? Maybe post a normal picture of the same area?

Posted By: Peter_in_HungaryQuestions - Would this constitute enough of a fault to make a complaint to the builder? And if such a complaint was made would it stand up?

I'd cough up, get a respectable thermal surveyors report and make a complaint. If they refuse to rectify it go through their complaints process and if they still refuse go to the national media naming the builder.

I can imagine either the Guardian or the Telegraph publishing it although only (based on a respectable surveyor's report and not diy images).

It's been an interesting learning experience to say the least.

For instance in the building most windows and doors aren't really over the cavity closers at all, frames sat forward on the outer leaf, so in some places internal plasterboard is touching outer leaf or the outer lintel if on a head.

I really do recommend picking up a thermal camera if you can, it makes troubleshooting all kinds of issues very easy. These images probably don't compare to a more high end unit, but being able to get 300px images at a consumer level is an amazing feat of technology. Can easily make out all plasterboard dabs etc.

What's nice is all this knowledge can transfer to my friends self-build who is considering a Walter Segal derivative.

Posted By: JontiPretty much standard shoddy work practiced by many UK building firms. It really boils down to poor building control inspections. The only way to ensure a decent standard is to self build, know what you are looking for and keep a very close eye on the builder at 'ALL' times.

Much the same problem over here - builders take short cuts without attention to detail and in the main don't understand the importance of the insulation details and air tightness and you have to watch every stage. Too often the aim is to get the top surface looking OK and never mind what is underneath.

IMO the only fix is going to be for enough people to make complaints that stick so that it becoms easier and cheaper for the job to be done 'right first time' rather than call backs for (expensive) remedial works.

Here is another, to keep the ball rolling!

When I was doing my build I asked my BCO to do the insulation check on what I had done for the cavities and was told insulation was not part of the their remit and expected builders to construct to the regulations. They were concerned about structural issues such as pre foundation concrete pour checks roof structure pre slating fire prevention, and ventilation. I had to reject something like 400 PIR cavity boards because it was evident putting them in they were not square and each board added left a gap which got bigger. Job stopped whilst awaited replacements as they were T&G which had been made special for me. My brickie went onto another job a builder would have carried on and the thermal performance would have been compromised. BC can't be everywhere I had a haulier bring me some stone and told me he had delivered cheap aggregate to a site so the builder could part backfill the trenches already passed by BCO so as to save on the concrete. Having seen the photos above I wonder how my work ( I personally did all the insulation and detailing around openings) would fair with a thermal imaging survey. Builders will do it as quickly and as cheaply as possible as quality costs time besides I do not think they have got the underpinning knowledge as to why they do what they do.

Looking at the above it occurs to me that there would be a job for someone with suitable credentials to look at new builds for both thermal failures as above plus below standard air tightness and claim against the builders on behalf of the new owners on a no win no fee basis in much the same way as is now done frequently against the NHS for cock-ups

They look good enough for me . No chance you live in the west midlands ?

That is quite an expensive camera I suspect, could you share the details please .

Thanks for the post I am sure I am not the only one that has benefited from the information .

Best wishes Patrick

John, there were plenty of wall ties, every course up the reveal

Blocks snapped nicely with a bolster if tricky tungsten tipped sabre saw did it nicely

You can cut aerated concrete blocks with an old hard point saw

Posted By: borpin
Personally I would not touch any new build with a barge pole and if any of my family or friends were considering buying one, tell them to make a TI survey plus a proper air test part of the acceptance criteria.

Agree it's endemic - I've watched new homes go up around me and the attention paid to insulation detailing is minimal. This image is a major extension to a friends house that they posted pictures of on social media recently - look at the gaps in that cavity insulation.

https://ibb.co/LtGSDC2

[and what is it with this forum? it doesn't support embedding externally hosted images with standard HTML? ]

Posted By: borpin
Personally I would not touch any new build with a barge pole and if any of my family or friends were considering buying one, tell them to make a TI survey plus a proper air test part of the acceptance criteria.

But what *would* you tell them to buy? Despite issues talked about here a new build is still likely to be better than anything else. Not everyone can self build - we don't have the land available and it's a stressful process that needs particular access to finance and, if not to end up with the same problems as a 'developer built' needs a lot of skill/knowledge/time.

Ideally I'd not live in anything I'd not built myself again but that might not be possible.

Posted By: Jonti The only way to ensure a decent standard is to self build, know what you are looking for and keep a very close eye on the builder at 'ALL' times.

Or, of course, do the work yourself (which is what we did on the insulation and airtighting.). But we still have 'known' issues that we didn't spot in the design and couldn't correct in the build - stuff we left to architect and frame company assuming they would know more than us.

As far as I am aware the E4 / E5 / E6 / E8 range will hold value - they are essentially the same hardware inside. Luckily now they are getting competition from Testo.

The units that attach to your phone traditionally have lots of issues with the internal battery, so might not be too useful for occasional between long periods of time - but the sensors inside can be used in other things if you know what you are doing.

The images are not from a large site nor a large developer, all homes over £500,000 and the builder seems to be fairly well respected.

It does go to show how difficult it can be to get these kinds of things recognised and dealt with - id imagine it becomes more problematic the longer you wait, often becoming a bigger issue years later.

But yes, very handy tool that im sure more people will be able to use as costs come down, its kind of like magic - I couldn't find many decent images of features; hence wanting to share.

Text version here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56376112