The New Build Geek

The New Build Geek Helping you make sense of your new-build. inspections on request.

Surfactant leaching… 💧 Surfactants are water-soluble compounds added to paint to improve stability and application. Exce...
02/09/2025

Surfactant leaching… 💧

Surfactants are water-soluble compounds added to paint to improve stability and application. Excess moisture and high humidity can draw these surfactants out, leaving behind unsightly streaks and marks.

In newbuild homes, these are often found in wet rooms and may indicate ventilation issues, either through defects or poor customer ventilation practices.

Have you seen this before? 🤔

🔎 Having trouble with your front door?Here are a couple of simple checks you can do yourself in line with NHBC 2025 stan...
17/08/2025

🔎 Having trouble with your front door?

Here are a couple of simple checks you can do yourself in line with NHBC 2025 standards:

✅ Frames should be within 5mm of plumb over the height of the frame (and not leaning in two directions).

✅ Distortion or bowing across the door should be no more than 5mm in height and 3mm in width.

If your door falls outside these tolerances, your builder is obliged to investigate further.

If you’ve moved into a new build recently, it’s worth knowing the NHBC 2025 tolerances for window installation:✅ Under 1...
15/08/2025

If you’ve moved into a new build recently, it’s worth knowing the NHBC 2025 tolerances for window installation:

✅ Under 1.5m high: No more than 3mm out of plumb (vertical)
✅ Over 1.5m high: No more than 5mm out of plumb (vertical)
🚫 No twists or bows in the frame — it should sit square and true in the opening.

Grab a spirit level and see if yours meet the standard. Even a small misalignment can affect how your windows open, close, and seal, not to mention how they look!

💬 Have you spotted any wobbly windows in your new build? Drop a comment below!

Definitely further investigation required here by the builder to check the cavity wall insulation! The red areas are sho...
24/01/2024

Definitely further investigation required here by the builder to check the cavity wall insulation! The red areas are showing a higher surface temperature, indicating potential heat loss.. ⚠️🥶

Something was clearly amiss here with the cavity wall insulation. On intrusive inspection, it’s missing! There’s a mid l...
11/01/2024

Something was clearly amiss here with the cavity wall insulation. On intrusive inspection, it’s missing! There’s a mid level cavity tray around the first floor joist level which has stopped the insulation blowing into the cavity at installation evenly… 🥶

🦷

If you’re struggling with heat loss this winter… 🥶 One of the repeated areas where there is heat escaping, is around the...
09/01/2024

If you’re struggling with heat loss this winter… 🥶

One of the repeated areas where there is heat escaping, is around the ceiling fan. The insulation often gets displaced during the build and also if any repairs are undertaken to the fans in the warranty period, the contractor seldom puts the insulation back correctly. ⚠️

New year new problem! This is what happens when the eaves ventilator tray is not installed correctly… ⚠️🦠
04/01/2024

New year new problem! This is what happens when the eaves ventilator tray is not installed correctly… ⚠️🦠

This flexible ducting doesn’t extent through to the terminal.. unfortunately this has lead to water ingress via the vent...
31/10/2023

This flexible ducting doesn’t extent through to the terminal.. unfortunately this has lead to water ingress via the vent! 💦🏡

Quite a few issues in this roof today ⚠️ The flexi-pipe from the soil stack wasn’t connected to the roof vent, so pungen...
04/10/2023

Quite a few issues in this roof today ⚠️

The flexi-pipe from the soil stack wasn’t connected to the roof vent, so pungent sewage smells have been smelt by the customer filtering through the home.

There is no connection at the roof for the ducting from the ensuite extractor, and there is also a couple of broken tiles on the roof, letting light through. Plenty for the builder to get on with! 🏠

👻🚨 ‘Ghosting’ is a phenomenon whereby the outline of the blockwork is showing through the render. You can see the faint ...
02/10/2023

👻🚨 ‘Ghosting’ is a phenomenon whereby the outline of the blockwork is showing through the render. You can see the faint outline of the blockwork in this photo.

The visual impact of ghosting is worsened in new-builds if the building components have not dried out fully. If this is the case, the effect should lessen over time but it’s best to monitor it rather than just dismiss it at face value 🕰️

This property had a longstanding issue with a mystery fishy smell no one could figure out! 👃 Integrated appliances like ...
15/08/2023

This property had a longstanding issue with a mystery fishy smell no one could figure out! 👃

Integrated appliances like fridge freezers should have air flow at the bottom and top according to the manufacturer’s instructions. It turns out that the unit had been overheating because of a lack of air flow and this is what was resulting in a nasty fishy smell… 🐠

I’m not too sure what happened here! 👀🥴
14/08/2023

I’m not too sure what happened here! 👀🥴

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