Retired BA worker, 61, claims she’s endured six months of ‘hell’ after moving into £200,000 dream new build house and now wants Barratt Homes to buy it back from her
- Pauline Collins 61, says state of her ‘diabolical’ new-build is ‘absolutely shocking’
- Retired BA worker was moving from Hertfordshire to North East with her son
- She is demanding that developer Barratt Homes buys £200,000 home back
A retired British Airways worker ‘hates’ her £200,000 dream new-build home with a passion and is demanding developer Barratt Homes buys it back from her.
Pauline Collins, 61, was looking for a fresh start in her native North East when she moved into her three-bedroom house in Blakelaw, Newcastle with her son.
Having made the long trip from Hertfordshire and paid £200,000 for the home, she instead had to endure ‘hell’ in the ‘absolutely shocking’ build.
The retired BA worker says that even her garden, which was supposed to be turfed, turned out to be a soaking wet mess (pictured, her garden being drained)
Ms Collins, who paid extra to be upgraded, claims she found part of the skirting board in her kitchen missing, along with a lump out of a door and her units and fridge freezer ‘not being installed properly’.
She claims her bath, shower and toilet all overflowed within weeks of moving into the £200,000 property and says the sealant on her tiles were poorly finished.
The retired BA worker says that even her garden, which was supposed to be turfed, turned out to be a soaking wet mess.
Though property developer Barratts installed drainage, the coronavirus lockdown has prevented her garden from being turfed.
Ms Collins said: ‘We’ve had a lockdown without a pleasant garden to sit in.
‘I was really excited, it is the first time I have bought a brand new house. But now I want them to buy it back off me. It’s absolutely shocking.
‘As soon as I opened the door I noticed the terrible plasterwork on my staircase.
‘There were so many little snags that you would just expect to be right. The finish was very poor and I was fuming.’
Pauline Collins’ (right) hopes of a fresh start in her native North East from Hertfordshire were dashed after enduring what she called ‘hell’ by the ‘absolutely shocking’ build (left, the garden was soaking wet and required draining but has yet to be turfed)
The stress of paying extra for a ‘diabolical’ dream house comes as her son Daniel is recovering from a triple heart bypass after suffering a heart attack in February.
Ms Collins said: ‘We have been through enough with Daniel then for all this on top has been incredibly frustrating and stressful.
‘Barratt Homes agreed to come out to the house but I asked them to make appointments so I can make sure I’m in and it’s a good time with my son ill.
‘But on a number of occasions they just turned up.’
Though she accepts that some of the issues have been rectified, she insists they are jobs which should have been done correctly in the first place.
‘A total of £200,000 is a lot of money to pay for what we have ended up with. I am so disappointed,’ the retired BA worker said.
‘I look at my house and I hate it with a passion. Everywhere I look I see things that are wrong. We don’t want to be here anymore.’
A Barratt Developments North East spokeswoman said: ‘All of the issues raised by Ms Collins were completed promptly. Additional drainage work was added into the garden as soon as it was needed, with just the re-turf being delayed due to coronavirus and this will be finished shortly.
‘As the only major national housebuilder to be awarded five stars for customer satisfaction for 11 years in a row, we pride ourselves on excellent customer service and we will continue working hard to look after Ms Collins.’