SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Been looking at a few houses in Leeds recently and have been shocked at the building standards of many new homes - shoddy materials, very small rooms - sometimes too small to put furniture in like beds or baths!British Standards (e.g. the old Kite Sign) used to stand for something but now standards seem to have slipped. (I'm surprised at least the EU don't insist on a minimum room size)I was talking to one resident of a new estate and they said that nearly every house on that estate had faults e.g. leaking windows, poor electrical work etc. It seems the big name brand would employ sub-contactors who would employ subcontractors to the point where the work was eventially done by the cheapest cowboy in town using the cheapest materials they could get away with.Recall a story in the press recently where a housing association rejected a number of houses because they failed to meet their standards though the building regulations passed them.I suspect that because we have a housing crisis (that the politians seem to be blind to) that substandard housing is a fact of life - I just believe we are building the slums of the future.    

You have a very valid point - even at the height of the boom it was clear that costs were being cut to the bone with regards many new builds.Near where we live some "affordable" houses were being built and we couldn't believe how small the living rooms / kitchens were. It's no exaggeration to say that if you put both arms out straight you could virtually touch the walls at either side of the room. Yet they sold as people were desperate to get onto the property ladder. Now after a couple of years suspension of work due to the credit crunch, it looks like work is about to start on the next phase anytime, and the footprints look to be the same.And it's not just the new builds - the quality of workmanship on many of the PFI refurbs of social housing / public buildings is appallingly shoddy. Any questions raised regarding quality are just brushed aside.

Isn't there a large block of "Affordable flats." in Leeds that have been condemned as unfit for habitation. Those by the old Blind Hospital?It's not a new thing. Builders, sorry if you are one, will do as little as possible for maximum profit. Unless of course some one starts to apply standards.

Loiner1960 wrote: Isn't there a large block of "Affordable flats." in Leeds that have been condemned as unfit for habitation. Those by the old Blind Hospital?It's not a new thing. Builders, sorry if you are one, will do as little as possible for maximum profit. Unless of course some one starts to apply standards. That is the CASPAR (City centre Apartments for Single People at Affordable Rents) flats. I remember seeing them bult around 10 or so years back using a pre-fabricated, so fast construction. The building was acclaimed and it won awards but I never did like it as it had a cheap (which it was) look to it. They were subsequently found likely to be unsafe in certain winds and were closed around a couple or so years back.

It's amazing that Henry Ford could mass produce cars to a high standard 100 years ago yet we have still not cracked the problem with houses. In this day and age we should be able to build houses to a high standard and for an affordable price.

The Leeds museum section on the old "back to backs" is interesting in respect of the building methods of older days.I was surprised at how many are still standing.

Leodian wrote: Leodian wrote: Loiner1960 wrote: Isn't there a large block of "Affordable flats." in Leeds that have been condemned as unfit for habitation. Those by the old Blind Hospital?It's not a new thing. Builders, sorry if you are one, will do as little as possible for maximum profit. Unless of course some one starts to apply standards. That is the CASPAR (City centre Apartments for Single People at Affordable Rents) flats. I remember seeing them bult around 10 or so years back using a pre-fabricated, so fast construction. The building was acclaimed and it won awards but I never did like it as it had a cheap (which it was) look to it. They were subsequently found likely to be unsafe in certain winds and were closed around a couple or so years back. This is definitely posted as 'quote' and not an edit Leodian. I've edited your post as I think you intended without issue.(I'll get rid of the extraneous stuff.)

Thanks for your help chameleon, which is appreciated.