Today’s new homes include lots of improvements in construction that have been introduced over the years, but your new home still needs to be run gently for the first few months. This is because bricks, timber, plaster and other materials generally absorb water during construction.
Taking care of your new home
As your home is lived in and heated, it dries out. As it dries out, the wood and plaster may shrink, causing small cracks to appear. These cracks are not structurally important and are covered in the normal process of decorating.
Because cracks are inevitable, the builders are not obliged to rectify them unless they are larger than 3mm in width. Any very large cracks caused by this process will be repaired by the builder at the end of the defects process.
New buildings often take a long time before they are fully dried out. During this time, they need heat and extra ventilation. For the first winter of occupation, most houses and flats require gentle heat over more hours than they may need in subsequent winters so please make allowance for this.
Prevent damp, mould, and condensation whilst your new home is drying out by ventilating your property as much as possible. You can do this by keeping your windows open (when you’re home) to allow in fresh air and by keeping internal doors open during the day to allow air to circulate. Watch our video guide to find out how fans and window trickle vents reduce condensation.
It’s worth remembering that condensation can be caused by everyday routines such as cooking, washing clothes, or using the washing facilities in your home, so please use extractor fans where appropriate.
By taking the following steps you should be able to reduce the occurrence of cracking and condensation due to your home drying out:
- Avoid large temperature differences during the day by setting your heating controls at a comfortably low level for longer periods (instead of shorter periods on a higher heat). This allows your home to gradually warm up.
- Check to make sure all your trickle vents (ventilation slots in your windows) are open 24 hours a day. This allows gradual, gentle ventilation.
- Encourage ventilation by opening windows and internal doors whenever you reasonably can.
- Keep kitchen and bathroom doors closed when you are cooking or washing as these activities create a lot of water vapour which should not be allowed to spread to other rooms in your house. Make sure that the extractor fans are on when you wash or cook and open a window where appropriate.
Find lots more practical advice on our page about tips to avoid condensation, damp and mould.
Watch our video guide to find out how fans and window trickle vents reduce condensation.
You should avoid any decorating during the first year, especially using wallpaper as it is very difficult to assess the extent of any cracking if the walls have been papered over.
There’s always moisture in the air, even if you can’t see it - created by everyday activities like washing, cooking and bathing, even breathing.
Condensation occurs when water in the air turns into water as a liquid on a colder surface. As warmer air holds moisture better, a colder home will also release more moisture to these surfaces.
Condensation is most likely to appear on windows, colder parts of walls, around external door and window frames and where ceilings and floors meet with outer walls. It can also appear where air circulation is restricted (such as inside cupboards or behind furniture placed against an outside wall).
It is also formed in new homes as the materials used in constructing them (such as mortar and plaster) dry out gently over time.
If condensation forms regularly on cold surfaces and it isn’t wiped away or able to escape outside, it can sometimes provide the right conditions for black mould to grow. Breathing large quantities of mould spores can cause health problems, particularly if you have asthma or other health issues, and it can also cause damage to your home - so it’s important to deal with any issues as soon as possible.
To help deal with condensation you should take the following steps:
- Produce less moisture and stop it spreading
- Let dry air in and moisture out
- Heat your home evenly
See our tips to avoid condensation, damp and mould for practical information and advice on each of these areas, how to treat any mould - and how we can help if you have more of a problem.
Watch our video guide to find out how fans and window trickle vents reduce condensation.
Vinyl floors
For best slip resistance, mop the floor regularly using a diluted floor cleaner and rinsing with clean water. No polish or other surface treatment should be applied. Never use abrasive liquid, powder floor cleaners or scouring pads.
Protect your flooring against damage from furniture by using furniture cups or gliders for sharp edges and narrow furniture legs.
Kitchen units
Keep your kitchen units in the best condition by giving them a regular wipe with soapy water and drying them off with a clean cloth. Be careful to avoid overloading your shelves.
Worktops
Laminate worktops will withstand very high temperatures for short periods without deterioration. However, you should always use heatproof mats for pans taken directly from the hob or the oven. A chopping board should always be used for cutting or chopping - never cut directly on to the laminate surface. Do not allow water to remain on mitred joints or where wood edging is fixed to worktops.
Window trickle vents
Occasionally vacuuming the vents will remove any dust.
Sanitaryware
Regular cleaning will prevent the build-up of limescale. Use a non-abrasive cleaner to avoid scratching surfaces. If you have a steel bath, always use a VEA (Vitreous Enamel Association) approved cleaner to clean it. Clean and de-scale showerheads regularly, according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Windows and doors
Clean internal frames by using warm soapy water and drying with a soft cloth. Use a prescribed window-cleaning product for the glass and avoid ammonia and abrasive cleaning agents.
For new-build homes, the internal doors have been fitted with a standard clearance to allow flooring to be fitted. If your choice of flooring requires a larger gap, please make sure that your flooring contractor adjusts the doors accordingly. Sovereign Housing Association are not responsible for adjusting doors beyond the appropriate gap or rectifying any damage caused by a flooring contractor.
Please do not fit anything to your external doorset that requires drilling into or through the door leaf or frame as this will invalidate the warranty.
Please be careful if you decide to do DIY in your new home. There are certain types of DIY you don’t need our permission for – we’ve detailed these below, with some handy hints on how to do a good job. For all other DIY, you’ll need to contact us first.
Wall fixings
The type of fixing you should use to attach items to walls depends on the construction of the wall and the weight of the item. Pictures and other light items can be hung on all types of walls using steel picture hooks or masonry nails. Always check for buried pipes and cables first using a detector (available from DIY stores).
Masonry (blockwork) wall
Heavier items can be fixed using wall plugs and screws. The wall plug and screw should penetrate through the plaster or plasterboard, well into the blockwork.
Timber frame walls
For heavy items, such as wall cabinets or bookshelves, you should find the position of the timber frame behind the plasterboard and screw into that. The vertical timber studs are normally located at 600mm (2ft) centres and can be found using a detector. If the studs are not in a suitable position, you might need to spread the load by screwing a piece of wood between two studs and fixing on to that.
if you'd like to carry out any home improvements, we encourage you to consider the environmental impact of your work.
Please don’t decorate for at least the first 12 months. This helps your home to dry out and makes it easier for us to check for any movement at the end of the defects period.
Walls
The builder will probably have painted the walls with emulsion paint. Further coats of emulsion and oil-based paints or wallpaper can be used for later redecoration, once the walls have dried out (this normally takes 9 to 12 months). Use decorator's filler to make good any minor gaps and plaster cracks. Later on, if you want to remove wallpaper from a wall with a plasterboard finish, avoid scraping too vigorously or the surface may be damaged.
Ceilings
When you redecorate ceilings, Artex and other similar plastic compound finishes should never be sanded or washed. They can be lightly brushed before painting with one or two coats of emulsion. Never apply water to these ceilings until after this has been done, or the texture may be spoilt.
Woodwork
New woodwork absorbs a lot of paint or stain, so the first painting of a home may not give as good a finish as later repainting. The surface should be cleaned and prepared properly and be completely dry before painting.