Paintwork

Because your Redrow home has been hand-finished by skilled craftsmen and is not a factory-finished product, like a car, you may notice small marks or deviations in the paint or plaster work. These are most likely from the tools used and generally nothing to worry about.

Your walls and ceilings should have an overall even appearance when viewed from a 2-metre distance in natural daylight. You may notice additional variances in direct or artificial light which could be caused by your pendants / light fittings. However, only marks or deviations visible in natural daylight are covered by our warranty.

In time, you may wish to carry out some decorating of your own. We recommend you wait for 2 years to allow your home to fully 'dry out' and settle. When you decide to paint we suggest that you use the same type and colours of paint that were used originally to finish your new home. These can be found in your Redrow Homefile.

Plaster finish

Did you know that the materials we use to build your home absorb a lot of moisture during the construction process?

As you settle into your new Redrow home and temperatures change, shrinkage cracks and gaps may start to appear. Your home is drying out, which is perfectly natural and nothing to worry about. The cracks are cosmetic and will not affect the structural stability or safety of your home.

You will probably find this more noticeable where plaster meets woodwork, skirting boards or doorframes. It is common on the stair string where the skirting board meets the wall. We recommend that you keep your house well ventilated to reduce the amount of shrinkage you may experience. Keep your window vents open and your heating on a moderate temperature so that it is does not get too hot. If shrinkage cracks are wider than 2mm (or 4mm on your staircase), do let us know. For ease, this is typically the width of a pound coin. Smaller cracks are considered normal and can be addressed as part of your home owner maintenance routine.

You may also notice marks or deviations in the plaster finish. This is because your home has been hand built and some of the tools used can leave slight marks. As a guide, your walls and ceilings should have an even appearance when viewed from a 2-metre distance in natural daylight. Check this by standing in the middle of your room in natural daylight, if there are clear visible marks to your walls and / or ceilings refer to the paintwork section and contact us to discuss further.

Shrinkage

Shrinkage occurs naturally in any new home due to the amount of water absorbed by the materials used during the building process and the subsequent drying out period.

It is more noticeable where plaster meets woodwork, skirting boards or doorframes. You can take the simple step of keeping your house well ventilated and not over heating it to reduce the amount of shrinkage you may experience.

So what should you do if you notice shrinkage cracks? If the cracks are wider than 2mm (or 4mm on your staircase) - typically the width of a pound coin, then do let us know. Smaller cracks are considered normal and can be addressed as part of your home owner maintenance routine.

You may also notice marks or deviations in the plaster finish. This is because your home has been hand built and some of the tools used can leave slight marks. As a guide, your walls and ceilings should have an even appearance when viewed from a 2-metre distance in natural daylight. Check this by standing in the middle of your room in natural daylight and if there are clear visible marks to your walls and/ or ceilings then let us know.

Water staining

You should not experience water staining in your new home unless there is a leak. This is usually nothing to worry about and may just be an area of mastic that has come away, which is easily resolved through home owner maintenance.

We recommend that you stop using the bath or shower immediately and refer to our mastic sealant section for more advice. If there is water staining that has not been caused by mastic then let us know and we will organise for this to be inspected and where necessary addressed, including any works to make good the area affected.

Skirting

Did you know that the materials we use to build your home absorb a lot of moisture during the construction process?

As you settle into your new Redrow home and temperatures change, shrinkage cracks and gaps may start to appear. Your home is drying out, which is perfectly natural and nothing to worry about. The cracks are cosmetic and will not affect the structural stability or safety of your home.

You will probably find this more noticeable where plaster meets woodwork and skirting boards. We recommend that you keep your house well ventilated to reduce the amount of shrinkage you may experience. Keep your window vents open and your heating on a moderate temperature so that it does not get too hot. If you have concerns about any shrinkage cracks around your skirting boards, we will resolve this as part of your warranty if they are wider than 2mm (4mm on your staircase). For ease this is generally the width of a pound coin. Smaller cracks are considered normal and can be addressed as part of your home owner maintenance routine.

As a guide, your skirting boards should have an even appearance when viewed from a 2-metre distance in natural daylight. We usually suggest that you stand in the middle of your room in natural daylight and if there are clear visible marks to your skirtings then do let us know.

Tiling

We work with professional tilers who take the utmost care and attention when applying tiles to your walls. All tiles are checked as part of our sign-off and handover process, but occasionally damage can happen during the build and installation process which may not be noticeable until you move in.

If you notice any chips or scratches to your tiles this should have been raised during your Home Preview or Courtesy Check.

Sealant

Mastic sealant is applied to all wet areas, your window and door frames and occasionally flooring. Sealant, particularly around your shower(s) and bath(s) can shrink and settle as your home naturally dries out.

We encourage you to attend to any naturally occurring sealant shrinkage in your bathroom and en-suites as soon as you notice it, as part of your home owner maintenance routine. This type of shrinkage is not classed as a defect and so not covered by your Redrow warranty. If you are unhappy with the finish this should have been raised during your Home Preview or Courtesy Check.