A woman’s hopes of her dream home turned into a nightmare as drainage problems cause her new garden to consistently flood, rendering it unusable.
Emily Bigg, a mum-of-two, moved into a new build home in Ormskirk two years ago, specifically choosing a plot which would give her young children the best space to play outside.
But the move, which was meant to be a positive shift for the family, has turned out to be a disaster.
Drainage problems mean the back of the garden is left constantly underwater, a problem Emily claims developer Taylor Wimpey is constantly either unavailable or unwilling to offer assistance with.
Speaking to LancsLive, Emily said the backyard gets waterlogged, leaving no grass for the kids to play on.
“We got told when we bought the house it was a two-year warranty for any problems. My house is shared ownership so apparently the two years starts when the housing association buys it so mine expired a lot sooner than I thought.
“Regardless of that, I complained before then and the response was just ‘you need to look after the garden better’.”
Emily, who works as a costs drafter for a legal firm, moved into the house at the Highgrove Park development in April 2019 following a divorce. She had hoped it would be a brighter start for her and her kids, who are now aged six and four, after previously renting in Formby.
They enjoyed their first summer there, but problems soon began to materialise during the colder months.
The garden, which Emily said could have been a haven for the family throughout the various lockdowns, is said to be largely unusable, especially throughout winter.
She was quoted four figure sums by gardeners and landscapers, who conceded that any work might not even rectify the problem long term, as the surrounding gardens slope towards the same point.
In the end, she has had decking fitted on the back third of the garden, thanks in part to a local trader who gave her a good deal after reading about her problems on Facebook.
“I specifically picked this house because of the garden. It’s a good size and it’s south-facing so you get more sun,” Emily said.
“I know it’s a first world problem and there’s worse things going on but I shouldn’t be having to deal with this. I don’t have thousands of pounds to fix the garden.”
Emily said she was given a leaflet when she moved in explaining that she must regularly mow the aerate the lawn and that the advice was repeated to her when she tried to complain, despite her explaining she had done so.
A representative for Taylor Wimpey did visit the property but said it was not responsible for the problem.
That stance is backed up by National House Building Council standards, which state it is not the responsibility of the developer to rectify any areas of the garden that are holding water that are further than three metres from the house.
Emily said no matter what she did, the garden just never dried.
“It’s better in the summer and we do use it a bit then. But it’s embarrassing, you want to have people around and it’s just a big mess.”
She had gone to the site directors and gone over them, but nothing had seemed to prompt any action.
“One of the things with buying a new build is you think you’re covered by all these warranties but you’re not and it’s disheartening.”
She believed Taylor Wimpey needed to be held to account for her situation and others, which she believed were “appalling”.
“They’re still building more houses and there’s no way they’ve listened and learnt and are doing things better now.”
A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey said: “Customer satisfaction is a priority for Taylor Wimpey and we are sorry that one of our customers at Highgrove Park is unhappy with her garden.
“We are in close contact with the customer and have visited her to discuss the issues reported to us.
“All of our customers receive guidance on how to look after their gardens when they move into their new homes and we have offered some advice to the customer to help with ongoing maintenance.”
