It took far longer and cost far more than we expected

It took far longer and cost far more than we expected.”Now that the completed four-bedroom house, stunning in its contemporary simplicity, with underfloor heating, double, even triple, height ceilings, roof terrace and galleried dining-room is as he envisaged it, he and his family are moving on The house is on the market with Foxtons for £1.45m. “I just wish that what should have been a great experience had not proved to be such a nightmare.”The American owners of a house in Bracknell Gardens, in Hampstead, north London would echo that. They had to return to the States before their home was finished and have never lived in it. The purchasers will be taking on a property where perfection can be seen in the smallest detail, but which was achieved with “blood, sweat and tears” according to Simon Barnes, property consultant, who is handling the sale.”They thought they had bought their perfect home but found so many problems with the workmanship that they gutted the interior and rebuilt it within its period facade.

Everything has been done to the highest possible standard, but with a practical purpose. There is an enormous kitchen and dining area, each bedroom has a bathroom and there is a swimming pool within the house, which opens into the garden.”Barnes says that over the four years it has taken, the owners were constantly dismayed at the low standards of workmanship. What they expected as a matter of course in the United States proved nothing but a battle in the UK as they struggled to explain why making do was not acceptable. “The owner would get tired of being told that if he just twiddled this or that it would work He was paying for and wanted the best.

He would make a special trip from the States to find nothing had been done and everybody blaming everyone else. His standards were extraordinarily high – even the screws had to face the same way.”The guide price of £7.5m demands an exceptional quality but although in the case of Bracknell Gardens this will be met, Simon Barnes points out that too often buyers of new or redesigned properties are paying for a finish that starts to disintegrate after a year: poor workmanship and cheap materials will eventually reveal themselves, whereas if work has been done well the house will look as good as new for years.When Madonna, in exasperation, famously criticised the British builder for his working practices, she received some criticism. Not, one suspects, from anyone who has tried to set new standards.Foxtons, Putney, London SW15 (020-8355 1000); Simon Barnes: 020-7499 3434. The Good House Guide will soon be a UK bestseller; by 2006, every home sale should have one – if the Government passes the latest Housing Act. The sellers’ pack, as it was known before Whitehall spin gave it a posher title, puts the onus on vendors to give “satisfaction guaranteed” reports on their own properties.

Currently, lawyers seem to get the blame for all delays; whenever there is a hold-up in the buying chain, the so-called innocent party invariably pleads: “I’m trying, but we can’t get anything out of the vendor’s solicitors.”Although some criticism may be justified, much of it isn’t. And while house prices and stamp duty have crept into the realms of fiscal fantasy, solicitors’ conveyancing fees have remained pleasingly low.Windsor-based solicitor Ashley Perkins and Co recently introduced a highly competitive £199 (plus Vat) for first-time buyers. Partner Ashley Perkins says: “Although we are used to reading and hearing about the glamorous, million-pound plus deals that are being struck, it’s the bottom end of the housing market that needs the attention and help. Our company has made a conscious decision to help first-time buyers who may not have a lot of money, or have just left college and are starting new jobs. We’ve put a lid on our charges and are keeping them to the bare minimum for newcomers.” Ashley Perkins, which acts for clients throughout the UK, charges £300-£350 for conveyancing, although a high-priced property could cost £400-£500.Unlike other types of legal work, solicitors do not levy an hourly rate for conveyancing, nor do they earn commission like estate agents. Though some complain of mortgage marathons and paper-chases caused by lending hold-ups and local search delays, others have seen hopeful chinks in the notorious UK property chain.One of these is title deeds.