A builder who works on newbuild estates has sent out a warning to families after sharing pictures of ‘absolutely diabolical’ gardens on TikTok.
Dan Hinton often posts TikToks blasting the state of newbuild homes accusing developers of ‘throwing them up’ and criticising their designs.
His videos have gone viral with more than a million views and hundreds of comments.
Not all of his followers agree with his criticism but Dan said he is on a mission to ‘show people what they are like’.
The builder’s posts often focus on the state of the identikit gardens, often allowing buyers very little privacy.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘Ninety per cent of them are absolutely diabolical.
‘I know people have opinions but my opinion is that they are awful.
‘They are very boggy, they do not drain properly, and I hear a lot of stories from people saying they put the rubbish under the bloody grass.
‘Do not get me started on who the hell designs them because the shapes I see and the size of some is madness.’
Dan Hinton’s videos depict tens of rows of immaculate wooden-fenced, astro-turf laid builds backing onto one another
Dan’s videos often criticise the size of the gardens and how they are landscaped by developers
Dan often posts TikToks blasting the state of newbuild homes accusing developers of ‘throwing them up’ and criticising their designs
Dan, 33, is a self-employed flooring installer who goes to work with his wife and two daughters, sharing amusing instances of the new build gardens he comes across.
He noted, ‘For some reason, many of them are designed to slope towards the house. Consequently, when they construct the small patio with unattractive yellow slabs, water congregates right in front of the patio doors.’
Dan has worked on newbuilds acrossed the Midlands in Lawley, Priorslee, Crudgington, Alscot, and Donnington.
He claimed the houses not only have sub-standard gardens but also ‘terrible insides’.
Dan said: ‘Who came up with the idea to make stairs out of MDF? MDF is a material.
‘Instead of utilizing timber or thick plywood, they opt for thin MDF. This material absorbs moisture from spilt drinks, dog urine, or any liquid, causing it to swell and disintegrate quickly.’
‘Also when fitting carpet or anything like that the backs come away because they are just glued together no fixings, so they are very poorly built.
‘It’s bloody awful and nothing is square in a newbuild.’
Dan pointed out that regardless of what people think, the houses will still go on to be sold or rented for a considerable price.
He stated, ‘It’s astonishing to think that many of these new builds are rentals. Imagine those who purchased their homes at exorbitant prices, only to find them so poorly constructed – even the interiors are of low quality.’
Dan’s clips captioned ‘can’t believe they do this’ and ‘state of this!’ have gotten up to 7.8 million views each.
Dan shared this photo of a newbuild garden prior to turf being laid, which overlooks a neighbouring property
The videos of the highly symmetrical gardens have strongly divided viewers, who have viewed the videos over 10 million times on TikTok
Many argued that people criticising the homes are being snobbish towards what is simple but effective gardening
His videos showcase numerous rows of perfectly maintained, wooden-fenced, astro-turfed properties with yellow-paving patios abutting one another, accompanied by captions like ‘What were they thinking?’ and ‘Another new build…shame about the gardens!’
Whilst Dan is clear about what side of the fence he sits on, his videos have users strongly divided.
The most popular video on Dan’s account, boasting 7.8 million views, offers a panoramic view of the freshly landscaped area from a bedroom window, accompanied by the remark: ‘can’t believe they do this’.
One viewer commented: ‘My bet is 90% of those houses contain a grey crushed velvet sofa’ and another: ‘concrete jungle where dreams are made of’.
Others pointed out the practical problems that might arise from such a mirrored design, asking: ‘When the ball gets kicked over you don’t know whose house it has gone to’ and another posting: ‘imagine one fence setting on fire, you’re all gonners.’
But many argued that people were merely being snobbish towards what is simple but effective designing.
Users commented beneath one video with nearly 40k likes: ‘I’d live there happily’ and: ‘Every football kid’s dream’.
Another said: ‘I’d live in one of them, rather have a roof over my head than be homeless.’
Dan stands by his criticism of the newbuild estates and told the Daily Mail he thought most of them were ‘diabolical’
Dan shared a clip of these newbuild homes backing onto a dual carriageway
Dan described the way newbuild homes are designed and constrcuted as ‘madness’
A consistent theme that crops up in the enraged comments are the houses’ similarity to a high security prison complex.
One user called the house: ‘HMP New Build’ and another puzzled viewer asking: ‘Is it some kind of minimum security prison complex???’
Many also pointed out the soullessness and lack of variation.
One user even pointed out the builder might be to blame, saying: ‘Not buying the right new build! Who’s the construction firm? Bob the Builders Ltd!’
Married father of two Dan said his own home is thankfully different from the newbuilds he comments on.
He said:’I live in an old 1950s house that I’m changing, modernising with a drive, good-size garden overlooking a playing field – happy days.
‘I don’t know why my videos went on a mad one, people just like to chat, argue and moan I suppose.’
