Friday 14 October 2022 09:46 AM Psychologist who spent £1.2m on eco-house sues builder and architect trends now
A psychologist who spent £1.2m building an eco-house where she could meditate in peace is suing, claiming 'defects' including 'exploding' glass panels and a green roof she can't reach to water have driven her 'almost mad'.
Brenda Vainker and her lawyer husband, Francois are suing builders and architects, claiming their specially commissioned luxury eco dream home is 'unfit for habitation'.
The couple had a vision of their house in affluent Strawberry Hill, south west London, as a calm space for them and their two adult children, London's High Court heard, with Mrs Vainker dreaming of 'an environmentally-friendly, modern house, using modern building techniques for her retirement years'.
Mrs Vainker was clear to her architect, Steve Clifton, that the new-build 'had to have natural light and space in a calm and peaceful environment to enable her to practise meditation', the couple's lawyers told the court.
Mrs Vainker was clear the house 'had to have natural light and space in a calm and peaceful environment to enable her to practise meditation'
But instead of the home of her dreams, Mrs Vainker says she ended up moving into a house that drove her 'almost mad' due to problems including glass panels around the terrace starting to 'explode' without warning in 2017.
The couple also claim their state of their art green roof cannot be reached for watering and has 'no safe access' and say the house was so 'airless' they struggled to sleep there.
They are now suing builders, Marbank Construction Ltd, and SCD Architects claiming around £1m in compensation.
But the house builders are vigorously defending the claim, calling it 'absurd' and 'bound to fail'.
The couple had a vision of their house (pictured) in affluent Strawberry Hill, south west London, as a calm space for them and their two adult children
The court heard that Mr Vainker, now 70, and his wife were on the verge of retiring in 2013 when they commissioned the building of the 5,000 foot-square five-bedroom house is in Walpole Gardens, Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, where homes commonly change hands for over £3m.
They planned to throw all their family finances into the £1,246,725 project, which was designed to be steeped in light and space, with a living green roof made up of herb plug plants.
But since both husband and wife were stopping working it was 'crucial' that the construction should keep to budget, explained their barrister Daniel Crowley.
Mrs Vainker was clear the house 'had to have natural light and space in a calm and peaceful environment to enable her to practise meditation' and was also keen that their new home should be 'easy to maintain and suitable for the needs of someone growing older', the barrister said.
But instead of the home of her dreams Mrs Vainker ended up moving into a house that drove her 'almost mad' due to its alleged multiple defects - including a chronic lack of air and a glass panel on the first floor terrace which 'exploded' without warning in 2017.
'A second panel exploded shortly afterwards, followed by two more in 2018 and a fifth panel in 2020,' said Mr Crowley.
'The broken glass did not simply 'explode' over the first floor terrace, but spread to the ground floor terrace as well, rendering both the first floor terrace and ground floor terrace dangerous and unsafe.
'There are myriad defects at the House caused by Marbank and/or SCD. The defects render the house as a whole, unfit for habitation,' their barrister told the court.
Brenda Vainker and her lawyer husband, Francois are suing builders and architects
Due to the strain of life there Mrs Vainker had to seek counselling to cope with stress and ended up moving out into rented accommodation, explained the couple's barrister.
'Mrs Vainker had consulted a psychiatrist in respect of her anxiety as to the safety of the house,' said her barrister highlighting the 'resulting effects
