Modelling of owner‐occupiers' perception of small‐scale maintenance builders' performance – part II

Abstract

This paper sets out to explore and detect underlying causes to increasing uncertainty and lack of transparency in the home maintenance sector. The study gives an account of owner‐occupiers' experience on the standards of work they encounter with small‐scale domestic traders. Part I, in a previous issue, focused on the consensus ranking of 13 building maintenance standards or attributes that owner‐occupiers expect from builders (Xbmas) while part II focuses on the contrast between expectations and the actual maintenance setbacks observed from builders (Obmas) and which are a source of displeasure among owner‐occupiers. The application of nonparametric statistical techniques enabled the study to detect consensus on what defines expectations and how these differ from observed standards. An understanding of this disparity could be essential information for existing builders, new entrants into the home maintenance sector and inform housing regeneration professionals and agencies involved in the architecture and management of schemes for small‐scale builders.

Improvement‐led home maintenance strategies and quality expectations

“…Many proponents for a rational housing regeneration agenda also recognise the efficacy of pro‐maintenance and refurbishment themes as being critical to the treatment of housing, more so in areas that are polarised with pockets of poor and badly neglected housing. Yet still, at the owner‐occupier level, repair and maintenance actions among owner‐occupiers are expressively improvement and refurbishment‐led both in scope and character (Kangwa and Olubodun, 2003a; 2004a, b) DETR, 2000a ; Kangwa, 2005). It equally, notable from housing regeneration literature that, within the description of owner‐occupiers' maintenance decision process, ineffective diagnosis and prognosis of house defects is not only widespread (Kangwa and Olubodun, 2005) but chronic (Singh, 1994; Watt, 1999).…”

Triggernomic Repair Process Analysis (TRAP)

“…It is also notable from literature that, within the description of owner-occupiers' repair and maintenance decision process, ineffective diagnosis and prognosis of house defects is not only widespread (Leather and Mackintosh, 1994) but chronic (Singh, 1994a(Singh, , 1994bWatt, 1999) and in the current climate, inevitable (Marsh, 1983;Kangwa, 2005). Studies by Kangwa and Olubodun (2004a, 2004b, 2005 suggest that technical skills-knowledge limitations appear to manifest whenever owner-occupiers are prompted to interpret what constitutes repair or maintenance actions over and above having to attribute their underlying causation (Kangwa and Olubodun, 2003b).…”