a house that is poorly constructed

[alpacinou]

I want to talk about a house that is poorly constructed. Can I use "jerry-built"? Is it common?

Is this correct and natural?

The brand-new apartment he has bought is a jerry-built. It's obvious the developer was looking for a quick buck and cut all sorts of corners.

 

[Rover_KE]

Yes.

 

[5jj]

The brand-new apartment he has bought is [STRIKE]a[/STRIKE] jerry-built.

Jerry-built is an adjective, not a noun.

 

[tedmc]

That is a new word for me being in the field of housing construction. I think the adjective "shoddy" is more common, or "built with shoddy/substandard/poor workmanship".

 

[emsr2d2]

That is a new word for me being in the field of housing construction. I think the adjective "shoddy" is more common, or "built with shoddy/substandard/poor workmanship".

It's pretty common in BrE.

 

[5jj]

... and has been for many years.