If I buy a new car or a piece of high-tech wizardry I'll receive a
user guide. But if I buy a much more expensive item like a house I get
sweet FA. If anyone asked me where the pipes and cables are routed in
my house I wouldn't have a clue. It would be a case of lifting
floorboards to locate the buggers.

So why don't we get a detailed specification of the entire property?

I didn't know until three years after moving in that my loft has a
hidden aerial booster tucked away. No one told me, least of all the
builder. It was just screwed to a joist, waiting to be connected.

When I needed a replacement ball valve for the toilet cistern, I had
to dismantle the cistern to match the part. No user guide to say e.g.
"The toilet cistern in this property is made by Armitage Shanks with
the model number XYZ. A replacement ball valve has part number 123."

So why do we "take delivery" of our most expensive purchase and then
it's a magical mystery tour where the onus is on us to find out what
we need to know?

MM