Snags to look out for in a new build

Buying a new build home comes with many benefits, and there’s just something about moving into a home that’s never been lived in before. You’ve got a blank canvas to decorate in any way you like, you’ve selected the finishes that match your style and you’re ready to make your house a home.

While everything might look perfect on the surface, you could find that your dream home has a number of issues that need to be rectified. Whether you find minor snags yourself or you’ve hired a professional snagger to put together a comprehensive snagging list, it’s important to find them before it’s too late.

In this article, we’ll look at the top snags you should look for when you buy a new home.

What are the most common snags?

Snagging issues include both minor and major faults. Minor snags are those which are usually cosmetic and stem from poor workmanship, from chipped paintwork and scratched kitchen worktops to missing fittings or water staining. Major snags can completely affect your ability to move into your new home and include problems like dampness, leaking, faulty appliances, incorrectly installed fittings or even a lack of power supply.

Building work snags

Building work snags refers to any structural or finishing snags that have occurred. These types of snags should be spotted by your housebuilder on their final inspection, but they are often missed due to tight deadlines and pressure on site managers to sign the homes off. Common snags include:

• Damage to external brickwork or pointing

• Faulty window or door installation

• Missing ducts to fans or vents

• Blocked guttering

• Missing or improperly installed insulation

Plumbing snags

It is your housebuilder’s responsibility to ensure any tradesperson they have on site is fully competent and can finish jobs to a high standard. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case and many of the most common snags come in the form of plumbing jobs. Here are a few to look out for:

• Missing grout or broken tiles

• Leaking pipes

• Shoddy or missing sealant around the bath or other bathroom appliances

• Missing fittings or errors with finishes like the wrong taps or shower set

Electrical snags

Electrical snags can have a serious impact if they’re not spotted early on. Usually, your site manager, or at least your inspector, will be able to spot serious electrical faults right away. However, sometimes things can be missed, like the following snags:

• Missing or poor fitting finishes like light switches or sockets

• Faulty electrical items

• Switches or sockets fitted in the wrong place

Carpentry snags

Carpentry and joinery are two occupations associated with high-quality craftsmanship. But when it comes to the carpentry in your new build, you might find that some corners have been cut. Be sure to check for the following carpentry snags when you move in:

• Chipped woodwork

• Poor craftsmanship

• Errors with the finished internal and external doors

Painting & decorating snags

Usually, it’s pretty clear to see when painting and decorating jobs have gone wrong. Most people can see bleeding paint or rough plastering finishes in an instant, however, they don’t always get picked up in a final inspection. The following snags are some of the most commonly found painting and decorating snags in new builds:

• Rough plastering

• Poorly finished paintwork

• Finished colours not compatible with agreed colours

Landscaping snags

While most snags are found inside the house, landscaping snags are also often a feature in many snagging reports. Gardens are usually the last things to be finished on a new build, and if your house builder is close to a reporting deadline, they might cut corners on your landscaping. Common landscaping snags include:

• Missing turf

• Mislaid slabs

• Sub-standard ground preparation

While these are some of the most common issues found in a new build home, the list is not exhaustive. There are hundreds of elements in a new build that could pave the way for problems. That’s why it’s important to look out for specific faults and bring in a professional snagging company to give you peace of mind and ensure every nook and cranny has been surveyed.

What should I do when I’ve found a snag?

Whether you’re edging closer to your completion date or you’ve already moved into your new home, it is the responsibility of your housebuilder to rectify any issues you come across within the first two years. It doesn’t matter if you find these snags yourself, or you’ve had a full snagging inspection completed, they must fix snags in your home.

When you’re happy that you’ve got a list of snags that need to be corrected, you will need to follow the customer care procedures that are usually laid out in your welcome pack.

This process usually involves you getting in touch with your customer care representative who will then arrange for your snagging list to be passed on to either the site manager or a member of the housebuilding team. They will often then liaise with you directly to arrange a time for the issues to be rectified.

This is the ideal scenario. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always go like this. Sometimes housebuilders will make it difficult for you to have any mistakes fixed. If your housebuilder refuses to fix the snags you have found, and you’re still within your warranty period, you will need to establish why these problems cannot be fixed.

Most housebuilders will fix snags that have not been completed to building regulations and regulatory standards, however, others will only cover you for certain snags. If you are still having problems, you will need to speak to more senior members at your housebuilder or liaise directly with NHBC.

Booking a snagging inspection

We all know that prevention is better than cure, but when it’s out of our hands, information is the best tool we have. Informed home owners know everything about their property, including areas for improvement and issues which should not be there.

Booking a snagging survey to be carried out at your home is the best way to ensure your new house is the quality you have paid for. A professional home snagger has experience in identifying hundreds of different types of snags that could have detrimental effects if they are not rectified.

Book an inspection with Shropshire Home Snagging online today.