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SNAGGING AND QUALITY HOUSE BUILDERS

This is a standardised list and may not fully apply to your type of property. This checklist is for a traditionally built (brick & block) house. Many of the items may be relevant for other forms of construction. However the list should not be regarded as complete and relevance will depend on the style, finish and specification of your new home.

Brickwork

External wall finishes

External paintwork

Gutters and downpipes

Garage

Garden

Drives and Paths

Walls, Fencing and gates

Roof Tiling

It is normal to use abbreviations and most tradesmen are familiar with the following:

Outside the home:

Brickwork

Are the bricks of a consistent batch? This is very difficult to remedy; however it is possible for the builder to employ a brick doctor who can tint individual bricks to blend-in any colour batching.
Are there any major areas of salt deposits on the brickwork? This is normal and should disappear over time. However excessive salt deposits (efflorescence) should be cleaned off with a pressure hose.
Is the brickwork clean and free from major chips and mortar splashes? All mortar splashes should be cleaned off by high pressure hosing or using brick (acid) cleaner or both.
Are the mortar joints evenly sized and finished? Is the colour of the joints consistent? Check the hardness of the mortar by trying to dig out a joint with a key.
Check the condition of stone heads, cills or quoins. Are they free from damage? They can be repaired, but this is not always invisible and any damaged stonework may need replacing.
Is the overall appearance of the brickwork acceptable? Bed joints level, perp joints plumb, and bonding regular.
Are the soldier courses (brick on end) above window and door openings plumb (both ways) and clean?
Have all the joints to the brickwork been filled? (putlog scaffold, profile irons at corners etc)
Are weep vents fitted each time a cavity is bridged? Over lintels above window openings and doorways and above airbricks and built-in meter boxes. These should be evenly spaced and at 450mm centres (every two bricks)
Is there a continuous DPC two courses (150mm) above surrounding ground level?
Are airbrick ventilators fitted to suspended ground floors? These should be at 2 metre centres on two opposite sides. They are normally located one course below dpc level.
Are meter boxes fitted correctly? (not loose) Is the meter box clean and undamaged inside and out?
Are the expansion joints in the brickwork sealed with mastic?
Have penetrations to the brickwork been made good and pointed? (At overflow pipes, extractor outlets and boiler flues.)

Other External wall finishes

Is self-coloured rendering smooth and even, undamaged and unmarked?
Has render been cleaned off all other surfaces?
Is vertical tiling damaged and misplaced?
Is timber cladding adequately fixed and properly decorated or stained?
Is PVCu cladding adequately fixed and clean?

External Paintwork

Has a topcoat been applied to all painted surfaces; and is the finish to a satisfactory standard?
Have the window cills been finished off, including exposed undersides of the sill and ends?
Have any factory applied finishes been damaged.... Guarantee?
Has excess or spilled paint been removed from glazing and/or brickwork?

External pipes/ drainage

Do the gutters appear secure, have an adequate fall and are they falling in the right direction?
Are the rain water downpipes plumb (vertical) and adequately fixed? (min 2m centres)
Are all the rain water components in place? (ie gutter stop ends).
Are the rain water goods clean, not scratched and free from sticky labels?
Are there any visible leaks or blockages?
Are manhole covers level with the surrounding surfaces - and do they fit properly?
Manhole covers should be screwed down where fixing is provided.
Small ‘dustbin’ manholes should not be more than 1 metre deep.
Are rodding-eyes positioned at end of drain runs?
All pipework exiting the building should be sealed to prevent water ingress.
Copper pipework passing through brickwork should be sleeved to avoid contact with mortar.
Have all the extractor terminals been fitted?

Garages

Is the garage at least 2.5m wide x 5m deep and large enough for your car?
Do garage doors open and shut properly?
Are the locks insurance approved? Have you got all the keys?
Is the garage free from all debris and builders' rubbish and mortar droppings?
Have restraint straps and truss clips to the garage roof been fitted and fixed?
If the garage is integral, has the ceiling been double-boarded with any gaps to the wall junction sealed with intumescent mastic? Has the boarded ceiling been decorated?
Have internal brick piers been completely built?
Check bracing in roof is adequate.
Test any lights and sockets.
Is the garage alarmed?
Is the floor finish acceptable? Lightly tamped, or float or brush finished concrete.
Is the floor level? It should fall 75mm from rear to front.
Are door frames fixed and sealed correctly? Have they been fully decorated including the back face?

Drives and Pathways

Is any paving cracked?
Are paths and patios level, safe and do not have any rocking slabs? (check by standing on diagonal corners and rocking.)
Are drives and pathways completed? Do they fall away from the property?
Are they 150mm below DPC level?
Are the surfaces flat and even?
Does the gradient and access of the drive/path allow for clear access?
Does the drive allow for water to run off?
Are all drain gulleys and channels clear of debris and connected to drainage or soakaways?

Gardens

Has debris and builders' rubbish been completely removed?
Is there at least 150mm of spread and levelled out topsoil?
Is the rear garden free from weeds and rotovated?
Where specified, has planting of the garden areas been completed?
Are all trees staked?
Is the turf laid on a well-prepared, level surface?
Is the planting as per the approved scheme in planning?
Is grass turf still alive and been sufficiently watered prior to inspection?

Walls, Fences and Gates

Are boundary walls complete, with no gaps?
Are all walls perpendicular and straight?
Have movement joints been incorporated in long stretches of walling every 6 metres?
Have movement joints been sealed with mastic both sides of the wall?
Are fences secure, do they move at the base? Are any panels or posts split or damaged?
Are outside gates fitted and in working order with bolts and catches?

The Roof

Do any of the tiles/slates look damaged or misplaced?
Is the roof correctly ventilated? Look for a grill in the soffit board.
Are hip irons used?
Does the workmanship appear acceptable?
Is the ridge tiling level and straight?
Is the pointing to verges and valleys smooth and free of gaps?
Are the plastic valleys clean and free from mortar?
Are lead flashings between roof and brickwork abutments neatly trimmed, clean and pointed?
Is the chimney built at the correct height with two lead trays? Are they clean and pointed in?
Is the terminal fitted and the correct type for type of fire?
Are verge clips fitted, where required?
Have Velux or similar roof windows (where fitted) been correctly installed with the correct flashing kit?
Is the PVCu fascia and soffit boarding complete?
Are there any gaps where birds may access?
Has all plastic protection been removed?
Are all joint cover trims fitted and is it clean?

Other

Have all the window and door frame surrounds been sealed neatly with mastic?
Have the undersides of window cills also been sealed? (Often missed!)
Has all the front door ironmongery been fitted along with postal numbering? (if specified)
Does the door bell work?
Have all gaps under door frames been filled?
Have the door thresholds been fully decorated?
Is the mobility threshold free from damage?
Has the outside (hose union bib tap) tap been fitted?
Check that all outside lights have been fitted and work.
Is the main footpath and road access to the property safe for your family?