Andover Snagging Survey

A snagging inspection picks up the things buyers notice first on sites such as East Anton and Picket Twenty, then the faults that only show up once a property is used properly. Paint misses, plaster ripples, damaged trims, silicone gaps, and scuffed joinery all go on the report. So do doors that do not latch cleanly, windows that do not seal, sockets that are out of square, and kitchen units that sit badly against one another.

We also document construction defects that are easy to miss in a quick handover walkaround. Uneven floors, gaps in skirting, badly finished stair details, poor garden levels, drainage that does not fall away as it should, and loose external fittings are all common snagging items. On a fresh plot at Harewood Farm or any of the larger Test Valley schemes, those problems are often hidden by a tidy first impression.

Some defects go beyond finish and into compliance. Missing fire-stopping, weak ventilation, drainage falls that are wrong, or cracking that looks more than shrinkage all need separate attention. A buyer's solicitor will check the paperwork, but not whether the bath edge has been sealed properly or whether a roof vent is fitted where it should be.

• Paint and plaster defects
• Doors not closing or latching
• Windows not sealing
• Missing or poor sealant
• Sockets and switches out of square
• Kitchen fitting tolerances
• Uneven floors and skewed skirting
• Poor garden levels
• Fire-stopping and ventilation issues

The local pipeline matters here. East Anton, Picket Twenty, Picket Piece, and Harewood Farm show how Andover has been built out in phases, and Test Valley Borough Council has also proposed land for over 2,500 houses around Bere Hill and Finkley Down Farm. That mix usually means repeated house types, repeated joinery packages, and repeated small faults that a proper snagging inspection will catch from plot to plot.

Ground conditions matter too. Much of the Andover district sits on the Chalk Group, which can be affected by dissolution and irregular rockhead, while clay-rich Palaeogene strata can carry shrink-swell risk. On a new plot, that can show up later as hairline cracking, settlement around drainage runs, or movement where fresh landscaping and thin topsoil have not bedded in properly.

Flooding is another local issue we do not ignore. Council data points to groundwater flooding in surrounding villages such as Appleshaw, Hatherden, Penton Mewsey, Redenham, Weyhill Bottom, Kimpton, Amport, and Monxton, and Southern Water records from 1999-2003 identified seven flood locations around Andover, including Anna Valley, Kimpton, Goodworth Clatford, Monxton, and Enham Alamein. New-build drainage, garden falls, and external thresholds deserve a close look in that context.

There is also a heritage edge to the town. Andover has a conservation area covering parts of the centre and several Grade II listed buildings, so developments on the edge of older streets often need neat boundary treatment, careful surfacing, and better drainage detailing than a rushed site handover sometimes delivers. The town's largest employer is the Ministry of Defence, with Portway Business Park and Walworth Business Park adding more pressure for modern housing, which is one reason the quality of finish matters so much.