Snagging Survey Coleraine

A proper snagging inspection goes far beyond a quick walk-through with the site manager. We check the finish of paint and plaster, but we also test doors, windows, sockets, sealant lines and visible joins between materials. On a modular or timber-frame scheme like Colemans Green, a small tolerance issue can show up in several rooms at once, so we document each one with photos and room notes.

The items buyers most often miss are the ones a solicitor would never spot. A door may close but not latch, a window may shut but still leak air, and sockets can sit just off square on a newly decorated wall. In apartments at Lodge Gardens or New Market Street, that same eye also looks at kitchen fit, balcony thresholds, acoustic details and the condition of shared areas that are still within the developer's control.

We also separate the bigger defects from the smaller cosmetic ones. Fire stopping, ventilation, drainage falls and structural cracks beyond normal shrinkage need to be called out clearly, not buried halfway down a list of minor marks on plaster. External work is part of the job too, so we note garden levels, paths, boundary treatment, drive finishes and the way water is moving away from the building.

• Paint and plaster defects
• Doors not closing or latching
• Windows not sealing properly
• Missing sealant and poor mastic lines
• Uneven floors and lifted trims
• Badly fitted kitchens
• Electrical sockets out of square
• Drainage and garden level issues

Coleraine has a mixed new-build profile, and that mix changes the snagging work. Hagan Homes is building 84 homes at Colemans Green on Burn Road, with modular construction and high-spec insulation and glazing, while Braidwater Homes is linked to Wattstown Manor beside Knockbracken in the Mountsandel and Wattstown area. In another part of town, Radius Housing and Clanmil are involved in apartment-led schemes at Circular Road and New Market Street, so we see both house and flat defects across BT52.

The town also needs a close eye on water movement. Coleraine has at least seven significant flood events recorded since 1870, and the 2016 flood inundated 24 buildings. The Young-Robertson Street drain system, Bryan Creek and the River Bann all show up in local flood risk discussions, and Coleraine is classed as a flash flooding area with an estimated effective warning time of just 3 to 5 hours during a large event. That makes external levels, paving falls, airbrick positions and threshold details more than a paperwork exercise.

Planning conditions can matter just as much as the bricks and plaster. The proposed scheme at 46 to 52 Portstewart Road was tied to a flood risk assessment that kept the new buildings outside the floodplain, with only shared open space within it, so drainage and landscaping deserve a close look once the build is complete. Coleraine's heritage side matters too, with about 931 listed buildings across Causeway Coast and Glens Borough and a town heritage guide launched in May 2026, which means new work often sits close to older masonry that needs careful junction detailing.

Timber-frame and modular build methods are common in the local pipeline, and they create snag patterns of their own. We often see joint cracking, missing sealant, trim gaps and slight misalignment at doors or windows where components meet on site. Apartment schemes add another layer, with fire stopping, ventilation, service penetrations and acoustic seals needing proper checking before the defects period slips away.