Snagging Survey Shillingford St. George

Our Level 3 snagging survey provides an exhaustive examination of every accessible area of your new-build property, identifying defects that builders should rectify before handover. We inspect the structural elements including walls, floors, ceilings, and roofs, as well as the building envelope, insulation, and damp proofing. Our inspectors examine joinery such as doors, windows, and staircases, checking for proper fitting, operation, and finish. We also assess plumbing installations, electrical systems, heating, and ventilation to ensure everything meets current building regulations.

The external elements receive equal attention during our snagging inspections. We examine roof coverings, chimney stacks, fascias, soffits, and guttering for defects or incomplete work. Walls, windows, doors, and external joinery are checked for damage, poor installation, or substandard materials. We inspect driveways, paths, boundaries, and landscaping to ensure these have been completed to the specification in your contract. Our inspectors also look for issues with drainage, including proper fall on gullies and functional soakaways, which are particularly important given Devon's variable climate and occasional heavy rainfall.

We document every defect with photographs and provide a detailed report that categorises issues by severity, from minor cosmetic snags to major structural concerns. This report becomes your powerful negotiating tool, allowing you to request that the builder addresses specific problems before completion or negotiate a financial settlement if issues are resolved after you move in. Our reports follow RICS guidelines and are accepted by major housebuilders and warranty providers including NHBC, LABC Warranty, and Premier Guarantee.

Given the local geology in parts of Devon, we pay particular attention to drainage and foundations. Properties built on clay soils can experience movement, and we check for signs of subsidence or heave that may indicate inadequate foundation design or drainage issues. Our inspectors understand how local ground conditions can affect new-build properties and ensure your survey includes assessment of these site-specific factors.

Shillingford St. George sits within Teignbridge district and benefits from its proximity to Exeter while maintaining a peaceful village character. The village features a designated Conservation Area covering approximately 2.9 hectares, protecting its historic architecture including 14 listed buildings. This heritage setting means that any new-build developments in the area must carefully respect traditional building styles and materials, though it also means that developers may face additional planning conditions that can affect construction quality and timelines.

While our research identified no active new-build developments directly within Shillingford St. George's village boundaries, significant housing growth is occurring in surrounding areas. The proposed developments at Markhams Farm (727 homes) and Peamore (933 homes) are currently in the planning consultation phase for Teignbridge's Draft Local Plan (2020-2040). The Peamore site falls partly within Shillingford St. George Parish, and the local parish council has expressed concerns about the scale and impact of these proposals. Should these developments proceed, they will bring new-build properties to the area that would benefit from professional snagging inspections.

For buyers considering new properties in nearby Exeter, Alphington, or other settlements within easy reach of Shillingford St. George, our snagging survey service extends throughout the region. Recent developments such as St Leonards Quarter in Exeter, Haldon Reach in Alphington, and Brook Manor in Exeter represent the types of new housing that local buyers are considering, and these properties benefit from the same thorough defect identification that our surveys provide.

The Exeter and Alphington areas have seen considerable development in recent years, with new housing estates often constructed rapidly to meet demand. This pace of construction can sometimes lead to quality control issues, making independent snagging surveys particularly valuable. Our team has experience inspecting properties from all the major regional developers and understands the typical defect patterns that emerge from different building teams and construction methods used in this part of Devon.

Our inspectors have extensive experience identifying defects specific to new-build properties in the Devon region. One of the most common issues we encounter is inadequate ventilation in bathrooms and kitchens, where extractor fans may be undersized or poorly connected to external vents. Given Devon's relatively high rainfall and humidity levels, poor ventilation can quickly lead to mould growth and condensation damage that may not be immediately visible during a walk-through inspection.

Another frequent finding relates to thermal bridging and insulation gaps, particularly in properties built using modern timber-frame methods with brick outer skins. Our inspectors use thermal imaging equipment where appropriate to identify cold spots that indicate missing or compressed insulation. These thermal bridges not only reduce energy efficiency, driving up heating costs, but can also create conditions conducive to damp and mould growth, particularly in north-facing rooms that receive less natural warmth from sunlight.

We also commonly find issues with window and door installations, including poorly adjusted hinges and locks, damaged sealants, and frames that are not correctly squared within their openings. In properties with larger glazed areas, which are popular in modern designs to maximise natural light, we frequently identify seals that have been damaged during construction cleaning or that have gaps allowing drafts and water ingress. These defects may seem minor individually but can significantly impact comfort and energy efficiency over time.

Flooring issues rank among our most frequently documented defects, including uneven floor levels, squeaky floorboards from inadequate nailing or improper subfloor preparation, and laminate or engineered wood flooring that has been laid without appropriate expansion gaps at walls and door thresholds. In newer properties, we also see problems with damp proof membranes, particularly in ground floor slab constructions where the DPM may be damaged or not continuous at floor-wall junctions, leading to damp issues that can be expensive to remediate once flooring is laid.