The First 30 Days: Building a Snagging List for a New Capsule Home

A snagging list is simply a written record of the small defects, adjustments and unfinished items that surface once a unit is actually being used. Running one properly in the first 30 days is the cheapest quality control you will ever do: everything is fresh, nobody is arguing about cause, and the installer is still on site or still nearby. The alternative - reporting issues informally over months, in separate messages, with no photographs - is how small items turn into difficult conversations. Requirements may vary by application, market and applicable standard.

Why the First Month Matters

A new unit has not yet been through a full cycle of use. The first month is when the things that only appear under real conditions show up.

• Seasoning movements. Materials settle, seals bed in and fixings relax slightly after transport and set-down.
• System behaviour. Heating, ventilation, plumbing and controls only reveal their settings once occupied day and night.
• Water paths. The first real rain shows where water actually goes, which is not always where the drawing said.
• User interaction. Doors, locks, blinds and appliances get used in ways a commissioning walk-through does not replicate.
• Contractual windows. Many supply agreements have defined periods for reporting defects; the clock starts on handover, not on discovery.

What Counts as a Snag

Keep the list to genuine defects and unfinished items. Broadening it to include preferences weakens it.

Category	Examples	Usually logged as
Finish damage	Scratched panel, chipped worktop edge, scuffed frame	Defect - photograph and log at once
Adjustment	Door not latching, drawer out of alignment, blind stiff	Adjustment - often resolved on the first visit
Sealing	Gap at a joint, seal not seated, weep path blocked	Defect - prioritise if water is involved
Systems	Heater short-cycling, extract fan noisy, hot water slow to recover	Performance item - log with conditions observed
Incomplete work	Missing trim, unconnected fitting, transit fixings still in place	Outstanding item - check against the specification
Documentation	Missing manual, drawing, or maintenance schedule	Administrative - easy to forget, easy to close
Not a snag	Colour preference, layout regret, optional item not ordered	Record separately; do not mix with defects

How to Log an Item So It Can Be Closed

An item that cannot be verified later is an item that will be re-argued. Six fields are enough.

• Reference number and date logged.
• Location: unit identifier and the specific element - "wet room door, closing edge".
• Description: what is wrong, observed, not inferred. "Door does not latch when released from open."
• Photograph: one wide shot for context and one close shot for detail.
• Conditions: weather, temperature, whether the unit was occupied.
• Status: open, scheduled, fixed, verified - with a date for each change.

Prioritise by Consequence, Not by Annoyance

A visible scratch bothers everyone; a small sealing gap costs more. Rank by consequence.

• Priority 1 - safety or water ingress. Anything affecting occupant safety, electrical integrity, gas, or water entering the envelope. Address immediately and keep the unit out of service until resolved if needed.
• Priority 2 - function. A system that does not do its job: heating, hot water, sanitation, locking, ventilation.
• Priority 3 - finish and adjustment. Cosmetic damage and alignment issues that do not affect use.
• Priority 4 - documentation and spares. Important for the asset record, but not urgent.

Within each priority, group related items. One visit that fixes six things in the same area is far cheaper than six visits.

A Four-Week Rhythm

• Week 1 - walk and log. Full walk-through with the list structure already set up. Log everything, including minor items, before you forget them.
• Week 2 - observe under load. Run the unit as it will be used: showers, cooking, heating overnight, doors cycled. Log what appears.
• Week 3 - send the consolidated list. One document, grouped by priority, with photographs. One consolidated list is taken more seriously than eleven messages.
• Week 4 - fix and verify. Attend or receive evidence of the fix, then close each item with a date and a photograph.

If a first rain event or a cold snap falls in this window, add a targeted check afterwards. Both reveal things a mild, dry week will not.

Who Should Walk the Unit, and When

A snagging walk is only as good as the person doing it. Ideally it happens more than once, with different people involved.

• The installer's own walk. Before handover, working from the specification rather than from memory.
• The buyer's walk. With the packing list and the order in hand, checking what was actually supplied.
• A cleaning or housekeeping walk. The person who will turn the unit around sees surfaces, corners and storage that nobody else does.
• A guest's-eye walk. Someone who has not seen the unit before looking at it as a place to stay, not as a product to inspect.
• A timed walk. Deliberately scheduled after the first rain, the first cold night, or the first full day of occupancy.

Each of those finds a different class of item, and none of them takes long. Two people walking for twenty minutes will usually find more than one person walking for an hour.

Working With the Supplier

The tone of the process affects the outcome more than most people expect.

• Send one list, not many messages. Consolidated, numbered, with photographs.
• Describe the symptom, not the cause. "Water appears at the threshold after rain" is more useful than "the sealant is wrong".
• Agree who fixes what. Items caused during transport, during installation and on site are often different responsibilities; establish that early.
• Agree a response time per priority. Written, even informally, before the list goes out.
• Confirm the warranty boundary. What is covered, for how long, and what the claim route is.
• Close items in writing. A closed item with a date is the record you need if the same thing recurs in year two.

Two Mistakes to Avoid

Both are common and both are avoidable.

• Doing your own repairs before reporting. An adjustment made in good faith can make the original cause impossible to establish, and can complicate a warranty claim. Report first, photograph, then agree who fixes it.
• Waiting until the list is complete before sending anything. A priority 1 item should go out the day it is found. Consolidation is for priority 3 and 4 items, not for anything affecting safety or water.

A third, quieter mistake is never closing the list. An open item with no status is an item nobody owns, and it will resurface at the worst possible moment.

After the 30 Days

• Keep the closed list with the asset file. It becomes the history if a recurring issue appears later.
• Fold recurring patterns into the next specification. If three units show the same adjustment, that is a specification or installation lesson.
• Fold the checks into routine maintenance. The items you logged once are the items worth inspecting seasonally.
• Keep the documentation pack complete. Manuals and drawings belong with the unit, not in someone's inbox.

A snagging list is not an adversarial document. Done properly it is a shared record that gets small problems fixed while they are still small - which is exactly the point of doing it in the first 30 days.