You might have heard of phrases like snagging, first fix and second fix, but what do they actually mean? If it is the first time you’ve been involved in a renovation, then you might have to get used to some new jargon. You will soon notice that, despite your tradesmen’s varied roles, the people involved in the project use a set of common phrases to describe stages of the build. Take some time to understand these and you’ll be better equipped to follow the timeline of your build. SkyLofts have put together a little dictionary of terms that may come up during your loft conversion.
First Fix
The first fix basically includes everything in the first stage of the build, up to and including the plastering.
Depending on the scale of your loft conversion, this will most likely include all of the main construction: Steelwork, floors, walls, and ceilings. The other two main elements of this stage of the build are water and electrics: the electrician will ensure all the cables are in place for your electrical supply, whilst the plumber will sort out all of the pipework, ready for your water supply.
The first fix is probably the most complicated to coordinate. SkyLofts are there to ensure that tradesmen work together with electricians and plumbers, making sure that all the elements of your build are done efficiently and in a timely way. Will the electrician be ready to put the cables in once the walls are built? Will the plasterers be ready to finish the walls when the cables are in? Sometimes it can only take one element in the chain to slow down the whole timing plan. SkyLofts managing your conversion will mean you do not have to worry about this as they are highly experienced in the step by step process of loft conversion stages.
Second Fix
The second fix can be thought of as everything from the plastering until the finished project.
For your electrician, this will include wiring plug sockets, light fixtures, and other integrated electrics. For your plumber, it will mean connecting sinks, baths, loos and showers to the pipes. Builders, carpenters, and specialised trades will put in new hard flooring or carpets, hang doors and leave your loft conversion ready for decoration.
After the dirty work, it’s time for painting, papering, tiling and other interior design work. It’s this decoration that will suddenly transform your loft conversion into a liveable space.
You might think that your conversion ends here, but your project is not completed until it has been thoroughly checked. This checking and fixing is called snagging.
Snagging
When everything is finished according to the paperwork, then it’s time for you and your SkyLofts project manager to take a detailed look at every aspect of the work done and produce a list of ‘snags’. The snagging list will include any defects in quality of the finished work such as simple decoration niggles.
This is your chance to make sure that absolutely everything is how you want it. Is the finish exactly what you asked for? Does every single plug socket, window lock, and door handle work the way it should? Is the paintwork and tiling up to scratch? The snag list should be as detailed as possible and should include a note of who is responsible for each snag, together with an estimate of the time it will take to fix it.
When choosing SkyLofts this final step of the conversion should not cause you too much worry, as we pride ourselves on project management throughout the whole process leaving your snagging list as short as possible.
Interested in having a loft conversion in Hampshire, Surrey or South West London? Please contact SkyLofts on 01252 500872 or email info@skylofts.co.uk to get started on your ‘first fix’