Walls & Ceilings snags

The category where 'normal settlement' gets quoted the most — knowing what's tolerance vs. what's defect is the whole game.

What to check

Cracks
Run a hand over every wall corner and ceiling line. Hairline cracks are common at first heating cycle; wider ones aren't.
Nail pops
Small round bumps where a fixing has pushed back through the plaster. Most common on ceilings.
Uneven plaster
Stand at a corner and look down the line of the wall. Bulges, dips and wave-shaped runs are visible in raking light.
Plaster damage
Knocks at corner beads, scrapes near switch plates, chips around socket boxes.
Ceiling-to-wall lines
The seam between ceiling and wall should be a clean straight line. Wavy or stepped lines are a snag.

Example of a walls and ceilings snag — a crack at a ceiling corner

What’s normal vs. what’s a snag

See the full explanation of NHBC viewing distances, allowed tolerances and where to push back in our pillar guide: What “within tolerance” really means →

Related categories

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