The problem
Snagging a conversion means walking every unit with a notepad, typing the list up, sorting photos and emailing each trade their share, then walking it again to check. If 4 units reach snagging a month and the admin takes about 3 hours a unit, that is 12 hours a month, and a missed snag tends to surface at the buyer's or warranty inspection.
What the AI does
Fieldwire is a site management app. Its snag list page says each item can carry a location on the drawings plus photos, checklists, categories and a due date, and be dispatched to the contractor responsible from a phone or tablet. Contractors mark items complete, and only Fieldwire admins can verify completion. You can export all tasks in a category or status as a PDF and share it with trades whether or not they use Fieldwire. Reports and exports need the Pro plan; the free Basic plan has tasks, photos and checklists for up to 5 users and 3 projects.
A worked example
A small developer in Manchester is converting a former office into 8 flats, with the developer and a site manager doing the snagging. About 4 flats reach snagging each month, and they move from notepads and WhatsApp photos to Fieldwire Pro.
Before
About 3 hours of snag admin a unit for 4 units: 12 hours a month
After
About 1.5 hours a unit, pinning snags on site and exporting a PDF per trade: 6 hours a month
What it's worth
About $319£240€286A$461C$451 a month saved, against a $88£66€79A$127C$124 to $105£79€94A$152C$149 cost. That is 6 hours a month (1.5 hours x 4 units), valued at $53£40€48A$77C$75 an hour. Pro is $44£33€39A$63C$62 a user a month billed annually, so 2 users are $88£66€79A$127C$124 a month plus VAT ($105£79€94A$152C$149 with VAT). Fewer snags missed at handover isn't counted.
How to set it up
- Upload the floor plans for each unit to a Fieldwire project and set categories for each trade.
- Walk each unit and drop every snag on the drawing with a photo, the trade and a due date.
- Dispatch the items to each contractor, or export a PDF per trade for anyone not using the app.
- When a trade marks an item complete, check it on site before verifying it as done.
- Before the buyer's or warranty inspection, export the open and closed list for the unit as a record.
What goes wrong
- Pro is billed annually per user. Check how Fieldwire counts users before inviting trades to the account.
- On the free Basic plan there are no reports or exports, so you can't send a PDF list to a trade.
- A snag list is only as good as the walk-round. The app doesn't spot defects; you do.
- Basic stops at 3 projects and 100 sheets; a developer with several sites will outgrow it.