Causes of Construction Defects in Homes and Condos

The reasons and causes of construction defects in homes and condos can also be based on the products and building materials the builder selects. Housing developments are going up with at such a rapid rate that builders and developers have a tendency to cut corners when they can. One area to do this is with building materials and/or products they use in the house. This could be appliances, plumbing equipment, dry wall material, and so on. This also goes for the contractors they choose to use. Again, some contractors cost more than others. This is clearly based on their qualifications and whether they are licensed or not. Poor workmanship frequently causes construction defects.

Construction defect liability generally is based on the decisions the builder and/or developer makes. First, they are in the position to decide what construction strategy they will use. The need to analyze the soil and prepare it adequately before breaking ground to build is an example of a decision. Second, the developer has a choice where to build and if land with bad soil is chosen, it is both the builder's and developer's responsibility to choose the best construction strategy that will prevent building issues and construction defect to occur (as much as possible).

If you suspect that you may have a construction defect in your home, condo or townhome, you need to document the issues you are experiencing. This would include taking pictures of any noticeable defects inside and outside your house. Also, you need to determine how severe the construction defect is to know whether or not you should take steps to repair it or if you can wait until you have consulted with an attorney. You need to consult with an attorney to know exactly what steps you need to take to come to the best resolution to your potential construction defect issues.

Improper Soil Analysis and Preparations

When a builder chooses an area of land to build on, it is important they do some sort of soil analysis and preparation. The analysis will provide the developer and/or builder with enough information to choose the adequate soil preparation and construction strategy that should be used to develop the land. Improper soil analysis and preparations can be very damaging to a housing development. For example, a builder can discover that the land soil is made up of expansive soil. If this is the case, houses need to have a foundation that will be able to support the changing pressure and consistency of the soil. This is because expansive soil will swell when wet and then shrink once it dries. If one builds on this type of soil and is not aware or it, there will inevitably be issues to handle. There will be cracks in the stucco, walls, retaining walls, garage floor, pavements and elsewhere. The fix is very costly and very intrusive. Unfortunately, the reality is improper soil analysis and preparations happen all the time.

Site Selection and Planning

The developer usually performs site selection and planning. This is a crucial decision since there are areas of land that are better to build on than others. A developer has to know to consider the potential risks in any given area. Is there a mountain nearby that could cause a potential landslide, mudslide? Are there geological hazards or slope instabilities that exist in the area? The developer needs to have answers to these questions.

Civil and Structural Engineering

Once the developer has completed the site selection and planning, civil and structural engineering comes into play. Decisions made during the civil and structural engineering phase can also impact the fate of each housing unit. The civil and structural engineering phase of a development project includes acquiring permits that need to be obtained, identifying codes that need to be adhered to and planning design phases that will be implemented. There is room for errors in any of these steps, as any of them cause construction defects.

Improper soil analysis and preparations or other errors of a builder and/or developer can be the cause of construction defects. Do not try to tackle these issues on alone. Contact an attorney today.

Defective Building Materials (Material Deficiencies)

Defective building materials can be a root cause of many building issues or construction defects. If a highly-skilled contractor builds a roof with defective building materials, it doesn't matter how good his workmanship is. The roof will be a construction defect. The roof may leak, allow for moisture to seep in, cause dryrot to occur, allow for mold or mildew to grow and cause other problems. A builder should inspect all products for material deficiencies. He needs to ensure that everything is up to code, high in quality, and has gone through a proper quality control process. This will help decrease the chance of getting defective building materials (material deficiencies).

Negligent Construction

Negligent construction is an unfortunately common occurrence. A builder has to be very careful when choosing a contractor or subcontractor. A builder will sometimes use one contactor for various projects. A contractor may have skills to install plumbing but not the know how to build a roof. The responsibility can fall on several parties when there is a defect, and that's up to your attorney to determine.

Design Deficiencies

Architects sometimes have a role in the cause or prevention of construction defects. An architect can create a design that may be aesthetically pleasing but weak functionally. This is where the other building professionals need to evaluate a structure for any design deficiencies. Some design deficiencies can be easily discovered while others will not be evident until implementation. This means that testing should be a required step. All of these checks and balances do not always happen.

There are a lot of building issues that can happen because of the actual material of your home. They can be defective building materials, negligent construction, design deficiencies, or material deficiencies. Any of these construction defects are hard to investigate since there are so many professionals involved. If you suspect that any of these could be issues in your home, you need to contact an attorney. An attorney can help you take the right steps to determine what caused your construction defects and what you need to do to take care of it. If you are not sure you even have a construction defect, contact an attorney today to get the answers you deserve.

Construction Deficiencies

Construction defects in a home or condo can be caused by a variety of issues. Determining if an issue is actually a construction defect is sometimes the biggest challenge you face. However, once you have determined that you have a construction defect, then you are ready to not only develop a strategy to perform the repair but also to determine who is responsible to repair the issue(s).

One cause of your construction defect could be construction deficiencies (poor quality or substandard workmanship). Builders today work fast. They have a timeline and a budget. Their goal is to complete a housing development on time while saving where possible. Where can they save? They can cut corners by hiring contractors who may not be the most qualified and do not have the skills to get the job done right. This is what it means to have an issue like construction deficiencies (poor quality or substandard workmanship).

Construction deficiencies (poor quality or substandard workmanship) can cause some of the most serious construction defects. If a roof is not built correctly, the result could mean mold or mildew. If windows are not installed properly, your home could have inefficient insulation or moisture buildup. With moisture comes mold. The construction defects could be numerous.

This would also be the case for subsurface/geotechnical problems. The burden is on the builder to choose a land to build on and then more importantly analyze the soil properly. If the analysis is performed properly the builder and/or developer are able to select the construction strategy that will consider potential subsurface/geotechnical problems. Expansive soil and collapsing soil are both examples of subsurface problems that can impact a house and cause rather serious building issues.

A builder and/or developer needs to know the land they are building on inside and out, or above and underground is more accurate. Besides soil analysis they should have a land survey that will consider other types of potential subsurface/geotechnical problems such as slope instabilities, landslides, mudslides, erosion, and so on.

These causes of construction defects, that is, construction deficiencies (poor quality or substandard workmanship) and subsurface/geotechnical problems can be difficult to detect and difficult to fix. The priority is to get your house back to a livable, safe condition. This can be an arduous task if you are not familiar with land development and all that goes in to it. Homeowners usually do not have knowledge in this area so choose to have an advocate that does. You need to contact an attorney that has the experience with construction defect issues and knowledge of construction law. Contact an attorney today to be your advocate.