Causes of Construction Defects

Everything from soil analysis and preparation, to construction deficiencies or poor workmanship can be the cause for a construction defect. Construction defects are costly and can lead to a house collapsing, floor damage, and various other problems. According to Ron Kozlowski, a Hong Kong-based senior actuary at Towers Watson, in a February 2011 report from Bloomberg, it could cost in excess of $15 billion just to replace all the faulty drywall in homes across the United States.

Improper Soil Analysis and Preparations

One of the first steps in a building project is to perform proper soil analysis and preparation. Proper soil analysis helps the developer to know the right strategy to use in preparing the land prior to construction. Soil not properly analyzed and not developed properly can have damaging effects on a structure. An example of this building a house on expansive soil, a type of soil that swells when it gets wet and shrinks upon drying. In order to prevent damages to a structure built upon expansive soil, a builder would need to build a foundation that would be able to withstand the changes in soil consistency. Builders who unknowingly build upon expansive soil can experience cracks throughout the structure and on the outside pavement as well.

Defective Materials

Using defective building material can be the cause of many construction defects in a structure. An example could be a building built with defective roofing material that allowed water to leak into the structure. The result could be a number of defects such as the wood rotting, mold and mildew, and moisture stains on the wall and ceilings. Before construction, a builder should thoroughly inspect building materials for defects, making sure material is up to current code and is quality material.

Bad Workmanship

Sometimes the cause for construction defects can be the result of bad workmanship. Sometimes the workers doing the actual building work are negligent in their construction duties. This can be the result of a contractor not overseeing the building process as they should or simply not caring about the work being done. At other times, it could be a contractor or sub-contractor cutting corners to save time or money on a job. While cutting corners can work out to the contractor's advantage, it can result in a construction defect in the structure.

Design Flaws

Sometimes a structural defect can be traced all the way back to the designer. Sometimes architects can design a structure that is aesthetically pleasing yet with structural deficiencies that can lead to defects. In order to keep this from occurring, other architects should evaluate the design for flaws before the design is implemented in a structure. However, some design flaws are not evident until the structure is built, which means that testing a design with a scale model or building a test house prior to marketing the design should be a requirement.