Building Issues and Problems

Construction defects can cause a variety of building issues. Determining the root of the defect will depend on which area or areas of the house have been affected. Defects in the foundation, floor, or wall can be the direct result of soil issues, water issues, or even workmanship issues.

When a builder starts a new project, there are a lot of decisions to be made. But before any decision is made the first step is to survey the factors that will impact these decisions. One important factor to consider is soil. Does the builder know what kind of soil upon which the building will be built? What type of contractor will the builder use and what is the budget for them? The builder also has to decide what products and what building material will be used. Before groundbreaking, the builder has to make a lot of decisions that can either help prevent or may actually cause some building issues. Soil issues are a leading cause of construction defect. If the land is not properly prepared, the soil, whether expansive or collapsing, can cause damage to all areas of your home, i.e. the floor, the wall, the foundation and even roof cracks.

If you are noticing problems with your foundation, you may be experiencing water-caused issues as well as or instead of soil issues. You need to obtain a professional assessment of the situation, discover what the root cause is and receive an estimate for the repair. Cracks you find on your foundation could be the result of the builder choosing the wrong contractor or choosing a substandard plumbing system. Either way, water issues can become even more severe when they begin to affect the foundation, floor or wall.

If you are seeing roof cracks, then your construction defect can be due to faulty design. At times an engineer or architect can create a unique roof design that aesthetically is very pleasing but is functionality inadequate. It is the responsibility of the builder and architect to work together to ensure that a good design will not sacrifice proper functionality.

Building issues like roof cracks or foundation issues can be a root cause of many different construction defects. Do not wait to get an advocate on your side to help you take the right steps to resolve these issues. Contact an attorney today.

Structural Failure from Roofing Installed Incorrectly

One example is starting from the "top." When a house has roofing installed incorrectly it can cause all sorts of building issues. If a contractor has poor workmanship in the roof, he or she can allow moisture to seep through. This can cause mold, mildew, or even dryrot. Dryrot can be extremely damaging. It attacks the wood leaving it discolored and inevitably ready to crumble. This can cause structural failure like the roof collapsing or a hardwood floor collapsing. Like mold and mildew, dryrot needs a moist area to survive as well as poor ventilation or wood that has not been weathered properly. The moisture does not even have to be that high. This, again, can be the result of substandard workmanship or the purchase of faulty building materials. This is a construction defect that needs immediate attention. If you suspect that your home has roofing installed incorrectly or dryrot is growing, you must get a repair strategy in place. Depending how far the dryrot has progressed, since structural failure is foreseeable, your home is not a safe place to reside.

Building Issues with Poor Framing

It is hard for a homeowner to know what poor framing can cause. In fact, some may assume that poor framing is due to an issue with the foundation, when in reality the issue is with the inadequate workmanship or inferior quality materials put into the framework of the house. Poor framing can show symptoms such as cracks around doors and windows. Some define a construction defect as an issue that will lower the value of your home. Poor framing is definitely a construction defect. Not to mention, this is a devastating issue to have to deal with. It can cost thousands to repair. There are other signs of poor framing that a professional can recognize.

Poor framing, dryrot growing, roofing installed incorrectly and potential structural failure are not building issues you want to deal with on your own. These issues can be quite detrimental, costly to repair, time consuming to deal with and emotionally draining. You need an advocate that understands these construction defects and how the law allows you to deal with them. You need an attorney who has experience with construction defect cases. Do not hesitate to contact an attorney to formulate the best resolution plan for your home.

VOC

Your new home, condominium, or townhome should be a safe haven for you and your family. You buy a home with a sense of confidence that your home is built tightly and up to code and that the builder and developer has your best interest in mind. This is usually the case. But, sad to say, the housing development industry has experienced such a rapid growth that it's hard to for building professionals to keep pace. When they have chosen a type of house to build they make decision on the materials to use, e.g. carpets, plastics, or varnishes. These decisions are made quickly and frequently; consequently, choices are made without having enough information to make an adequate choice, or quite frankly with reducing costs wherever possible in mind.

The results of such a lack of due diligence is construction defects that can be quite a risk to someone's health. For example, if a builder or developer hires a contractor that does not have the know-how to build a roof and is unable to recognize poor building material, then the roof will not be installed properly. Moisture can seep in causing mold issues, but to the contrary, the roof can be built tightly such that there is lack of breathing room for the wood. VOC or volatile organic compounds can be released into the air and can get into the house. The VOC comes from an organic chemical compound that has vaporized into the air. These VOCs can come from paint thinners, dry cleaning solvents, and other chemicals used in the building process. A builder, or more importantly, the contractor or subcontractor has to understand how different chemicals will react if for example the area they are going be used in is built tightly allowing for high vapor pressure. The contractor needs to know that volatile organic compounds are a serious potential problem that can also come from carpers, plastics or even varnishes.

If VOCs are not taken care of properly they can be released into the environment where they can cause soil contamination and/or groundwater contamination. VOC vapors can also add to air pollution. Your home that has off-gassing of the carpets and plastics can begin with being a problem for just you, but can quickly become your neighbor's building issues, and his neighbor's building issue.

You need an attorney who has experience with construction defect cases. Do not hesitate to contact an attorney to put together the best resolution plan for you and your home.

Faulty Foundations and EIFS (synthetic stucco) Installed improperly

Besides faulty foundations, lack of experience and excellent workmanship can become evident with your EIFS (synthetic stucco). If EIFS, a multi-layered finish, is installed improperly there are a number of symptoms you may see. Your EIFS can begin to crack and/or peel. EIFS (synthetic stucco) installed improperly can allow moisture or water to seep through into the walls. Usually when you see issues with EIFS, moisture is a factor. Once you have moisture in your walls, you have a potential for greater issues such as mold. You can begin to see leaks inside of your home. This trapped moisture may also create the perfect environment for mold or mildew to grow. Once mold or mildew starts to grow, what once was a somewhat easy and manageable fix has just jumped to a new level. Sometimes mold or mildew can be removed with household cleaners. If the mold spreads too quickly, you will need a professional cleaner to come and remove it. EIFS (synthetic stucco) installed improperly can be a silent destroyer. You could have a small enough crack you don't notice that it has allowed this mold to grow beyond control. Cracks in the stucco could be a cause of the soil movement. This would mean that the builder did not take into account the type of soil where the house is built.

Damage seen in stucco could be cracks that are caused by soil movement. EIFS has layers that do not breathe. This is not an issue until moisture is present. If there is a problem with material used to construct the walls, the roof, or any other area that would allow for moisture to seep into the EIFS, you will see stucco and EIFS problems. In addition, this moisture leakage could be due to poor construction material, poor contractor work or simply poor or lack of proper soil analysis.

If you have building issues with faulty foundations or are seeing some cracks and defects and suspect the EIFS (synthetic stucco) was installed improperly, contact an attorney today.

Deteriorating Asphalt Pavement

Deteriorating asphalt pavement is a construction defect that can be a result of poor building material or deficient workmanship. A builder has to know what type of soil will be under any pavement or concrete that will be developed. Soils can have an immense impact on the concrete that covers it. For example, expansive soil can swell and create a tremendous amount of pressure when wet, initiating cracks and deterioration of the asphalt. But deteriorating asphalt pavement can be avoided. A builder and/or developer can perform soil analysis that will uncover what type of soil there is as well as any other issues that would be a factor in determining what construction strategy should be used.

Windows Defects and Doors Defects

If deteriorating asphalt pavement remains for too long, it can begin to impact the structure of a house. Again, strong pressure from the soil can cause these pavement cracks to spread and also cause window defects and door defects. Window defects and door defects can be as minor has not closing properly or as major as cracks around the frame. It is sometimes hard to establish the root cause of window defects and door defects. This is why you need to consult with a professional that knows what to look for while inspecting your property. During this process it is important to take detailed notes as well as photos of everything. Your focus is how to fix the defects, but you should keep in mind that this may not be your responsibility to incur the cost of the repairs.

Mechanical Defects

A mechanical defect is a broad construction defect category and can happen quite often. The defect can be the result of poor material or a substandard product. How do you determine if the building issues you are having are because of a mechanical defect or simply because of poor workmanship? If your objective is to determine who is responsible for the cost of repairs, the answer does not matter. The onus is on the builder to choose a quality product and to ensure a qualified contractor will be performing the installation. If your garage door no longer shuts properly, if your chimney does not close correctly, if your ventilation system is failing, these can all be the result of a poor product or again, a quality product installed incorrectly. It is important do take note of the mechanical defects or failures you experience. With any machine or equipment, the defect may vary based on environmental conditions.

Whether you see window defects or door defects, or you have deterioration in your asphalt pavement or mechanical defects, you need to consult with an attorney. These building issues can be quite overwhelming; do not hesitate to contact an attorney today.

Finishing Issues

Construction defects can result in a variety of building issues. It's sometimes hard to determine whether a defect is indeed just that, or if it's simply a cosmetic issue that has no further root problem. Cracks in slabs can be a serious issue since a very likely cause is expansive soils. Finishing issues or improperly painted surfaces may not seem like a defect, but you have to evaluate your issue against what is defined as a construction defect.

There is a lot of controversy around what is considered to be a construction defect. It really depends on who you ask. In this litigious society we are in, builders are very careful about what they will say is a construction defect since they most likely would be liable. If you talk to a homeowner, their perspective is what will affect the value of their home and the safety of residing in the home. Mistakes made by an architect in the designs, the builder's inability to build to code, or the inferior standard of what makes up the house, i.e. under-qualified contractors that were used or poor quality building materials used can all be red flags. With so many factors to consider in determining whether a construction defect exits, you must perform further investigation. The finishing issues you have although cosmetic, may affect the value of your property and could be covering up other building issues. This also holds true for improperly painted surfaces. This could be an example of poor workmanship; however, it can also be a sign of something more serious. The paint job could have been adequate; however, any soil movements can cause structure movement which will in effect appear as if there are improperly painted surfaces or other finishing issues.

Cracks in slabs, as mentioned, can be the result of expansive soil. This can be a very serious issue since when wet, expansive soil swells causing a great deal of pressure against anything that lies on it. This condition will cause cracks in slabs, walls, retaining walls and pavement. The builder has the opportunity to analyze what type of soil exists under the land. Proper analysis by the builder or the developer can aid in what construction strategies will be used to build. As the home buyer you have the right to know if the builder made such a discovery and if so, what construction plans were made to accommodate the soil situation. Do not hesitate to ask questions. Make sure to document any communication you have with the builder or any other professional you contact. Although it may be premature to determine if you have a construction defect case, it is better to be safe and track everything.

There is a lot to consider when handling cracks in slabs, finishing issues, or improperly painted surfaces. Contact an attorney today to help you understand what your next step should be.

Deteriorating Wood Trim

Water can be a destructive agent if the right environment exits. For example, if you have building issues that include a leaky roof that is leaking water into the wall it can be deteriorating wood trim on the inside of the wall. This construction defect can also be a result of moisture. If there is enough water that can cause dampness to the wall, deteriorating wood trim is inevitable. The mess water issues can create can be quite overwhelming and quite costly to fix. You have to understand that the root cause in this example is a leaky roof. How did this happen? Did the builder use a contractor that did not have the experience to build a proper roof? Did this contractor use substandard building material that he picked or was picked by the builder?

Unfortunately, builders sometimes cut corners. The goal is to get the house built on time and under budget. This pressure can cause the builder to make choices that may become costly to the homeowner in the future. Your objective should be to get your house fixed and livable if excessive water issues occur. But along the way it is crucial that you take lots of notes, keep all documents, and take lots of pictures. It may be too early to tell who is liable for the cost of repairs, so it is important that you have documentation if it is found that it was indeed the fault of the builder.

Exterior Wood Surfaces Not Painted

Water issues can seeped into a home and affect the integrity of the interior surface. But water and moisture can also affect exterior wood surfaces not painted. This could include window shutters, decks, and patios. If water sits and does not have proper drainage on the exterior of a house it can adversely affect the exterior wood surfaces not painted like a porch. When a builder decides to include such exterior wood structures like decks or porches, he must keep in mind any factors that may damage the deck. This also means that leaving exterior wood surfaces not painted can ultimately be detrimental to the integrity of the structure.

Building issues like deteriorating wood trim can be a construction defect that is the responsibility of someone else to fix. Contact an attorney today to determine what you should do next.

Cracked Tiles

When you discover cracked tiles in floors this can be the result of a serious construction defect. Some causes could be soil issues, poor building material, and/or terrible workmanship. First, soil issues can be a devastating problem. It can begin with cracked tiles in floors and move on to cracks in the stucco, walls, retaining walls, and so on. Second, the tiles that were used on your flooring could be low in quality. Since housing developments go up so quickly builders and developers are always pressured to finish on time and under projected costs. This would mean that when able, a builder may cut costs selecting tiles not up to code or a contractor that does not have enough training and/or experience. Hiring a contractor is one of many decisions a builder can make that will directly impact the quality of your house. It is their workmanship that can either prevent construction defects or cause them.

Rotted Eave Boards

Rotted eave boards can be the result of water issues that have been there for some time. Rotted eave boards are usually present for awhile before you discover signs of roof deterioration. The cause is failure to construct a proper drip edge. Again, this can be the fault of poor workmanship. The necessary fix is replacement of the rotted eave boards. However, before you take the steps to fix this building issue, you need to document and take pictures of the construction defect.

How do you determine the root cause of your cracked tiles in floors or rotted eave boards? Is it poor material or bad workmanship? Who incurs the liability to ensure the damage is repaired correctly and to pay for the costs associate with the repair? It is a tough process to go through on your own. You need to contact an attorney to help you make the right choices and steps to take care of these building issues. Contact an attorney today.

Construction Defect Lawyers are available in these States:

Cities and communities in Nevada (NV) Las Vegas, Summerlin, North Las Vegas, The Lakes, Queensridge.

Cities and areas in Arizona (AZ) Prescott, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Gilbert, Paradise Valley, Anthem-Parkside, Tucson, Casa Grande, Chandler.

Cities and communities in California (CA), Bakersfield, Sacramento area Elk Grove, San Diego area EastLake, Moreno Valley, Rancho Cucamonga.