In New York, New York, there are endless construction projects. The city is famous for having some of the most well-known buildings in the world. Of course, things can go wrong, resulting in construction litigation.
Sometimes that involves construction defects, which is why it is useful to be informed about those.
What is a construction defect?
Generally, a construction defect is a deficiency in the design or planning of a structure or in the supervision and inspection processes necessary for building that structure or other flaws or imperfections in teh construction process.
What are common defects?
Some of the most common and most expensive defects are those that directly affect structural integrity, like problems with the concrete, the masonry or the carpentry. Unstable foundations, which can track back to an array of defects, also adversely affect structural integrity.
What are other kinds of defects?
Additional defects can involve expansive soils, or be mechanical or electrical in nature. They can also be due to water intrusion, which can result in toxic mold. Construction defects generally fall into four categoriesm namely design deficiencies, construction deficiencies, material deficiencies, and subsurface deficiencies.
What are Design Deficiencies and Construction Deficiences?
Design deficiencies are those where the design professionals for the building, like the architect and the engineer, failed to design the project to conform to applicable building codes, resulting in such problems as water presentation, where a poorly desgined roof leaks. Construction deficiencies arise from poor quality workmanship. That, unfortunately, happens often when construction companies cut corners on worker time and inspections to save money.
What are material and subsurface deficiencies?
Construction companies may also use cheap inferior building materials to save money, resulting in material deficiencies that will lead to many different problems, all very costly for the buyer, for years. The companies may also fail to guard against subsurface deficiencies, like inspecting for expansive soil and poor drainage in the area where the building is to be built in order to ensure that the building’s foundation will be stable.
In the end, you must be vigliant in havng a construction project properly supervised by capable professionals and in seeking capcab le legal help shoudl the need arise.
Source: FindLaw, “Types of Construction Defects,” Oct. 13, 2017
