Construction Defects
When you purchase a home, you expect to acquire a well-built, defect-free structure that will offer shelter and protection for a long time. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. Construction defects that may not be immediately obvious can cause long-term damage and compromise the safety of your home, costing thousands of dollars to repair. Construction defects can range from scratched or chipped tile to a sinking foundation. More broadly, courts have ruled that conditions that reduce the value of a home may be considered construction defects.
Insurance companies have their own definitions of construction defects in the policies they sell. According to one company, construction defects are composed of four categories: design deficiencies, defective building materials, poor workmanship, and lack of maintenance. Subsurface deficiencies are sometimes considered a fifth category in construction defect law.
Design Deficiencies: A construction defect may be considered a design deficiency if the plans developed by an architect or engineer resulted in a building that does not work as expected. One example is an improper design that allows for water intrusion.
Defective Building Materials: Construction defects may also be caused by damaged building materials. These can become troublesome because the defect comes from the manufacturer and the construction company might not detect it until after they used the material. This could make it more expensive to replace the defective material.
