An Overview of Construction Defects

For three decades, Greg Daviscourt has been actively involved in the construction industry. Since 2001 he has been the president, CEO, and pilot of Rocky Mountain Construction Company (RMCC), which provides educational, governmental, healthcare, commercial, and institutional construction services. Focusing on delivering quality to customers, Grey Daviscourt and his team at RMCC also handle construction defects.

A construction defect refers to any deficiency in the construction process and can include design, materials, or workmanship that compromises the quality of the structure built. Defects can often cause harm to the property itself or its occupants, and as a result often have financial implications. The two types of construction defects are patent and latent defects. Patent defects are surface-level defects which are visible and aesthetic, making them relatively easy to fix. On the other hand, latent defects are concealed or below the surface, meaning they’re more problematic and fixing them will require an invasive approach.

There are many types of construction defects and these include material, workmanship, and subsurface deficiencies. Material defects arise when a building is constructed using defective materials that come from the manufacturer and the defect is not detected until the materials have already been used in the project. Fixing these problems may require redesign or replacement of the faulty component. Workmanship defects, on the other hand, occur when a contractor fails to build a structure or a component in line with the architectural specifications. Workmanship defects can be anything from a simple aesthetic issue to a complex structural integrity problem.

Subsurface deficiencies are especially prevalent in areas with expansive or loose soil conditions such as Colorado and California. These conditions may lead to building houses with unstable foundations, which can cause cracked floor slabs and foundations. Areas with such subsurface conditions need to be adequately prepared to prevent the moving or shifting of the structure, its settling into the ground, and landslides.