When you pay for a contractor to build you a home or any other structure, you expect that the structure will be sturdy and ready to withstand weather and normal usages. When the building doesn’t perform as expected, you might be facing a construction defect situation.

A construction defect can be due to several different factors. The same result is apparent in all cases — the structure isn’t what it was meant to be.

Problems with materials

Some construction defects are caused by poor quality building materials. This would be the case if the beams or other items aren’t sturdy enough or in good enough shape to perform as intended. This could mean that the entire structure isn’t able to withstand normal use.

Problems with the design

When you hire someone to design a structure, he or she should make sure that the structure is able to stand on its own. Defects in design can lead to a building looking nice, but being unable to stay erected. Just think about how devastating it would be if a home caved in due to a design problem.

Problems with the subsurface

Ensuring that a structure has the stable foundation it needs to stay up can prove challenging in California; however, this is an essential step when a construction job is going on. An unstable subsurface might lead to a construction defect claim if there was evidence beforehand that extra support and stabilization was needed.

Problems with construction workmanship

The construction workmanship must be up to par. When this is lacking, the structure might be unsound. Some issues that might come up with construction workmanship defects include cracked foundations, leaning walls or sagging doors.

In these cases, you might choose to seek compensation to minimize the damages that you have to deal with due to the issue.

Source: FindLaw, “Types of Construction Defects,” accessed May 11, 2017