They say that real estate is all about, location, location, location. Well, for construction, it is all about inspection, inspection, inspection. That is to say that no matter how careful you are in selecting your architect, engineer and general contractor, things can happen, and if they are not caught before the end of the deal, you may be forced to file a Kennewick, Washington, lawsuit.
Preconstruction and construction defects
Regardless of where you are in the United States, the court recognizes four broad categories of preconstruction and construction defects: design, material, construction (workmanship) and subsurface. It is always better to find construction defects (whether preconstruction or during construction) prior to the final payment. It is much better to have a payment available to withhold than it is to have to sue.
Design
The most important preconstruction defect is a design defect. These defects are mistakes made by your architects and engineers. You should have these plans inspected and ensure that you have insurance for design defects. Errors with the design can cause the building to collapse, opening for moisture and bugs to get inside and a myriad of other issues that could leave the building unusable.
Materials
Another Kennewick, Washington, construction defect is material defects. This refers to inferior products that fail to perform their intended function, like defective (rotted, etc.) or extremely knotted wood, brittle flashing, etc. Inspections should be done of the building materials to ensure that quality materials are used.
Construction (workmanship)
Construction defects narrowly refers to the workmanship used to build the building. This is where periodic inspections may be required to ensure that the contractors and subcontractors are using quality and code-approved building techniques.
Subsurface
Subsurface refers to the Kennewick, Washington, soil conditions. This can be a preconstruction issue that requires inspections to ensure that the building has a stable foundation, but it could also be a postconstruction drainage issue. In either case, though, subsurface preparations must be included in the planning and construction phases, and both phases may require separate or multiple inspections.