A construction defect can be so severe that it causes cracks all over your house. The source of the construction defect will dictate what areas of the house will be most affected. Ceilings and fireplaces may show signs of a construction defect rooted from soil issues or water issues, but are not limited to just these two construction defects.
Expansive soil is a major cause of construction defect. Although we have the technology to determine if the land being built on contains expansive soil, builders and/or developers cut corners by disregarding this fact at times. It is necessary to choose a construction plan that will take the soil type into consideration. If a builder does not use these techniques and the soil gets wet, you will see some serious symptoms of a construction defect.Soil issues can be a real problem for a home buyer. This problem that has a tendency to mostly affect the foundation, i.e., floors, slabs and hardwood floors, but can very easily affect the rest of the house.
Your first step is to try to locate all areas of your house that are showing symptoms of a construction defect. This would include floors, slabs and the hardwood in your home,construction negligence, improper soil analysis, poor building materials or inferior workmanship. When the builder or developer chooses land to develop, it is important to conduct a proper survey of the land as well as a proper soil analysis.
Enormous pressure that wet expansive soil can produce during this soil movement as well.
Ceilings are also damaged during a soil movement like when expansive soils swell when wet. When dry, expansive soil shrinks. This means that, depending on the weather, expansive soil can have a twisting effect. Ceilings can also be affected from the top down. For example, water damage from a leaky roof can be a big problem for ceilings. Mold and mildew can grow in ceilings if there is enough moisture present. Mold issues can be devastating. Ceilings that have moisture seeping in can be infected with dryrot which can eventually destroy the ceiling. This can be a very dangerous situation.
Water issues are significant building deficiencies that cannot go too long without being repaired. Unfortunately, depending on the origin of your water issue, you may not be aware of any issue until it has reached a dangerous level. Water could have seeped in through your roof and produced an environment behind your shower perfect for mold or mildew to grow. It may not be until you start to experience some allergic reaction such as breathing problems or skin rashes that you realize that you may have a mold issue in your showers. It is usually then that you break your shower wall to discover that you have mold. Mold can sometimes be cleaned up simply by using a household cleaner, and other times it can require a professional to come in to remove it in its entirety. On the surface this will take care of the mold, but not the root cause of how it got there in the first place. Are there leaks in the roof? Are your showers made from bad building material? Do you have substandard insulation in your walls
