Construction Defect Analysis
Construction defect matters turn on three findings: what is actually wrong, why it happened, and what it costs to correct properly.
We produce all three, with the analysis documented well enough to support negotiation, mediation, or testimony.
What is wrong, why, and what correcting it actually costs
Defect claims frequently arrive with a long list of alleged conditions, an estimate produced by someone with an interest in the outcome, and very little analysis connecting cause to cost. Our role is to replace that with an evaluation that holds together.
Cause and origin
Determining why a condition exists requires distinguishing among design deficiency, construction workmanship, material failure, maintenance failure, and normal wear or expected performance. Those categories carry different responsibility and different statutes. Grading, drainage, soils movement, water intrusion, and site work defects are areas where our earthwork and civil background is directly applicable.
Scope of repair
The single largest variable in most defect matters is not unit pricing. It is the scope of repair: whether a condition requires localized correction or wholesale replacement, whether adjacent undamaged work must be removed for access, and whether the repair must bring the assembly to current code. Reasonable experts differ here, and the difference is often the majority of the claimed amount. We define scope explicitly and defend the basis for it.
Repair cost estimating
Repair estimates are harder than new construction estimates and are frequently done badly. They must account for demolition and disposal, protection of occupied areas, phasing around residents or operations, restricted access and small quantity inefficiency, temporary relocation where required, and the productivity loss inherent in remedial work. We build them from quantities the same way we build any other estimate. See cost estimating.
Who we work for
Owners, homeowner and community associations, developers and builders, insurers, and the law firms representing any of them. Where a matter proceeds to litigation or arbitration, our analysis converts into an expert report and testimony.
Early evaluation
Before significant expert cost is incurred, we can provide a preliminary assessment of which alleged conditions appear supportable, which do not, and what the realistic range of repair cost is. That assessment frequently reshapes a matter's trajectory before either side is committed to a position.
Defect analysis scope
- Site inspection and condition documentation
- Destructive and nondestructive testing coordination
- Cause and origin evaluation
- Design versus construction responsibility analysis
- Grading, drainage, and soils movement evaluation
- Water intrusion and moisture analysis coordination
- Standard of care assessment
- Code and standard applicability review
- Scope of repair definition
- Repair cost estimating
- Rebuttal of opposing scope and cost analysis
- Expert report preparation and testimony
What you receive
Every engagement is scoped in writing before it begins, so you know exactly what is being produced and when.
Preliminary assessment
An early, cost efficient view of which alleged conditions appear supportable and what the realistic repair cost range is.
Condition documentation
Photographic and written documentation of observed conditions, tied to location, with testing coordinated where required.
Cause and origin report
Written analysis attributing each condition to design, construction, materials, maintenance, or expected performance.
Scope of repair
An explicit, defensible definition of the work required to correct each condition, with the basis for the scope stated.
Repair cost estimate
A quantity based estimate accounting for demolition, access, phasing, occupancy, and remedial work inefficiency.
Rebuttal analysis
Evaluation of the opposing party's scope and cost analysis, identifying overreach, duplication, betterment, and methodology defects.
Questions owners ask about this service
Do you work for plaintiffs or defendants?
Both, though not in the same matter. We apply the same methodology either way. An analysis that changes depending on who is paying for it is worthless to everyone, including the client who paid for it.
Can you evaluate a claim before litigation?
Yes, and it is the most efficient point to do so. A preliminary assessment often narrows the disputed conditions substantially and gives both parties a realistic frame before positions harden and expert costs accumulate.
What types of defects do you evaluate?
Our strongest areas are site related: grading, compaction and soils movement, drainage and surface water, retaining structures, site utilities, paving, and the water intrusion and structural consequences that follow from them. We coordinate with specialty consultants for building envelope, mechanical, and structural analysis where required.
How do you handle betterment?
Directly and in writing. Where a proposed repair improves the condition beyond what was originally contracted for, or brings an assembly to a current standard that did not apply at the time of construction, we identify that component separately rather than burying it in the total.
Talk to us about Construction Defect Analysis
Send us the project details and we will tell you what a defensible scope of work looks like and what it would cost. Initial consultations carry no fee.
Send us the project
Tell us the site, the scope, and the deadline. Initial consultations carry no fee and no obligation.