Litigation, generally, is a blackhole of time and money, and it should be avoided. However, construction litigation is its own special time of money pit as you have a building that is usually unusable and falls into further disrepair during litigation. And, often, the pockets are not large enough to mitigate the construction defects. Luckily, a lot of construction litigation can be avoided with inspections.
Design inspections
From the very beginning, you should have inspections. This starts at the design phase. Once you select the architect and engineer you want to design your commercial or residential structure, they will draft blueprints. These should be inspected for defects and building code sufficiency. These blueprints are the backbone of everything that happens next, and if there are any issues, not only could the entire building be unusable or collapse, code issues halt construction. Sometimes Georgia code issues can even mean the entire building must be torn down and rebuilt.
Subsurface preparation inspections
Prior to construction, the surface and subsurface require improvements to ensure that the building has a solid and stable foundation. This includes compaction, preparation, adequate drainage and grading, etc. Prior to the work, the site should be inspected to ensure that the plans for subsurface prep are adequate, and after the work is completed, it should be inspected prior to allowing the draw.
Material inspections
Before your builder or general contractor begins buying building materials, finishes, fixtures and appliances, you should discuss what you want. Then, once the purchases have been made, they should be inspected to ensure what you wanted is what was actually purchased. In addition, the construction and building materials should be inspected to ensure they are up-to-code and quality. For example, a poor choice of flashing could cause a roof failure.
Workmanship (construction) inspections
Up to this point, if everything is perfect, at construction completion, you could still have construction litigation, if the construction techniques and workmanship were not up-to-code or were of poor quality. This is why there should be periodic inspections of the worksite and workmanship throughout the construction period and, at least, prior to each draw. This will ensure the designs are followed, the quality materials are used and that your new building will last for decades. Though, if there are still issues, an attorney can always help with construction litigation.