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A Review On Construction Defects

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 [Link] Volume 4 Issue 8 April 2017
International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research ISSN: 2347-1697
A Review On Construction Defects
Civil
Paper ID IJIFR/V4/ E8/ 046 Page No. 7079-7084 Subject Area
Engineering

Key Words Building Defects, Construction Defects, Construction Project

PG Student ,
1st M. Subhi Department of Civil Engineering ,
Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Technology, Coimbatore
2nd S. Dinesh Assistant Professor ,
Department of Civil Engineering ,
3rd R. Resmi Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Technology, Coimbatore

Abstract
Construction defects are most common and frequently arising in the
construction projects, which occur due to poor design and construction in the
construction site. The construction defects are the major problem which occurs
in the construction industry that could also reduce the value of the money as
the defects mainly impacts on the cost and time. Identification of the defects at
the early stage will helps to complete the construction work at the stipulated
time. This also helps to minimize the defects in future project work. There are
several analytical or statistical methods are available to analyse the impact
and helps to select a proper method depending on the various parties involved
in the construction. The main purpose of the study is to review various
symptoms & causes of construction defects occurring in construction project.

I. INTRODUCTION
Construction defects are the key concern of the construction industry. Differently
constructed buildings can generate different types of defects and demands at different levels
in a construction projects and the types of quality depending on the function, system,
methods and materials used. Various systems has been designed to eliminate the defects
during the construction [Link] cost is the value of resource expenditure for work.
Various factors are measured during the construction like time, materials and equipment to
correct the defects. Precious time is lost during the rework. A defective construction work
not only contributes to the final cost of the project which also includes the cost of
maintenance which has to be considered. The defective construction which may also lead to
complete failure of structure. All around the world the construction industry are becoming
modern, advance & growing day by day with the help of development in technology.

This work is published under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License 7079

Copyright©IJIFR 2017
 ISSN: 2347-1697
International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Volume - 4, Issue -8, April 2017
Continuous 44th Edition, Page No.: 7079-7084

Defects widely affect the success of the construction projects like construction time,
resources, cost & materials.
1.1. Defects
Following are the consequences of defects
 Dissatisfied customer
 Extra cost borne by company
 Delay in completion
 Reduced productivity
This paper aims to contribute to knowledge of the defect profile of residential buildings
regarding the defect number, type, location and responsible trades. It also identifies various
factors causing constructions defects and hence to find justifying measures to reduce
defects. Therefore by eliminating the defects and maintaining the good quality have an
important cost benefit for the society. Although the defect in the buildings occurs due to the
general wear and tear, defects due to human errors in the construction of a home should be
minimized. The topic for paper work was selected with an intention that a finding from a
literature review, questionnaire survey and case studies will provide better solutions for
solving the defects in construction industry. The study was carried out through structured
questionnaire focusing on major parties such as technical persons, contractors, labours,
customer who buys constructed products.
1.2. Types of construction defects
1.2.1. Structural defects:
Structural defects are the defect which occurs in the structural element of the building due to
faulty design, poor workmanship or by the use of defective materials or sometimes any
combination of these. The building structure includes retaining wall, beams, column and flat
[Link] structural defects can be categorised by cracks in foundation, cracks in walls,
cracks in floors and slabs. These defects can be caused by improper soil condition, improper
design and the use of defective materials. Most of the structural problems can be avoided by
proper design & planning. Structural defects in building can occur due to wear and tear, due
to deterioration, over loading and poor maintenance. The repair work & regular inspection
have to be done in order to prevent the failure of the building in future. A structural defect
which always occurs in the building is steel corrosion, cracks & deflection.
1.2.2. Non-structural defects:
Non -structural defects in a residential building are the defects which are caused in the non-
structural member as a result of defective residential building work that is reasonably likely
to cause a defect in a structural element of the building. Non-structural defects are the
defects which occur in the non-structural components of building like in brick work,
dampness in old structure and defects in plaster work.

II. LITERATURE REVIEW

Josephson and Hammer Lund’s (1999) study of seven buildings through observation’s and
surveys showed that 32% of all defects costs are originated from client and design. 45%

M. Subhi, S. Dinesh, R. Resmi:: A Review On Construction Defects 7080

 ISSN: 2347-1697
International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Volume - 4, Issue -8, April 2017
Continuous 44th Edition, Page No.: 7079-7084

from site management and approximately 20% from materials and machines. Most of the
defects due to human factors were caused solely by “forgetfulness and carelessness” 29%
due to lack of knowledge and a very small percentage were intentional. Regarding design
and defects, 44% due to lack of knowledge and 50% to lack of motivation. As for the
workmanship defects, lack of motivation dominated the costs, but the presence of risks will
directly increases the chance of defects. 58% of defects resulted from faulty design, 35%
from operational and installation, 12% from poor materials and systems, and 11% from
unexpected users requirement.
N. Ahzahar, [Link] (2011) etc discussed Failures ad defects are general phenomena in
construction industry. Negative impacts may occur towards cost, duration and resources of
project. Failures and delays can cause needless expenditure and delays. The main aim was to
identify contribution factors to building defect and failures, which occurs often in
construction projects especially in Penang area in order to minimize the cost and time
involved. This study is succeeds in identifying the common contribution factors of structural
defects and failures in construction projects.
Atkinson (2003) in this the author have identified that the managerial errors are accounted
for more than 82% of all the building defects and these errors have been hidden and
suggesting that such errors were not visible at the construction stage.
Anandet al (2003) examined the resistance of newly developed masonry work to dampness
and leakage are found that better design helped to prevent defects because it could eliminate
workmanship defects.
Sunyoto and Minato (2003) have identified that inadequate information, unawareness,
wrong assumptions, and lack of knowledge, alongside other organizational and motivational
factor as contributory factors to defects at the design stage.
Seung Heon Han (2008) discussed many researchers and project managers to improve
project performance by applying new philosophies such as lean principle, just-in-time, pull
scheduling, and last planner. This research explores that the practical solutions for
construction performance can be improved by applying the six sigma principle. These
theory provides a metrics required to establish performance improvement goals and a
methodology for measuring and evaluating improvement. In this the author have focused to
develop the general methodology to apply the six sigma principles on construction
operations relatively than construction materials in terms of the barometers to measure,
evaluate, and improve construction performance.
A.S. Ali and [Link] have aimed to investigate workmanship quality performance of
construction projects referring to number of defects take place for new completed building.
In this research it is identified that most of the errors occurs due to poor workmanship and
the necessary measures are taken to minimize the problem, and also the relationship
between measures identified with the factors. This paper concludes that a construction
project mainly suffers from low quality of workmanship which was owned by the
contractors. The most significant factors contributing to the poor workmanship is lack of
experience and unskilled labour. Correlation test result shows that the significant factor can

M. Subhi, S. Dinesh, R. Resmi:: A Review On Construction Defects 7081

 ISSN: 2347-1697
International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Volume - 4, Issue -8, April 2017
Continuous 44th Edition, Page No.: 7079-7084

be solved by providing proper training and education to the labour, well man power
management and proper design. To find out the factors contributing to poor workmanship
and possible measures that can be taken by contractors. This would help the contractor
improve quality performance on their construction projects.
Nuria Forcada has studied that a total of (2,351) post-handover defects resulting from a four
Spanish builders and seven residential developments are classified according to their
location, subcontract, and element. In this research it reveals that the most common defects
which was identified while hand over the building to the client was incomplete tile grouting
incorrect fixtures and fittings in toilets. In addition to that failure to apply second coats of
paint to walls was deemed a problematic issue. Typical surface or appearance defects were
found which also include floor or wall unevenness, stains, mess, and small cracks and
marks, primarily caused by lack of protection. In an area where the fixtures, fittings, and
finishes were of a similar nature, such a kitchen and bathroom, in such types defects may
also arose. In some situations like while the selections of location, by choosing sub
contracts and element where defects occur in residential buildings can provide very useful
knowledge about areas where builders are likely to make errors or mistakes or take
deliberate shortcuts during construction.

III. CONCLUSION
The main objective of this research is a preliminary examination of defect and to minimise
the cost of construction and to improve the quality of materials which are used in the
construction. Occurrence of defects in construction will leads to lowering the satisfaction of
the customers, to stand and progress reputation in market, customer oriented construction of
buildings needs to be constructed to improve the quality and service to the end users. The
most important reason is poor workmanship they don’t follow the instructions which was
given in the specifications also responsible for the occurrence of defects. Inspection of work
is necessary for a building at a particular interval of time throughout the life of building. The
lack of maintenance or incorrect maintenance will leads to reduce the life of the building
and also reduces the effective life of the materials far lower than it should be achieved. This
paper concentrated on defects occurs in construction projects after hand over of project.
Defect analysis is not a safety task because the life of the building and safety will always
depends on the strength and durability of the components of building if the components are
defect free ultimately we get the best service life and safety. In that paper number of
scientists says that due to the defects in construction the cost of construction and the life of
the structures are decreased. The reason for the defects are common everywhere i.e. due to
poor workmanship, improper design, quality of materials, lack of supervision, wrong
construction methods, lack of inspection after construction etc.

IV. RECOMMENDATIONS
4.1. In the design phase
4.1.1. A Proper production management

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 ISSN: 2347-1697
International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Volume - 4, Issue -8, April 2017
Continuous 44th Edition, Page No.: 7079-7084

 During the design phase, architect should implement procedures that will subject the
design to extensive review and analysis before it is released to construction
 Proper Involvement of design team members and sub-contractors
 Proper management of construction documents
 Proper design have to be prepared
4.1.2. Peer Review
 Development of complete, accurate, well-coordinated design and construction
documents that are internally consistent and contain all of the information necessary for
a contractor to construct a building.
 When a new innovative materials or system has been incorporated in the design phase a
proper document have to be prepared.
4.1.3. Owner Involvement
 The inevitable design changes and coordination that will occur throughout the design
phase will be more effectively accomplished prior to the start of the construction
documents phase.
4.1.4. Design Schedule
 Avoid accelerated or shortened phase.
4.1.5. Design and Construction Coordination
 The architect end engineer should establish and maintain open lines of communication
throughout the phase.
 The construction manager should review the work as per the design and construction
documents during the pre-construction phase of the project will helps to avoid the
defects in the building.
 The design phase has to be specified in the specification.
4.2. Construction Phase
4.2.1. Quality Management
 The quality management implementation, by the contractor of a comprehensive quality
assurance “QA” and quality control “QC” program is critical throughout the
construction phase of the project.
4.2.2. New Building Technology
 Contractor’s work verification by the manufacturer’s representative.
 Use trained and experienced workers.
 Use the same crew throughout the project of a work.
 Limit overtime and shift wise work are possible.
 Proper training has to be given to the workers.
 Conduct in depth inspections of the work by both the architect and engineer.

V. REFERENCES
[1] Atkinson,G. “A century of defects.” Building, 54-55 (1987).
[2]. Cheetham,D. “Defects in modern buildings.” Building, 225 (1973).

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 ISSN: 2347-1697
International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (IJIFR)
Volume - 4, Issue -8, April 2017
Continuous 44th Edition, Page No.: 7079-7084

[3] Georgious,J.,Love,P.E.D., and Smith,J. “A comparison of defects in houses constructed by

owners and registered builders in Australian State of Victoria.” Manage. Int. Rev., 17_3_,
160_170 (1999).
[4] Georgious,J.,Smith,J., and Love,P.E.D “ A review of builder registration in the state of
Victoria, Australia.” Struct Surv., 18_1_, 38-45 (2002).
[5] Georgious,J.,Smith,J., and Love,P.E.D “Defects and quality control in the housing industry:
Implications for management and regulatory control.” Proc., 8th Int. Conf. on ISO 9000 &
TQM (2002)
[6] Georgious, Smith.J. and Love,P.E.D. “ Quality improvement through builder registration.”
Proc., 8th Int, Conf. on ISO 9000 & TQM (Change Management)_ CD-ROM_, Centre for
Management Quality Research_ CMQR_ at RMIT Univ., RMIT Storey Hall, Melbourne,
Australia (2002)b.
[7] Hammarlund,Y., and Josephson,P.E “Sources of quality failures in building.” Proc,European
Symp. On Management Quality and Economics in Housing and Other Building Sector,
Lisbon, Portugal, 671-679 (1999).
[8] Ilozo,.B., Okoroh,M.I., and Egbu,C.E., “Understanding residential house defects in Australia
from State of Victoria.” Build. Environ. 39, 327-337.
[9] Josephson,P.E., and Hammarlund,Y. “The costs of defects in construction” The organisation
and management of construction: Shaping theory and Practice, D.D Langford and A. Retik,
Eds., Vol, 519-528 (1996).

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Subhi, M., Dinesh, S., Resmi, R. (2017) :: “A Review On Construction Defects”
International Journal of Informative & Futuristic Research (ISSN: 2347-1697), Vol. 4
No. (8), April 2017, pp. 7079-7084, Paper ID: IJIFR/V4/E8/046.

M. Subhi, S. Dinesh, R. Resmi:: A Review On Construction Defects 7084

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