When you think of a construction defect, you think of foundation cracks or leaking windows, but who is responsible for soil movement that causes problems.
Soil movement falls into two categories: soil subsidence and soil expansion. Soil subsidence occurs when a home is built on top of fill oil. Fill soil is brought to a site to make a level building area. Subsidence can occur when fill soil begins to consolidate or contract as soil settles which will make the building above move, as well. Soil settlement occurs over many years and the damage can get worse over time. Soil expansion is when the dirt underlying a building/home can rise and contract over time. Soil that expands usually is made of a lot of clay, which are difficult to drain and retain water. The cycle of expansion and contraction leads to building movement and damage in the building or many years.
With soil movement, many parties are at fault including the developer, grader, soil engineer, and general contractor. Soil problems can be very expensive to fix. Soil subsidence problems may require that the house by anchored to the natural bedrock at the bottom of the fill soil, while soil expansions problems may require the installation of a very large, thick, and heavy slab to resist the cycle of expansion and contraction.
If you think your home or a building in your HOA has a problem related to soil movement, you need to have an expert conduct an evaluation. A member of our law firm can do that for you.
Hire a Construction Defect Attorney in California
If you are a homeowner or homeowner association seeking representation in construction defect litigation, our law firm based in San Diego can help represent you. Along with San Diego, we work with clients in Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino.
We have more than 35 years of experience handling and winning all types, including difficult, construction defect cases. To contact us, call 844-492-7474 or visit our San Diego construction defect contact page.
To learn more about California construction defects and the construction defect litigation process, click our San Diego construction defect litigation page
