INTRODUCTION

A construction defect is that which makes a project dangerous, unsafe or causes real
damage to the consumer.
Building defects affect society at large due to possible danger posed; they also result in
direct and indirect cost in repairs, abnormally high maintenance, disputes and possible loss
of building use.
Construction defects usually include any deficiency in the performing or furnishing of
the design, planning, supervision, inspection, construction or observation of construction to
any new home or building, where there is a failure to construct the building in a reasonably
workmanlike manner and or the structure fails to perform.

Construction defect would result from:

1. Defective building material or components-materials: i.e., inferior material such as building
bricks, cement, roofing material, poorly manufactured windows
2. A violation of Building Codes at the time of construction.
3. Failure to meet professional standards for design at the time plans were approved. Design:
i.e., faulty rcc roofing design contributes to water intrusion
4. Failure to build according to accepted trade standards for good and workmanlike
construction. Workmanship: i.e., substandard or shoddy work
5. Engineering/Soil: i.e., structural failures and earth movements
 DEFECTS DUE TO DAMPNESS
1. Outside walls of the building remain wet at roof level
Causes:
Coping not provided on top of parapet wall so that water stays
on the top surface of brick wall and seeps into wall gradually
making it wet.
Slope of coping over parapet wall provided in the wrong
direction
Gola not made on the junction of roofing and parapet wall.
Water can enter this junction and can come through crack.
On the roof slab, if the gap between rainwater pipe mouth and
parapet wall is not properly sealed, than rainwater can come out
from the gap around the pipe and make the outside walls wet.

Remedies:
Coping should be provided at parapet wall top and its slope
should be towards inside the roof rather than outside so that
water from the coping falls on the roof rather than on the
outside wall.
Gola should be made at junction of roofing and parapet and if
possible should be taken a little bit inside the parapet wall by
making a chase.
Seal the gap around rainwater pipe mouth on the roof slab.
2.Horizontal cracks in brick mortar joints
Causes:
Weakening of mortar due to sulphate attack. These cracks normally
occur after 2-3 years of construction as the reaction is slow.

Remedies:
Sulphate contents of the brick should be checked before allowing
their use.
Brickwall should not be allowed to be damp because sulphate attack
happens only in presence of moisture.
The correct remedy is to reconstruct the affected areas.

3. Rising dampness
Caused by the absence or
breakdown of a damp
proof course or
membrane. It is POWDERY
characterized by wet RESIDUE
patches to ground floors
and walls with sometimes
a white powdery
'tidemark' deposit.
 EFFECTS OF DAMPNESS
Various effects (indirectly defects) , cause due to dampness in
building , are mention below:
A damp building creates unhealthy living and working conditions
for the occupants.
Presence of damp conditions causes efflorescence on building
surfaces which ultimately results in disintegration of bricks ,
stones , tiles etc. and hence in the reduction of strength.
It may result in softening and crumbling of plaster.
It cause bleaching and flaking of paint which results in
formation of colored patches on the wall surface.
It result in corrosion of metals used in construction of
building.
Timber when in contact with damp conditions gets
deteriorated due to the effect of warping , buckling and rolling
of timber.
All electrical fittings get deteriorated causing leakage of
electric current with the danger of short circuit.
Dampness promotes the growth of termites and hence creates
unhygienic conditions in building.
 PREVENTION OF DAMPNESS
1.Use of Damp-proofing Course:
These are the layers or membranes of water repellent materials, such as Bituminous felts,
Mastic asphalt, Plastic sheets, Cement Concrete, Mortar, Metal sheets, Slates, Stones, etc.

2. Waterproof (or Damp proof) surface treatment:

The surface treatment consists in filling up the pores of the material exposed to moisture
by providing a thin film of water repellent material over the surface.
some of the material , as water proofing agent in surface treatment are: Sodium or
Potassium silicates, Aluminium or Zinc Sulphates, Barium Hydroxide and magnesium
sulphate.
3. Integral Damp Proofing treatment:
The integral treatment consists adding certain compounds to the concrete or
mortar during the process of mixing, which act as barriers to the moisture
penetration.
some of the compounds like chalk, talc, fullers earth, etc.

4.Cavity Walls (or Hollow Walls):

Cavity wall consists of three main parts, namely..
1. the outer wall or leaf(100mm)
2. the cavity or air space of 50mm to 80mm, and
3. the inner wall or leaf (min.100 mm in thickness)

5. The provision of continuous cavity in the wall efficiently prevents the

transmission of dampness from outer wall to the inner wall
 Defects due to applied forces and
change in size
1. Diagonal cracks in wall(wide at the bottom and
narrow at the top)

Causes:
Differential settlement in foundation due to expansion
of clayey soil by absorption of moisture.
This may happen when the rainwater finds entry in
soil or if a tree is cut suddenly in the vicinity
of structure so that the soil which was earlier
dehydrated by the tree again absorbs moisture
and swells.

Remedies:
In clayey soil, foundation should be taken as much as deep
so as to minimize the effect of moisture entry as much as
possible.
Adequate plinth protection and drainage arrangement
should be made around the building to minimize water
entry in the foundation.
2.Diagonal cracks in brick walls (wide at top and narrow at bottom)
Causes
Differential settlement of foundation due to shrinkage of clayey soil by
absorption of moisture.
Structural overload
Remedies
In clayey soil, foundation should be taken as much deep so as to
minimize the effect of moisture entry as much as possible.
Avoid constructing walls on filled up soil.
Avoid overloading.
Masonry work shall be proceeded symmetrically and uniformly
at all levels.

3. Random cracking in flooring

Causes:
Flooring has been cast continuously without making
panels. Cracks occur due to development of tensile
stresses on account of shrinkage and thermal
contraction of concrete.
Precautions
Cast flooring in panels.
Do adequate curing in the initial period of
hardening of concrete.
4.Vertical cracks in long compound wall of masonry at certain intervals
Causes
Due to not leaving expansion or contraction joints at proper intervals .
In cold weather the wall tends to contract due to temperature drop, it develops tensile
stress and when this stress exceeds the strength the wall cracks. Similarly in hot weather the
wall tends to expand and due to compressive stresses, wall will break.

Remedies
Leave expansion or contraction joints at regular interval specially in long stretches of wall.

5. Vertical cracks at junction of R.C.C column and

masonry
Causes
Differential movement between R.C.C column and
masonry due to thermal
expansion/contraction/shrinkage.
Differential settlement of R.C.C column because of its
different foundation.
Remedies
A groove in plaster should be made at the junction of R.C.C column and brick wall so that
crack remains hidden in the groove and doesnt look unsightly.
Alternatively, chicken wire mesh should be provided in plaster at junction of R.C.C column and
brick walls.
6. Cracks in load bearing masonry wall below R.C.C. slab
Causes
Due to absence of slip joint between R.C.C slab and wall which does not allow the slab
to move freely over wall leads to cracking in the wall.
Sometimes the movement of the slab may also cause cracking in masonry at lintel and window
sill level because here the masonry is weak.
These cracks are observed mainly on the topmost storey of the building because roof is more
exposed to temperature variation.

Remedies
Before casting R.C.C slabs over brick wall, smooth bearing plaster should be done over brick
walls occupied with whitewash/bitumen coating or tarred paper over it. It allows slab to move
freely over wall due to thermal expansion/contraction/shrinkage.
7. Diagonal cracks in walls over R.C.C. lintels
Causes
Due to drying shrinkage of lintels and sudden deflection of
lintels after removal of shuttering.
Remedies
Use precast lintels as far as possible for small openings.
Construct brick wall over lintel after it has undergone
considerable shrinkage.
Construct brick walls over lintel after shuttering below it is
removed so that it doesnt undergo sudden deflection with the
construction of brick wall over it.

8. Diagonal cracks in panel walls in R.C.C framed

structures
Causes
When R.C.C frame deflects due to loads, temperature
variation etc,it causes diagonal cracks in wall which are located
parallel to the movement.
Remedies
Walls should not be built tightly to the columns.
For taking lateral support from column, special connections
should be made between wall and column which provide
lateral support to wall but doesnt tie it to tightly tie the
column.
9.Vertical and horizontal cracks in panel walls in R.C.C framed structures
Causes
Panel walls too lightly built to the R.C.C beams. when the beams deflects, load is transmitted
to the walls and vertical and horizontal cracks are produced in the wall depending upon the
direction in which wall is more slender.

Remedies
Some gap should be left between top of panel wall and soffit of the beam/slab so that beam
can deflect freely.this gap can be filled by weak mortar.

Horizontal cracks in brick panels of a Vertical cracks in brick panels of a framed

framed structure structure
10.Vertical cracks in the side wall at the corners of a long building
Causes
The cracks are due to thermal expansion and are mostly noticed in hot weather. there will
be more chances of such cracks occurring in building constructed in cold weather.

Remedies
As far as possible long stretches of walls should be intercepted by cross walls and
expansion joints should be given at suitable interval.
Bricks should be allowed to undergo initial moisture expansion before use.
Tables 1. Internal wall defects
2. External wall defects
3. Floor defects
4. Door defects
5. Roof defects
6. Ceiling defects
CONCLUSION

The causes of construction defects and construction deficiencies (poor quality

or substandard workmanship) and subsurface/geotechnical problems are
extremely difficult to detect and often even more difficult to repair or cure.

The priority is to restore the building to full occupancy in a safe and

economically productive condition.
SUBMITTED BY:
RUKSARDEEP KAUR
1346461