Recently, the Home Builders Association of Northern California published an article that addressed the issue of quality in construction. Specifically, the article was intended to illustrate how homes today are better built and of better quality than homes built in the past. It was a good article that addressed the technological improvements in building products and building design. What the article failed to address were the quality issues that affect consumers the most, the problems encountered with installing new technologies, and the finished appearance and overall look of a house.
It is true that the overall quality of construction today is better than it was 20 years ago. We are designing our buildings to withstand greater structural forces, and making our homes more energy efficient. With today’s technology we can make structural panels used in walls, floors, and roofs from chips of wood, we are creating slab foundations that resist cracking and settling, and our windows, heating systems, and electrical fixtures are more energy efficient.
Yet, the two most important concerns of new homebuyers today are how the house looks (its finished appearance), and how well it performs. While most builders and contractors take great pride in what they do and construct, there are several factors that influence and ultimately detract from the quality and appearance of a house. Although money is always a factor, the most important factor affecting a building’s quality is the ability and skill of the contractors performing the work.
Finish workmanship represents the majority of complaints against certain builders and contractors. When people buy a new house or have some work done on their homes, they expect everything to be just right, and they should. The problem is that some builders and contractors are not paying enough attention to how the finished product or installation actually looks. While their work may be “code complying”, it is not necessarily performed in a workmanlike manner.
The main reason is that code requirements are clearly written out and enforced through the permit and inspection process. Yet, the building codes are mostly silent on specific standards for workmanship, and because workmanship issues rarely involve health and safety concerns, they cannot be “enforced” by an outside agency and are often given little attention until there is a complaint from a home buyer. Let me give you some examples.
The most common workmanship complaints come from the installation of finished surfaces such as tile or marble, sheetrock, paint, floor coverings, and wood trim. Tile and marble surfaces are often not laid flat, and joints are sometimes irregular. Sheetrock walls and ceilings are wavy or do not have a uniform surface or texture. Painted surfaces often have voids, and areas that are not consistent. Wood trim is often not fully sanded, installed with tight joints, or caulked.
Do these conditions reflect industry standards for workmanship and should they be accepted by a buyer of a new home? The answer is no. But try to get some builders or contractors to resolve these issues, and the four most common responses are, “This isn’t a custom home”, “We’re not building a piano or a piece of finished furniture”, “The city signed it off”, and “It looks okay to me”. If a person were to take these comments at face value, they would feel powerless to argue and frustrated. Yet these statements have nothing to do with addressing the questions of acceptable workmanship.
It is true that the majority of homes being built today are indeed not custom. They are called “production” houses because they are being produced in mass, with various contractors continually following and interacting with one another. It is assumed that the quality of a production home will reflect average (acceptable) workmanship, and not the workmanship assumed for a custom home. However, this is not true. The standards of workmanship for a custom home, do not really vary from the standards for a production house. The difference between the two types of construction is usually associated with the types and quality of materials being installed, and the specific details on how the finished work is to be performed.
So, how do you know if something’s been installed according to industry standards or in a workmanlike manner? You first have to know what the standards are. Up until recently, there has never been a single source or document detailing what acceptable standards were for the various aspects of construction. To find this information, contractors and consumers would have to research numerous standards and recommendations of the various trade organizations and manufacturers to be able to determine this.
To address the issues of quality in construction, two local industry experts, Dave MacLellan and George Wolfson, decided to create a document that would assemble the industry and trade standards involved in the construction of a house in one place. This document is the first manual developed for builders and contractors, which spells out the requirements for acceptable workmanship. Although, originally intended as a specific resource for builders and contractors, the information in this publication is easy enough to read and follow for the consumer.
Next week I will tell you more about this valuable publication. I will explain some of the most commonly violated standards in new construction, and offer tips on what new consumers and new home buyers need to know to when dealing with contractors and workmanship issues.
John R. Schneider is a licensed general building contractor and an ICBO certified residential code specialist. He is president of All About Homes, a residential inspection company, and has been performing code and construction consultations since 1985. Readers may address their comments to John Schneider, 24326 Mission Blvd., Suite 7, Hayward, CA 94544, Fax number: 510-537-8666, or on the web at www.allabouthomes.com. Schneider will answer questions of general interest in the paper. He reserves the right to edit the letter for brevity and clarity. Readers are encouraged to contact a competent contractor or code consultant for specific information regarding questions they may have about their home.
Copyright 2005, John R. Schneider, all rights reserved.
