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

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

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
POWDERY
of a damp proof
course or membrane. RESIDUE
It is characterized by
wet 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.

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.

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

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.

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
5. Vertical cracks at junction of R.C.C
Leave expansion or contraction joints at regular interval specially in long
column and masonry
stretches of wall.
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

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.

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 framed structure

Vertical cracks in brick panels of a

framed 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.