Whether it’s a ranch-style house in Camas or a colonial home in Irvington, we all envision building or buying our dream home one day. In 2013, it seems more and more people made those dreams a reality. Recent residential construction rates indicate new home construction went up nearly twenty percent from 2012, with the sale of new homes rising by almost nine percent. That’s a lot of new homeowners.
Unfortunately, dream homes can become nightmares when you hire the wrong contractor. In that case, countless unexpected problems can arise due to faulty construction. For previously occupied homes, problems with dry rot or mold can lead to expensive repairs. For new builds, code violations and faulty installations can halt construction completely. These kinds of construction defects inevitably lead to contentious disputes between homeowners and contractors.
It’s important to consult a construction dispute or real estate attorney to know where you stand in these situations.
Generally, a homeowner is entitled to be placed in the same position as if the contractor’s work or design had not been defective, and is further entitled to recover all losses resulting from the defective construction. In Oregon and Washington however, construction disputes can be extremely complex. A thorough analysis of the circumstances can reveal a variety of damages homeowners may not initially consider, such as the costs of investigating defects, the costs of relocating during the time of repair, for the loss of value to the new home, and for misrepresentations made by the contractor.
If settling into your new home hasn’t quite been the dream you’d envisioned, get in touch with a construction dispute attorney today.