Thursday, March 28

Texas Couple Sues Construction Company, Claiming Negligent Home Construction

A Texas couple is suing the construction company that built their home over claims of negligent construction after the home’s foundations began to crack “excessively,” an April 24 article in the Southeast Texas Record reported.

On April 14, John and Donna English filed a lawsuit against Ronald Allen Hansen of Sandcastle Construction in the Galveston County District Court, citing breach of contract and negligence.

According to the Southeast Texas Record, the complaint stated that the plaintiffs hired Sandcastle Construction to construct a house on their property in Galveston and paid Hansen in full. In the complaint, the plaintiffs also alleged that their house’s foundation was now cracking excessively. The couple is seeking attorney’s fees and damages to cover the repairs needed to reverse the foundation damage in full.

“When concrete foundation is poured, the concrete needs to mixed properly. Late concrete trucks could mean wrong concrete mixes that are too dry” says Austin Werner from the Real Seal, “Proper initial concrete pours are very important to avoiding foundation issues in the future.”

Cracks in a home’s foundation are most often caused by structural problems or water damage. Repairs can be incredibly costly, depending on the amount of foundation damage present. The national average for home foundation repair is about $4,467;most homeowners end up spending between $3,576 and $5,358, according to homeadvisor.com. The repairs often require the kind of equipment and experience that only foundation repair contractors can provide.

In a new home like the one that John and Donna English purchased, foundation problems are rare, especially since most new homes have waterproofed basements. Extensive foundation damage makes a house’s value decrease significantly, and selling the house becomes more difficult.

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