Latest news with #constructiondefects
CBS News
24-07-2025
- General
- CBS News
Hundreds of tiles in Denver International Airport's new Great Hall cracked and missing grout
If you've been to Denver International Airport lately, you might have noticed the brand-new tiling that's part of the Great Hall Project is cracked in many places, and some tiles are held together with nothing but tape. Airport officials say some of the damage is from construction equipment rolling over the new flooring, and other tiles, they say, may have been cracked by train vibrations or the Zamboni cleaning machine. But Patricia Watson, a construction management attorney, is convinced the problem is more serious, "It's actually cracked and failing everywhere," she says. "You can't walk through the airport and go 100 feet in any direction and not find grout falling or popping out." A frequent flyer, Watson first noticed scuff marks and scratches in the new flooring, "I think it was a terrible choice to put white tile in an airport with glitter in it. It looks filthy all the time." But she says, a poor color choice is one thing, poor construction is another. Watson is an attorney with nearly 30 years' experience in commercial real estate, including construction defect litigation. She says she's managed the construction of more than a million square feet of commercial office projects in Colorado and says whoever managed the tile installation in the airport's Great Hall botched the job. "It clearly didn't get adhered to the floor properly. There's definitely places where there's air under the tile. When somebody stands on that section, it doesn't have support under it, so it cracks the tile. And it's just going to get worse." She says everywhere grout is missing, the tile will eventually crack, "I think there was poor construction supervision, or it would not look like this right now. I counted 100 places on the 5th floor just on this side where it's cracked." Airport officials say they did their own count after CBS Colorado contacted them and found 266 cracked tiles out of just over 21,000 tiles installed on the 5th and 6th levels. That's about 1%, which they say is within industry standard. They released a statement saying, "The cracking can be caused by issues other than installation, which may include structural vibrations throughout the terminal from construction, train movement, passenger movement, foundation movement, cleaning equipment, maintenance equipment and other variables." Some of the damage, they say, is "due to heavy equipment and material deliveries, and replacement of these tiles was planned and budgeted with the program costs." Once work is complete, they said the tiles will be replaced. They insisted that "There are no product issues, warranty issues, or installer issues." Officials say they didn't install the tiles at the end of the project because it's more efficient to replace individual tiles than rip out temporary flooring and install new flooring. The tiles, they say, were imported from Italy and cost $242 per tile. They used "travel paths," they say, to minimize the cost of replacing them, and say their "contingency budget" will cover most of the costs, and repairs will not prolong the project. Until those repairs happen, Watson says, the flooring fiasco will be the first impression visitors have of Denver, "Should be the pride and joy of our city, not something that's embarrassing when you walk through the airport and you see 150 cracked tiles." Watson believes installers used the wrong type of grout, which she says could be the fault of the architect or the contractor. Airport officials say they recently changed to a different type of grout. They also say that, after an inspection by a third-party expert, they began videotaping the installation of every tile and have seen very few cracked tiles. With 83 million travelers a year, they say that they're continually making repairs, noting the old granite floor also saw cracking, and they are currently repairing concourse floors. The Great Hall project, which involves renovating the fifth and sixth levels of the terminal, began in 2018 and was supposed to be finished in 2021. The original $770 million price tag has nearly doubled to $1.3 billion. In 2019, CBS Colorado was the first to report on problems with concrete. That increased costs by millions of dollars and put the project years behind schedule. The airport switched contractors and now says it will be finished in 2027.
CTV News
18-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘Be a man of your word': Request to local homebuilder
Homeowners Michael and Susanne Beaudoin in front of their home in Belle River, Ont., on July 17, 2025. (Stefanie Masotti/CTV News Windsor) A Belle River couple is calling out Everjonge Homes Ltd. for not following up on their promise. 'Just stand by your product and fix it. That is all we have ever asked,' said Michael Beaudoin and his wife Suzanne. Following an independent engineering report and an evaluation from a Sarnia homebuilder, they were told the home needs to be stripped down and repaired that could cost them upwards of $1 million. The couple tell CTV News Windsor they have taken out a second mortgage but have run out of money to finish the work. They wish they requested their own home inspection before purchasing the 2,500 sq. ft. new construction home but say, due to the hot housing market, they were advised by their real estate agent against it. 'We were told (by the real estate agent) we were protected by Tarion, said Michael Beaudoin. 'We learned very hard that if a home inspector would have come through, they would have noticed things right away that we did question, but they know better.' The moved into the house 2016. That same year, they filed a claim with Tarion, a not-for-profit consumer protection organization, established by the Ontario Government. Tarion promises to protect new construction homebuyers with a seven-year warranty. 'It was a big fight to get them to help with us,' said Suzanne Beaudoin. Tarion ordered the homebuilder, Everjonge Homes Ltd, to make repairs but the Beaudoin's describe the work as a 'band-aid solution.' In 2019, Tarion provided $53,000 after a second warranty claim — money the Beaudoin's used to fix a major leak. Tarion tells CTV News the homeowners reached out again in 2021 about filing a major structural defect form — but never completed it. The Beaudoin's say Tarion said the water damage and mold in their home was not considered structural and therefore did not qualify. They have since filed a lawsuit — but Everjonge homes declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation. The seven-year warranty has expired but Tarion writes in an email: 'We encourage the homeowners to file a further warranty form with is possible that Tarion may be able to engage the builder in trying to find a resolution – as we have seen in other cases where the warranty has expired.' The Beaudoin's also questioned the role of building inspectors from the Municipality of Lakeshore. The Ontario Building Code requires them to give their stamp of approval during each stage of construction. When questioned about the roles and responsibilities of the municipality to ensure window, doors and the envelop membrane of the house are waterproofed, official say in part: 'At this time, the Municipality of Lakeshore has not been contacted by the property owner to review or discuss the building permit process.' 'A home is, for most families, the largest purchase you ever make,' said John Revell, City of Windsor, chief building inspector. 'It can be a financial drain.' Revell says Building inspections are periodic spot checks, not exhaustive reviews but he says this was not always the case. Over the last 20 years there has been a drastic decline in licenced building inspectors across the entire province. He says today, deficiencies fall on the shoulders of homebuilders to ensure proper installation and the homeowner thereafter to maintain. As for where things stand today, a last plea for help to Everjonge Homes. 'Be a man of your word,' said Michael Beaudoin.
Irish Times
22-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Some local authorities inspecting ‘just 10%' of new builds for compliance with safety regulations
Enforcement of building safety regulations in Ireland is a 'key weakness', with inspections of new developments varying among local authorities, some of whom inspect 'virtually none', a construction conference has heard. The Construction Bar Association annual conference heard on Friday that local authorities require greater resources to ensure compliance with building safety regulations. Deirdre Ní Fhloinn, a barrister specialising in construction law, said statistics of historical building defects in Ireland do not suggest there were a 'few bad eggs in the industry' but instead, there was a 'systemic problem'. She cited a 2022 report that found that up to 100,000 of the 125,000 apartments built between 1991 and 2013 had defects concerning fire safety, water ingress issues or structural safety issues. READ MORE The total cost of repairing the homes is estimated to be in the billions, with Ms Ní Fhloinn saying the taxpayer has become the 'insurer of last resort for building defects'. Noting that rules and regulations were adequate at the time of their construction, Ms Ní Fhloinn said enforcement was a 'huge part' of the problem. Speaking on the value of 'robust regulation', she welcomed the fact that Government approval has been received to draft a general scheme to establish a Building Standards Regulatory Authority. She said about a quarter of new buildings are being inspected by local authorities, adding that this figure itself is inflated by larger authorities that inspect upwards of 70 to 80 per cent of new buildings. On the other hand, some authorities are inspecting 'virtually none', she said. Property developer Michael O'Flynn, meanwhile, said building control regulations in Ireland have 'great standards' but agreed enforcement of the regulations was a 'key weakness'. Inspection levels vary significantly among local authorities, he said, with some inspecting just 10 per cent of new buildings. 'There is no huge shortage of existing regulation, the question is, is it happening? Are people doing what they're supposed to be doing?' 'Local authorities are inspecting, unfortunately, a very low percentage. There has to be a consistent standard,' he said, adding that resourcing and upskilling is a must to ensure adequate enforcement. Mr O'Flynn added that there is currently no balance between regulation and planning, saying the Irish planning system was suffering from an 'existing enormous backlog'. He cited 2023 figures in which 22,000 housing planning applications were caught in a backlog in An Bord Pleanála , which had an average waiting time of 79 weeks. He described waiting times generally as 'quite frightening' and a 'really serious issue'. 'Our planning system is in a very bad place,' he said. 'We can't ignore these things, because if we do, we will continue to fail a generation of people who are unable to buy homes,' he said.
South China Morning Post
23-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Public needs answers on alleged corruption at Kowloon flats site
The structural integrity of major housing projects is paramount to public safety and confidence in construction standards. Revelations of defects are thankfully rare in Hong Kong. When they arise they warrant full public scrutiny and accountability. Advertisement A case in point is a bribery scandal at a CK Asset Holdings' residential project at Kwun Tong uncovered by the city's graft-buster. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) alleges site supervisors accepted offers, including red packets and meals and entertainment, from a subcontractor seeking lenient oversight of subpar construction practices, in an attempt to maximise profits. Suspected offences range from bribery and accepting bribes, to conspiracy to defraud and using false documents. The scale of the alleged graft seems shocking, as does an apparent lack of oversight. Investigations revealed that steel reinforcement bars in concrete in all six buildings were either thinner than required, missing, displaced or loosely arranged. Advertisement Buildings Department inspectors also found that the number of main reinforcement bars in the structural components was, on average, 10 per cent below specifications, with deviations including spacing, thickness and positioning. But department officials said the overall structural integrity of the six buildings containing nearly 3,000 flats, including 1,000 starter homes, did not present an immediate danger, as the surrounding concrete wall design could compensate for the load-bearing requirements.
