Quality defects in new home construction could be prevented with routine quality assurance techniques, according to a recent survey. Quality Built, a construction risk management company, surveyed data from 31,995 completed homes and condominiums across 27 U.S. states for the 12-month period ending Oct. 31, 2005, and found that the average single-family home averaged $5,398 in corrected defects. Corrected defects to the average multifamily and mixed-commercial construction cost $4,556.

The most common quality defects reported for multifamily and mixed-use construction were unprotected penetrations in life-safety assemblies, missing fire-rated materials at electrical device boxes, and building paper and housewrap installation flaws. In single-family housing, the most common defects were building paper and housewrap installation flaws, improper framing around windows and doors, and missing structural straps and connectors.

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