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Texas Hospitals: How-To Video for Construction Defect Claims

Hospitals with poor construction defect problems in installation, design, or manufacture of certain systems? Contact us today for a no-cost review for any hospital or hospital system on buildings up to 10 years old with construction defects:

TRANSCRIPT

There have been a lot of hospitals built in the state of Texas over the past 10 years, and the number of hospitals that have been built is remarkable. Along with hospitals, the population has exploded, and the population is aging.

All the construction that has happened means that, unfortunately, there hasn’t been enough skilled labor to do it all correctly. As a result, hospitals often have problems with poor construction whether it be installation, design, or manufacture of certain systems that a hospital and those that operate hospitals depend on to take care of people.

The general law in Texas is that a hospital owner has 10 years from the date of Substantial Completion to recover money for poor construction. That general law is read in conjunction with the four-year statute of limitations on breach of contract. Typically, when a hospital is built, the standard American Institute of Architect documents are used, and those documents contain the rights and the remedies available to both parties in the event one of the parties doesn’t live up to their end of the bargain.

There are five systems that we generally see at issue in hospitals. Typically, HVAC system issues, heating and cooling issues, are the number one issue for hospitals in our experience whether they are designed improperly or not installed properly because of gaps in the vents or the system isn’t installed in a contiguous manner. The HVAC systems are the number one problem we see with our hospital clients.

Another issue we see is windows – window leakage, whether it be moisture or air leakage, moisture leakage into the building or air leakage out of the building. The window system is an important part of a hospital building whether it’s a large building or a small building. In conjunction with the building envelope, windows should operate so as to keep moisture out and keep air in the building so as to make it comfortable for the occupants.

The roof system is also another common problem we see with hospitals built here in Texas.  Different hospitals have different requirements depending on where they’re located geographically. For example, hospitals closer to the coast and in windy areas have to meet the wind code and have energy requirements under the energy code and have to be built and constructed and designed so they meet all the different requirements.

Another issue we see very often with hospitals is the grading and drainage areas around the buildings. A lot of folks don’t think about grading and drainage as a system, but they are as much of a system as an air conditioning system or a roof system or window system. And the grading and drainage areas around the building are supposed to operate so as to pull water away from a building. Oftentimes, there will be misdesigned grading and drainage or, more often, the grading and drainage at the end of a project hasn’t been done correctly because the general contractor is excited to get off this project and get to the next project.

So, the problem becomes for a hospital system is that they’ve got a budget to build a building and to maintain a building and to take care of their patients, but there’s no budget to pursue the responsible parties for poor construction or poor workmanship.

The solution we offer is a no-cost review for any hospital or hospital system on buildings up to 10 years old. We’re a law firm focused on representing owners against general contractors, architects, and engineers, and we don’t represent general contractors, architects, engineers, or design professionals. So, we offer a no-cost review.

We will take a look at your contract documents and let you know what your rights and responsibilities are. We’ll give a detailed report after a review of your systems by our qualified experts. And we will let you know who the responsible parties are and give you options as to what to do next.

Speak with a Gravely Construction Lawyer to Learn your Options.