Potential problems; Be watchful in home construction process

AKRON, Ohio -- Ken Merunski has seen home construction mistakes that make him shudder.

He's seen floor joists notched to a dangerous extent to make room for plumbing. He's seen bearing walls that don't align with support beams. He's seen joists butted against ceiling beams instead of overlapping to handle the weight of the roof.

"You'd think the building inspectors would catch it," he said, "and quite often they don't."

Merunski is an architect who sometimes testifies as an expert witness in lawsuits involving residential construction. Between that work and visits to construction sites related to his own architectural practice, he's seen faulty construction that can result in leaks, wall cracks and worse.

Sometimes the builder and the inspector just aren't up to date on requirements for the way materials should be installed, he said. Sometimes they don't know enough about structural engineering to recognize a problem in the making. Sometimes, he said, the builders are taking shortcuts to save money.

That's why Merunski, who owns M.E. Architecture in Seven Hills, Ohio, counsels homeowners to stay vigilant when their homes are being built.

Here are his recommendations.

Show up daily

You've probably already heard the advice that you should visit your home's construction site every day the workers are there. But Merunski takes that recommendation a step further.

Take pictures, he advises. Lots of pictures.

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Potential problems; Be watchful in home construction process