ASSESSMENTS OF DEFECTS IN PUBLIC BUILDING CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AT CONSTRUCTION STAGE: A CASE OF ARBA MINCH AND WOLAITA SODO TOWN, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Throughout the process of a construction project, public building defects frequently develop due to insufficient construction details; the majority of these constructions have acquired numerous defects. As a result, several defects and issues are likely to manifest themselves throughout the building phase. Therefore this study aims to assess defects in public building construction projects at the construction stage in Arba Minch and Wolaita Sodo town. To achieve the goal of this research 27 public building construction projects are taken as a target population. Data were collected by using a questionnaire, interview, and observation. Out of the total distributed 132 questionnaires 121 were returned. The Analysis was done using SPSS version 20 and descriptive statistics and the results were presented by graphs and tables. The result of the study shows that the most frequently occurring types of defects in public building projects were defects like faulty window and door knob handles, inconsistent wall/floor finishes, damaged floor tiles, and defective sanitary installation in the construction stage. The main significant group factors that occur in public building construction at construction stages based on their RII value are construction inspection, construction work, construction management, construction equipment, construction materials, and design-related factors. Based on their rate of occurrence in their descending order the most frequently occurred group factors were construction material-related factors, construction management related factors, construction-related factors, construction inspection-related factors, construction equipment-related factors, and design-related factors. The impacts of these public building defects were challenging project delays, high maintenance costs, construction cost overruns, and disputes among the involved parties. Regular and periodic supervision of the construction site, and establishing quality control mechanisms were the mitigating techniques to address the issues detected. The results of this research may improve the management efficiency of the process for assessing construction defects in the future, which will help to avoid them as much as possible