DC Construction Contract Dispute Lawyer

Construction is a massive industry in the District of Columbia and every project will require a contract between the workers, contracting company, and the proprietor, as well as between subcontractors and sub-subcontractors. A construction contract dispute is a dispute concerning whether or not parties involved in the transaction fulfill the terms of their contract. The contracted party is required to have created the agreed upon structure and to have done so within the specifications laid out at the beginning of the job. If a construction firm or individual contractor fails to live up to this agreement, they may be in breach of contract, and you may need to hire a DC construction contract dispute lawyer to protect your interests. Our civil litigation attorneys could guide you through this process.

Elements of a Construction Transaction Document

Typically, construction contracts have multiple parts dealing with technical drawings and specifications created by architects or subcontractors. Each of these professionals should be considered experts in the field that they have been hired for, whether they are doing electrical work, masonry, general contracting, glasswork, or any other highly specified form of construction and building. There are often questions about whether or not the contract is provided on time and within the budget that was provided when the transactional contract was signed.

Construction contracts also often deal with the number of workers/employees involved, what type of material is to be used on the project, and how those materials should be installed. Disputes may arise if incorrect material was used or it was used incorrectly. Another common issue is if the job has missed the deadline due to material availability issues or if the materials cost more than expected.

While defective materials are not necessarily the contractor’s fault, they may be liable for some of an owner’s damages if they should have caught the defect. In other situations, the defect may have only been caused by improper installation or laborers who were unaware of proper procedure for handling that material.

Typically, the parties’ contract details all of the standards applicable to the project. And on big enough projects, they typically use standard contracts so that everyone knows what the terms mean. And the question is whether or not performance was consistent with the standards set forth in the agreement.

Legal Disputes

The single most important thing when discussing contracts and potential breaches of contract would be what the contract explicitly asked for, and whether those terms were delivered. Most construction contracts have performance measures whereby a contractor has to meet predetermined milestones by certain dates. They must achieve certain aspects of the production by the date called for in the contract unless the terms and deadlines have been extended by agreement. In some cases, deadlines might be missed if a contractor fails to maintain their cash flow and pay subcontractors for essential work.

In all these cases, a proprietor and their local construction contract dispute lawyer must find the clause of the contract that says what the party agreed to do. Then, an attorney could investigate records such as payslips, emails, photographs, drawings, and blueprints to determine whether or not the result was in line with those specifications that were called for in the contract.

Let Attorney Help with Your DC Construction Contract Dispute

Successfully resolving a contract dispute requires putting all those complex pieces together and zeroing in on what the contract called for, where the parties deviated from the contract, and what the damages were. If you have an issue with the way a construction contractor has been performing, you may need a dedicated DC construction contract dispute lawyer to look over the terms of your agreement and legally represent you. By working with an attorney, you may be able to hold the contractor accountable to their agreement. Call today to get started.