The SOMA Grand, a 22-story building in San Francisco, California, is known for selling all 246 residential units very quickly – even in a very tight housing market. The high-rise was built in 2009 and according to a lawsuit by many of the residents filed recently in the California Supreme Court, there are many construction defects. In addition, the lawsuit alleges building standard violation.
The residents say in December 2012, many units flooded during a series of storms. That flooding, according to the lawsuit, was the result of waterproofing problems with the pre-cast concrete walls, exterior concrete masonry walls, underground garage walls and windows. The residents retained the services of forensic architects to determine the exact cause of the flooding.
The homeowners association for the SOMA Grand notified the general contractor and the builder of the alleged building standard violations through the Title 7 or SB 800 pre-litigation process in December 2011. They were hoping to have their claims resolved without resorting to litigation.
The mediation was not successful, and the lawsuit was filed seeking more than $4 million in damages. The dates for upcoming court appearances in the case have not yet been made available.
One of the attorneys representing the residents says that today’s high rise buildings often have construction and design defects. These might include such problems as water leakage, mechanical issues or siding defects. These issues, however, he said, can be fixed in a relatively short time, restoring the building to working order.
If you believe your California home or business building was not properly constructed, contact a construction litigation attorney. Not only will you learn about your options, but your attorney can also advise you on the possible claims for damages you may be able to seek from the contractor, builder, engineer and other parties.
Source: housingwire.com, “San Francisco high rise sued over construction defects” No author given, May. 20, 2013