Appraisal of Building Defects Due to Poor Workmanship in Public Building Projects in Minna, Nigeria

Abstract

The rate of construction project accomplishment is weak because of the rapid increasing rate of major defects in building as a result of poor quality materials and workmanship which has been identified as the major cause of defects in Nigerian construction projects. This necessitated the examination of problem of poor workmanship as a major cause of building defects. This was achieved by examining the factors leading to poor workmanship quality in public building projects. Data were sourced on public building projects whose contracts have been executed from practitioners in the construction industry in Minna, Nigeria through the use of questionnaires. The analysis of data was carried out using mean item score and correlation analysis. Eight factors were identified as factors which contribute to poor quality workmanship out of which limited cost or poor funding of public building projects was the major factor that causes poor workmanship quality, while proper construction management and strict supervision were found to be the most effective solutions for solving the problem of poor quality workmanship. Recommendations from the study included that proper construction management and strict supervision are required during project execution.