Bryan Construction Dispute Lawyers

Find the right Construction Dispute attorney in Bryan, TX

Construction Dispute Law in Texas

Landowners and contractors in Bryan, Texas often contract with each other for major construction projects. With any large construction projects, some small delays or problems are all but inevitable, but they don't usually derail the project or lead to major disputes between the parties.

Most often, the owners of land and contractors can end disputes before they get too serious, thus eliminating the need for litigation. Most contracts governing construction projects have built-in remedies for the most common problems, usually requiring the party that causes a delay or other problem to pay the other party a set fee.

Even if the parties can't easily resolve their disputes, and someone else needs to intervene, that somebody doesn't always need to be a judge or jury. Many construction disputes call for mediation, during which a neutral third party helps the parties to the dispute negotiate a settlement. They might also go through arbitration, during which a third party renders a binding decision.

Litigating a construction dispute in Bryan, Texas is definitely not something that anybody likes doing. However, it is sometimes necessary, as a last resort.

Examples of Construction Disputes That Might Lead to Litigation in Bryan, Texas

Major Delays: If the contractor or a subcontractor is at fault in causing a large delay to a project (several months, for example), this may lead to a lawsuit. If the contract stated that time was of the essence for some reason (maybe the project was a new store that the owner hoped to open before the holiday shopping season, for example), a court can usually award the owner any damages that were caused by the delay.

Refusal to Pay: Disputes can also arise from a client's refusal or inability to hold up his end of the deal. Sometimes, once a project is complete, or nearly so, a landowner will express an unwillingness to pay the contractor for his services. There might be a variety of reasons for this - sudden loss of money, or dissatisfaction with the quality of the work are a few examples. It's rare that a client will refuse to pay a contractor simply because they don't feel like it (and if that is the reason, they'll usually come up with a better one to argue in court). In these cases, a court will sometimes have to decide if the client is obligated to pay the full price. If the work was, indeed, not up to the standards laid out in the contract, the contractor is not entitled to the full price, but is still entitled to the actual value of the work, even if it's significantly less than the contract price.

Subcontractors: With big construction projects, contractors usually hire other, smaller contractors to do some of the work for them. This is usually work of a specialized nature, which the general contractor isn't equipped to handle (such as plumbing or electrical wiring). The general contractor is the one who is responsible for the satisfactory completion of the project. If a subcontractor makes a mistake, or causes a delay, the general contractor is ultimately liable to the person who hired them. However, if they are sued for the mistakes of a subcontractor, and lose, they can then sue the subcontractor to recover their losses.

Mechanic's Liens: Sometimes, when a contractor wins in a lawsuit against the landowner who hired him or her, and obtains a court order for payment, the contractor will still refuse to pay. Since a money judgment isn't worth much without a way to enforce it, the laws of many states have evolved to allow what's known as a "mechanic's lien." As a last resort, if a landowner refuses to pay the contractor for work done on the property, the contractor can force a sale of the property, and keep the proceeds, up to the amount of money owed.

Can a Bryan, Texas Attorney Help?

Construction disputes and disagreements can be very difficult to deal with alone. The assistance of a Bryan, Texas real estate attorney can make the process of dealing with these disputes much quicker and easier.

Talk to a Real Estate Law Attorney now!

Life in Bryan

Bryan is located in Texas's Brazos County, with a population nearing 76,300 people. It is surrounded by Brazos Valley and College Station. Specifically, it is near Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin. As evidence, Bryan has a convenient central location!

Bryan's economy is primarily driven by Texas A M University, the Bryan Independent School District, Sanderson Farms, St. Joseph Regional Health Center, Alenco, and the City of Bryan. The legal industry also has a presence in Bryan because many attorneys call Bryan home. Also, with Bryan being so central to many large cities with top-tier law firms, local businesses and residents have access to top notch legal services.

Famous residents include Terry H. Anderson, Kent Caperton, Chester Dunning, Claude Hall, Devin Lemons, J. Milton Nance, Doug Supernaw, Ty Warren, Jack Kingston, and Lou Zaeske.

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