Every person's home is their castle - and the castle must be built in a "workmanlike manner."

The Ohio Supreme Court just issued a new decision which held that despite what the home purchase/construction contract may purport to say, every person's home is their castle - and the castle must be built in a "workmanlike manner."   In Jones v. Centex Homes, Inc. the Court made the following pronouncement: "[T]he duty to construct a house in a workmanlike manner using ordinary care is the baseline standard that Ohio home buyers can expect builders to meet. The duty does not require builders to be perfect, but it does establish a standard of care below which builders may not fall without being subject to liability, even if a contract with the home buyer purports to relieve the builder of that duty. Accordingly, we conclude that a home builder’s duty to construct a house in a workmanlike manner using ordinary care is a duty imposed by law, and a home buyer’s right to enforce that duty cannot be waived."

So if you are having a  home built, pay close attention to the contract - bu also know that the contract does not relieve the home builder from their legal duty to build the home in a "workmanlike manner."