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This paper examines the most common deficiencies in construction units outside buildings, along with their relationship with climatological factors, through the analysis of three hundred cases. The knowledge of construction problems helps prevent the re-occurrence of errors, thus improving the sustainability of buildings and their infrastructure. Methodologies for determining the prevalence of errors enable the identification of critically affected zones associated to climatological factors (rainfall, latitude and climate). The various underlying causes (11 in total) were also evaluated, along with the construction units that most frequently experienced the deficiencies. The deficiencies were grouped into 9 different types, and the origin of the error was ascertained for each case. The study concluded that the most frequent deficiencies were ‘detachment’ and ‘ground subsidence’ and that the most critical areas were certain ‘strips of climatological location’ situated at once in a northern latitude and close to the sea. This yields important information for construction engineering, given that the determination of the most frequent deficiencies and of their causes allows them to be addressed in the design and execution stages, ensuring an effective management of the construction process. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd