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    Building Expert Builders Information
    Seattle, Washington

    Washington Builders Right To Repair Current Law Summary:

    Current Law Summary: (SB 5536) The legislature passed a contractor protection bill that reduces contractors' exposure to lawsuits to six years from 12, and gives builders seven "affirmative defenses" to counter defect complaints from homeowners. Claimant must provide notice no later than 45 days before filing action; within 21 days of notice of claim, "construction professional" must serve response; claimant must accept or reject inspection proposal or settlement offer within 30 days; within 14 days following inspection, construction pro must serve written offer to remedy/compromise/settle; claimant can reject all offers; statutes of limitations are tolled until 60 days after period of time during which filing of action is barred under section 3 of the act. This law applies to single-family dwellings and condos.


    Building Expert Contractors Licensing
    Guidelines Seattle Washington

    A license is required for plumbing, and electrical trades. Businesses must register with the Secretary of State.


    Building Expert Contractors Building Industry
    Association Directory
    MBuilders Association of King & Snohomish Counties
    Local # 4955
    335 116th Ave SE
    Bellevue, WA 98004

    Seattle Washington Building Expert 10/ 10

    Home Builders Association of Kitsap County
    Local # 4944
    5251 Auto Ctr Way
    Bremerton, WA 98312

    Seattle Washington Building Expert 10/ 10

    Home Builders Association of Spokane
    Local # 4966
    5813 E 4th Ave Ste 201
    Spokane, WA 99212

    Seattle Washington Building Expert 10/ 10

    Home Builders Association of North Central
    Local # 4957
    PO Box 2065
    Wenatchee, WA 98801

    Seattle Washington Building Expert 10/ 10

    MBuilders Association of Pierce County
    Local # 4977
    PO Box 1913 Suite 301
    Tacoma, WA 98401

    Seattle Washington Building Expert 10/ 10

    North Peninsula Builders Association
    Local # 4927
    PO Box 748
    Port Angeles, WA 98362
    Seattle Washington Building Expert 10/ 10

    Jefferson County Home Builders Association
    Local # 4947
    PO Box 1399
    Port Hadlock, WA 98339

    Seattle Washington Building Expert 10/ 10


    Building Expert News and Information
    For Seattle Washington


    New York Court Permits Asbestos Claimants to Proceed Against Insurers with Buyout Agreements

    Nevada’s Home Building Industry can Breathe Easier: No Action on SB250 Leaves Current Attorney’s Fees Provision Intact

    Limitation on Coverage for Payment of Damages Creates Ambiguity

    Is it the End of the Lease-Leaseback Shootouts? Maybe.

    Specific Performance: Equitable Remedy to Enforce Affirmative Obligation

    Insurer's Withheld Discovery Must be Produced in Bad Faith Case

    Quick Note: Remember to Timely Foreclose Lien Against Lien Transfer Bond

    Contractor’s Claim for Interest on Subcontractor’s Defective Work Claim Gains Mixed Results

    Skilled Labor Shortage Implications for Construction Companies

    Indemnity: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You!

    Environmental Law Violations: When you Should Hire a Lawyer

    Federal Judge Rips Shady Procurement Practices at DRPA

    Newmeyer Dillion Attorneys Named to 2022 Southern California Rising Stars List

    OSHA Launches Program to Combat Trenching Accidents

    Congratulations to Nicole Whyte, Keith Bremer, John Toohey, and Tyler Offenhauser for Being Recognized as 2022 Super Lawyers!

    Construction Industry on the Comeback, But It Won’t Be the Same

    Pulte’s Kitchen Innovation Throw Down

    Incorporate Sustainability in Building Design to Meet Green Construction Goals

    Certificate of Merit to Sue Architects or Engineers Bill Proposed

    New American Home Construction Nears Completion Despite Obstacles

    New Iowa Law Revises Construction Defects Statute of Repose

    Coverage Under Builder's Risk Policy Properly Excluded for Damage to Existing Structure Only

    No Coverage for Negligent Misrepresentation without Allegations of “Bodily Injury” or “Property Damage”

    Insured’s Bad Faith Insurance Claim Evaporates Before its Eyes

    Just When You Thought General Contractors Were Necessary Parties. . .

    What is the Implied Warranty of Habitability?

    Amendments to California Insurance Code to Require Enhanced Claims Handling Requirements for Claims Arising Out Of Catastrophic Events

    California Contractors: New CSLB Procedure Requires Non-California Corporations to Associate All Officers with Their Contractor’s License

    Nevada Supreme Court Clarifies the Litigation Waiver of the One-Action Rule

    Important Environmental Insurance Ruling Issued In Protracted Insurance-Coverage Dispute

    Florida Court Puts the Claim of Landlord’s Insurer In The No-Fly Zone

    Contractor Given a Wake-Up Call for Using a "Sham" RMO/RME

    The Overlooked Nevada Rule In an Arena Project Lawsuit

    City in Ohio Sues Over Alleged Roof Defects

    U.S. Supreme Court Oral Arguments: Maritime Charters and the Specter of a New Permitting Regime

    Concrete Worker Wins Lawsuit and Settles with Other Defendant

    Do Not Forfeit Coverage Under Your Property Insurance Policy

    Las Vegas HOA Case Defense Attorney Alleges Misconduct by Justice Department

    Hawaii Federal District Rejects Another Construction Defect Claim

    America’s Infrastructure Gets a C-. It’s an Improvement Though

    Is the Event You Are Claiming as Unforeseeable Delay Really Unforeseeable?

    U.S. Home Prices Climbed 0.1% in July as Gains Slowed

    Subcontract Requiring Arbitration Outside of Florida

    Tropical Storms Pile Up Back-to-Back-to-Back Out West

    A Few Green Building Notes

    Kaboom! Illinois Applies the Anti-Subrogation Rule to Require a Landlord’s Subrogating Property Insurer to Defend a Third-Party Complaint Against Tenants

    Despite Health Concerns, Judge Reaffirms Sentence for Disbarred Las Vegas Attorney

    Lewis Brisbois Listed as Top 10 Firm of 2022 on Leopard Solutions Law Firm Index

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    Read Her Lips: “No New Buildings”
    Corporate Profile

    SEATTLE WASHINGTON BUILDING EXPERT
    DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

    The Seattle, Washington Building Expert Group at BHA, leverages from the experience gained through more than 7,000 construction related expert witness designations encompassing a wide spectrum of construction related disputes. Leveraging from this considerable body of experience, BHA provides construction related trial support and expert services to Seattle's most recognized construction litigation practitioners, commercial general liability carriers, owners, construction practice groups, as well as a variety of state and local government agencies.

    Building Expert News & Info
    Seattle, Washington

    California Supreme Court Upholds Insurance Commissioner’s Authority to Regulate Replacement Cost Estimates

    January 26, 2017 —
    n Assn. of Cal. Insurance Companies v. Jones ( No. S226529, filed 1/23/17), the California Supreme Court reversed trial and appellate court decisions to hold that California’s Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones had the authority to promulgate California Code of Regulations, title 10, section 2695.183, which sets out specific requirements for estimating replacement cost as part of any application for or renewal of homeowners insurance. The regulation was promulgated in 2010 in response to complaints from homeowners who lost their homes in the Southern California wildfires of 2003, 2007, and 2008, and who discovered that they did not have enough insurance to cover the full cost of repairing or rebuilding their homes because the insurers’ estimates of replacement value were too low when they purchased the insurance. Reprinted courtesy of Christopher Kendrick, Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP and Valerie A. Moore, Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP Mr. Kendrick may be contacted at ckendrick@hbblaw.com Ms. Moore may be contacted at vmoore@hbblaw.com Read the court decision
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    Reprinted courtesy of

    Navigating Casualty Challenges and Opportunities

    October 07, 2024 —
    US casualty has arguably been the hottest topic in the sector over the last year amid growing concerns over deteriorating loss trends. E&S Insurer talks to Kyle Sternadori, head of wholesale excess casualty at Navigators, a brand of The Hartford. Featured in the July 2024 edition of E&S Insurer. How are you approaching current E&S excess casualty market dynamics? We are focusing on loss trends, such as rising loss costs, and staying ahead of those trends. As an excess market there are ways to do that: managing capacity and limits deployment across the portfolio; working internally amongst claims, actuarial, data science to stay ahead of that; and using your own data. Staying ahead of the curve is essentially what we're trying to do. It started for us probably even before the market hardened. You saw towers of coverage that used to be maybe three markets and nowadays it could be 10 to 15 markets for similar coverage, with each market minimizing its downside. Read the court decision
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    Reprinted courtesy of Kyle Sternadori, The Hartford

    Personal Thoughts on Construction Mediation

    September 20, 2021 —
    Construction Mediation WorksAs I left a mediation last week at 8:30 at night, I realized something that I knew all along. Mediation works. Why does mediation work? For several reasons that I can think of. The first, and likely most important is that lawyers are expensive. In most construction cases, we charge by the hour and those hours build up, especially close to a trial date. A mediated settlement can avoid this sharp uptick in attorney fees that always occurs in the last month before trial. Therefore the earlier the better. The second is the flexibility to make a business decision. Commercial contractors and subcontractors are in a business, and they should be making business decisions. While one such decision can be to go to litigation; litigation is not always the best solution from a financial, or stress perspective. Construction professionals, with the assistance of construction attorneys, can come up with a creative way to deal with a problem and solve it. Read the court decision
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    Reprinted courtesy of The Law Office of Christopher G. Hill
    Mr. Hill may be contacted at chrisghill@constructionlawva.com

    The Benefits of Incorporating AI Into the Construction Lifecycle

    December 23, 2024 —
    Interest in artificial intelligence has been spreading like wildfire over the past few years. AI is not a new term for Trimble, which has been capturing and leveraging construction data for decades. From hardware to software, the field to the office or among stakeholders, harnessing and making meaning out of data is the crux of Trimble’s business. Generative AI is simply a new set of tools that provide a richer narrative around data, making it more insightful and actionable. As a company that helps connect stakeholders across the entire construction lifecycle—design, construction and operations/ maintenance—AI has been woven in and leveraged across a number of Trimble solutions to help contractors do more with less, while also giving them greater decision-making power and the ability to focus on other key challenges. While the use cases for AI are diverse and ever-changing, below are a few key areas where Trimble has doubled down on AI, with the goal of making contractors’ jobs less cumbersome and repetitive, safer and more capable of being upskilled—efforts which will only continue to grow in the coming years. Reprinted courtesy of Ian Warner, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved. Read the court decision
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    Reprinted courtesy of

    California Superior Court Overrules Insurer's Demurrer on COVID-19 Claim

    February 15, 2021 —
    A Superior Court in California overruled the insurer's demurrer to the policy holder's complaint seeking business interruption coverage after government shutdown orders were issued because of the coronavirus pandemic. Goodwill Industries of Orange County, California v. Philadelphia Indemnity Ins. Co., Cal. Superior Ct., Civil No. 30-2020-01169032-CU-IC-CXC (Minute Order Jan. 28,, 2021). The minute order is here [Goodwill Decision]. The insurer demurred on the ground that the insured had not alleged sufficient facts to show "direct physical loss" under the business income, extra expenses and civil authority provisions in the policy because coronavirus and COVID-19 did not physically alter the structure. Read the court decision
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    Reprinted courtesy of Tred R. Eyerly, Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert
    Mr. Eyerly may be contacted at te@hawaiilawyer.com

    What You Need to Know to Protect the Project Against Defect Claims

    October 28, 2024 —
    If a property owner claims there is a construction defect, that not only brings the project’s integrity into question but also your business’s reputation. So, how can you take steps to prevent these claims from causing such damage? Here are three things to know before beginning a project to effectively protect it and manage construction defect claims. 1. Documentation is key California and Los Angeles County require certain permits and documents in order for a construction project to move forward. Los Angeles County will also conduct plan checks to ensure everything is up to code. Detailed documentation will be important while making your plans. However, keeping notes throughout every step of the project will also be essential. Documenting all aspects of the project helps you:
    • Stay updated and aware of the project’s progress
    • Proactively catch and handle issues that could result in disputes
    • Create a record of evidence that can help manage defect claims
    Read the court decision
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    Reprinted courtesy of Scott L. Baker, Baker & Associates
    Mr. Baker may be contacted at slb@bakerslaw.com

    Gene Witkin Celebrates First Anniversary as Member of Ross Hart’s Mediation Team

    May 23, 2022 —
    LOS ANGELES, California, May 18, 2022 – With a near perfect record of resolving cases, Gene is particularly passionate about helping parties get closure and minimize the significant costs of civil discovery and trial. He attributes the high success rate to empathy for all sides from his diverse prior experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in civil litigation, as well as his extensive past experience as insurance coverage counsel for both insureds and insurers. In recent months, two cases in particular were at an impasse due to insurance issues. The parties were able to bridge the gap and resolve the disputes, with mediator help on subtle coverage issues in one case (working through technical policy provisions together) and a creative settlement structure in the other (involving allocation of payments under the insurance policy). Gene also credits the successful resolutions in part to pre-mediation calls with the parties to better define the obstacles to resolution. Gene, along with Ross Hart and several AMCC neutrals were thrilled to see many of their colleagues and construction defect stakeholders earlier this month at the West Coast Casualty seminar, which certainly heralded a successful return to in person events. For more information or to schedule a mediation, please contact case administrator Stephanie Felton at admin@amccenter.com. About AMCC For more than 30 years the principals of AMCC have been serving the construction, real estate and insurance industries as a full service ADR firm. In addition to administering multiple terms of the CSLB contract for the state, AMCC is the recognized leader in California for administering insurance appraisals under Insurance Code 2071, as well as numerous other related ADR services such as partnering and dispute review boards. For more information please visit www.amccenter.com. Read the court decision
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    Reprinted courtesy of

    FIFA Inspecting Brazil’s World Cup Stadiums

    March 26, 2014 —
    Representatives from FIFA have returned to Brazil to conduct inspections of the World Cup stadiums, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Even though Brazil had told FIFA they would have all twelve done by the end of 2013, only nine are finished. Furthermore, “infrastructure work in many of the 12 host cities remains far from completed.” “This is the last occasion for the organizers to take stock of the operational preparations before the respective FIFA World Cup installations begin to be implemented in all 12 host cities,” FIFA said in a statement, as quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle. Read the court decision
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    Reprinted courtesy of