BERT HOWE
  • Nationwide: (800) 482-1822    
    concrete tilt-up building expert Seattle Washington multi family housing building expert Seattle Washington condominium building expert Seattle Washington office building building expert Seattle Washington landscaping construction building expert Seattle Washington parking structure building expert Seattle Washington high-rise construction building expert Seattle Washington low-income housing building expert Seattle Washington retail construction building expert Seattle Washington Subterranean parking building expert Seattle Washington casino resort building expert Seattle Washington custom home building expert Seattle Washington hospital construction building expert Seattle Washington tract home building expert Seattle Washington structural steel construction building expert Seattle Washington Medical building building expert Seattle Washington industrial building building expert Seattle Washington production housing building expert Seattle Washington condominiums building expert Seattle Washington townhome construction building expert Seattle Washington housing building expert Seattle Washington mid-rise construction building expert Seattle Washington
    Seattle Washington eifs expert witnessSeattle Washington concrete expert witnessSeattle Washington civil engineer expert witnessSeattle Washington consulting engineersSeattle Washington testifying construction expert witnessSeattle Washington construction expert witnessSeattle Washington contractor expert witness
    Arrange No Cost Consultation
    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


    $24 Million Verdict Against Material Supplier Overturned Where Plaintiff Failed to Prove Supplier’s Negligence or Breach of Contract Caused an SB800 Violation

    Were Condos a Bad Idea?

    BHA at the 10th Annual Construction Law Institute, Orlando

    Zillow Seen Dominating U.S. Home Searches with Trulia

    ConsensusDOCS Hits the Cloud

    Insured Entitled to Defense After Posting Medical Records Online

    Home Prices Rose in Fewer U.S. Markets in Fourth Quarter

    Differing Site Conditions: What to Expect from the Court When You Encounter the Unexpected

    Best Practices: Commercial Lockouts in Arizona

    More on Duty to Defend a Subcontractor

    Florida Governor Bans Foreign Citizens From Buying Land in Florida

    Homebuilding Down in North Dakota

    Legislation Update: S-865 Public-Private Partnerships in New Jersey Passed by Both Houses-Awaiting Governor’s Signature

    "Your Work" Exclusion Bars Coverage

    Will Maryland Beltway Developer's Exit Doom $7.6B P3 Project?

    Illinois Town’s Bond Sale Halted Over Fraudulent Hotel Deals

    Don’t Put All Your Eggs in the Silent-Cyber Basket

    Penn Station’s Revival Gets a $1.6 Billion Down Payment

    Editorial: Qatar Is Champion of Safety Hypocrisy in Migrant Worker Deaths

    Mexico's Richest Man Carlos Slim to Rebuild Collapsed Subway Line

    Meet Daniel Hall, Assistant Professor at TU Delft

    Land Planners Not Held to Professional Standard of Care

    Coverage for Construction Defects Barred by Business Risk Exclusions

    More Musings From the Mediation Trenches

    “But I didn’t know what I was signing….”

    Contractor Underpaid Workers, Pocketed the Difference

    Texas “Loser Pays” Law May Benefit Construction Insurers

    China Construction Bank Sued in US Over Reinsurance Fraud Losses

    Real Estate & Construction News Round-Up 01/26/22

    Not Just Another Client Alert about Cyber-Risk and Effective Cybersecurity Insurance Regulatory Guidance

    Consulting Firm Indicted and Charged with Falsifying Concrete Reports

    Waive Not, Want Not: Waivers and Releases on California Construction Projects

    Kumagai Drops Most in 4 Months on Building Defect: Tokyo Mover

    Disputes Will Not Be Subject to Arbitration Provision If There Is No “Significant Relationship”

    Negligence of Property Appraiser

    New Change Order Bill Becomes Law: RCW 39.04.360

    A Court-Side Seat: NWP 12 and the Dakota Access Pipeline Easement Get Forced Vacations, while a Potential Violation of the Eighth Amendment Isn’t Going Anywhere

    Washington State Updates the Contractor Registration Statute

    Top Five Legal Mistakes in Construction

    Ex-Corps Worker Pleads Guilty to Bribery on Afghan Contract

    Public Works Bid Protests – Who Is Responsible? Who Is Responsive?

    Gillotti v. Stewart (2017) 2017 WL 1488711 Rejects Liberty Mutual, Holding Once Again that the Right to Repair Act is the Exclusive Remedy for Construction Defect Claims

    Defense Dept. IG: White House Email Stonewall Stalls Border Wall Contract Probe

    Coverage Article - To Settle or Not To Settle?

    Be a Good Neighbor: Techniques to Mitigate the Risk of Claims from Adjacent Landowners

    Five-Year Peak for Available Construction Jobs

    ASCE Statement on House Passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 2024

    Uniwest Rides Again (or, Are Architects Subject to Va. Code Section 11-4.1?)

    Arguing Cardinal Change is Different than Proving Cardinal Change

    Chinese Drywall Manufacturer Claims Product Was Not for American Market
    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

    Bad Faith Claim For Independent Contractor's Reduced Loss Assessment Survives Motion to Dismiss

    January 28, 2014 —
    The insured's bad faith claim based upon the insurer's alleged use of an independent contractor to assess the amount of loss in order to lower the amount paid survived a motion to dismiss. Williamson v. Chubb Indem. Ins. Co., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 178022 (E.D. Pa. Dec. 19, 2013). The insureds' home was damaged. Chubb, their insurer, retained an independent contractor, Eastern Diversified Services (EDS) to assess the amount of loss. EDS estimated the loss to be $193,270.43, and Chubb paid this amount. Chubb's standard practice was to conduct damage estimates itself using an estimating program called Symbility. EDS used a different program with a data base creating lower payments for loss. When this was brought to Chubb's attention, Chubb refused to recalculate the plaintiff's estimate. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Tred R. Eyerly, Insurance Law Hawaii
    Mr. Eyerly may be contacted at te@hawaiilawyer.com

    Colorado Legislative Update: HB 20-1155, HB 20-1290, and HB 20-1348

    August 03, 2020 —
    This year’s Colorado State Legislative session was cut short. However, in the period of time Colorado’s Legislature was in session, it passed and evaluated important legislation for Colorado homebuilders. This article highlights relevant legislation for Colorado homebuilders. 1. HB 20-1155 This Bill creates new requirements on new homebuilders to offer renewable energy systems to the buyer of a new home. Specifically, the Bill requires homebuilders to offer each of the following:
    • A solar panel system, a solar thermal system, or both;
    • Prewiring or pre-plumbing for the above solar systems; and,
    • A chase or conduit for future installation of such systems.
    The Bill further requires Colorado homebuilders to offer homebuyers one of the following:
    • An electric vehicle charging system;
    • Prewiring for the future installation for such a system; or,
    • A plug-in receptacle in a place accessible to a vehicle parking area.
    Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Jean Meyer, Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell, LLC
    Mr. Meyer may be contacted at meyer@hhmrlaw.com

    Potential Extension of the Statutes of Limitation and Repose for Colorado Construction Defect Claims

    April 27, 2020 —
    On January 27th, Senator Robert Rodriguez introduced SB 20-138 into the Colorado Legislature. The bill has been assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee and has not yet been scheduled for its first hearing in that committee. In short, Senate Bill 20-138, if enacted, would:
    1. Extend Colorado’s statute of repose for construction defects from 6+2 years to 10+2 years;
    2. Require tolling of the statute of repose until the claimant discovers not only the physical manifestation of a construction defect, but also its cause; and
    3. Permit statutory and equitable tolling of the statute of repose.
    Colorado’s statute of repose for construction defect claims are codified at C.R.S. § 13-80-104. In 1986, the Colorado Legislature set the statute of repose period at 6+2 years. For the last 34 years, Colorado’s statute of repose for owners’ claims against construction professionals has been substantially the same, to wit:
    (1) (a) Notwithstanding any statutory provision to the contrary, all actions against any architect, contractor, builder or builder vendor, engineer, or inspector performing or furnishing the design, planning, supervision, inspection, construction, or observation of construction of any improvement to real property shall be brought within the time provided in section 13-80-102 after the claim for relief arises, and not thereafter, but in no case shall such an action be brought more than six years after the substantial completion of the improvement to the real property, except as provided in subsection (2) of this section.
    (2) In case any such cause of action arises during the fifth or sixth year after substantial completion of the improvement to real property, said action shall be brought within two years after the date upon which said cause of action arises.
    Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of David McLain, Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell
    Mr. McLain may be contacted at mclain@hhmrlaw.com

    Changes to Judicial Selection in Mexico Create a New Case for Contractual ADR Provisions

    November 25, 2024 —
    The Mexican Congress recently discussed and approved a Constitutional Amendment called the “Judiciary Amendment” which was ironically published in the Official Gazette on September 15, 2024, the day before Mexican Independence Day. With this Judiciary Amendment, the Mexican Congress determined that Federal Judges, Federal Magisters and the Ministers of the Supreme Court will now be elected through direct and popular election. Before the Judiciary Amendment, Federal Judges and Magisters used to have a judicial career; many of them started as law clerks and were promoted step by step until becoming Judge or Magister. Ministers of the Supreme Court were appointed by the Senate through an election of three candidates designated by the President. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Juan Pablo Sandoval, COMAD, S.C.
    Mr. Sandoval may be contacted at jpsandoval@comad.com.mx

    Home Sales and Stock Price Up for D. R. Horton

    February 04, 2013 —
    They call themselves "America's Builder," and in the last three months of 2013, D. R. Horton exceeded the market's predictions of how many of the homes they built would translate into sales. At the end of 2011, they had $27.7 million in earnings. At the end of last year, they saw $66.3 million in earnings. The 2011 earnings work out to 9 cents per share. Analysts were expecting 14 cents per share, but D. R. Horton delivered 20 cents per share. The stock market responded with a 3.7% increase in the home builder's stock price, upping it by 79 cents to $22.10. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of

    In Florida, Exculpatory Clauses Do Not Need Express Language Referring to the Exculpated Party's Negligence

    October 02, 2015 —
    In Sanislo v. Give Kids the World, Inc., 157 So.3d 256 (Fla. 2015), the Supreme Court of Florida considered whether a party to a contract, in order to be released from liability for its own negligence, needs to include an express reference to negligence in an exculpatory clause. The court held that, unlike an indemnification clause, so long as the language in an exculpatory clause is clear, the absence of the terms “negligence” or “negligent acts” in an exculpatory clause does not, for that reason alone, render the exculpatory clause ineffective. Background Give Kids the World, Inc. (“GKW”) is a non-profit organization that provides free vacations to seriously ill children and their families at GKW’s resort village. To use the resort, vacationers have to fill out an application. Stacy and Eric Sanislo filled out an application to bring their seriously ill child to the village for a vacation and GKW accepted their application. Upon arriving at the resort, the Sanislos filled out a liability release form. Reprinted courtesy of Edward Jaeger, White and Williams LLP and William Doerler, White and Williams LLP Mr. Jaeger may be contacted at jaegere@whiteandwilliams.com Mr. Doerler may be contacted at doerlerw@whiteandwilliams.com Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of

    No Coverage for Home Damaged by Falling Boulders

    March 08, 2021 —
    The policy's earth movement exclusion barred coverage for the home damaged by large boulders rolling down from the hillside above. Sullivan v. Nationwide Affinity Ins. Co. of Am., 2021 U.S. App. LEZXIS 628 (10th Cir Jan. 11, 2021). Plaintiffs' home sustained extensive damage when two or three large builders rolled down a steep hillside and struck the home. The insurer, Nationwide, hired an engineering firm that determined the boulders were not influenced by meteorological conditions such as torrential rain or high winds. The report noted that rockfall hazards existed primarily due to an undercut sandstone outcrop, and evidenced by numerous rocks from rockfall events that scattered Plaintiffs' property. Based on the report, Nationwide denied coverage under the earth movement exclusion. The exclusion provided Nationwide did "not insure for loss caused directly or indirectly by . . . Earth Movement" and regardless of "whether or not the loss event results in widespread damage or affects a substantial area." The policy further defined "earth movement" to include "landslide . . . or any other earth movement including earth sinking, risking or shifting." Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Tred R. Eyerly, Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert
    Mr. Eyerly may be contacted at te@hawaiilawyer.com

    ASCE Releases First-of-its-Kind Sustainable Infrastructure Standard

    October 24, 2023 —
    RESTON, VA — The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) today released a first-of-its-kind standard, ASCE/COS 73-23: Standard Practice for Sustainable Infrastructure, which provides guidance for infrastructure owners to develop and implement sustainable solutions through a project's entire life cycle. It is a non-mandatory, performance-based standard designed for civil infrastructure ranging from transportation projects to water systems to the energy grid, developed over a period of five years involving a multitude of diverse stakeholders. ASCE President Maria Lehman noted, "This is a transformational standard that for the first time will establish consensus guidance on how infrastructure owners should address sustainability in their projects. As of early September, there have been 23 confirmed weather/climate disaster events in the U.S. with losses exceeding $1 billion. That's almost one every week and a half. Sustainability and resilience are more important than ever. Infrastructure owners and designers have a responsibility to develop and implement practices that promote sustainability and long-term reliability of infrastructure projects, while also being cost-effective and collaborative with community stakeholders." The standard complements existing ASCE standards and tools like the Envision rating system. A discussion and examination of the ASCE/COS 73-23 standard will be held at the ASCE INSPIRE 2023 Conference in Arlington, Virginia from November 16th-18th. Print copies of the standard will also be available for purchase at the conference. Click here to register for the event and learn more about sustainable and resilient innovations in the civil engineering space. To purchase the standard, visit the link here. ABOUT THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 150,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. ASCE works to raise awareness of the need to maintain and modernize the nation's infrastructure using sustainable and resilient practices, advocates for increasing and optimizing investment in infrastructure, and improve engineering knowledge and competency. For more information, visit www.asce.org or www.infrastructurereportcard.org and follow us on Twitter, @ASCETweets and @ASCEGovRel. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of