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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


    CA Supreme Court Rejects Proposed Exceptions to Interim Adverse Judgment Rule Defense to Malicious Prosecution Action

    Quick Note: Attorney’s Fees on Attorney’s Fees

    Poor Record Keeping = Going to the Poor House (or, why project documentation matters)

    Payne & Fears LLP Recognized by Best Lawyers in 2024 “Best Law Firms” Rankings

    Release Language Extended To Successor Entity But Only Covered “Known” Claims

    Changes and Extra Work – Is There a Limit?

    Real Estate & Construction News Roundup (8/21/24) – REITs Show Their Strength, Energy Prices Increase Construction Costs and CRE Struggles to Keep Pace

    Google, Environmentalists and University Push Methane-Leak Detection

    Whose Employee is it Anyway?: Federal Court Finds No Coverage for Injured Subcontractor's Claim Based on Modified Employer's Liability Exclusion

    Heads I Win, Tails You Lose. Court Finds Indemnity Provision Went Too Far

    Japan Quake Triggers Landslides, Knocks Power Plant Offline

    The U.S. Flooded One of Houston’s Richest Neighborhoods to Save Everyone Else

    Meet the Forum's ADR Neutrals: LESLIE KING O'NEAL

    Cape Town Seeks World Cup Stadium Construction Collusion Damages

    BHA Has a Nice Swing: Firm Supports NCHV and Final Salute at 2017 WCC Seminar

    Yet ANOTHER Reason not to Contract without a License

    Jury Finds Broker Liable for Policyholder’s Insufficient Business Interruption Limits

    Can an App Renovate a Neighborhood?

    IoT: Take Guessing Out of the Concrete Drying Process

    The Future of Pandemic Coverage for Real Estate Owners and Developers

    D.R. Horton Profit Beats Estimates as Home Sales Jumped

    BWB&O’s Motion for Summary Judgment is Granted in a Premises Liability Matter

    Large Canada Employers and Jobsites Mandate COVID-19 Vaccines

    Lawsuit Gives Teeth to Massachusetts Pay Law

    Righting Past Wrongs Through Equitable Development

    Considerations in Obtaining a Mechanic’s Lien in Maryland (Don’t try this at home)

    More Thoughts on “Green” (the Practice, not the Color) Building

    Historical Long-Tail Claims in California Subject to a Vertical Exhaustion Rule

    Miller Act Statute of Limitations and Equitable Tolling

    Environmental Law Violations: When you Should Hire a Lawyer

    Illinois Appellate Court Finds That Damages in Excess of Policy Limits Do Not Trigger Right to Independent Counsel

    Is There Direct Physical Loss Under A Property Policy When COVID-19 is Present?

    Can You Really Be Liable For a Product You Didn’t Make? In New Jersey, the Answer is Yes

    A Compilation of Quirky Insurance Claims

    Certified Question Asks Hawaii Supreme Court to Determine Coverage for Allegations of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

    No Conflict in Successive Representation of a Closely-Held Company and Its Insiders Where Insiders Already Possess Company’s Confidential Information

    Heathrow Tempts Runway Opponents With $1,200 Christmas Sweetener

    Former Hoboken, New Jersey Mayor Disbarred for Taking Bribes

    Moving Toward a Telework Future: A Checklist of Considerations for Employers

    Deducting 2018 Real Property Taxes Prepaid in 2017 Comes with Caveats

    City Potentially Liable for Cost Overrun on Not-to-Exceed Public Works Contract

    Circumstances In Which Design Professional Has Construction Lien Rights

    Senate Committee Approves Military Construction Funds

    Federal Court Rejects Insurer's Argument that Wisconsin Has Adopted the Manifestation Trigger for Property Policy

    Cable-Free Elevators Will Soar to New Heights, and Move Sideways

    Remote Work Issues to Consider in Light of COVID-19

    Insurer's Daubert Challenge to Insured's Expert Partially Successful

    Only Two Weeks Until BHA’s Texas MCLE Seminar in San Antonio

    Newmeyer & Dillion Named a Best Law Firm in 2019 in Multiple Practice Areas by U.S. News-Best Lawyers

    Toward Increased Citizen Engagement in Urban Planning
    Corporate Profile

    SEATTLE WASHINGTON BUILDING EXPERT
    DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

    Leveraging from more than 7,000 construction defect and claims related expert witness designations, the Seattle, Washington Building Expert Group provides a wide range of trial support and consulting services to Seattle's most acknowledged construction practice groups, CGL carriers, builders, owners, and public agencies. Drawing from a diverse pool of construction and design professionals, BHA is able to simultaneously analyze complex claims from the perspective of design, engineering, cost, or standard of care.

    Building Expert News & Info
    Seattle, Washington

    Red Wings Owner, Needing Hockey-Arena Neighborhood, Builds One

    August 06, 2014 —
    Billionaire Mike Ilitch and his family plan to create an instantaneous neighborhood around Detroit’s new hockey arena and jump-start an economic recovery where other sports ventures fell short. The 250-acre (101-hectare) project near downtown sets the arena apart from other U.S. stadiums where little or no related development occurred, or arose long after construction. The Ilitches, owners of the National Hockey League’s Detroit Red Wings, will spend $200 million on apartments and retail space to attract residents by the time the arena opens for the 2017 season. They’ll also pay 44 percent of cost to build the arena. “This isn’t, ‘Build it and they will come.’ This is, ‘We’re coming and we’re building it,” said Mark Morante, a manager for the Michigan Strategic Fund, which must authorize a $450 million bond sale to build the arena, the largest by the state’s economic development arm. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Chris Christoff, Bloomberg
    Mr. Christoff may be contacted at cchristoff@bloomberg.net

    One Colorado Court Allows Negligence Claim by General Contractor Against Subcontractor

    December 20, 2012 —
    Judge Paul King of the Douglas County District Court recently confirmed that subcontractors in residential construction owe an independent duty, separate and apart from any contractual duties, to act without negligence in the construction of a home in Colorado. See Order, dated September 7, 2010, Sunoo v. Hickory Homes, Inc. et al., Case No. 2007CV1866; see also Cosmopolitan Homes, Inc. v. Weller, 663 P.2d 1041 (Colo. 1983); A.C. Excavating v. Yacht Club II Homeowners Ass’n, Inc., 114 P.3d 862 (Colo. 2005). He also verified that the holding in the B.R.W. Inc. v. Dufficy & Sons, Inc., 99 P.3d 66 (Colo. 2004)[1] case does not prohibit general contractors, such as Hickory Homes, from enforcing a subcontractor’s independent duty to act without negligence in the construction of a home. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Heather Anderson, Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell, LLC.
    Ms. Anderson can be contacted at anderson@hhmrlaw.com

    Insured's Expert Qualified, Judgment for Coverage Affirmed

    December 15, 2016 —
    Addressing a host of issues on appeal, the Texas Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's judgment against the insurer for property damage caused by Hurricane Ike. Nat'l Sec. Fire & Cas. Co. v. Henriquez, 2016 Tex. App. LEXIS 11391 (Tex. Ct. App. Oct. 20, 2016), withdrawn and substituted by 2016 Tex. App. LEXIS 12766 (Tex. Ct. app. Dec. 1, 2016). The insureds alleged property damage to their home caused by the hurricane. The roof was damaged, resulting in interior water damage. Sheetrock, exterior bricks, windows, walls cabinets and insulation throughout the entire home were damaged. The insureds also alleged that the home shifted during the storm, causing the foundation to not be level and the ceilings and walls to crack. Personal property within the dwelling was also damaged. 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

    Using the Prevention Doctrine

    April 22, 2019 —
    The following scenario happens regularly in the construction industry. A contractor on a project reaches out to a subcontractor to perform work. Excited about the prospect of performing the work, the subcontractor signs a contract and puts it nose to the grindstone. After dutifully completing the work the subcontractor turns to the contractor and asks to be paid. But, the contractor refuses saying that there is a provision in the subcontract that says the contractor is only obligated to pay the subcontractor if the contractor receives payment from the owner. So the contractor has completed the work, but has no money to show for it. One potential remedy for a subcontractor in this situation is the use of the prevention doctrine. “Under the prevention doctrine, ‘if a promisor prevents or hinders fulfillment of a condition to his performance, the condition may be waived or excused.’” Cox v. SNAP, Inc., 859 F.3d 304, 308 (4th Cir. 2017) (quoting Moore Bros. Co. v. Brown & Root, Inc., 207 F.3d 7171, 725 (4th Cir. 2000)). “Put simply, ‘where a party to a contract is the cause of the failure of the performance of the obligation due him or her, that party cannot in any way take advantage of that failure.’” Haddon Hous Assocs v. United States, 711 F.3d 1330, 1338 (Fed. Cir. 2013) (quoting Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 245; Williston, § 39:4). Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of David Erhart, Gordon & Rees Scully Mansukhani
    Mr. Erhart may be contacted at derhart@grsm.com

    Women Make Slow Entry into Building Trades

    December 04, 2013 —
    In the next seven years, about 200,000 carpenters will be added to workforce, but few of those are likely to be women. Sylas Demello, an electrical apprentice noted that it isn’t “made clear for women in high school to say, ‘hey, this is an option for you.’” Tiffany Bluemle is trying to do something about that. She runs Vermont Works for Women, which trains women for jobs in which there are few women, including the building trades. She notes that “seventy-five percent of owners say they face labor shortages.” Amy Judd is now one of those owners. Fifteen years ago, failing to find a teaching job, she started working as a carpenter. “It had never occurred to me that I would want to be a carpenter,” she said. Her firm employs eight people, half of whom are women. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of

    And the Winner Is . . . The Right to Repair Act!

    February 15, 2018 —
    Civil litigation attorneys often talk about “damages.” Because without damages . . . well . . . you’re out of luck. But damages come in different flavors. In construction litigation, when it comes to defective construction, there are two basic flavors: actual damages and economic damages. Actual damages include property damage and personal injury, such as a defective roof that causes water damage into the interior of the structure or collapses causing injury to someone inside the structure. In contrast, economic damages would be the cost to repair or replace the defective roof, without any resulting property damage or personal injury. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Garret Murai, Wendel Rosen Black & Dean LLP
    Mr. Murai may be contacted at gmurai@wendel.com

    When Employer’s Liability Coverage May Be Limited in New York

    June 28, 2021 —
    New York recognizes that coverage under Workers’ Compensation (“WC”) and Employer’s Liability (“EL”) policies is generally unlimited. See Tully Const. Co. v. Illinois Nat. Ins. Co., 131 A.D.3d 598 (2d Dept. 2015); Oneida Ltd. v. Utica Mut. Ins. Co., 263 A.D.2d 825, 694 N.Y.S.2d 221 (3d Dept. 1999). However, there is case holding that EL coverage may be limited in certain instances, such as when the primary EL carrier is listed as scheduled underlying insurance on an excess policy. In Liberty Mut. Ins. Co. v. Ins. Co. of State of Pennsylvania, 43 A.D.3d 666, 841 N.Y.S.2d 288 (1st Dept. 2007), an employee of General Industrial Service Corporation (“General”), a subcontractor on a construction project, sought to recover under New York’s Labor Law against the project’s owner and construction manager. Those defendants, in turn, brought a third-party action for indemnification against General. The employee’s personal injury claim was ultimately settled for $2.5 million. After the settlement, the excess insurer, Liberty, filed suit against the primary employer’s liability insurers, The Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania and American International Group of Companies (collectively, “AIG”), which had refused to participate in the defense or settlement of the underlying personal injury litigation. Although the issue of whether the plaintiff in the underling action had sustained a “grave injury” (necessary to support the common law indemnity claim against General and trigger coverage under the Employer’s Lability policy) had not yet been determined, the court held that “[i]n the event the existence of a grave injury is proven, AIG’s liability will be limited to $1 million.” Reprinted courtesy of Robert S. Nobel, Traub Lieberman and Craig Rokuson, Traub Lieberman Mr. Nobel may be contacted at rnobel@tlsslaw.com Mr. Rokuson may be contacted at crokuson@tlsslaw.com Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of

    Contractor Gets Green Light to Fix Two Fractured Girders at Salesforce Transit Center

    January 28, 2019 —
    The Transbay Joint Powers Authority announced Jan. 10 that procurement has begun for the repair of the two fractured bottom flanges of the twin parallel girders that span 80 ft across Fremont Street in the 4.5-block-long Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco. TJPA shuttered the transit center on Sept. 25, less than six weeks after it had opened, after a ceiling installer noticed a crack in one of the bridgelike spans. Read the court decision
    Read the full story...
    Reprinted courtesy of Nadine M. Post, ENR
    Ms. Post may be contacted at postn@enr.com